Tigers open nine-of-ten road stretch in Regina seeking offensive spark
Medicine Hat has lost 13 of its last 14 meetings with Regina, but enters tonight's rematch coming off back-to-back home losses and a slumping power play.
The Medicine Hat Tigers open a stretch that sees them play nine of their next ten games on the road, starting tonight in Regina against the Pats, a rematch of last spring's Eastern Conference Quarter-final. The Tigers are looking to rebound after dropping both ends of a weekend homestand to the Edmonton Oil Kings and Victoria Royals.
Despite the recent losses, forward Josh Evaschesen and head coach/GM Willie Desjardins both pointed to strong underlying scoring chances as reason for optimism. Desjardins noted the Tigers rank near the top of the WHL in expected goals despite the lack of results. A particular trouble spot has been the power play, which has ranked top five in the league in each of the past three seasons but currently sits 21st.
Regina, coming off a 5-2 loss in Saskatoon, boasts a perfect penalty kill at home and is considered a contender for the East Division title behind forwards Liam Pue and Maddox Schultz. Pue shares the team scoring lead with ten points, while Schultz carries a five-game point streak into the matchup. The Pats are 2-0-0-0 at the Brandt Centre this season and begin a run of seven of ten games at home before a November road trip to the B.C. Division.
Medicine Hat has won 13 of its last 14 games against Regina, with its only loss in that span coming in Game 2 of last spring's playoff series. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. MST.
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