The second-half opener against the 7-3 Elks is a de facto playoff seeding game.

Winnipeg starts the back half of the season against the West Division's first-place team, with the Bombers sitting at 5-4. A win in Edmonton would pull them within one game of the top spot, while a loss would drop them three back—a critical swing in the playoff race with a "nasty stretch" of games ahead.