A tie-breaker game has not been played in over a decade.
As the 2025-26 regular season comes to a close, something rare could be on the horizon for the WHL. Currently, two teams are tied for the final playoff spot in the West, with the Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals at 65 points each. If the standings stay the same throughout the weekend, this could force the WHL into the rare tie-breaker game for the first time since 2014.
According to the WHL's rule book, "In the event two Clubs are tied in points for the last playoff position, then these Clubs will play a sudden-death game in the home arena of the Club having won the most games in WHL standings. If the Clubs are tied in wins, section a) will be used to select the home site."
The last tie-breaker occurred during the 2013-14 season. That year, the Prince Albert Raiders defeated the Red Deer Rebels despite being the road team. Prince Albert was then swept by the Edmonton Oil Kings, who would later go on to the 2014 Memorial Cup.
At the time of writing, the tie-breaker would be played in Portland, as they have one more win compared to Victoria. This weekend, the Winterhawks face the Tri-City Americans before battling the Seattle Thunderbirds, who are also looking to secure a playoff spot. As for the Royals, they take on the Prince George Cougars in back-to-back games.
Ondrej Stebetak of the Portland Winterhawks (Photo Credit: Keith Dwiggins/Portland Winterhawks/WHL)Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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