ROUND 1 GAME 2 PREVIEW | Blades search for 2-0 lead on the road against Oil Kings
Key Players, Notable Stats, How to Watch and More
Home ice advantage has shifted.
The Saskatoon Blades (1-0) eye a 2-0 series lead in Round 1 of the 2026 Western Hockey League Playoffs presented by Nutrien in Game 2 against the Edmonton Oil Kings (0-1) at Rogers Places. The Bridge City Bunch stunned Edmonton with a 3-2 win in Game 1 on Friday night on the road. Saskatoon entered the series as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Oil Kings finished third.
“I loved our effort tonight (Friday),” said Blades captain Tyler Parr, “We played together, we were a 20-man unit, and we played hard.”
The victory marked the first Game 1 victory for the Blue and Gold since 2024 in Round 2 against the Red Deer Rebels. It also became the first road Game 1 win for Saskatoon since Round 1 in 2003 against the Moose Jaw Warriors. Head Coach Dan DaSilva picked up his first career playoff win as a head coach. The second-year bench boss said everyone throughout the lineup contributed in the win.
“I thought the guys handled that late goal really well. That (moment) can make you or break you, but we stuck with it.”
The game saw a combined 52 penalty minutes between the two teams. The Blades successfully killed off a 5-on-3 Oil Kings powerplay in the first period, leading to a 1-0 lead later in the frame on a penalty shot from winger Hunter Laing. After the Oil Kings tied the game early in the second, the Blades responded with back-to-back goals from Parr and 2007-born forward Hayden Harsanyi by the 6:13 mark of the third period. A late goal from Edmonton brought them back within one, but the hosts couldn’t find another goal past Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner.
The series returns to SaskTel Centre for games 3 and 4 on Tuesday, Mar. 31 and Wednesday, Apr. 1. Both games start at 7:00pm.
The good guys
The Blades’ powerplay went 1/6 in Game 1, while the penalty kill was successful on 4/5 Edmonton attempts. Parr led the way offensively for the Blades in Game 1 with a powerplay goal and an assist. Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing opened the scoring in the first period with a penalty shot goal in the first period. The Blades never trailed in the game, leading 1-0 after 20 minutes, 2-1 after 40, and Harsanyi’s game-winner in the third period putting them up 3-1 and ultimately 3-2. Gardner earned his 11th career postseason win after stopping 19 of 21 shots. The 2006-born netminder is 11-5-3 in his WHL playoff career with a .903 save percentage (SV%), 2.76 goals against average, and one shutout.
The opposition
The Oil Kings’ penalty kill picked up where it left off in the regular season. Edmonton went 5/6 on the penalty kill, good for 83.3%. The powerplay struck once on five attempts in Game 1. Forwards Kayden Stroeder and Landon Hanson scored Edmonton’s pair of goals in Friday’s loss. Rookie goalie Parker Snell was solid in his first career playoff start, stopping 27 of 30 shots.
Watch & Listen
Coverage for Game 2 of Round 1 presented by Discover Saskatoon begins at 1:45pm on 600CJWW with the pre-game show, hosted by Blades Play-by-Play Announcer Les Lazaruk and Blades Communications Manager Tanner Chubey. Fans can watch all the action for FREE on Victory+ TV. Head to victoryplus.com to watch or sign up and make your free account today.
