Aliaksei Protas and the rest of the Raiders will be determined to tie the series for Wednesday's Game 4. Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia

By Jeff D'Andrea

Focused on Game 4

Pressure’s on Prince Albert, but they’ve thrived in it before

Apr 24, 2019 | 2:10 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders may find themselves trailing a playoff series for the first time this year, but the situation isn’t too unfamiliar.

After losing Games 2 and 3 to the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Raiders now find themselves 2-1 in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Finals.

But the last time the Raiders faced back-to-back losses in the playoffs, they responded with arguably their best game of the playoffs, maybe even their entire year. They’ve also never lost three consecutive games at all this season.

In the second round, the Raiders lost Games 3 and 4 to the Saskatoon Blades and saw their 2-0 series advantage quickly turn to 2-2. The Raiders came back home for Game 5 after scoring just one goal in the previous 120 minutes, but responded with a huge 6-1 victory to turn the tides back in their favour and ended up finishing off the series in Game 6.

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“That was a big, pivotal game. If [the Blades] win that, they’re going home to close it out,” Raiders Head Coach Marc Habscheid said. “We responded there. We got a good character bunch of guys. We just need a little perseverance and a little puck luck and we’ll be OK.”

The Raiders will need a similar effort on Wednesday night in Game 4. That game will be the difference between tying the series and giving them a new life, or having their backs against the wall down three games to one.

“It’s a huge game,” Raiders captain Brayden Pachal said. “[Between] 3-1 and 2-2, it’s a big difference. We gotta have that mindset that it’s a must-win game.”

Some of the Oil Kings are finding similarities between this series and the biggest upset in an underdog heavy NHL opening playoff round when the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the 62-game winning Tampa Bay Lightning.

Oil Kings forward Trey Fix-Wolansky paid very close attention to that series, as he is a drafted and signed prospect of the Blue Jackets.

When asked after Game 3’s 5-1 win over the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy-winning Prince Albert Raiders to take a 2-1 edge in the series, Fix-Wolansky said he’s starting to see some similarities between the two.

“A little bit. You look at that series and they just outworked them and out-battled them. Obviously Tampa was the better team going into that series,” Fix-Wolansky, who was a former Raider prospect, said. “I think just taking things from that series and using it to our advantage, the hard work stuff, it’s been important for us.”

Game 4 will be at Rogers Place on Wednesday. Game 5 will be back at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, both games will be at 7 p.m.

If the Raiders win either of those games, that will force a Game 6 at Rogers Place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW