KELOWNA, BC – Monday night’s contest between the Everett Silvertips and Kitchener Rangers may just be a preview of the two teams that will be in Sunday’s Memorial Cup final. These were two of the four best teams in the entire CHL this season, so fans watching across Canada will be in for a treat.

The Silvertips kicked off their tournament on Saturday night against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Everett started the game hot; Jesse Heslop opened the scoring early in the first period, and the team was outshooting Chicoutimi 9-0 halfway through the first period. The Silvertips took their foot off the gas in the second period and found themselves trailing six minutes into the second. But then, the Silvertips picked up the pace, scored three goals in quick succession, and wound up securing a 5-3 victory.

Kitchener had far less trouble in its opening game against the Kelowna Rockets. Dylan Edwards opened the scoring five minutes into the first period. It took them a while to double their lead, scoring their second with less than three minutes to go in the second period, but they really turned on the jets halfway through the third period when they scored three goals in a three-minute span. While the 5-0 scoreline indicates a blowout, most of the game was actually quite tight.

This should be the best game of the entire tournament. Coming into the Memorial Cup, the Silvertips and Rangers were viewed as the two favourites to win it all. Both teams have some prominent talent, with 17 NHL-drafted players between the two teams – 12 for Kitchener and five for Everett – three of whom are first-round picks: Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings) for Everett, Sam O’Reilly (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Cameron Reid (Nashville Predators) for Kitchener.

The projected first overall pick in 2027, Landon DuPont, is the best player in this tournament. While he showed why that is in some flashes Saturday against the Saguenéens, he didn’t really take over the game as you would expect. He will be one to watch to see if he can express that brilliance tonight in what could possibly be the biggest game of the tournament. His defensive partner, Brek Liske, showed well in the Silvertips’ first game, and as a draft-eligible player, Canucks fans should have an interest in a good showing from him. Everett’s top line centre and former Seattle Kraken second-round pick, Julius Miettinen, did not find the scoresheet on Saturday. Expect him to make his mark on the tournament.

Canucks prospect Gabe Chiarot was on the ice for two Kitchener goals, but did not factor into the scoring. He shared with CanucksArmy that he excels more from his play away from the puck. So we’ll see if he can provide more of that physical play in the greasy areas tonight. Rangers captain and Nashville Predators first-round pick Cameron Reid picked up an assist on Saturday, and didn’t really need to flash his offensive skills. Maybe seeing DuPont and his skill on the other side will bring that out of him a little bit more. Can Rangers netminder Christian Kirsch replicate his shutout in the inaugural game of the tournament? This will be the San Jose Sharks’ prospects’ biggest test of the tournament against a high-flying Silvertips offence.

This game has high stakes. If the Silvertips win tonight, they will punch their ticket to the Memorial Cup final, regardless of the result on Wednesday against the Rockets. However, if the Rangers win, that will mean some messy math to determine the rest of the tournament.

Puck drop at Prospera Place is set for 6:00 PM local time and can be viewed on TSN.