The Victoria Royals first-round Western Hockey League playoff series will be the strait story.
The Royals will meet the Vancouver Giants in the post-season for the first time. It will be the No. 2-seed versus No. 3-seed matchup in the B.C. Division after the Kelowna Rockets clinched the division title on Wednesday night.
There hasn’t been much opportunity for this matchup because the Giants have missed the playoffs four of the seven seasons, including the past three seasons, the Royals have played on the Island. The Royals have never missed the playoffs since moving to the capital from Chilliwack in 2011-12.
The only issue to be decided in the Victoria-Vancouver series, expected to start next Friday and Saturday, is home-ice advantage. The Royals lead the Giants by three points with both clubs having two games remaining. Victoria holds the tiebreaker and can clinch home ice for the series by picking up one point in its regular-season ending set against the Silvertips tonight in Everett or Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Giants (36-25-9), who close out with a home-and-home set against the Rockets (41-22-7), can take home-ice advantage if they win out against Kelowna and the Royals (39-25-6) lose both games in regulation time to Everett.
“It provides us with a challenge this weekend, but it’s nice to have it in our hands and control our own destiny,” said Royals GM Cameron Hope.
The Silvertips (45-20-5) will be motivated, as well. They lead both the U.S. Division and Western Conference but have yet to clinch. The Silvertips have lost two straight games and lead streaking Portland by four points with the Winterhawks having three games remaining to the ’Tips two.
“Both Victoria and Everett have something to play for,” said Hope.
“For us, gaining home ice against Vancouver will be important because playoff series can be so close, that it’s the little things and intangibles that can decide the series.”
The Royals and Silvertips were first-round opponents in last year’s playoffs in a series that ended with conference-champion Everett outlasting Victoria in an epic five overtime periods in Game 6 in the longest game in WHL and CHL history.
Royals head coach Dan Price said he expects a “fast, physical” series against Vancouver. But first up is old friend Everett to close out the regular season.
“The Silvertips are detailed and organized and they defend well,” said Price, about Everett’s patented shutdown style.
Then there is that border wall known as Carter Hart.
“It doesn’t hurt [Everett] to have the best goaltender in junior hockey,” said Hope.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better regular-season ending tuneup heading into the playoffs.”
And with something still at stake in what has become the traditional regular-season concluding home-and-home set the past several years between the Royals and Silvertips.
“It’s a big final weekend for both us and Everett so these are going to be very interesting games,” said Price.
The Royals players have two thought tracks at the moment: One down and up I-5 this weekend and the other on a ferry series starting next week.
“We’re definitely thinking about [the Giants] in the back of our minds, but there are still points on the table we need to take this weekend against Everett,” said Victoria defenceman Scott Walford.
“The Silvertips play very tight and to their systems. They are very hard to play against,” added the third-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s great preparation for us to end the regular season on.”
Meanwhile, Price can ease his starting goaltender Griffen Outhouse into the playoff grind by giving him only one start this weekend, and the other to rookie Dean McNabb. Or he can give Outhouse that back-to-back feel of what it will be like in the playoffs.
“I’ve not decided yet,” said Price, of his crease start options against Everett.
