VANCOUVER – Just three weeks remain in the WHL regular season. As teams approach their final ten games of the season, only a few playoff spots remain up for grabs.
In the Western Conference, the final two playoff spots have not been mathematically confirmed, but they are as good as sewn up.
The Chilliwack Bruins and Kamloops Blazers have 62 points each, 19 more than the ninth place Seattle Thunderbirds. The Blazers and Bruins need only a single win or a single Seattle loss over the next three weeks to clinch a spot.
However, there is still drama to unfold.
Just one point separates sixth and eighth place. That jump means the difference between facing one of the league’s hottest teams in the first-place Tri-City Americans or a more beatable club.
The Kelowna Rockets currently hold sixth place, but hanging onto that seed in the weeks to come will prove difficult.
At the top of the conference, the aforementioned Americans show little sign of relinquishing top spot in the West. Their five-point lead isn’t astronomical, but at this stage of the season, it will probably hold up.
The second seed is in even less doubt, as the B.C. Division leading Vancouver Giants are 18 points ahead of being bumped out of that spot.
The most compelling race at season’s end in the Western Conference is how third through fifth place end up. The Everett Silvertips are in third, just three points ahead of the fifth place Portland Winterhawks. The Spokane Chiefs fill the gap at fourth.
The teams finishing fourth and fifth are in for a war come playoffs, while third place will face a considerably weaker sixth place team.
For the Winterhawks, Chiefs, and Silvertips, the race at the end of the regular season is almost as important as the playoffs themselves.
In the Eastern Conference, the post-season picture is less clear than in the West. Of most interest is the three-team race for the final two playoff spots.
The Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos, and Prince Albert Raiders are separated by a single point, with just two spots to accommodate the three teams. All three clubs have struggled to win consistently lately. The first team to put together a significant streak will almost certainly lay claim to seventh place, leaving the other two to fight it out for eighth.
The Calgary Hitmen will take either first or second place as Central Division leaders.
That leaves the Saskatoon Blades and Brandon Wheat Kings to continue their season-long battle for top spot in the East Division. The two teams are currently separated by one point. Right now that’s the difference between the number one and number three seed.
Brandon is hosting this year’s Memorial Cup, so they’re guaranteed a spot in the final four regardless of their playoff performance, but they would like to be riding some momentum heading into the round-robin CHL championships.
happy.kreter@prohockeynews.com
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