The Edmonton Oil Kings scored a crucial home ice win on Wednesday over the visiting Kootenay Ice that has them on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. The 4-2 victory was great news in every facet aside from the fact that with one more goal the fans in attendance would have gotten a free Big Bacon Classic from Wendy's.
Edmonton's grip on at least an 8th place tie just melted away when the Prince Albert Raiders came from behind to outlast the Regina Pats by a 6-5 score. A P.A. loss would have ensured no less than an 8-place tie and a single game playoff for the Oil Kings.
As it stands now, Edmonton is still up on the Raiders by 2 points and each squad has two dates left on their schedule; Edmonton will play a home-at-home series with the 11th place Red Deer on Saturday and Sunday while Prince Albert plays a home-at-home against their rivals from Saskatoon beginning Friday.
On paper it certainly looks good for Edmonton as the Saskatoon Blades are the #2 ranked team in the conference but that's why they play the games, because you just never know what can happen once the puck is dropped.
Should the Blades beat the Raiders on Friday night Edmonton will know going into Red Deer on Saturday that they only need to earn a single point in their last two games to claim that final postseason spot.
Side Note: IF Edmonton does qualify for the WHL playoffs, The Pipeline Show will be running a contest where we'll offer up an authentic Oil Kings jersey donated by The Sports Closet in Sherwood Park. The sweater will be autographed by the entire team. Full details to come once it's official one way or the other.
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