The Royals have claimed the 2nd Wild Card spot in the Western Conference for the 2017 WHL Playoffs and will face off against the Everett Silvertips.
Everett swept the season series with a 4-0-0-0 record, and Victoria will be looking to push the pace on the Silvertips’ defence.
Open ‘er up!
Victoria and Everett play a starkly contrasting style, as Everett finished 15th in the league in goals for, yet came out as the best team in the West. Reigning CHL Goaltender of the Year Carter Hart is a concrete reason for that, and Victoria will be looking to burst through their tight defensive system.
Up front, the Royals have speed to burn with the likes of Matthew Phillips and Jack Walker, and it will be countered soundly by Everett’s veteran defensive duo of Kevin Davis and Noah Juulsen. The Silvertips finished with the least goals against in the entire league by almost 30 goals, so it will be vital for the Royals to find a way to generate offense without exposing their own goaltender, Griffen Outhouse.
With Outhouse and Carter Hart manning each 6×4 net, there will be no shortage of confidence as each team tries to penetrate the opposing defences.
This will be the first time these two teams have met in the WHL playoffs, and neither team has escaped the second round in the past 3 years. Both teams will play for a shot at bucking that trend in the 2017 WHL playoffs. Here’s how they stack up:
Goals for per game
Victoria 3.32, 12th
Everett 3.18, 15th
Goals against per game
Victoria 3.04, 8th
Everett 2.34, 1st
Power play
Victoria 20.3%, 13th
Everett 20.7%, 11th
Penalty kill
Victoria 78.3%, 13th
Everett 85.8%, 1st
Recent playoff results
Victoria
2014 lost in round 2
2015 lost in round 2
2016 lost in round 2
Everett
2014 lost in round 1
2015 lost in round 2
2016 lost in round 2
Top scorers (Games Played – Goals – Assists – Points)
Victoria
Matthew Phillips 70-50-40-90
Jack Walker 70-31-41-72
Dante Hannoun 72-25-39-64
Everett
LW Patrick Bajkov 71-29-49-78
LW Dominic Zwerger 67-28-47-75
D Kevin Davis 72-9-50-59
Top goaltenders (Wins – Loss – OT, GAA, Save %, Shutouts)
Victoria : Griffen Outhouse 34-24-4, 2.85, .915, 4
Everett : Carter Hart 32-11-2 1.99 .927, 9
Series Schedule
Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series will take place on March 24 and 25, respectively, in Everett. The series will then move to Vancouver Island where the Royals play host for Games 3 and 4 on March 28 and 29, respectively.
Friday, March 24th – Victoria @ Everett – 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, March 25th – Victoria @ Everett – 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, March 28th – Everett @ Victoria – 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 29th – Everett @ Victoria – 7:05 pm
Friday, March 31st – Victoria @ Everett – 7:35 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, April 2nd – Everett @ Victoria – 2:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Tuesday, April 4th – Victoria @ Everett – 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
