Thunderbirds notebook: We’re talking about the playoffs?

And down the stretch they come.

The Thunderbirds have 12 games to go in the regular season, and while they still have a shot at earning home-ice advantage in the first round, time is running out.

The T-Birds are eight points out of second place and the valued home ice that comes with it as of Friday morning. They can still do it but they’re going to have to play consistent hockey and probably get some help from the teams ahead of them.

Seattle ends its six-game homestand with two games this weekend – Friday against Prince George and Saturday against Portland – and while they may not quite be must-win games, they are at least probably-need-to-win games.

Here’s the latest with the T-Birds:

Portland or Everett?

For the past month it has seemed like a Portland-Seattle first-round matchup was inevitable. The only question was which team was going to end up in second place and get the home ice. It’s now looking like the more likely first-round matchup will be a rematch of last year’s opening-round series against the Everett Silvertips.

Everett has been on top of the U.S. Division for the balance of the season. When the Silvertips beat Portland 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 8 it felt like they were going to hold off the Winterhawks and win the division. Things have certainly changed in the weeks since.

The Silvertips only have four wins in their last 10 games and heading into the weekend their lead has shrunk to two points over Portland. The Winterhawks have the easier remaining schedule of the two and there is a real chance that when Seattle takes on Everett for a home-and-home in a couple of weekends it will be a playoff preview.

Everett’s next three games include tough matchups with Calgary and Kelowna. After that the Silvertips still have two games with Seattle and two with Victoria on their schedule. Portland has 11 games left and seven of them are against struggling teams in Tri-City, Spokane and Prince George.

It might be too early to call, but get ready for Everett in the first round.

Built for the playoffs?

There isn’t much in sports that can match the intensity of playoff hockey. It doesn’t matter if it’s the WHL or the NHL, playoff hockey is a battle of attrition. Room on the ice shrinks, hits become harder, goaltenders become paramount and you need timely scoring.

Can the T-Birds play that kind of hockey? Are they built for the playoffs?

One guy who thinks the T-Birds are playing playoff-style hockey is Calgary head coach Mark French. The Hitmen beat Seattle 3-2 on Tuesday in a tough, hard-hitting game, and French told Hitmenhockey.com that “the game in Seattle was one that mirrored playoff hockey.” He went on to talk about how physical and emotional it was – two things you’ll find in the postseason.

The T-Birds have all the ingredients of a good playoff team. They are a decent puck-possession team, meaning they usually have the puck more than their opponent, which leads to more chances and shots. That also means fewer chances against, which has helped goaltender Taran Kozun lead the league in goals-against average. Kozun has also shown that he has the ability to steal a game, which most playoff teams need from time to time.

Only the Kelowna Rockets have allowed fewer goals than Seattle has this year, which not only is a testament to Kozun but the defense in front of him. Scott Eansor has become one of, if not the best, two-way centers in the Western Conference and has had games this year where he has shut down some of the top lines in the league.

The T-Birds can grind out wins as they’ve done recently against Kelowna at home and Everett on the road. They are hard to play against, they will forecheck you all night, they’ll hit you and won’t give you much room on the ice.

The big question is whether the T-Birds can score enough for the playoffs.

Early in the year this might have been a big worry. For most of the season the T-Birds were among the lowest scoring clubs in the WHL and they lost their share of one-goal games. They were playing those games without Shea Theodore for the most part and then without Mathew Barzal for a stretch, though, and it wasn’t until Jan. 23 that both players were in the lineup.

Since that time the T-Birds have averaged 3.5 goals per game. In the 44 games before that they only averaged 2.6 goals, meaning Barzal and Theodore have been good for nearly an extra goal per game. By comparison, the Portland Winterhawks, with their offensive stars, average 3.7 goals per game this year. Seattle has been playing offense at a Portland level for the last month.

With Barzal’s return and the addition of Cory Millette, the T-Birds have some decent scoring depth. While early on they were a one-line team, they can now cause matchup problems for their opponents. If you’re coaching against the T-Birds, do you try to shut down Barzal or Seattle’s second line with Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar?

The playoffs can’t come quick enough.

Related

Morosi: M’s in favorable position for manager searchAL West Check-In: Astros part ways with manager Joe EspadaReport: Seahawks’ Charbonnet has ‘legitimate’ chance to play in Week 7Mariners 2B Cole Young named AL Gold Glove finalistKirby Moore addresses WSU’s quarterback changeSeahawks Stock Watch: Who’s trending up, who’s trending down