20 of 22 teams in the WHL are in action tonight, two of those teams meet at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.
Saskatoon take quite a streak into the game in Prince Albert, the Blades haven't lost in regulation in 7 games.
Meanwhile, Prince Albert is going the other way in the standings, with only 3 wins in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win though, a 3-2 triumph over Moose Jaw on Wednesday night.
Saskatoon is 17-5-0-1 on the year, good for 1st in the Eastern Conference. Prince Albert is 8-14-2-2, 9th in the Eastern Conference.
Here are my keys to tonight's matchup:
For Prince Albert
- Use their team size on the smaller ice surface. There’s not as much room on the ice in Prince Albert. The Raiders need to take away time and space against the Blades.
- Get the crowd in the game early. It’s a smaller barn that can get pretty loud. The Raiders could really use and early goal or a fight.
- Goaltending needs to step up. It has been a major sore spot in PA, they need a good effort if they want a victory tonight.
For Saskatoon
- Win special teams. The Raiders rank last in home powerplay and penalty kill. The Blades need to exploit that.
- Who steps up? The teams top center is still out of the lineup. Contributions from different characters can propel the team past that hole in the forward group.
- And more offense from Stefan Elliott. This guy is on fire with another game winning goal last game, that’s 6 game winners on the year already.
Puck drop goes just after 7:00 tonight. The game can be heard on 92.9 The Bull starting with a pre-game show at 6:30.
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