PORTLAND — There figures to be a fair amount of drama — but few surprises — during the Western Hockey League playoff series between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips.
The U.S. Division rivals split 10 regular-season games, six of them decided by one goal and only one of them — a 5-1 Portland win in October — decided by more than two goals. Both Portland and Everett played more than 30 one-goal games during a 72-game regular season where tense finishes were the rule.
“We anticipate much of the same as we saw in the regular season, where they clamp it down (defensively),” Winterhawks coach Jamie Kompon said. “They’re really well coached, they’ve got a great goaltender (Carter Hart) in between the pipes, and their specialty teams, especially at home, they thrive.”
The best-of-7 series begins Friday and Saturday in Everett. Games 3 and 4 are Tuesday and Wednesday at the Moda Center.
Portland clinched its seventh consecutive playoff appearance on the final weekend of the regular season. The Winterhawks have won the last seven first-round playoff series they have played. In the previous five seasons, Portland has had home-ice advantage in every first-round series. But as the third-place finisher in the U.S. Division, these Winterhawks are the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. But both Portland and Everett won three times in the other team’s building during this regular season.
Another difference from Winterhawks teams of the recent past — this Portland team doesn’t have dynamic goal-scorers capable of carrying the team. The 228 goals the Winterhawks scored in the regular season were 59 fewer than last season and the fewest since 2008-09 when Portland last missed the playoffs.
Everett is a strong checking team that plays well with the lead. The Silvertips allowed only 172 goals in the regular season — second to only Victoria’s 166 for fewest in the WHL.
“It’s a great hockey team we’re playing,” Winterhawks captain Dominic Turgeon said. “A big thing we’re going to need is our start is going to have to be on time.”
How to be ready to go from the first faceoff was an area some of the younger Portland players struggled early in the season. Now those rookies are about to experience hockey at another level of intensity.
“It’s a lot faster, a lot more emotion to the game,” Portland goalie Adin Hill said, comparing playoff games with the regular season. “Momentum is huge. One team can have the momentum and carry it the whole series.”
Goalies certainly can be series changers, and this series features two good ones — assuming Everett’s Hart is healthy. Named the Western Conference goalie of the year on Wednesday, the 17-year-old Hart led the league with 35 wins this season and ranked second in goals-against average (2.14). He sat out the Tips last four regular-season games with an undisclosed injury.
Portland’s Hill, 19, played in a franchise record 65 regular-season games and won 32 of them. His 2.96 goals-against average ranked 15th in the league. He started 17 playoff games last season, winning 10 of them as the Winterhawks reached the conference finals for a fifth consecutive season.
Winterhawks vs. Silvertips
Schedule: 7:35 p.m. Friday at Everett; 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Everett; 7 p.m. Tuesday at Moda Center; 7 p.m. Wednesday at Moda Center; 7:35 p.m. April 1 at Everett (if necessary); 6 p.m. April 2 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum (if necessary); 7:05 p.m. April 4 at Everett (if necessary).
Radio: KPAM 860 AM.
Webcast: WHLLive at www.whl.ca ($7.95 Canadian per game).
Tickets: Winterhawks.com.
Regular season head-to-head: Portland 5-4-1. Goals: Portland 27, Everett 23. Power play: Portland 8-29, Everett 4-37. Shots: Everett 321, Portland 274.
Playoff history: This is the fifth playoff meeting between the Winterhawks and Silvertips. Portland has won the last three, in 2011, 2013 and last season.
