Tonight in Prince Albert, the Prince George Cougars will play their third of a six game Eastern road swing. Standing in their way tonight is a Prince Albert team in an eerily similar situation to that of the Cougars. Both teams are ninth place and on the outside looking in to the playoff picture of their respective conferences and both teams will look to garner some positive momentum from tonight's game.

OVERVIEW:

Cory Clouston's Prince Albert Raiders are heading into tonight's game with an even 23-23-2-0 record through 48 games. With 48 points on the season, the Raiders trail the eighth placed Kootenay Ice by six points and are trying to get back into a winning rythm after dropping five of their last seven overall.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

Headlining the list Raiders forwards is 18-year-old Leon Draisaitl. The second year forward out of Germany is a lock to be selected in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft, and leads the Raiders with 57 points in just 40 games. Draisaitl combines size, speed and skill effectively and has recorded at least one point in 13 of his past 15 games.

WHO'S ON D:

Leading the way defensively for Prince Albert is 18-year-old Winnipeg Jets prospect Josh Morrissey. The smooth skating defenceman has 14 goals and 41 points and also carries a +7 rating. The Raiders captain recently represented Canada at the 2014 World Juniors.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

Very little about the Prince Albert Raiders could be considered 'familiar' to the Prince George Cougars except for their goaltender. 20-year-old Cole Cheveldave spent the past two seasons as a member of the Kamloops Blazers, and put together a staggering record against Prince George. Cheveldave is 11-1 lifetime against the Cougars and most nights was the ultimate difference between winning and losing. There is no guarantee that Cheveldave will start tonight, but if so the Cougars will need to pepper him with shots at all opportunities. Nick McBride won the last game for the Raiders on Friday.

X-FACTOR:

If the Prince Albert Raiders want to catch Kootenay they will need to amp up their level of play. The Raiders are coming off a 3-2 win against Swift Current on Friday, and will hope to build off of that outing tonight. The Cougars are a little fragile in the confidence department right now, and no doubt the Raiders will try and take it to the Cougars early and feed off the crowd.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Holick's Prince George Cougars are coming into tonight's game in dire need of victory. At 18-26-2-5 the Cougars are still seven points ahead of where they were a season ago, but the trouble is that the Tri-City Americans gap was further strengthened Saturday by a shootout loss to Spokane. The Cougars are running out of games to try and catch the eighth placed Americans, and in order to get back within striking distance the Cougars need a big week, starting tonight in PA.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

The benching of Zach Pochiro opened the door for Jansen Harkins to join Klarc Wilson and Todd Fiddler on the Cougars top scoring line. Harkins fit in seemlessly with Fiddler and Wilson, and together the trio combined for all three of the Cougars goals against Brandon. Hopefully those three can build off of that outing and have a positive impact on tonight's game too.

WHO'S ON D:

Defensively the Cougars were better on Saturday but were still not quite where they need to be in order to win. Tonight the Cougars will have their hands full with the likes of Draisaitl and Morrissey, and they'll need to ensure that they position themselves accordingly against those two in particular. Marc McNulty and Wil Tomchuk, the two veterans on the back-end will likely see the most minutes again tonight.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

Saturday night in Brandon Ty Edmonds was good but not good enough. Like with any young player, Edmonds confidence has had some peaks and valleys this season, but tonight is another opportunity and another challenge for the Cougars rookie netminder. It might take a 40 save type of game for Edmonds to get some swagger back in his game, and hopefully tonight can be the start of something positive.

X-FACTOR:

Zach Pochiro will draw back into the lineup tonight after being healthy scratched a game ago in Brandon. Last season Pochiro responded brilliantly after being healthied, and tonight the St. Louis Blues prospect will be looked upon to have a big night. Hopefully Pochiro got the message and hopefully he can be a major factor in a Cougars victory tonight in Prince Albert.