TALKING POINTS
I had an ominous feeling when I looked down at the ice for the start of the second period and saw the teams lining up four-on-four. It looked a little too much like overtime to me, and we all know how poorly OT has treated the Tips this season. Indeed, the Winterhawks scored tw
ice during the four-on-four and found the net four times total in the first 4:43 of the second as Everett saw a 2-1 lead evaporate in an instant. That was all she wrote.
Portland’s quick-strike ability is truly amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team that can flip a switch and score at will the way the Winterhawks can. Everett played a great first period, and territorially the game was pretty even. But Portland is always in the game, no matter how far behind, because the Winterhawks’ abundance of skill allows of them to score goals in bunches.
For Everett to beat this team the Tips need excellent goaltending. Unfortunately for Everett, Luke Siemens wasn’t at his sharpest tonight. Give a team like Portland any kind of opening and the Winterhawks will take it.
The Tips remained in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, but their lead over eighth-place Prince George shrunk to a single point. The Tips remained three points clear from dropping out of playoff position.
TURNING POINT
As much as the second-period blitz decided the game, the true turning point was when the Winterhawks scored their first goal on the power play late in the first. Everett controlled the first period and deservedly led 2-0. But Sven Bartschi’s nice power-play goal was the one that put the crack in the floodgates.
HIT OF THE DAY
Late in the third period Everett’s Manraj Hayer upended Nino Niederreiter, causing Niederreiter to immediately get up and cross check Hayer from behind.
THREE STARS
First star: Ryan Johansen, Portland. Two goals and one assist, he was opportunistic.
Second star: Ty Rattie, Portland. One goal and two assists, good first game back from a shoulder injury.
Third star: Cody Fowlie, Everett. One goal on a nice play while short-handed.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Bartschi. One goal and one assist, was constantly dangerous.
BOX SCORE
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