Blades upset Oil Kings in overtime in Game 7 to advance to second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs

THAT’S PLAYOFF HOCKEY.

The sixth-seed Saskatoon Blades have shaken up the 2026 WHL Playoffs with a 3-2 overtime win to oust the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Edmonton Oilers prospect David Lewandowski dished the opening blow with a powerplay marker early in the second period.

In another match with minimal room for error, the Oil Kings clawed back to a tie with a precision tip off a faceoff win before captain Gavin Hodnett gave the home side their first lead of the night with his first goal of the series.

But the Blades wouldn’t go quietly into the night as 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Cooper Williams nailed the equalizer 33 seconds later to force extras.

That’s where alternate captain Rowan Calvert blasted a powerplay goal through traffic to seal the series for the Blades.

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner made 29 stops in the clinching win.

Three of the games in the first-round series required overtime.

Saskatoon seized a narrow 3-2 win in the series-opener thanks to a third-period strike from Hayden Harsanyi, but Oil Kings alternate captain Ethan MacKenzie put things on level ground with a slick overtime goal in Game 2.

The Blades scored three unanswered goals to go back on top with a 4-3 result in Game 3, capped off with a blast from defenceman Tristen Doyle.

Edmonton battled back again with a dominant 5-2 showing in Game 4, thanks to a hat trick from Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka, but Harsanyi came back in Game 5 with his second game-winner of the series to set the stage for Game 6.

Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Laing and Lewandowski paced the Blades with eight points (3G-5A) in seven games.

Saskatoon put up a 34-27-5-2 record in 2025-26.

The Blades haven’t missed the postseason since 2018 and are on the hunt for their first WHL Championship.

To continue the journey, they’ll now have to get past their greatest rivals- the East Division champion Prince Albert Raiders.