Seattle Thunderbirds vs Kamloops Blazers: Memorial Cup Where to watch, preview & prediction

The final game of the Memorial Cup round robin is set for Wednesday night as the Seattle Thunderbirds take on the host Kamloops Blazers.

The Thunderbirds are 1-1 in the round-robin with a victory over the Peterborough Petes and a loss to the Quebec Remparts while the Blazers are also 1-1 with a 10-2 win over Peterborough and a 8-3 loss to Quebec.

With both teams at 1-1, a win here will guarantee a spot in the semifinals while the loser may need a tiebreaker game to advance.

The final round-robin game goes down on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.

How to watch Seattle Thunderbirds vs Kamloops Blazers

TV: TSN, RDS, NHL Network

The Seattle Thunderbirds made it to the Memorial Cup by winning the Western Hockey League while the Kamloops Blazers are the hosts which meant an automatic berth into the Memorial Cup.

This Seattle Thunderbirds team is also one of the best junior teams on paper with seven NHL first-round picks on the roster including Dylan Guenther who played with the Arizona Coyotes for nearly half the year.

With both teams also at 1-1, Seattle Thunderbirds head coach knows this game is crucial for how the tournament plays out.

“I thought, generally we played a good game,” Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette said. “We controlled the play for the majority of the game. There are things we could have done better on that goal. But we got on our path, started playing the way we need to play. We spent a lot of time in their end... It’s a tournament. We’re right in the thick of it. You can’t dwell on this game. Win the next one and we’re right back in a pretty good spot.”

X-Factor: Dylan Guenther has played in 33 games in the NHL this season and put up 15 points before being loaned back for the World Juniors. He also played in the Memorial Cup last year with Edmonton and always rises to the occasion in the biggest moments but so far, he has 0 points and if Seattle is going to win, Guenther needs to step up.

Thunderbirds vs Blazers prediction

Seattle and Quebec were the two favorites heading into this tournament and the Thunderbirds did not play well in either game. Kamloops, meanwhile, blew out Peterborough while also getting blown out by Quebec so it's hard to know how good they are.

Ultimately, Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Thomas Milic hasn't had his A-game yet but I do expect him to be much better here. The Thunderbirds should also be able to score plenty of goals against this Blazers team which has struggled to do so in the tournament.

Thunderbirds 6, Blazers 2