Greg Harder's Slap Shots.....Righting some wrongs

Righting some wrongs

What’s the difference between a good team and a great team?
For the Regina Pats, it’s 11 games. That’s the number of times this season that Regina has lost to non-playoff teams.
The Pats don’t like being reminded of that fact, but it’s tough to ignore. We’re not talking about a minor blip on the radar, here. It’s an issue that has followed them like a black cloud for most of the season — and it won’t go away until they do something about it.
Just win!
Here's the cold, hard truth: There’s something fundamentally wrong with a first-place team that has this much trouble with a bunch of basement dwellers. By rights, an elite team should have won at least seven of those 11 games. Hell, five would have been enough to lock up the East Division by now and move into top spot in the entire Eastern Conference. Instead, with five games remaining, the Pats have no chance of catching the Calgary Hitmen for top spot in the conference and they’re fighting tooth and nail to hold onto the division lead.
Fortunately for the Pats, there's a last chance for redemption this weekend when they play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings (Friday) and Prince Albert Raiders (Saturday), who sit 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 12-team conference. Edmonton and P.A. are the last non-playoff teams on the Pats’ schedule, after which they visit Moose Jaw on Wednesday and close out the schedule next weekend with a home-and-home set against Brandon. The Warriors and Wheat Kings are hot on Regina’s tail, just three points back.
This weekend’s games should be a virtual gimme for a team that’s fighting for first place and looking to set the tone for a long playoff run. At the very least, these are games the Pats absolutely can’t afford to lose.
Captain Logan Pyett said as much after Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen.
“We go into (the) weekend against two teams that are lower in the standings,” noted Pyett, who was already looking ahead to Edmonton and Prince Albert. “We’re going to have to be focused. We’re going to have to put this win (against Calgary) behind us. Everyone in there realizes the next two points is the biggest every time.”
The Pats have risen to the challenge all year against elite clubs like Calgary, which is why they've gotten away with losing to teams they should beat. That luck is bound to run out.
If you want to be a top team, you have to play like it. That means beating the teams you're supposed to beat.
With five games left, the clock is ticking.