The first-in-a-generation post-season series between the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Saskatoon Blades is returning to SaskTel Centre following a strong away opening to the series.
The Blades won game one, 3-2.
The second game was less fortunate for the Blades as the Oil Kings got one over them in a nail-biting overtime, securing the second game 4-3.
The Oil Kings have put up a strong and physical offensive challenge against the Blades, but Blades captain Tyler Parr is undeterred.
Both games were standout openings for Blades centreman Hayden Harsanyi. “I like to pride myself on being a playoff player,” he said. “I’ve always kind of been that through minor hockey U15, U18. So yeah, I think this is my best hockey all season.”
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Edmonton had a strong upper hand on the power play, capitalizing on opportunities. In the second game, three of the four Edmonton goals scored were on the Blades’ penalty kill.
Coach Dan DaSilva says the Blades need to focus on not taking bad penalties.
“The issue I have is it’s just too many times,” DaSilva said. “They’re getting too many reps, too many looks and our penalty killers are getting worn down, so we have to be more disciplined, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Blades, likewise, were struggling to capitalize on their own power play.
“We understand that they have the best penalty kill in the conference, right? So it’s a tough test. They do a great job with their PK over there. So you got to give them credit,” DaSilva continued.
“They make it hard on us, but we’ll find a way to break through. We have a lot of tweaks we can make, too. It’s not like we haven’t found the chances, either.”
The home ice advantage comes back to Saskatoon for game three of the series, at SaskTel Centre on Tuesday evening.
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