48 hours removed from what could be argued as one of the most complete and exciting victories of their season, the Prince George Cougars are back at it tonight in Saskatoon. Tonight for the first and only time this season the Prince George Cougars will go head to head with the Saskatoon Blades. A victory is a virtual MUST for the Cougars tonight against a rebuilding Saskatoon Blades team that has seen a huge roster turnover from a season ago.

OVERVIEW:

Dave Struch's Saskatoon Blades come into tonight's game with the third worst record in the WHL. At 14-33-1-3 the Blades sit in 11th place, but just two points behind their rivals from Moose Jaw. Saskatoon is coming off an overtime victory Saturday against Swift Current and have earned points in four of their past 10 games altogether.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

What a season it has been for Saskatoon Blades rookie forward Nikita Scherbak.Through 50 games, the skilled Russian forward has notched 25 goals and 62 points which has him tied for seventh in WHL scoring. The Blades selected Scherbak in round two of the 2013 CHL Import Draft and could not be more pleased with his results. Scherbak will definitely hear his name called in the 2014 NHL Draft, the only question is: How high will he go?

WHO'S ON D:

The young Blades are anchored by two steady and experienced defensive stalwarts in the form of Dylan Busenius and MacKenzie Johnston. In Busenius the Blades have a skilled two-way defenceman that has seven goals and 21 points this season. In Johnston they get a physically imposing defenceman who moves the puck well and can contribute in a number of different ways. The Cougars can expect to see a ton of these two defenceman shadowing their every move tonight.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

Though he's bounced around to a few different teams over the years, 19-year-old goaltender Troy Trombley has been a nice find for the Saskatoon Blades. Trombley has compiled a 7-16 record but has a marvelous save percentage of .912 and a respectable goals-against-average of 3.49. Oh yeah, he's also 6'6 and 215 pounds. A big key for the Cougars tonight will be to try and get him moving laterally and doing their best to force rebounds.

X-FACTOR:

While the rebuilding Blades may lack some top end talent, they have no lack of heart and effort. The word around town is that Dave Struch's team will grind you down bit by bit and will feast off of mistakes. Tonight the Blades will need to make good on their reputation by finishing checks, drawing penalties and doing the little things that it often takes to win games.

OVERVIEW:

Mark Holick's Prince George Cougars have just 20 games remaining in their regular season. At 19-26-2-5, the Cougars are nine points ahead of their pace from a season ago, but are eight points back of the Tri-City Americans for a playoff spot. In order for the Cougars to catch them they need to beat the teams beneath them in the standings, including tonight's opponent, the Saskatoon Blades.

WHO'S UP FRONT:

After being healthy scratched on Saturday in Brandon, Zach Pochiro bounced back with an excellent performance on Monday in Prince Albert. Pochiro tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation and then had the only goal in a four-round shootout. The St. Louis Blues prospect has had his share of ups and downs this season, but tonight it will be important for Pochiro to build off of Monday's solid performance and to try and lead his team to victory again tonight.

WHO'S ON D:

With 12 goals and 29 points on the season, Marc McNulty has become the first Cougars defenceman in three seasons to score 10-plus goals. Mcnulty has  been a real workhorse as of late for the Cougars and tonight should be no different. McNulty can expect to see a lot of ice time against Nikita Scherbak, and hopefully McNulty and company do their part to keep him silenced as much as possible.

WHO'S IN GOAL:

Ty Edmonds performance on Monday wasn't his best, but when the game was on the line Edmonds was able to dig deep and lead the Cougars to a victory. Edmonds was oustanding in the shootout Monday night, turning aside all four of the Raiders attempts. Edmonds has played a TON of hockey this season for the Cougars, and no doubt there will be some fatigue setting in. But in order for the Cougars to be playing playoff hockey Edmonds is going to have to be a real difference-maker.

X-FACTOR:

As bset as they can, the Cougars are going to need to try and bottle up their energy and compete level from Monday night and duplicate that in Saskatoon. The Cougars simply MUST win tonight's game against Saskatoon, and if they play a similar style of game like they did in Prince Albert, their odds of victory will improve dramatically.