Royals look to gain edge in playoff series vs. Giants

VICTORIA AT VANCOUVER, GAME 3 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre TV: None / Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM

The Victoria Royals need their Nick Foles.

If there was one player considered essential to the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of winning the Super Bowl, it was quarterback and MVP candidate Carson Wentz.

But from thought-to-be playoffaltering injury to Wentz, to the unlikely Foles off the bench, we all know how that turned out.

If anyone was asked who were the four essential Royals heading into the Western Hockey League playoffs, they would have readily said forwards Matthew Phillips, Tanner Kaspic, Tyler Soy and goaltender Griffen Outhouse.

But injuries in sport have a way of messing up even the best laid plans. With Kaspick and Soy injured, the Royals are like a BMW driving with two wheels. It’s still a nice car but it’s going to be a bumpier ride. The Royals need to find their Foles-like shock absorbers in their Western Conference quarter-final playoff against the Vancouver Giants.

The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 with the third and fourth games tonight and Thursday in the Langley Events Centre and fifth game Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

“You can plan for playoff injuries,” countered Royals GM Cameron Hope.

“Injuries are almost inevitable and other players have to step up. It’s difficult to ask 16- and 17-year-old players to do that. That’s why at the trade deadline we acquired veteran players like Lane Zablocki, Jeff de Wit, Brayden Buziak and Andrei Grishakov.”

That’s the reason Kaspick, who at times has put this Royals team on his shoulders and carried it since January, was also acquired at the trade deadline.

But the St. Louis Blue-signed forward went hard into the Memorial Centre boards in Saturday night’s 5-4 Victoria win and came off with an upper-body injury. He will not skate in Langley this week, and perhaps not for the rest of the series. That is a massive blow to Victoria’s chances.

Also likely out for the rest of the first round are defenceman Scott Walford, a third-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, and forward Dino Kambeitz, injured in the 2-1 first-game Royals loss, by a body-shivering high hit.

The only glimmer on the injury front for Victoria, Hope adds, is that Soy, who holds every franchise career scoring record for goals, assists and points, can return “at some point in the series.”

Victoria’s injury situation is more dire, but Vancouver has not been immune, either. Starting Giants goaltender David Tendeck, a second-team conference all-star, has missed the first two games. The Giants are saying Tendeck is a game-time decision tonight and that could alter the trajectory of the series if he returns to the crease.

Giants forward Brayden Watts went out Saturday night after being levelled by a devastating legal hit by Victoria defenceman Chaz Reddekopp. And Giants defenceman Darian Skeoch missed the second game and could be looking at a further suspension after the high hit that took out Kambeitz.

“You can’t focus on who’s not playing,” said de Wit, of Victoria’s unenviable injury situation.

“It’s an opportunity for me to step up and contribute.”

That’s exactly what he did Saturday. Bumped up to the first line with Phillips and Dante Hannoun, in Soy’s absence, de Wit responded with the winning goal. But de Wit deflected the praise to the third and fourth lines: “Give credit to guys like Buziak, [Tarun] Fizer and [Kaid] Oliver for really stepping forward in their roles.”

Secondary players, suddenly, have to become primary.

“Guys have to step up 110 per cent plus and do whatever it takes,” said Hannoun.

The often brutal hitting in the series has become a talking point.

“It’s a playoff battle and it’s physical and it’s hard,” said Hannoun.

De Wit concurred: “It’s high intensity and both games were physical.”

Expect it to be a long series between the B.C. Division secondseed Royals, who have never missed the playoffs in their seven seasons of playing on the Island, and the divisional third-seed Giants, who have returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years.

“The first two were hardfought games,” said Royals blueliner Reddekopp, under contract to the Los Angeles Kings.

“It’s a man’s game in the playoffs. It’s going to continue to be physical.”