The Portland Winterhawks split their weekend games against the Vancouver Giants. On Saturday, the Winterhawks knocked down Vancouver by a score of 7-2. Then on Sunday, Vancouver got their revenge. The Giants would defeat Portland 5-2, on the Les Schwab Teddy Bear Toss night. The Winterhawks donated 16,973 stuffed animals, and now sit in 6th place in the Western Conference. Here are three takeaways from the Winterhawk’s two games against Vancouver.
Portland thrives on uneven footing. The man-up and man-down units for the Winterhawks are among the best in the league. On the power-play, Portland conversion rate is 28.9% so far this season. That ranks 2nd in the league, only half a percent behind the Prince Albert Raiders. The Winterhawks have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their last nine games. Against Vancouver, the Winterhawks power-play went 4/9. Three of those goals came in their Saturday matchup. Portland’s Penalty Kill has also been successful. Vancouver went 4/12 on their power-power-play this weekend, resulting in the Winterhawks ranking 7th in the league in penalty-kill percentage.
Defensemen make the difference for the Winterhawks. Tyson Jugnauth is having another great season. Thanks to 2 goals and 7 assists this weekend, the Seattle Kraken prospect is currently 2nd in total points on Portland and tied for the 5th most assists in the league. However, the rest of Portland’s defensive lineup has had touch and go success. Ryder Thompson has a career high four goals this season, and Carter Sotheran has 13 points in 26 games. However, Jugnauth is the only defenseman on the Winterhawks lineup without a negative plus/minus.
Portland’s coaching staff is making good adjustments. In the past three weeks, Portland has been in back to back games against Kelowna, Spokane, and Vancouver. Against Kelowna and Spokane, the Winterhawks second performance was much stronger than the first. Portland lost to Kelowna 4-2, then beat the Rockets two days later 6-4. The following week, Portland lost to the Chiefs 5-1. Then 24 hours later, the Winterhawks played a much closer game against Spokane. Although they lost 7-4, the Winterhawks cut down on goal differential, shot differential, and their opponent’s power-play success. The Giants appear to be the exception to the rule, as the Winterhawks won and then lost against Vancouver. However, nine penalties is difficult for any team to overcome. On top of that, despite losing by three, nearly a full line for Portland stayed positive in their plus/minus.
Northwest Sports Desk 