Winning the ones you have to win

It’s clear who the two have-nots are in the Western Conference this season. The eight playoff teams have essentially been set as both Prince George and Portland are far in the rearview mirror.

With the top eight teams now jockeying for position for the playoffs, it’s crucial getting maximum points against the bottom two. So I figured I’d take a look at how well each of the other U.S. Division teams have accomplished that so far.

Everett’s done a good job of taking care of business against the Cougars and Winter Hawks. After winning 5-4 in a shootout in Prince George tonight, the Tips are 9-1 against those two teams, outscoring the opposition 38-18. The only loss was the first time Everett played either of those two teams, a 3-0 home loss against Portland back when the Tips were stumbling out of the gate. Everett still has two games remaining against Portland and two against Prince George.

As for the other U.S. teams:

– Spokane has feasted on the Cougars and Winter Hawks so far, going 10-0 and outscoring the opposition 57-17. The Chiefs have three games remaining against Portland, none against Prince George.

– Tri-City has had a little more trouble, going 6-2 and outscoring the opposition 28-16. The Americans have five games remaining against Portland, none against Prince George.

– Seattle, like Spokane, is perfect against those teams at 8-0, outscoring its opponents 38-9. The T-birds still have five games left against Portland and three against Prince George, so even though the Tips have a nine-point lead over Seattle for fifth place in the conference, the T-birds — with six games in hand as well — are well positioned to make up ground.

By the way, Dan Gendur was credited with another assist in Wednesday’s game, giving him a point on all six of Everett’s goals. It still wasn’t his best night as a Tip. He had a seven-point night last season against Portland. With three more points tonight Gendur has 29 points in his last 13 games.