Tipped Off
03-15-2006, 11:34 PM
Silvertips
Silvertips look to heal, stay sharp
By Jim Riley
Special to The Seattle Times
Related
Under the Helmet
It may be easy to explain away as human nature, but that doesn't mean the Everett Silvertips like it.
Everett clinched its second U.S. Division title in three seasons with a win in Prince George, B.C., on Friday, and then had a letdown with two losses in a row.
The Silvertips (39-25-2-3) have three games left to get ready for the playoffs and could have some say in determining their first-round opponent.
As division champions, Everett will play the fourth-place team in the U.S. Division. Tri-City is the most likely opponent, but it possibly could be Portland or Seattle, two of the teams the Silvertips face in those final three games.
The Silvertips will play in Portland tonight, play their final home game of the regular season on Saturday against Vancouver and conclude the season Sunday in Seattle.
"Winning the division title is a significant milestone, and there is a tendency to let off the gas pedal," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "There isn't really anything left to play for in the standings, so it's a balancing act between getting healthy and rested and still be playing proper hockey when it comes to work habits."
Constantine said the Silvertips will get a difficult challenge no matter which team they end up facing in a best-of-seven series.
"The entire division is so tight that there's not much difference between any of the teams," Constantine said. "As an organization, we have pride in what we do and want to play as well as we can in every single game left. Still, our main motive right now is playoff preparation."
The Silvertips will be without Zach Sim throughout the playoffs after shoulder surgery, and defenseman Cody Thoring is still recovering from an ankle sprain.
"We're going to give the guys who have bumps and bruises time to heal," Constantine said, "and give some other players more repetitions so they're comfortable."
The Silvertips will lose one of their strengths in the playoffs because shootouts are eliminated. In all playoff games, 20-minute overtime periods are played until there is a winner.
This season, the Silvertips are 7-3 in shootouts and have scored a league-best 51.7 percent of the time (15 of 29) in the tiebreakers.
By the numbers
Silvertip John Lammers is 10th in Western Hockey League scoring with 38 goals and 36 assists this season.
Lammers' finish will be highest ever for a Silvertip. He also is tied for second in the WHL with Jon Bubnick of Portland with 16 power-play goals, a statistic led by Justin Keller of Kelowna with 20.
Shaun Heshka of Everett and Paul Albers of Vancouver are tied for the league lead for points by a defenseman with 58.
Silvertips look to heal, stay sharp
By Jim Riley
Special to The Seattle Times
Related
Under the Helmet
It may be easy to explain away as human nature, but that doesn't mean the Everett Silvertips like it.
Everett clinched its second U.S. Division title in three seasons with a win in Prince George, B.C., on Friday, and then had a letdown with two losses in a row.
The Silvertips (39-25-2-3) have three games left to get ready for the playoffs and could have some say in determining their first-round opponent.
As division champions, Everett will play the fourth-place team in the U.S. Division. Tri-City is the most likely opponent, but it possibly could be Portland or Seattle, two of the teams the Silvertips face in those final three games.
The Silvertips will play in Portland tonight, play their final home game of the regular season on Saturday against Vancouver and conclude the season Sunday in Seattle.
"Winning the division title is a significant milestone, and there is a tendency to let off the gas pedal," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "There isn't really anything left to play for in the standings, so it's a balancing act between getting healthy and rested and still be playing proper hockey when it comes to work habits."
Constantine said the Silvertips will get a difficult challenge no matter which team they end up facing in a best-of-seven series.
"The entire division is so tight that there's not much difference between any of the teams," Constantine said. "As an organization, we have pride in what we do and want to play as well as we can in every single game left. Still, our main motive right now is playoff preparation."
The Silvertips will be without Zach Sim throughout the playoffs after shoulder surgery, and defenseman Cody Thoring is still recovering from an ankle sprain.
"We're going to give the guys who have bumps and bruises time to heal," Constantine said, "and give some other players more repetitions so they're comfortable."
The Silvertips will lose one of their strengths in the playoffs because shootouts are eliminated. In all playoff games, 20-minute overtime periods are played until there is a winner.
This season, the Silvertips are 7-3 in shootouts and have scored a league-best 51.7 percent of the time (15 of 29) in the tiebreakers.
By the numbers
Silvertip John Lammers is 10th in Western Hockey League scoring with 38 goals and 36 assists this season.
Lammers' finish will be highest ever for a Silvertip. He also is tied for second in the WHL with Jon Bubnick of Portland with 16 power-play goals, a statistic led by Justin Keller of Kelowna with 20.
Shaun Heshka of Everett and Paul Albers of Vancouver are tied for the league lead for points by a defenseman with 58.