Rogers Place will be in the eye of the storm Thursday night as the Lethbridge Hurricanes blow into Alberta’s capital for Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The Oil Kings finished the Western Hockey League‘s regular season in second place in the Eastern Conference and scored more goals while also allowing fewer goals than the Hurricanes who finished seventh in the conference.
Despite the difference in the standings, both teams finished the regular season in top form. The Oil Kings went without a loss in regulation in their last five games but the Hurricanes managed to do the same thing for their last seven games.
Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer spoke about the team his players are preparing to compete against ahead of Game 1.
“Lethbridge is one of the most improved teams this year,” he told reporters. “They made some changes and they’re a hardworking team.
“They’re very structured (and) well-coached. They do the little things very well. We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared to bring the work ethic and make sure we’re bringing our game and if we do that, we’re giving ourselves a chance.”
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“They’re going to come out, they’re going to play us hard,” Oil Kings captain Jake Neighbours said. “They have a better record than us in their last 10 games.
“They’re going to come in here Thursday with some jump in their game and we have to be ready to match that.”
This spring will see the WHL playoffs be played for the first time since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.