Spokane Chiefs-Vancouver Giants at a glance
Fifth-seeded Spokane travels to fourth-seeded Vancouver tonight at 7:30 in the first round of the WHL Western Conference playoffs. The complete series schedule can be found in Scoreboard.
Here's a preview:
The Vancouver Giants meet the Spokane Chiefs in the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Evander Kane and the Giants beat Drayson Bowman and the Chiefs 4-3 in the second round of the 2009 WHL Playoffs.
The Giants are making their 10th straight playoff appearance, and will be looking for a better showing after being swept for just the second time in franchise history last year.
The Giants found themselves in the middle of the pack offensively and defensively this season. Brendan Gallagher has once again been the straw that stirs the Giants' drink. He topped the 40-goal mark for the third straight season this year. Marek Tvrdon, Jordan Martinook and Cain Franson all scored at least 27 goals this season to carry the bulk of the offense. However, no other player had more than 12 goals for the team.
The Giants will need to spread around their scoring if they are to consistently break down Spokane's stingy defense. The Giants lost David Musil on the back end, which leaves a big hole in the defensive plans. Rookie Brett Kulak has been terrific on the blue line for the Giants this season, putting up a team-best plus-29 rating. He and veteran Neil Manning will need to take on big minutes in the series to offset the loss of Musil. Goaltender Adam Morrison has performed admirably for the Giants, earning an entry-level NHL contract with Boston for his efforts. Morrison, however, has yet to play in the postseason in his career.
The Chiefs dipped below the 40-win mark for the first time since the 2006-07 season, and come into the postseason without home-ice advantage in the first round for the first time since the 2007 playoffs.
Led by top offensive defenseman Brenden Kichton, the Chiefs managed 255 goals this season, which is just two more than the Giants scored. Dominik Uher was the team's most consistent forward during the regular season, scoring a career-best 33 goals. The Chiefs do spread around their offense, with 12 forwards who topped the 10-goal mark this season.
Defensively, the Chiefs are among the top 10 in the WHL in goals against. A tight defensive structure helps the team allow very few shots on goal. As good as Kichton is offensively, he also boasted a plus-24 rating this season, and helped the Chiefs' defense corps to a combined plus-90 rating. Look for Kichton and Co. to keep a close eye on the shifty Brendan Gallagher.
Goaltenders Mac Engel and Eric Williams both posted save percentages below the .900 mark this season. Engel, who is likely to start, will need to find consistency if the Chiefs are to prevail in the series.