The Battle For The 8 Spot: March 5th

Photo Credit: Rena Laverty

We are down to the final eight games of the season and the Whalers have fought their way back to now be in a three-way tie for points at 51. Tonight’s game against the Spirit is another must win for the team. If Windsor loses tonight and the Whalers beat Saginaw, Plymouth will leapfrog into the 8 spot.

The bad news however is that the Whalers have lost the services of Connor Chatham.

Been a great experience playing for @PWhalers. Gonna be tough not playing these last few weeks with a great group of guys #PlayoffPush

— connor chatham (@cchat49) March 3, 2015

Pete Krupsky gives us the details on why he is out of the lineup.

@TheMcKid @keepwhalershere Not a secret, but Connor Chatham having surgery per NJ Devils.

— Pete Krupsky (@whalersradio) March 4, 2015

It’s rough, but the Whalers are going to have to pull through without him.

The Battle For The 8 Spot: March 3rd, 2015

If the Whalers want to make the playoffs this season, they have to win this morning.

No, that’s not an over-dramatization, the Whalers are two points behind the 8th place Spirit and with nine games remaining, they face Saginaw four times. That is a huge eight points needed to move up to the eight spot.

Can the Whalers win? The short answer, yes. The Whalers have been playing better hockey in the past ten games, going 5-4-1-0 while the Saginaw Spirit are currently licking their wounds from a 12-3 shellacking from the London Knights, and have choked to a 1-9-0-0 record in the past ten games.

The Whalers play Saginaw this morning before hosting them at Compuware Arena on Thursday. The other team in the mix is Windsor, and they face the Soo on Thursday. All I’m saying is that there is a decent chance that the Whalers can move up to the eighth spot by the end of Thursday’s game.

I’ll repeat it again. If the Whalers want to make the playoffs this season, they have to win this morning.

 

Whalers Acquire Trocheck For [Insert Player/Draft Picks Here]

The title might seem a little strange, but it’s accurate. The Whalers have made a deal with the Saginaw Spirit to acquire the talents of Vincent Trocheck, but there is only speculation on what the Whalers gave up.

This morning Trocheck tweeted thanking the support from everyone involved with the Spirit, and that he was starting fresh with the Whalers.

http://twitter.com/trocheck_89/status/289372571206574081

There is speculation that the Whalers gave up Cody “Max” Payne and/or Zach Bratina. There is also speculation that there is a second deal with the Spirit.

The trade deadline arrives in close to two hours. We will keep you updated as this story develops.