Playoff possibilities aplenty with month left in WHL Western Conference schedule

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If the post-season began today, the Giants would face off against the Winterhawks in the first round, but there’s still much to be decided.

Vancouver Giants goalie Jesper Vikman stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks on Nov. 6, 2021. The Giants could face the Winterhawks in this year's playoffs.
Vancouver Giants goalie Jesper Vikman stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks on Nov. 6, 2021. The Giants could face the Winterhawks in this year’s playoffs. Photo by Rob Wilton /PNG

The WHL season ends in a month. Here’s a breakdown of the remaining play for the Western Conference teams:

(All statistics are as of Wednesday morning. The Vancouver Giants were hosting the Tri-City Americans on Wednesday night.)

NEXT GAME

friday

Everett Silvertips vs. Vancouver Giants

7:30 pm, Langley Events Centre. Radio: 650AM

1. Everett Silvertips (39-9-3-5, 86 points)

Game remaining: 12.

Home/away: 6/6.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Spokane.

The skinny: The Silvertips are two points up on Kamloops with a game in hand and five ahead of Portland with two games in hand, but their final dozen games still include three against Portland, so some movement in the standings is possible. Everett has a home-and-home this weekend with Vancouver and then finishes with 10 straight against US teams.

2. Kamloops Blazers (41-14-2-0, 84 points)

Games remaining: eleven.

Home/away: 8/3.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Prince George.

The skinny: The BC Division champion is guaranteed a top two seeding for the playoffs, so it’s not Portland but Kelowna, who are 11 back of them with three games in hand, that the Blazers need to keep an eye on. The Blazers just so happen to be two games into a stretch of six straight for them against Kelowna that wraps up the season series between the clubs. Kamloops have won the past two and now trail the season series 3-6-1-0.

3. Portland Winterhawks (38-15-3-2, 81 points)

Games remaining: 10.

Home/away: 4/6.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Vancouver.

The skinny: The Winterhawks had a 34-point lead in the standings on the Giants as of Wednesday morning, but Vancouver is 3-0-0-0 in their season series, including a 6-5 decision Saturday in Portland. The teams meet once more, with Portland visiting the Langley Events Center on April 8, the second to last weekend of league play.

4. Seattle Thunderbirds (35-15-4-2, 76 points)

Games remaining: 12.

Home/away: 5/7.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Kelowna.

The skinny: Barring a massive late run by someone in the bottom half of the standings, the third-place team will play a sixth-place team in the first round of the playoffs that finished 30-plus points behind them. The fourth-place club will face a fifth-place side to start that was only single digits back. Seattle has three more games with Portland, so they can make up some ground there. They also have four more with Tri-City, who are 10-0-0-0 against so far.

5. Kelowna Rockets (34-15-1-4, 73 points)

Games remaining: 14.

Home/away: 7/7.

If they playoffs started today, they would be facing Seattle.

The skinny: The Rockets have two games with Victoria that split up for them that aforementioned set with Kamloops. Once they’re done with the Blazers, they have eight straight to finish league play against teams with losing records: four with Prince George, three with Vancouver and one with Victoria.

6. Vancouver Giants (22-29-3-0, 47 points)

Games remaining: 14.

Home/away: 9/5.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Portland.

The skinny: Vancouver’s remaining stretch features three-of-four games on the season against Seattle and two of their four against both Spokane and Everett, so it’s fairly unfamiliar territory.

7. Prince George Cougars (20-32-2-1, 43 points)

Games remaining: 13.

Home/away: 4/9.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Kamloops.

The skinny: Spokane has five games left against teams with winning records. Prince George has seven such meetings to go.

8. Spokane Chiefs (19-33-4-1, 43 pointsyes)

Games remaining: eleven.

Home/away: 2/9.

If the playoffs started today, they would be facing Everett.

The skinny: The WHL goes through your standard tiebreakers, starting with overall wins and then head-to-head record, in the event that teams are tied for one of the top seven placings in a conference. If two teams are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot, there’s a sudden-death playoff game in the home rink of the team with the most wins. Keep that in mind with so much so close at this end of the standings. A tiebreaker last happened in 2019, when Kamloops beat Kelowna 5-1 to advance.

9. Victoria Royals (17-34-5-1 40 points)

Games remaining: eleven.

Home away: 8/3.

If the playoffs started today, they wouldn’t qualify.

The skinny: The Royals and the Cougars meet five times down the stretch to wrap up their 14-game series. Victoria’s final two games of the year are against Spokane at home, and that could well decide who makes the playoffs.

10. Tri-City Americans (15-36-5-0, 35 points)

Games remaining: 12.

Home away: 7/5.

If the playoffs started today, they wouldn’t qualify.

The skinny: They have nine games left against teams with winning records. They have considerable work to do to make the post-season.

[email protected]

twitter:@SteveEwen

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