LEWISTON – If there were ever such a thing as an eight-game playoff series, this would be it for the Lewiston Maineiacs.
With eight games remaining on the schedule, the Maineiacs head out this week for two games in three nights in the Maritimes, starting with a trip to last-place Acadie-Bathurst tonight.
“They are not out of the playoffs yet,” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “They are still fighting for their lives. They played well these last few weeks and are much better now than at the beginning of the year. It will not be easy this week. For us, the playoffs start here. They start against Bathurst.”
Currently, Lewiston sits in eighth place in the league’s standings, one point out of seventh. As of Tuesday afternoon, Rouyn-Noranda held the seventh spot with 67 points, followed by Lewiston (66), Gatineau and Cape Breton (65 each) and Drummondville (60). Only Drummondville has not clinched a playoff berth, but much is yet to be decided.
“The biggest thing we keep talking about is home-ice advantage,” said Jodoin. “We need the two points (tonight), there is no question about that. It will not be easy, it will be tough, and we respect the adversity we have to go through, but our goal is still home ice.”
Sheldon Wenzel is expected to play this week after sitting out several games, but the rest of the Maineiacs walking wounded will remain on the shelf. Chad Denny, Marc-Andre Cliche, Michal Korenko and Derek Bailey are all lost for the rest of the regular season, according to Jodoin, with Denny the only one of those four with a chance to play in the playoffs.
Alex Bourret and Alexandre Picard had noticeable limps at practice this week, but will play this week.
As for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Mario Durocher-led group has three wins in its last 10 games, but has played the Maineiacs tough. In three games, Lewiston has three wins, but has taken 81 minutes in penalties compared to Bathurst’s 67. The 148 combined minutes average out to almost 50 PIMs per game.
“The smart play has to continue,” said Jodoin. “We played a good smart game against very good Moncton team that is bigger than us on Sunday.”
After tonight’s game, Lewiston makes its way to Cape Breton, the only one of the four teams currently alive for home-ice advantage on the Maineiacs’ schedule. The teams have two games remaining against each other.
“The record they have doesn’t mean anything,” said Jodoin. “They outshot Victoriaville something like 60-20 this weekend and only won in overtime, 3-2, so they are a good, solid team. They are a good, solid, physical team, and we have to see them twice.”
Five of the Maineiacs’ final eight games are on the road. The regular season wraps up March 20 at the Colisee.
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