Revenge will be on the minds of the Edmonton Oil Kings when they face the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday Night Hockey.
The Hurricanes may only have three wins this season, but got their first in Edmonton in the only meeting between the two teams this season on Sept. 29. The Hurricanes scored three goals in 42 seconds in the third period to steal the victory away from the Eastern Conference champs that night.
“We owe them a little bit,” says Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal. “Lethbridge has always been a tough place to play. It’s a smaller rink, it’s got hard glass, it’s got lively boards, you really have to be ready to step up and play.”
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Tune into Friday Night Hockey to watch the Edmonton Oil Kings battle the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sportsnet ONE starting at 7:30 p.m. MST
Although the win over Edmonton was a positive moment in the Hurricanes’ season, the page is already turned according to head coach Drake Berehowsky.
“We’re trying not to live in the past,” he says. “We’re trying to just get better and keep progressing in a forward motion.”
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
Although this game is a mismatch on paper, the Hurricanes have the benefit of beating the Oil Kings once already this season. It’s been a disappointing season for the Hurricanes with just three wins in their first 27 games, and a chorus of negative attention revolving around star players asking for trades, but a win over the Oil Kings now could be paramount in turning the tides of their season’s fortune.
For a team starving for success, another win now against a top team like the Oil Kings could be the guiding light in what has been a dark season.
“It’s been a journey for us,” Berehowsky admits. “The guys are positive in the room, they believe in the system and they’re working towards getting better and that’s the thing we’re focusing on is just the progression and not the end result.”
The Hurricanes may not appear to provide much of a test for the Oil Kings, but that’s deceiving considering the results. The Oil Kings haven’t had problems playing up to their competition this season, yet tend to play down to teams like the Hurricanes, who they’ll meet again on Sunday.
“We’ve had really good success against the teams ahead of us, but we’ve struggled a little bit with teams below us,” Laxdal says. “Basically, they’re fighting for their lives right now and we have to make sure we play our game.”
KEY MATCHUP
Henrik Samuelsson vs. Corbin Boes
Expectations were lofty for Boes when the Hurricanes acquired the overage goaltender from the Brandon Wheat Kings at the draft. Given the Hurricanes are young and inexperienced, Boes is relied on to keep the team in games and clean up some of the mess that comes with playing behind a team that will learn by making mistakes.
“He’s the last line of defence so any time he can help out and shut the door, it’s huge,” Berehowsky says. “There’s not too many times that you win without good goaltending so we’re real happy with (Boes).”
This will be another big test for Boes and the Hurricanes as Samuelsson, who leads the Oil Kings in scoring, is proving to be a man among boys in his final junior season. The Phoenix Coyotes’ first-rounder is shouldering the bulk of the offensive load this season after some key graduations, but is underutilizing his shot.
“He’s got such a heavy shot and goaltenders at this level can’t handle it,” Laxdal says. “He can score from anywhere. We’d like to see him shoot it a little bit more and obviously the goal production would take another step in the right direction. He does have great vision and when he has the opportunity to make a pass, he definitely isn’t selfish and he likes to see his teammates celebrate.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Edmonton: C, Curtis Lazar
A first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, Lazar does it all. The two-way forward plays in every situation for the Oil Kings and is one of the leaders now as a third-year junior. He may not score the flashy goal or make the highlight reels with his play, but Lazar owns the trust of his coach.
“The big thing for Curtis is when he’s not scoring, he’s doing the little things right,” Laxdal explains. “He’s a complete, complete package. The thing Curtis has to work on a little bit is the small areas of a skill game. That takes time and that comes along with experience and getting the opportunities. He definitely wants to step up to the plate and he knows the things he’s got to improve on and he works on them.”
Lethbridge: LW, Riley Sheen
The Hurricanes wanted to acquire character players when their stars asked to be dealt. Sheen came from Seattle as compensation for Jaimen Yakubowski and Sam McKechnie and is providing the Hurricanes with the complete, team player they were seeking.
“He can play in all situations,” Berehowsky says. “He’s very dynamic. He gets the pucks in deep and he goes to work. He’s come back (from an upper-body injury) and I think he’s a little bit gun shy right now but hopefully he’ll get a bounce here or there and get rolling.”
