Division-leading Tips keyed by success away from home

Published 1:30 am Thursday, November 15, 2018

The Everett Silvertips have shown no trepidation playing away from home.

Everett is 10-3 on the road this season (including seven consecutive wins away from Angel of the Winds Arena), a major reason why the Silvertips sit atop the U.S. Division standings with 30 points.

“We have so much depth at the back end, and our goaltending has been stellar this year,” Everett captain Connor Dewar said. “We’re getting timely scoring, and everyone is starting to contribute offensively. When you have all those things going for you it’s hard to lose games.”

It’s no secret the Silvertips haven’t lost many games lately. Since its 3-0 loss to Prince Albert on Oct. 23, Everett has prevailed in eight of its last nine contests, seven of which were on the road. According to Silvertips overage defenseman Sahvan Khaira, their success has a lot to do with their play style.

“We come and have a gritty style of play,” he said. “We don’t really play an emotional game; we play the same way regardless. We have a lot of guys going at the same level here.”

That consistent approach has helped Everett greatly as 13 of its 21 games to start the season have been away from home. The Silvertips’ early-season road-heavy slate has been caused partly by other events occupying Angel of the Winds Arena, such as the Washington State Fall Home Show in September and Disney on Ice this past weekend. Another factor is the fact that Everett has already completed its annual six-game Eastern Conference road trip.

This past weekend was a great test of the Silvertips’ fortitude on the road as they played in Kamloops, British Columbia, on Friday, in Kent against Seattle on Saturday and in Kamloops on Sunday.

Everett won all three games, outscoring its opponents 16-4.

“I think it’s just finding your rest where you can, whether it’s on the bus or getting a nap in during the day. That’s the biggest thing you need in a three-and-three, and I felt like we’ve done a good job of doing that,” Khaira said.

Williams offered another explanation about why the Silvertips have been able to get in a groove on the road this season.

“I think the biggest thing is you eliminate all distractions from players,” Williams said. “Obviously we love playing at home in front of big crowds and the great atmosphere, but when you’re at home you have mom and dad and relatives and you can get out a routine. When you get in the road, you get to just get up in the morning, you have your breakfast, you have your meetings, you have your skate, you have your pregame.”

Wolf, Fairbrother remain on NHL Draft radar

Dustin Wolf and Gianni Fairbrother were given ‘C’ grades in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s November update to its “Player to Watch” list on Monday. Neither player’s marks changed from the initial list, which was released in October.

Wolf has posted great numbers this season — he’s third in the Western Hockey League with a 1.73 goals against average, third with a .929 save percentage and second with 134 wins, but one of his main detriments is out of his control: his height. Wolf is 5-foot-11, and the threshold for a NHL netminder is believed to be 6-foot-1. That doesn’t mean Wolf can’t either buck that trend with sound play or grow an inch or two, but it currently it doesn’t help him.

Fairbrother is a balanced defenseman that’s logged minutes on the power play and can improve his draft stock by expanding his offensive game.

A composite 217-player ranking of all North American prospects for the 2019 NHL Draft will be released by Central Scouting on Jan. 21.