The Everett Silvertips still control their own regular-season destiny.
But it won’t be quite as easy as it could have been.
The Tips (45-19-2-3, 95 points) had a chance to lock up their second straight U.S. Division Sunday, but fell 2-0 at Portland. Everett ran into a hot goaltender in Cole Kehler who was named the WHL Goaltender of the Week Monday. Everett’s magic number to clinch the division remains three points.
Portland (43-21-1-4, 91 points) remains four points back of Everett while both teams have three games to play. The Tips would have clinched with a win Sunday because the game against Portland represented a four-point swing in the standings. Even with a victory tonight at Tri-City the Tips won’t be able to clinch the division until Friday at the earliest.
The Americans (35-24-8-1, 79 points) have clinched a playoff spot. They remain five points back of third-place Spokane and could conceivably still catch the Chiefs for the third spot in the division. Tri-City also remains five points up on Seattle for the first wild-card slot.
Everett has fashioned a strong 5-1-1 mark against the Americans this season. The Tips’ only regulation loss came at the Toyota Center on Sept. 30 in a 5-4 Americans victory. Former Tips goalie Dorrin Luding started the game before suffering an injury and yielding to Carter Hart. It was Hart that took the loss as the Americans scored twice in the final 3:15 of the game. The following week Hart was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
The Americans have won three straight games and remain a physical, formidable opponent. Morgan Geekie (28 points, 50 assists) and Jordan Topping (37 goals, 40 assists) lead the offense while defenseman Dylan Coghlan (17 goals, 46 assists) and Michael Rasmussen (28 goals, 27 assists) also provide offense. Rasmussen has put up his numbers in just 44 games as he has missed time due to injury. Tri-City also landed one of the top available trade targets in defenseman Jake Bean (10 goals, 34 assists).
On the Everett side Patrick Bajkov (30 goals, 63 assists) is one point away from setting a new single-season franchise record. The Tips need 10 goals in the final three games to eclipse the 2014-15 squad for most goals in a season. Everett has four players who have scored 30 or more goals and three who have 20 or more this season.
Goaltender Carter Hart (29-5-1-3, 1.55 goals-against average, .950 save percentage) remains in search of his elusive 27th shutout that would set a new WHL career mark. He has seven shutouts on the season.
A division title would be Everett’s sixth in its 15-year franchise history and its third in the past four seasons. It would also be the first title earned by a head coach other than Kevin Constantine.
A season ago the Tips clinched the title in their penultimate game at home against Victoria. If they win tonight at Kennewick they’ll see Victoria in their home finale once again, and would be able to repeat that accomplishment down to the very details.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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