Welcome to the final weekend of the regular season. What a campaign it has been and it doesn’t get any less exciting heading into its conclusion. The Express are still in a dogfight for playoff positioning and in order to pick up some much needed points, they have to deal with one of the most determined teams in the league. Langley find themselves in the 8th spot of the Coastal Conference, but only three points ahead of the Prince George Spruce Kings. If they win tonight, they will secure their spot in the Fred Page Cup Playoffs.
Coquitlam has already won the season series against the Rivermen with Langley only capturing one of the previous six meetings. That can be a bit deceiving though as the first four games between these sides were all decided by one goal. Langley has also seen significant roster changes throughout the course of this year and has finally had some time to gel. They have also been in good form recently with their current three-game win streak coming at the most crucial time this season has produced. The Express on the other hand are in the midst of a five-game losing skid and will need to dig deep should they hope to bounce back tonight. It’s hard to out-want a team that is fighting for its playoff lives but with only two games left to bump the slump and gain momentum back for the playoffs, the motivation needs to come from somewhere.
Whether Langley decides to field Florian Wade or Dylan Johnson tonight, the Express will need to be at their best. Johnson has posted a .929 SV% in back-to-back wins while Wade has settled down from his tough first two games in the league to post a .962 in a relief appearance and .974 in a huge win over Spruce Grove last weekend. The Rivermen defense has also dialed it in with the time to build chemistry as Langley have only given up more than three goals once in the month of March.
The Express need to wake up their offensive ways ahead of this playoff push. They have had great success in that department this season against tonight’s opponent so hopefully that will continue. One player in particular the Rivermen need to pay attention too is Thomas Zocco. Currently without points in his last three games, he will likely be very motivated to get back to the form that saw him earn points in 17 of a 19 game stretch. As well, in his last three games against Langley, the Staten Island Stallion has a combined eight points.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15PM PST at the Lodge! Come on out and support the boys on the road or tune in for the FloHockey broadcast. Pregame show starts around 7PM PST.
FLOHOCKEY BROADCAST (Select “Away” Stream)
– Ian Wilson
