Giants: It’s time to start rolling

​(Vancouver Giants/Twitter)

The WHL Playoffs have finally reached the Langley Events Centre!

The Vancouver Giants find themselves in an 0-2 hole against the Kamloops Blazers in the league’s best-of-seven, opening-round series. Vancouver needs a tremendous response tonight after 8-0 and 6-1 thumpings in games 1 and 2 last Friday and Saturday. The G-men were outshot 108-41 by Kamloops in the past two games. Vancouver was shutout in game one and only managed one goal the following night from their Slovakian forward, Samuel Honzek.

Shutting the Blazers down is much easier said than done, but the Giants must give it their best shot and do it with commitment. Unlike the Kamloops Blazers, who have points from fifteen players, the Giants lack the ability to rack up goals on a nightly basis. The Blazers are currently outscoring the Giants 14-1, which is unacceptable. The Blazers have been built with the playoffs in mind hosting the four-team Memorial Cup national championship beginning May 26.

Jesper Vikman, Vancouver’s lone player drafted by an NHL club, was chased from the crease in game 1 after giving up seven goals on 22 shots and did not play in game 2. Vikman was brilliant during the 2022 WHL Playoffs for the Giants, and the Vegas Golden Knights prospect entered the post-season having been named to the B.C. Division first all-star team earlier this week. He had two shutouts, matched last season’s .903 SV%, and had a 3.29 GAA in 45 games. The Giants’ coaching staff is expected to give him another shot in the net at home.

Another important key for the Vancouver Giants is staying out of the penalty box. Michael Dyck’s squad was short-handed 14 times this past weekend, surrendering four goals to the Blazers’ power play. The Blazers operated at a 30.1% success rate on the man advantage during the regular season, which was the best in the WHL. Damian Palmieri (8), Jaden Lipinski (7), and Dylan Anderson (6) are leading Vancouver in penalty minutes. Vancouver’s power play is clicking at 33%, but the team has had 11 fewer chances to play on the man advantage. 

Kamloops has nine NHL picks on its roster compared to one for Vancouver. If everyone steps up and plays for one another, the Blazers will face a much more challenging and more determined hockey club. Everyone has to be on the same page for the Giants. 

Last year, the Vancouver Giants took down the Everett Silvertips in six games, marking the first time a No. 8 seed had beaten a No. 1 seed in the first round of the WHL playoffs since the league first included 16 teams in the playoffs back in 2002. Vancouver finished 47 points back of the Everett Silvertips last season and 39 points behind the Kamloops Blazers this year. A win tonight at home may be the spark the Giants will need to re-write the fate of their first-round series.
Vancouver went 2-6-0-0 against Kamloops during the regular season, with both wins coming at the Langley Events Centre. The G-men celebrated 6-2 and 6-5 victories over the Blazers on October 23 and December 3. The Giants hope to add two more wins at home in games 3 and 4 with a chance for a tied series back for game 5 in Kamloops.  The LEC was pleasant to the Giants to conclude the regular season, as the team won their past four games at home.

Game 4 is set for Thursday at the LEC.
Game 5, if necessary, would be Saturday in Kamloops.