Good news, bad news
Good news: Regina Pats captain Logan Pyett will be back for Friday's game against the Chilliwack Bruins after serving a one-game suspension. His presence should help boost Regina's struggling power play.
The Pats are hoping to exploit a Chilliwack penalty killing unit that has surrendered nine power play goals in 25 opportunities (36 per cent) over the past four games.
Bad news: The Pats will be without bruising LW Josh Elder, who suffered a knee injury during Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers.
Head coach Curtis Hunt said Elder is believed to have suffered cartilage damage and will likely be gone for the "long term." The severity won't be fully known until the swelling goes down, but he's likely out for a "minimum" of two weeks and perhaps a lot more.
Hunt called it an unfortunate loss.
"He has played very well," the head coach said of his 6-foot-5, 214-pound enforcer. "There are some guys, even though we’ve been struggling as a group, who have played very well and he’s one of them."
Good news: Theoretically, Regina should have the advantage in Friday's matchup. The Bruins have lost the first four games on an East Division road swing and will be playing their fifth game in eight days.
Bad news: It was virtually the same scenario when Kamloops came to town on Wednesday. The Blazers were up 2-1 with three minutes left when Regina's power play finally converted twice for a 3-2 win. The visitors probably deserved a better fate against the Pats, who continue to have trouble with teams that have losing records.