Predictions for the second round of the WHL Playoffs

Herald writer Jesse Geleynse’s picks for the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs:

(First number is bracket seed, parentheses is overall conference seed)

Western Conference

B.C. Division

No. 4(7) Portland vs. No. 2(4) Kelowna

The seventh overall-seeded Winterhawks stunned B.C. Division top-seeded Prince George in six games to bring a premature end for a Cougars team that loaded up with experience and talent at the deadline. Portland won twice at Prince George before returning to the Rose City for the Game 6 clincher.

Meanwhile, Kelowna outlasted rival Kamloops for the second straight season, this time in six games. Since both first-round series went six games, neither team ostensibly has an edge in rest though Portland had to travel to and from Prince George twice.

Both teams ended the regular season on hot streaks as Kelowna went 9-1 and Portland was 8-2 in the final 10 games. They also finished Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in goals scored in the Western Conference.

Portland is a high-flying offensive unit that saw balanced scoring in the series win over Prince George. Cody Glass (32 goals, 62 assists in the regular season), Skyler McKenzie (42 goals, 42 assists), Keegan Iverson (26 goals, 44 assists) and Caleb Jones (nine goals, 53 assists) all had at least four points, as did Matt Revel and Alex Overhardt. Goaltender Cole Kehler was a bit shaky with a 4.02 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage, while backup Shane Farkas was perfect in all 19 shots he faced in two games.

Kelowna was 3-1 against Portland in the season series, but the Winterhawks won the most recent matchup 5-4 at Kelowna on Jan. 28. Kelowna’s 283 goals scored led the Western Conference and the Rockets’ defense was considerably better as it allowed only 206 goals, 50 fewer than Portland.

Goals were tough to come by in the Kamloops series as Kelowna went up against star netminder Connor Ingram of the Blazers. So, the Rockets also had plenty of balance on the score sheet as Reid Gardiner (18 goals, 19 assists in 28 games), Dillon Dube (20 goals, 35 assists in 40 games), Carsen Twarynski (17 goals, 26 assists), Cal Foote (six goals, 51 assists) and Devante Stephens (13 goals, 22 assists) all had four or more points in the series. Goalie Michael Herringer had a solid first-round series with a 2.00 GAA and a .928 save percentage.

Kelowna can match the Winterhawks on offense and the Rockets are better defensively.

Prediction: Kelowna in six.

Eastern Conference

East Division

No. 1(1) Regina vs. No. 3(5) Swift Current

The Regina Pats were the consensus preseason pick to win the league and finished ranked first in the final CHL poll. They swept their way here over the Calgary Hitmen while Swift Current upset Moose Jaw in seven games by winning the final game on the road to reach the second round.

Regina had a substantial edge in the season series fashioning a 7-0-1 mark to Swift Current’s 1-7 showing. The Pats were the top-scoring team in the league at 4.90 goals per game while Swift Current was fifth at 3.43.

Sam Steel, Connor Hobbs, Adam Brooks and Dawson Leedahl all tallied six or more points in Regina’s four playoff games. In net the Pats have Tyler Brown who won all four first-round games and fashioned a 1.50 GAA and a .947 save percentage, both numbers an improvement on his regular-season stats.

For Swift Current, Tyler Steenbergen, Aleksi Heponiemi and Riley Lindgren all averaged better than a point per game during the regular season while goalie Jordan Papirny has vastly improved his regular-season stats with a 2.02 GAA and a .947 percentage in the playoffs.

Last year’s Scotty Munro champion Victoria Royals fell in the second round last season. But history won’t repeat itself this time. Regina has far too much offensive firepower and that will overcome what appears to be an even match at goaltender.

Prediction: Regina in five.

Central Division

No. 1(2) Medicine Hat vs. No. 2(3) Lethbridge

Here’s the matchup many wanted to see. The two Alberta teams were nearly even during the regular season with the Tigers holding a 4-3 edge in the season series and an eight-point margin in the final regular-season standings.

The Tigers were the second-highest scoring team during the regular season and had no trouble in sweeping the seventh-seeded Brandon Wheat Kings in their first-round series as they put up 21 goals in four games.

Six different players had at least five points for the Tigers in the series and they are led by defenseman David Quenneville and forwards Chad Butcher and Mason Shaw. Michael Bullion was solid in net with a 2.25 GAA and a .914 save percentage in the series.

But don’t sleep on the Hurricanes despite their needing seven games to get past Red Deer. Lethbridge can also put the puck in the net, a feat they accomplished 280 times during the regular season. The Canes have players like Tyler Wong, Egor Babenko, Giorgio Estephan, Brennan Menell and Zak Zborosky, all of whom had eight or more points in the series. Lethbridge goaltender Stuart Skinner was somewhat inconsistent in his draft year, but has played better in the postseason with a 2.60 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

This one seems most likely to go the distance. I think Skinner rises to the occasion and propels the Hurricanes into the Eastern Conference final.

Prediction: Lethbridge in seven.

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