Royals’ playoff opponent still up in the air
GAME DAY: VICTORIA AT KAMLOOPS 7 p.m. at the Sandman Centre TV: None / Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM
Book the band and polish up the skates. The playoff prom is set.
The eighth-and-final invitation to the 2016-17 WHL Western Conference post-season shindig went to the Portland Winterhawks late Wednesday night with their victory over the Prince George Cougars.
Only the dance pairings are to be decided.
There are other mathematical possibilities, but with five games remaining, it is looking increasingly likely the seventh-seed Victoria Royals (37-25-5) are destined to meet the conference second seed. That will go to either the B.C. Division or U.S. Division champion (the one between those two with the lower record).
“We were locked into this a while ago, subject to a little bit of luck,” said Royals GM Cam Hope.
That luck never came, especially in the two back-to-back losses this week in Kelowna and Kamloops, which pretty much sealed the Royals’ fate as the presumptive seventh seed.
The Cougars are trying to fend off the charging Kelowna Rockets for the B.C. Division title while the Kamloops Blazers have a faint outside shot. The division looked to be Prince George’s to lose but now everybody is eyeing Kelowna, which is only two points behind the Cougars with a game in hand.
“[Kelowna] looks like a contender,” said Hope.
The Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds will go down to the wire for the U.S. Division crown. The Silvertips hold the better cards with a one-point lead and two games in hand.
The only playoff-bound teams right now the Royals can’t meet in the first round are the Winterhawks and Tri-City Americans.
“We’re down to only five choices,” added Hope.
That makes pre-playoff scouting a moving target.
“It’s ongoing, but it’s a bit tricky right now,” said Hope.
“Yet, every time you play one of these teams, you get to know a little bit more about them.”
That will be especially so in this final stretch of the regular season. Victoria can affect the trajectories of these seeding races with games tonight in Kamloops, Saturday in Kelowna and homeand-away season-cappers against Everett. The only non-playoff team the Royals remain to face are the Vancouver Giants, who were done long ago and will miss the dance for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years.
Tonight’s Royals-Blazers game in Kamloops will see both teams lighter on the bench and in the wallet. Jared Dmytriw of Victoria and Deven Sideroff of Kamloops are each sitting out one-game suspensions for their fight just six seconds into Wednesday night’s game in Kamloops, won 5-2 by the Blazers. Both clubs were levied $500 fines by the WHL for the incident, which was precipitated by Dmytriw’s hit-to-the-head penalty in a game between the teams Feb. 11 in Victoria which netted the Royals forward a threegame suspension at that time.
Defenceman Ondrej Vala of the Blazers also received a suspension for tonight’s game because of a kneeing major in Wednesday’s game.
Meanwhile, of the injured Royals, forward Ryan Peckford is listed out for another two-to-three weeks and Los Angeles Kings prospect defenceman Chaz Reddekopp three-to-four weeks.
The return, however, of forward and Anaheim Ducks draft pick Tyler Soy appears imminent from his upper-body injury incurred after contact in that game against Kamloops on Feb. 11 for which Vala received a twogame suspension.
“Tyler is getting close. There is a chance he will play on this trip [either tonight, Saturday in Kelowna or Tuesday in Langley against the Giants],” said Hope.