I posted a poll on Monday regarding the outcome of the first-round playoff series between Everett and Portland. More than 80 percent of the responders predicted Portland will win the best-of-seven series in either four or five games. And why shouldn’t they? Portland finished with the best record in
the Western Conference, beat Everett nine out of 10 times during the regular season, and is probably the most-talented team in the WHL.
But does that mean the Tips have no chance? Not necessarily. Make no mistake, the Winterhawks are the heavy favorites in this series and it’s going to take something special for the Tips to pull off the upset. But though the season series was 9-1, there were no ugly lopsided games like Everett had against Spokane. All but one of those games came down to the wire.
So while the chances may be slim for Everett to win the series, there’s still a chance. Here’s what I think the Tips need to do to pull it off:
1) Keep the score low.
Portland has more explosive offensive ability than any other team in the Western Conference. No one else is equipped to score goals in bunches quite like the Winterhawks. There’s no way the Tips can keep up with Portland if the games turn into track meets.
Therefore, the Tips need to do whatever they can to keep the score down. If that means slowing the game down and flooding the neutral zone, so be it.
And that leads into …
2) Get excellent goaltending.
The one game Everett won during the season series was when Kent Simpson produced a stunning 45-save performance in a 2-0 shutout at home on Feb. 25.
Now Everett doesn’t need to maintain quite that high a standard of goaltending — that may have been the best Portland played against the Tips this season, despite the loss. But whether it’s Simpson or Luke Siemens the Tips must get quality play out of their goaltender. That means stopping every shot that should be stopped — no soft goals — as well as getting to a few that maybe shouldn’t be saved.
3) Win early.
Everett needs to believe it has a chance in the series. The Tips are very much a team influenced by their confidence. When Everett is playing well, you can see the extra jump as the confidence builds and belief starts to set in. But when that faith is shaken, the Tips struggle to maintain their belief.
Therefore, Everett needs to get that dose of belief early in the series. That means winning at least one, if not both, of the games in Portland this weekend to give the Tips something to believe in.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
