Kevin King wants to start the playoffs this year without getting on a bus.

All three of the Kootenay Ice winger’s previous WHL campaigns wound up with a trip to the post-season, but never with Games 1 and 2 at the Rec Plex.

“That would be awesome,” said the 19-year-old. “We play very well at home; we’re comfortable here, we’re comfortable in our own dressing room and sleeping in our own beds and eating whatever food we want.”

It goes beyond that, he said. Getting to play games on the same ice surface they use for daily practice is another big advantage.

“The fans support behind us is huge. They might not realize how important it is, but it does push us even harder.”

The regular season wraps up in eight days, and if the Ice can win their remaining five games they’ll definitely retain fourth spot and all the advantages proffered to those starting the playoffs from home.

Of Kootenay’s final regular season games, only next Friday’s against the Red Deer Rebels is somewhere other than the Rec Plex.

Tonight, the Medicine Hat Tigers are in town. Tomorrow, the Eastern Conference-leading Calgary Hitmen visit.

The Rebels, Tigers and Ice are all fighting for fourth spot. Red Deer has six games left, the others five.

Kootenay enters the weekend with 85 points, the others have 80.

“The three teams are battling right till the last game of the season,” said King. “Even if we’re not playing against each other, it’s still a playoff-like game and that’s the kind of atmosphere we’ve been trying to build in the dressing room, amongst the players and the staff. We’ve reiterated the importance that we need to play like it is the postseason just to get prepared physically, mentally and be in our top shape going into playoffs.”

Until Wednesday night’s 7-3 win up in Edmonton, Kootenay had lost five of its previous seven games.

King said that rough patch can serve the Ice well, noting the team had started the year 5-11-0 but that made them stronger.

“We know the feeling of winning, and we know the feeling of losing,” he said. “On the bus and in the dressing room, wherever we are, the feeling of winning is obviously a lot better. We have the mental attitude that we’re going to win here, we’re going to turn this thing around. I think Edmonton was a good game to do that — we played excellent in the last 40 minutes so hopefully we can build off that.”

King and his linemates Steele Boomer and Dustin Sylvester had a good game from puck drop to buzzer, accounting for three goals and four assists.

After the game, assistant coach Kris Knoblauch mused that, without that line’s quick start, Edmonton’s 2-0 lead might have been too much to overcome.

“It’s what we’re supposed to do as older guys — we have a captain and two assistants on that line,” said King. “It’s our responsibility to lead the team. We’ve had our off nights as well and other lines have picked up our slack. It’s the reason we’re a team, to have each others backs.”

The Boomer line figures to get the particularly close defensive attention in the playoffs, which King said will translate into a bigger role for the third and fourth units.

“You can go far or lose out in the first round depending on how your third and fourth lines do,” he said. “As leaders, we’ve got to tell (those) lines that they’re a huge part of our success and they can’t coast or go through the motions. I’ve been there — I’ve lost in the first round and been the fourth-line guy, and I’m sure all the other (older players) have too, so we know what it’s like.”