EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips did not stand out on special teams during the regular season.
At 77.2 percent the Tips’ penalty-kill unit was 16th, while their power play percentage of 17 percent was second to last in the Western Hockey League regular season.
Since the playoffs began, however, the Tips have killed 88.9 percent of penalties and scored at an 18.2 percent clip on the power play. That could be a big factor during a postseason series in which special-teams goals come at a premium.
In fact the Tips have scored at least one power-play goal in their last five playoff games heading into Wednesday’s third game of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Seattle Thunderbirds. The series is tied at one game apiece and action begins at 7 p.m. at Xfinity Arena.
“During the season we struggled at times on the power play, but whenever you get a chance to score on the power play it helps,” said Everett forward Matt Fonteyne, who scored a power-play goal in Friday’s 3-0 series-opening win at ShoWare Center.
“A lot of people think on the power play is just skill, but I think it’s getting pucks and bodies to the net and that’s how it’s been working so far.”
Everett was 1-for-9 on the power play in Friday’s series opener and was 1-for-4 in Sunday’s Game 2. It’s worth noting that both Fonteyne’s goal and the one scored Sunday by Cole MacDonald came off the rush rather than Everett setting up in Seattle’s defensive zone.
You can point to Seattle’s penalty-killing unit as the culprit. The Thunderbirds led the WHL during the regular season with a penalty-killing rate of 85.3 percent.
“I don’t know how much more you’re going to get against a group that really — for the last few years and this year as much as any — is a tremendous penalty-killing group,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said of Seattle. “So you’re going to take the ones you get and feel happy about it.”
Perhaps equally as important has been Everett’s ability to hold Seattle scoreless on the power play. The Thunderbirds were third in the league on the man advantage at 23.7 percent in the regular season, but are 0-for-9 so far in this series.
“I don’t assume we’ll shut them out at all — that’s impossible,” Constantine said. “They’ve got too many good guys so they’ll have a game where their power play is very good. That’s the way it works when a team is very good on the power play. We’ve been fortunate and we’ll see how we do the rest of the way.”
Four of Seattle’s chances came in the very first period of the series. The Tips took four penalties in that opening stanza, but managed to kill each one and eventually went on to win 3-0 to take the series lead.
The series has had a physical tone, but avoiding costly penalties — like the quartet they were assessed in Friday’s first period — is paramount if the Tips are going to win the series.
“We gotta stay out of the box,” Everett defenseman Lucas Skrumeda said. “We’ve been taking a lot of first period penalties. They took it to us in the first period in the last game too. We have to establish our game quicker than they can establish theirs.”
Everett will also be looking for a better start. The Tips were outshot 13-4 in Friday’s opening period due largely to the fact they were in the penalty box so frequently.
Seattle also had a better opening period Sunday when it took a 1-0 lead and went on to win 3-1 to tie the series up at one game each and ensure the seven-game set will return to ShoWare Center on Saturday.
“First periods are always important and I don’t think we’ve been great,“ Constantine said. “I think Seattle has been very good in the first two periods. In the first game they drew four penalties and in the second game they out-chanced us significantly. They’ve been the better starting team.”
The Tips will also look to contain Seattle star Mathew Barzal. Everett held the Coquitlam, B.C., native off the score sheet in the opener, but Barzal scored the Thunderbirds’ first two goals in Sunday’s win and now has nine points in Seattle’s half-dozen playoff games.
Game 4 is scheduled for Friday night at Xfinity Arena with Game 5 Saturday in Kent. If necessary, Games 6 and 7 would be next week Monday and Tuesday in Everett and Kent, respectively.
Notes
Everett goalie Carter Hart was named the No. 2 goaltending prospect in North America Tuesday by NHL Central Scouting. … Tips forward Patrick Bajkov was named the No. 113-ranked North American skater on the same list. … Everett forward Carson Stadnyk and defenseman Noah Juulsen didn’t practice Tuesday. Each took a big hit in Sunday’s game, but returned to the contest. Constantine said both were being rested. … Forward Riley Sutter was a full participant while defenseman Tristen Pfeifer remains out.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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