Coquitlam and the Grizzlies have exemplified playoff hockey through the first four games of the opening round. The pace has shifted like a chess match, the physicality has been hard-hitting, and the scorelines have been electric. The Express have a ton of momentum after bouncing back on home ice to tie up the series at two games a piece. The home team has yet to win in eight meetings between the regular season and playoffs so the uphill battle won’t be easy. If the Express have one trick up their sleeve though, it’s the ability to win games on the road in hostile environments.
If you are a fan of goaltending then you have likely been on cloud nine watching this matchup unfold. Andrew Ness and the opposing tandem of Oliver Auyeung-Ashton and Kyle Kelsey have been huge in every single contest, impacting the flow of play with timely saves. The performance of the series so far belongs to Ness who put up a 63 save shutout in Game 4 to take down the Grizzlies in overtime. Heading into today, questions linger on who Victoria will look to in this turning point in the best-of-seven. Auyeung-Ashton missed Game 2 and 3 but was able to return to the lineup as the backup on Wednesday in Coquitlam. Kelsey struggled in Game 3 but rebounded well in the second matchup at the Poirier, putting up 27 saves en-route to the OT loss. It’s a good problem to have, two netminders that are ready and willing to shoulder the burden. But it also results in added pressure for whom they do select, to provide results.
With the way Game 4 ended, Coquitlam should come out swinging tonight. They know they have the Grizzlies battered back to the ropes following a 6-3 statement victory and then outlasting them in Game 4 with the 1-0 victory. Those kinds of wins can demoralize an opponent, but with how disciplined Victoria have been in this opening round, that may not be something the Express can rely upon.
What they can rely upon is the continued elevation of play from their depth players. All series Coquitlam have been blessed with guys stepping up and contributing at meaningful times. Case in point, the first two games. If the depth scoring was absent when the big guns went cold, the same results would have occured, but the lasting effects of heavier losses may have echoed to Games 3 and 4. Instead the Express nearly stole Game 1 and kept Game 2 tight to the very end. Ness is absolutely a big piece of that puzzle too, as are the defensemen in front of him. Jack Sullivan now has two goals in the series, including the Game 4 winner in overtime. Koray Bozkaya and Jimmy Dodig have been rock solid as a tandem. Cooper Wilson won the team “Hard Hat” award for a reason. And last but certainly not least, Frandina and Kneidel have been as steady as a top pair can be, eating up minutes and directing traffic with confidence.
Another player to watch for Coquitlam is the ever-reliable Trip Pendy. The pride of Far Hills, New Jersey currently leads the Express with five points in the series. Four of those are assists and he generates them with his outright speed on the wing and heads-up timing on knowing when to throw the biscuit on goal. He is arguably the puck carrier that has given the Grizzlies the most grief when it comes to defending the rush.
Tune in on FloHockey for all the action with puckdrop scheduled for 7PM PST. Pregame show hits the airwaves around 6:45.
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– Ian Wilson
