Raiders forwards, Ilya Usau, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Matthew Culling celebrate together after a goal earlier this season. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Brandon Back-to-back

Raiders ready for big Brandon back-to-back

Mar 5, 2020 | 5:13 PM

If the Prince Albert Raiders are going to win the WHL East Division, a good showing this weekend would go a long way to do it.

The Raiders have a home-and-home series against the Brandon Wheat Kings, the team nipping at their heels in the division pennant race. At the moment, the Raiders have a five-point lead on the Wheat Kings, while both teams have seven games remaining on their schedule.

The Raiders will take on the Wheat Kings at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, then are Manitoba bound to play on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the Raiders will stick around Manitoba to play the Winnipeg ICE, who are in third place in the division with 69 points.

“It’s huge for us. [The Wheat Kings] are a team that’s been on our heels for most of the year now,” Raiders forward Ozzy Wiesblatt said. “We have a chance to separate ourselves from them and hang a banner up. I think that’s what we really want to do, especially going into playoffs here.”

Like the Raiders, the Wheat Kings have been buzzing as of late. They’ve only lost two games in regulation in their last 10 (7-2-1 record), but both of those losses have come at the hands of the Raiders. In fact, the Raiders have a 3-1 record against the Wheat Kings this year and have outscored them 12-6. They’ve also held the Wheat Kings to one goal in three of those contests.

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“We’re a good team, they’re a good team. We’ve got a five-point lead on them, but they could cut into that,” Habscheid said. “Everybody wants first place. They want it, we want it, so it should be good.”

Wiesblatt has been helping his Raiders with their solid recent form. The Raiders have won seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 13. Wiesblatt is currently on a career-high points streak at nine games, scoring four goals and 14 points during that time.

He credits linemate Ilya Usau for a lot of his success, as well as Matthew Culling and Justin Nachbaur, who he’s played with on his line. But Wiesblatt and Usau have played together through most of the season on the second line, and is Wiesblatt’s favourite target for his passes.

“We’ve been together for most of the year and developed the good chemistry we have,” Wiesblatt said. “He obviously has a good shot and I like to find him wherever I can. I think we build off each other and find each other all over.”

Wiesblatt also leads the Raiders in power play goals with 10 on the season, an area that has really blossomed as of late for the Raiders.

They’re 9/29 in their last six games, clicking at 31 per cent in that time. They had three power play goals on Tuesday against the Calgary Hitmen.

“Confidence is a big thing. That goes for anything in life,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “Once you’re feeling it, things just kind of happen. You’re more confident about it. The puck’s not bouncing around, your vision’s better, pucks find their way through. They’ve been working on it, and Dan [Gendur, assistant coach] has been working on it.”

Injury report

Forward Matthew Culling has been ruled out for this weekend, still nursing an upper body injury and his status is “week-to-week” on the WHL Weekly Report. Forward Justin Nachbaur is not on the report, but Habscheid said he is still day-to-day with a “body injury” he suffered in Sunday’s 8-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen.

For the Wheat Kings, Ty Thorpe (lower body) and Marcus Kallionkieli (upper body) are both day-to-day. Nolan Ritchie is out indefinitely with a lower body injury.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW