In goal, Laurent Brossoit and Mac Carruth have moved on, and in has come Tristan Jarry for Edmonton and the two-headed goaltending monster of Brendan Burke and Corbin Boes. Jarry has established himself as the number one goaltender for Edmonton after serving as a backup to Brossoit the previous two years. He is the Eastern Conference finalist for the Del Wilson Trophy as best goaltender. Burke has been the starter for most of the season, but injuries and the stellar play of mid-season acquisition Boes have made the Winterhawks a two-goalie team that can feel comfortable playing the hot hand. It will be interesting to see whether the Winterhawks stick with Boes, who was the goaltender of record when the Winterhawks took out the Kelowna Rockets in five games.
On the blue line, the Oil Kings make their hay here, as they were once again a force in the league leading defense. Led by Griffin Reinhart, the Oil Kings are a unit in every sense of the word. The Winterhawks are not to be counted out, however, as they have players capable of winning it for them. They are more offensive oriented, with Derrick Pouliot leading the way and Matthew Dumba providing a presence that the team had been missing since Seth Jones left for the NHL.
Offensively, the Oil Kings are as balanced as can be, with Brett Pollock and Curtis Lazar leading the team in playoff scoring with 17 points. Five Winterhawks have more than that total, which is more indicative of the Winterhawks' high-scoring offense, which led the league in the regular season once again. Brendan Leipsic is the disrupter of the group, and having him on the ice gives the Winterhawks a greater chance of winning, as he can get under the opponents' skin and allow the likes of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nic Petan to do what they do best.
Later this week, I will make my predictions for the series.
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