Westland Insurance What We’re Watching – April 22, 2022

The WHL Playoffs are here, and we couldn’t be more excited. The Edmonton Oil Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked things off Thursday night, but each of the other seven first-round series begin tonight. It’s Friday, so it’s time for What We’re Watching, presented by Westland Insurance!

FEEL THE FREEZE
The Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy landed in Manitoba during the Regular Season, with the Winnipeg ICE boasting the WHL’s best Regular Season Record (53-10-3-2, 111 points). Tonight, the ICE will play its first WHL Playoffs contest in seven years as Winnipeg faces the Prince Albert Raiders in Game One of their first-round best-of-seven (7:00 p.m. CT, Wayne Fleming Arena). Tonight’s contest also marks the first WHL post-season game in Winnipeg involving a Winnipeg-based Club since 1983, when the then-Winnipeg Warriors were swept in the first round by the eventual League Champion Lethbridge Broncos.

As we count down to the start of the 2022 #WHLPlayoffs, we're previewing each first-round series.

We continue our previews by looking at the best-of-seven set between @WHLWpgICE and @PARaidersHockey! #WPGvsPA

MORE 📰 | https://t.co/tWCLDpgwzK pic.twitter.com/TCCDieTjRF

— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 21, 2022

SASKATCHEWAN SHOWDOWN
Just one point separated the fourth-place Moose Jaw Warriors and fifth-place Saskatoon Blades in the Eastern Conference standings, making this post-season matchup potentially the closest of the eight first-round series. Game One goes tonight in the Friendly City (7:00 p.m. MT, Mosaic Place). Despite starting the series on the road, though, it was Saskatoon who held the upper hand in the season series, winning six of the eight Regular Season meetings.

As we count down to the start of the 2022 #WHLPlayoffs, we're previewing each first-round series.

We continue our previews by looking at the best-of-seven set between @pdxwinterhawks and @PGCougars! #PORvsPG

MORE 📰 | https://t.co/TZ2N2wxu4a pic.twitter.com/PQWyH1sfQL

— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 20, 2022

PLAYOFF DEBUT FOR THE GOAT
He made 194 Regular Season appearances, 166 of which were in a Prince George Cougars sweater, but tonight, 21-year-old Taylor Gauthier is expected to make his WHL Playoffs debut for the Portland Winterhawks as they open a best-of-seven series with, who else, the Prince George Cougars (7:00 p.m. PT, Veterans Memorial Coliseum). It’s been a long time coming for the 2022 U.S. Division Goaltender of the Year, but Gauthier and the Winterhawks will have their hands full with a plucky Prince George group despite finishing with 46 more points during the Regular Season.