Tuesday's games

Few notes on the outcomes of the three games in the WHL last night and the impact on the playoff races...

First, Swift Current beat Regina 6-0. The loss by the Pats mathematically eliminates them from the playoffs, so they join the Broncos and Hitmen as teams not going to the postseason in the East.

Edmonton shellacked Lethbridge 8-1. For Edmonton, the win used up their game in hand on Brandon and moved them to just one point back of the Wheat Kings. Both teams have two games remaining, so their race for 6th/7th place will be decided on Friday & Saturday. The wins are the same now (31 each) and Edmonton owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Wheaties if they finish tied in points AND wins.

For Lethbridge, the loss was a blow to their hopes of catching Prince Albert for the 8th and final playoff spot. They still trail the Raiders by two points and now the Raiders have a game in hand. Lethbridge must now play Kootenay twice, while the Raiders get to play Swift Current and Calgary. Realistically, it's all over for the Hurricanes now, you gotta think.

And lastly, Kootenay beat the Tigers 4-1, which keeps alive the Ice's slim chances of catching the Tigers for the #3 seed and also dealt a near-fatal blow to the Tigers' chances of catching the Rebels for #2. For the Tigers to claim #2 now, they have to win both their remaining games and have the Rebels lose both their remaining games in regulation. The Tigers finish with two against Calgary, so them winning both those games is a good possibility. The Rebels finish with two against Edmonton though, so them losing both those in regulation is somewhat less likely.

For the Ice to catch the Tigers for #3, the Ice need three more points from their last two games (against Lethbridge) than the Tigers get from their last two games against Calgary. Yeah, it's unlikely since Kootenay needs Calgary to beat the Tigers twice, at least once in regulation.