WHL Morning Skate: April 18

NEED TO KNOW

– Egor Sidorov netted back-to-back hat tricks to help Saskatoon advance to the Eastern Conference Championship

– Gabriel Szturc scored the game-winning goal to help Kelowna stave off elimination in Game 4

– Moose Jaw, Portland and Prince George will try to advance with wins on Friday night

RESULTS

Saskatoon 7, Red Deer 0

SAS wins 4-0

Red Deer was in tough without either of their regular season goaltenders and Saskatoon took full advantage. Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov became the first WHL skater to record hat tricks in back-to-back playoff games since Aliaksei Protas in Games 5 and 6 against Edmonton in 2019. Protas’ second hat trick also came in an elimination game. Evan Gardner, who was recently ranked seventh among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the June NHL Draft, posted his first WHL playoff shutout with a 26-save performance. Saskatoon will face Moose Jaw or Swift Current in the Eastern Conference Championship, which begins next weekend.

THREE STARS

1- Egor Sidorov, SAS

-3G, 2A, +5

2- Evan Gardner, SAS

-26/26 saves

-First WHL playoff shutout

3- Brandon Lisowsky, SAS

-1G, 2A, +4

Prince George 1, Kelowna 2

PG leads 3-1

A pair of goals in the second period from Max Graham and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gabriel Szturc gave Kelowna life as the Rockets held on for a 2-1 win in a do-or-die Game 4. Prince George’s playoff winning streak was snapped at seven games, though Captain Hudson Thornton made it interesting with a goal late in the final frame. Jari Kykkanen dazzled with several showstopping saves and managed to hold off a barrage of shots from the Cougars in the late goings of the game. Seattle Kraken prospect Caden Smith also had a pair of assists for the Rockets.

THREE STARS

1- Jari Kykkanen, KEL

-26/27 saves

-.962 save percentage

2- Caden Price, KEL

-2A, +2

3- Gabriel Szturc, PG

-1G, +1

Moose Jaw 5, Swift Current 2

MJ leads 3-1

Moose Jaw erased two deficits and scored three unanswered goals in the third period to take a stranglehold on its second-round series against Swift Current. Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager tallied his third multi-point game of the postseason- including the game-winning goal- while Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus scored twice. Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie scored for the Broncos, while 2024 NHL Draft-eligible wingers Clarke Caswell and Luke Mistelbacher added assists. Moose Jaw has a chance to move on to the Third Round with a win on home ice on Friday night.

THREE STARS

1- Brayden Yager, MJ

-1G, 1A, +2

2- Jackson Unger, MJ

-36/38 saves

-.947 save percentage

3- Caleb Wyrostok, SC

-1G

TOP PERFORMER

Egor Sidorov’s five-point night vaulted Saskatoon to the Eastern Conference Championship for a second straight year.

The 2023 third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks scored the game-winning goal just three minutes into the game en route to a 7-0 victory.

Late in the first frame, Sidorov pulled off a spin-o-rama backhand move to fool the Red Deer netminder.

The 6-foot, 180-pound winger dazzled with another impressive move by chasing down a delayed icing and going between the legs for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it goal to complete the hat trick.

🎥 HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT 🎥

The spin-o-rama backhand? The between-the-legs snipe? We couldn’t decide between these Egor Sidorov beauties 😅@BladesHockey | @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether#WHLHoN | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/i1rhzUcrTd

— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 18, 2024

Sidorov would also add a pair of primary assists for his most productive game in his WHL career.

The Blades star leads all skaters with 10 goals in the postseason and is third in points with 14.

ON TAP