Seattle has played 22-games, essentially one third of the season. They sit with a 17-4-1-0 record and have the second best winning percentage in the WHL.Their goal differential is +40. A good start, but there is a long way to go. A season ago after 22 games the Thunderbirds were 13-6-3-0. Their goal differential was 0.
The Thunderbirds started the month of November off well enough. They beat the Prince George Cougars November first at home, 6-3. It was a nice response after they had lost their first game of the season three nights earlier up in PG.
But then Seattle lost two in a row. Not just any two losses in a row, but two losses to rival Portland. It was two losses that saw them outscored, 10-4. It was two defeats that saw them surrender six power play goals while going just 2-for-17 with the man advantage. Those two setbacks to the Winterhawks came at the end of a five game stretch where the Thunderbirds went 2-3 and gave up 21 goals.
Were they showing cracks in their armor? Had their weak points been exposed? Well, over their next nine games the T-Birds went 7-1-1-0. They allowed just 14-goals in those nine games and four of those came in one clunker of a loss, their 4-3 setback last Sunday in Kennewick to the Tri-City Americans. In games versus teams with winning records, Portland twice, Kamloops, Everett and Calgary they gave up a grand total of six goals. Meanwile the Thunderbirds scored thirty times over that stretch. I'd say that is a terrific response to a few games of adversity.
And still, as we head toward the Christmas break, there is much room for improvement. While the penalty kill is starting to resemble the PK that finished second in the WHL last season, just a hair behind the eventual league champion Edmonton Oil Kings, the power play has not arrived at a level of consistency that the team needs. Even after a 3-for-6 night Saturday against Victoria, there are some wrinkles that need ironing out.
The power play struggled a bit the first half of last season too though. I remember after the Svejkovsky acquisition, talking about how his addition would improve an inconsistent power play unit. It did as Seattle eventually finished ninth in that category a season ago. That Svejkovsky trade didn't come until December 27th and because of Covid, Svejkovsky didn't play his first game with Seattle until Januaary 21st.
There are seven games to play before the Christmas break. Four are one the road, including the next three. Three are at home. Some of those games are going to be played with Seattle absent some of their best players. Expect Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, Reid Schaefer and Thomas Milic to be invited to Canada's World Junior selection camp. That takes place December 9-12th. Expect some of those four, if not all of them, to be away from the Thunderbirds for nearly a month.
It may be a month where Seattle has to weather the storm, so to speak. The goal is to get through to the other side still in a strong playoff position. The back end of the roster has gotten lots of ice time the first couple months of the season. December and early January is where that has to pay off.
Seattle's strong November and positive start to December has been fueled by a number of elements but two things jump out the most. The play in goal of Thomas Milic and Scott Ratzlaff and the acquisition of defensemen Luke Prokop and Nolan Allan.
Yes, Prokop played just three games before suffering an injury that has put him on the sidelines, but don't underestimate the valuable leadership he has brought to the team. He may not be playing but he is a voice in that room. Meanwhile Allan has been just what he has been advertised as, a strong, physical defender who is tough to play against. He can chip in offensively but his defensive zone game has been outstanding. The Thunderbirds have killed off 30 of 32 penalties over the last eight games and Allan is a big reason why.
Meanwhile the WHL trade deadline is about a month away. Are the Thunderbirds done dealing? I highly doubt it. Now, there is still the possibility that Brad Lambert is sent to Seattle. He will play World Juniors for Finland, then the NHL Winnipeg Jets will decide whether to keep him in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose or assign him to the T-Birds.
The Moose have played 18 games this season. Lambert has played in 11 of those and has three points (1g, 2a) and is -7. He missed some time with an illness. He hasn't scored recently. All three of his points came in his first four or five games. Winnipeg is under no obligation to send him to the T-Birds though. He's eligible to stay all season in the AHL. I'm just spitballing but I think he sticks with the Moose. Personally, I'd put his chances at coming to Seattle at about ten percent and that might be generous.
But what the deal Seattle made to acquire his rights this summer from Saskatoon tells me, is that the Thunderbirds were looking for another high impact forward. So if not Lambert, I expcect them to seek someone else. The Thunderbirds have a first and second round draft pick in their back pocket. If Lambert comes, those picks head to Saskatoon. If he doesn't they'll use them to acquire a different player. Maybe they don't find a trade partner. I think they will. We should know about the 10th of January.
My T-Birds three stars for the last nine games:
Third Star: W Kyle Crnkovic. He's currently riding a six game point streak with eight points over that span (4g, 4a). Three of his four goals have been game winners. He's a +10 since November 9th.
Second Star: D Kevin Korchinski. Korchinski seems to be finding his groove. He's doing what he does best. Get the puck on his stick and get it up ice and put the Thunderbirds on the attack. He is now tied for the team lead in scoring with 28 points. He has back-to-back two assists games and his four assists shy of 100 in his WHL/T-birds career. He's only played 111 regular season games.
First Star: G Thomas Milic Milic is 5-0-1-0 over his last six starts and coming off his first shutout of the season. He hasn't allowed more than two goal in a over a month. His GAA in that time frame is 0.99 and his save percentage is .967
No comments:
Post a Comment