Not so special teams ailing Giants
Vancouver juniors hope to improve pedestrian power play when lowly Raiders come to town
Maybe a road weary opponent will do wonders for the Vancouver Giants’ pedestrian power play.
The Prince Albert Raiders were slated to face the Victoria Royals Tuesday before coming to take on the Giants on Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre (7 p.m., TSN 1040).
The Raiders entered Tuesday with WHL’s second-worst record, their 5-13-1-0 mark leaving them ahead of only the 3-11-4-1 Kootenay Ice. The Giants, meanwhile, went into league action Tuesday with the 20th-ranked power play in the 22-team loop, with a 14.9 per cent (11-for-74) success rate.
The power play problems have obviously played a role in Vancouver’s 9-12-0-0 start. The Giants are currently in an 0-for-7 power play dry spell over their past two games.
They’ve struggled on the penalty kill as well. Vancouver is ranked 21st in that category, at 72.1 per cent (22 goals against in 79 chances). Only the Lethbridge Hurricanes are worse.
Prince Albert entered Tuesday with the league’s 21st-ranked power play, clicking at a 12.3 per cent (10for-81) rate. The Calgary Hitmen sit at the very bottom of the pile, scoring on 11.4 per cent (9-for-79) of their opportunities.
The Raiders have the league’s 15th best penalty kill, having surrendered 17 goals against in 74 chances.
The Medicine Tigers own the WHL’s most feared power play, scoring at a 34.8 per cent (32-for-92) clip. The Regina Pats were next best at 31.8 per cent (27-for-85).
The Tigers (13-5-1-0) were fourth in the league standings, while the Pats (14-0-3-0) were second.
The Prince George Cougars lead the league in killing penalties, surrendering just 12 goals in 94 chances. The Cougars (15-4-2-0) led the standings going into action Tuesday.
Wednesday’s game will be the fourth on a five-game B.C. road swing for the Raiders, who are coached by Marc Habscheid, who has previously coached the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Chilliwack Bruins and Royals, respectively.
The Raiders dropped a 5-2 decision in Kamloops on Friday and a 7-1 count in Kelowna on Saturday.
Vancouver captain Tyler Benson, a left winger, goes into Wednesday’s matchup on a five-game scoring streak (2-5-7). Left winger Radovan Bondra is on a three-game run (3-2-5).
Bondra and Benson both have a team-high 19 points. Bondra has 12 goals, while Benson has eight.