It could be a busy night on the WHL Playoffs front, with four Clubs staring down clinching scenarios heading into Saturday evening.
The Prince Albert Raiders, Brandon Wheat Kings, Portland Winterhawks, and Tri-City Americans will all look to punch their respective tickets to the post-season as part of a 10-game Saturday to start the month of March.
The Prince Albert Raiders can clinch a playoff berth with:
- Any Prince Albert win at Swift Current; AND,
- Any Red Deer loss versus Kelowna
OR
- A Prince Albert overtime/shootout loss at Swift Current; AND,
- A Red Deer regulation loss versus Kelowna
The Raiders (33-20-4-1) continue to fight for top spot in the tightly contested East Division. A divisional clash with the eighth-place Swift Current Broncos (30-25-1-1) is on the docket this evening.
The Raiders magic number sits at three (3), which means in addition to a victory they will need some help in the form of the Kelowna Rockets (17-35-4-2) knocking off the Red Deer Rebels (22-28-5-2)
The Brandon Wheat Kings can clinch a playoff berth with:
- Any Brandon win versus Medicine Hat; AND,
- Any Red Deer loss versus Kelowna
OR
- A Brandon overtime/shootout loss versus Medicine Hat; AND,
- A Red Deer regulation loss versus Kelowna
The Wheat Kings (32-18-4-3) remain firmly entrenched in the chase for the East Division title. Tonight, Brandon hosts the Central Division-leading Medicine Hat Tigers (40-17-3-1).
The Wheat Kings magic number is three (3), which means in addition to a win they will need help in the form of the Kelowna Rockets defeating the Red Deer Rebels.
The Portland Winterhawks can clinch a playoff berth with:
- Any Portland win at Victoria; AND,
- Any Wenatchee loss versus Tri-City
OR
- A Portland overtime/shootout loss at Victoria; AND,
- A Wenatchee regulation loss versus Tri-City; AND,
- Any Kamloops loss versus Prince George
The Winterhawks (31-23-3-1) are on the verge of securing a playoff position and a win against the Victoria Royals (35-15-3-6) will help that along.
The Winterhawks magic number is three (3), meaning they will also require assistance from other Western Conference rivals.
The Tri-City Americans can clinch a playoff berth with:
- A Tri-City regulation win at Wenatchee; AND,
- Any Kamloops loss versus Prince George
The Americans (30-23-4-1) continue their push towards the post-season when they visit the Wenatchee Wild (20-30-7-1).
A Tri-City win at Wenatchee paired with the Kamloops Blazers (21-32-4-1) losing to the Prince George Cougars (34-19-4-2) will result in the Ams locking in a playoff berth.
