TULSA, Okla. – With just a few days remaining in the 2014-15 ECHL regular season, the Tulsa Oilers are close to clinching the final playoff spot in the central division. So close, you might say, that they can taste it.
The Oilers travel to Wichita tonight to take on the Thunder, and a win will secure the franchise’s second-straight post-season appearance. Tulsa (35-29-2-3) currently sits three points ahead of Wichita (32-29-2-6), while both teams have just three games remaining. Should Wichita deny Tulsa tonight; the Oilers will get another shot to shut the door on the Thunder’s playoff hopes on Friday night in Wichita.
The odds appear to be in Tulsa’s favor, however, when it comes to these two long-time heated rivals, anything can happen. While the Oilers have outscored the Thunder 47-27 this season, the Thunder has the luxury of playing their final three games of the year on home ice.
Tulsa has won 10 of 12 games with Wichita this season, including the last four, to claim their second-straight Stone Wolf Casino Cup as winner of the season series. The Oilers have claimed wins in four of their five previous visits to Intrust Bank Arena. While the Thunder is 4-6 in their last ten games, they have won their last two, including a shootout victory last week over the division champion Allen Americans.
The Americans separated themselves from the rest of the division early in the season and never looked back. With three games remaining, the Americans (45-14-6-4) currently hold a 20-point lead over the Rapid City Rush, securing them the first seed for the central division in the post-season. The Quad City Mallards sit just one point behind the Rush, but Rapid City holds one game-in-hand over Quad City with a two-game series at Allen remaining.
While the final playoff position is still undecided, it is possible for Tulsa to not only claim the spot, but also jump ahead of two squads and into the second position. If Tulsa should win their three remaining games, all of which are on the road, they will surpass the Quad City Mallards for third place. Should that happen and Rapid City suffers two regulation losses at Allen this weekend, the Oilers would finish one point ahead of the Rush and be locked into the second seed.
The second-seeded team will have home ice advantage in their first round best-of-seven playoff series with the third-seeded team. For whoever finishes in fourth place, an opening round series with Allen awaits.
So while all Oilers fans just want to see a win over Wichita tonight, they should hope for a second win on Friday and a win at Quad City on Saturday. If Tulsa’s 5-10-2 regular season record against Allen is any indication of how a first round series with the Americans would turn out, then those same Tulsa fans should also consider themselves Allen fans this weekend.
ECHL Playoff format
16 teams will participate in the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. First and second round playoff series will be played within each division, with four teams from each division participating. The remaining Pacific Division team will play the remaining Central Division team in the Western Conference Final, while the remaining North Division team will play the remaining East Division team in the Eastern Conference Final. The two conference champions will play each other for the Kelly Cup. All playoff series will be a best-of-seven format.
Pro Hockey News has you covered for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs. We will have game by game coverage all the way until the cup is presented. Check back early next week for our ECHL playoff preview.
Contact the writer: john.hall@prohockeynews.com