EVERETT — The Silvertips have gotten themselves back on track.
Everett is coming off a weekend in which it swept three games and has won five of its past six. The Silvertips have zoomed from being tied for last in the WHL’s Western Conference to being tied for third.
But tonight is the true test of just how substantial Everett’s turnaround has been.
Standing before Everett tonight is the Portland Winterhawks juggernaut, the team with the best record in the WHL and the team that dispatched the Tips all three times the teams met earlier in the season. How Everett fares tonight could indicate whether Everett is ready to break free from the traffic jam that affects the rest of the conference, or whether the Tips will be stuck dealing with road rage for a while longer.
“Obviously they’re a really good team,” said Tips winger Kellan Tochkin, the reigning WHL Player of the Week. “But we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, so I think it’s going to be a real good game.”
The Western Conference is one big logjam. Going into Tuesday night’s games just six points separated second place from 10th (last). One night can cause a significant shake-up in the standings.
The one exception is Portland. At 20-4-0-1 the Winterhawks have by far the best record in the league. That record includes a 10-game winning streak and a 5-1 mark during their long road trip through the East Division. Portland’s 41 points are seven more than Kootenay’s next-best total, and the Winterhawks have yet to lose back-to-back games this season.
“One thing they have is really good depth at forward,” Everett associate head coach Jay Varady said. “They have four good lines that they roll every night. It makes it tough, especially on the road when they’re able to match up. Then they have a good, solid defense and a goalie who’s near the top of the league, so all the way through they’re a good team.”
The Tips have been among Portland’s victims. The teams have played three times and the Winterhawks prevailed in all three. Those three defeats all came during Everett’s slump, when the Tips lost 11 of 13.
However, those games have not been one-sided. Each of the three was decided by two goals. Everett led one game going into the third period and was tied with four minutes remaining in another. The Tips outshot the Winterhawks in both those encounters.
“The first game against them at home we had them at 3-2 and then it kind of blew up,” Tochkin said. “Then both games in Portland we played well for 50 minutes. But against a team like that you have to play well for 60 minutes. We let some points slip, but we have to look forward.”
Special teams were a factor in those three games, and they’re likely to be a factor again tonight. Portland ranks fourth in the league on the power play (23.0 percent) and third on the penalty kill (86.4), while Everett ranks 21st on the power play (14.3) and 18th on the kill (76.5).
“The games where we had the most success against them were the games where we were disciplined,” Varady said. “We’re going to try to do the same (tonight).”
Slap shots
Everett gets one of its injured forwards back tonight as winger Scott MacDonald has been cleared to return from the shoulder injury that kept him out last weekend. Captain Landon Ferraro (concussion), center Manraj Hayer (concussion) and winger Campbell Elynuik (shoulder) remain out. Center Parker Stanfield returned Sunday after sitting seven games out because of a concussion. … Portland will be down two players because of suspension. Stalwart defenseman Joe Morrow was suspended three games and depth winger Seth Swenson was suspended four games for their roles in a fracas that broke out between Portland and Kamloops on Saturday.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
