What: In Western Hockey League action, Portland (31-21-2-1) plays Spokane (38-17-1-1).

When: February 23, Sunday, 4 p.m. PST.

Memorial Coliseum is the location.

Watch: The game is available to stream on the CLH TV pay-per-view service, which costs roughly US$7.50 each game.

Check out Portland and Spokane audio.

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Portland

After blowing a 3-0 lead to Wenatchee on Saturday night, Portland emerged victorious in overtime thanks to a goal from Kyle Chyzowski, his third of the game. Although they never really let up, Portland controlled the game for over half of it before giving up two haphazard goals in the third to knot the score at three. However, Chyzowski saved them by completing his hat trick.

With the victory, Portland moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Vancouver and Tri-City. Avoiding Sunday’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs seems to be the reward for remaining in fifth place.

[On Monday, there may be late modifications to the statistics.]

Following his third career hat trick, Chyzowski plays in game 300. He has scored 239 points in 38 of them, which are playoff games. Before exploding this season, he steadily upped his scoring each season while playing for Portland for a portion of his 16th-year-old season. He is tied for third place on the power play and sixth place overall in the league.

Weiermair had two assists and Plante had the other goal on Saturday.

Zakreski has scored three points in a row.

Darby, Sotheran, and Jugnauth all contributed assists on Saturday.

With an overall save percentage of.884, t bet k has started the last five games. He might start all three games in three nights, but you never know. After t bet k received the hook and performed well, Schlenker entered the game on February 15 against Seattle. Regardless of the goaltender, he will have a lot on his plate.

Spokane

Spokane pulled the big trigger, acquiring Andrew Cristall from Kelowna in exchange for Hayden Paupanekis and five draft picks, since Portland last saw him on January 2. Cristall was scoring 60 points in 28 games when playing for Kelowna, but he has since improved to become an even more prolific point producer while playing for Berkly Catton. He has 48 points in 18 games, which is an additional half-point improvement in points per game.

Their offense has increased dramatically since they acquired him, and they are now 12-4-1-1. 12-2, 10-0, 10-3, 9-1, and 9-6 are among their victories. They have a 98-52 advantage over the opposition.

They are 4-3-1, which is a touch generous to include Prince George among the clubs you would consider challengers for the league title. With 11 games remaining, they are nine points behind Everett and would require assistance to overtake them for the division title.

Following a 4-2 road setback on Saturday and a home victory over Tri-City, they will also play their third game in three nights. That should slow them down, Portland hopes. They won the third game 5-2 in Vancouver, and that’s the first 3-in-3 they’ve had since acquiring Cristall.

Cristall ended a four-game point streak on Saturday by going scoreless. Out of his 18 games with Spokane, he has scored in 15 of them, including six games with four points or more. He has a five-point lead in the league scoring race.

However, since Cristall was acquired, Catton has actually gained more points than Cristall, therefore he is still the best option for Spokane. He has points in 17 straight games, with 20 goals and 30 assists, after going scoreless in his first game back from World Juniors.

Before the acquisition, Van Olm was having a fantastic season with Catton, and his stats—33 points in 18 games—have been rather consistent. He has scored four points in a row.

Crampton has scored eight points in a row. He is fourth in the league for defensemen’s total scoring and fifth on the power play.

So far this weekend, Cowan has started both games. He is 1-1, but it hasn’t worked; in the game he won, which is not often the case, he was given the hook and has let up 7 goals on 36 shots. In five games this season versus Portland, he has a save percentage of.896.

Esler, a 2023 first-round selection, has not yet faced Portland.

Tale of the tape

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