The Prince George Cougars push for the playoffs continues tonight at home. Tonight for a third time this season, the Cougars will welcome Don Hay’s Vancouver Giants, in what some have tabbed a ‘must-win’ weekend for the Cats. So far this season the Cougars are 2-2-0-1 against Vancouver having defeated them twice at home already this season. There is currently a 14 point gap separating these teams in the B.C. Division standings, and you can bet that the Giants would love nothing more than to spoil the Cougars pursuit of a playoff spot with some wins this weekend.

Overview:

Heading into tonight’s game, the Vancouver Giants are 13-40-0-0 this season, and are 2-8-0-0 in their past 10 games. After an impressive victory at home against Prince Albert, last week, the Giants have since lost two straight. They are 0-2 this season in games played in Prince George.

Who’s Up Front:

One of the major bright spots this season for the Vancouver Giants has been the play of sophomore forward Jackson Houck. The North Vancouver, B.C. product comes into the weekend leading the Giants with 45 points in 53 games. In five games this season, Houck has just been held to two assists against the Cougars, and certainly the Giants are hoping that Houck can be a difference-maker for them this weekend offensively.

Who’s on D:

Calgary Flames prospect Brett Kulak continues to provide the Giants with strong play at both ends of the ice. He leads all Vancouver defensemen with 32 points, and has already tied last season’s mark for goals with nine. Kulak is likely going to log some huge minutes this weekend, and the Cougars will need to be mindful of his ability to create 0ffense off of the rush tonight.

Who’s in Goal:

The 2012-2013 season has been a bit of a goaltending carousel for the Vancouver Giants.  But this weekend they’ll head into action with the tandem of 16-year-old Payton Lee, and Prince George product, Jared Rathjen.  Payton Lee has played in 25 games this season and has a record of 7-17-0-0. Lee is 2-2 this season against the Cougars, and will almost certainly get one of the starts this weekend. That said, Prince George’s Jared Rathjen beat the Cougars last season as a member of the Victoria Royals, and was the goaltender of record when the Giants beat Prince Albert last week.

X-Factor:

19-year-old Cain Franson always seems to bring his best when the Prince George Cougars are involved. Last season, Franson torched the Cougars with 11 points in eight games, and while his totals aren’t nearly that impressive this season, he still has the skill-set to take over a game offensively at a moment’s notice. Keeping Franson in check will be a major factor in the Cougars success this weekend.

Overview:

So far the Prince George Cougars have earned points in each of their first three games of their five-game home stand. After a 6-2 win against Victoria Friday, the Cougars have since gone on to earn two shootout losses against Victoria and Red Deer. Prince George is 3-5-0-2 in their past 10 games, and head into tonight three points back of eighth place in the Western Conference standings. The Cougars overall record is 16-30-2-6

Who’s Up Front:

With a three point night on Wednesday against Red Deer, Zach Pochiro became the third Cougar this season to reach double digits in goals. Pochiro leads all Cougars rookies with 22 points this season, and has really elevated his game over the course of the second half. Offensively the Cougars will need Pochiro and his linemates to continue to chip in. If Pochiro and company can continue to provide consistent secondary scoring, it bodes very well for the Cougars down the stretch of the regular season.

Who’s on D:

It was an impressive debut for 2011 Cougars first-rounder Jordan Harris on Wednesday against Red Deer. Harris didn’t look the least bit out of place, and seemed to play with more confidence as the game wore on. All of a sudden the Cougars are loaded with depth on the back-end, which should help motivate all of the defencemen to bring their best on a nightly basis, because if they don’t, they may find themselves watching from the stands.

Who’s in Goal:

Mac Engel has been very steady for the Cougars over the course of Mark Holick’s tenure with the team. Engel made 27 saves on 30 shots faced on Wednesday against Red Deer, and has done well to put the Cougars in position to win games as of late. Engel will need to be in top form tonight, as the Vancouver Giants are a team that can strike quickly if you’re not prepared.

X-Factor:

The Prince George Cougars power play will be a huge X-Factor this weekend. The Vancouver Giants come into this weekend with the league’s second worst penalty-kill while the Cougars have the league’s lowest power play success rate. Something’s got to give when it comes to those statistics, and if the Cougars can take advantage of Vancouver penalties, they give themselves a great chance to win and inch closer to a playoff spot.