Specialty teams and a pair of stud defencemen could determine Western Conference final series between Vancouver and Spokane
It’s easy to debate whether the Vancouver Giants or the Spokane Chiefs come into the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference championship with the most momentum.
Vancouver and Spokane get their best-of-seven set going Friday at the Langley Events Centre. It has the makings of engaging theatre. Here’s a look at five keys to the series. Smith was the first WHLer picked in the 2018 NHL Draft, going 17th to the New Jersey Devils. Byram is expected to be a top-five pick in this year’s draft, which goes in June at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver penalty killing versus Spokane’s power playSmith is a savvy, quarterback type and that shines through, especially when the Chiefs have a man advantage. Spokane’s power play through 10 playoff games is connecting at a hard-to-fathom 48 per cent . They were the No. 1 team in the 22-team WHL in that category in the regular season as well, checking in at 29.1 per cent .
Meanwhile, Spokane is the third WHL club for Brkin, 19, after brief runs with the Swift Current Broncos and Kootenay Ice. The Chiefs landed him from the Ice for a 2019 eighth-round bantam pick just before 2018 trade deadline and Brkin has taken hold of the Spokane starting job this season, putting up a 2.26 goals against and a .931 save percentage in the playoffs.
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