GAME 56 PREVIEW | Blades wrap up road trip vs Wheat Kings
WHL REGULAR SEASON | GAME 55 | Saskatoon Blades (41-9-2-3) @ Brandon Wheat Kings (27-21-5-1)
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Tonight
The Saskatoon Blades (41-9-2-3) conclude their four-game road trip at Westoba Place against the Brandon Wheat Kings (27-21-5-1). It’s the fifth meeting of the season between the East Division rivals with the season-series tied 2-2. The Blades have won the last two vs the Wheat Kings, outscoring them 7-1.
The Blades made the trek to Manitoba Sunday after back-to-back overtime wins in Alberta during the weekend. The Blades won a 1-0 stalemate against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday and followed it up with a come-from-behind 4-3 win vs the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday.
Hunting their 11th straight win, the magic number for Saskatoon to clinch home-ice advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs is five.
Who to Watch
Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Brandon Lisowsky and Fraser Minten led the way in Satuday’s win over Medicine Hat. Lisowsky erased the Tigers’ 2-0 lead with a pair of goals and finished the night with three points (2G, 1A). The 5-foot-9 sniper is on a five-game point streak (3G, 4A) and has the third most points on the Blades with 65 (32G, 33A) in 55 games. Minten also collected a pair of goals in the victory, including the game-winner. The 2004-born winger has 39 points (18G, 21A) in 30 games. 15 goals and 29 of Minten’s points have come in 23 games with the Blades since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers on Nov. 24th, 2023.
What a shot is right!@MapleLeafs | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/lOiAHmLImB
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 18, 2024
With time left on the clock!!!@MapleLeafs | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/MkBT75X43p
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 18, 2024
Minten makes it three unanswered for the good guys!@MapleLeafs | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/k5D4vgwZui
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 18, 2024
MAKE THAT TEN WINS IN A ROW!!!!!!!@MapleLeafs | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/c7wx1dc3d4
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 18, 2024
Alternate captain Charlie Wright is one point shy of 100 in his WHL career. The fifth-year Blade has 15 goals and 84 assists in 243 career games and is second in defencemen points on the team with 30 (5G, 25A).
The Blades boast the least goals allowed in the league and a big reason for their success is the goaltending tandem of Austin Elliott and Evan Gardner. Elliott made huge stops in Saturday’s win over Medicine Hat en route to his 25th win of the season. Gardner is 16-5-0-2 with a .929 save-percentage and 1.89 goals-against-average, both second in the WHL. The NHL draft-eligible goalie picked up his third shutout of the year Friday against Lethbridge with 16 saves.
Austin 31 says that puck stays out! pic.twitter.com/EvDEy5oR2m
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 18, 2024
