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| Jesse Shynkaruk (#14) and the Blades are in tough to make playoffs now. |
It is crazy how things can change over the course of one
weekend in the Western Hockey League.
Entering play on Friday, the Saskatoon Blades held a three
point lead in the standings over the Calgary Hitmen for eighth place overall in
the WHL’s Eastern Conference and the conference’s final wildcard post-season
spot. From that point, the Blades dropped two heartbreakers in a home-and-home
series with the Swift Current Broncos (37-21-4-6), and the Hitmen rolled off
three wins in a row, which included two huge upset victories over the
Lethbridge Hurricanes (43-19-4-3).
As of Monday, the Blades and Hitmen both have three games
remaining on their respective regular season schedules. The Hitmen (28-31-8-2)
lead the Blades (27-33-7-2) by three points for eighth overall in the Eastern
Conference and the conference’s final wildcard playoff berth.
It should also be noted the Red Deer Rebels could still
potentially be passed in the standings by both the Hitmen and Blades. The
Rebels have four games remaining on their regular season schedule, and they sit
two points up on the Hitmen and five points ahead of the Blades in the
standings with a 28-28-8-4 record.
At this moment, Red Deer needs to earn just two more
standings points to clinch a playoff spot, and the Hitmen need to collect four
points in the standings to lock up a playoff berth.
The Blades likely face the hardest road over this last
stretch. On Tuesday, they travel to Regina to face the WHL leading Pats
(48-12-7-1) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.
The Pats need to earn two more points in the standings to
officially lock up first overall in the league and win the Scotty Munro
Memorial Trophy as regular season champions. The Pats haven’t finished first
overall since the 1973-74 campaign, when they last won the Memorial Cup.
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| Jackson Caller and the Blades will compete hard to the end. |
Following that clash with the Pats, the Blades close their
schedule with a home-and-home series with the Prince Albert Raiders
(19-43-5-2). The two clubs play Friday at 7 p.m. in Saskatoon and Saturday at 7
p.m. in Prince Albert.
Looking at the standings, those clashes appear to be winnable
games, but the Raiders have been playing well down the stretch and are 11-9-2
in their last 22 outings. The Raiders and their fans would love nothing better
than to knock the Blades out of the post-season picture for a fourth straight
year.
Red Deer travels to Medicine Hat on Tuesday to face the
Tigers (49-19-1), who recently locked up first in the Central Division. On
Wednesday, the Rebels return home to host the Hitmen.
Following that contest, Red Deer finishes its season with a
home-and-home series with the Edmonton Oil Kings (20-43-5-1). The teams play
Saturday in Red Deer and Sunday in Edmonton.
The Oil Kings have been hapless since returning from the WHL
Christmas break and their last win came Feb. 15, when they downed the visiting
Kootenay Ice 3-2 in overtime at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
As for the Hitmen, their road game on Wednesday against the
Rebels is the hardest contest remaining on their schedule. Calgary closes its
season with a home-and-home series with the Ice (14-43-9-2). The two clubs play
Friday in Cranbrook, B.C., and Saturday in Calgary.
The Ice are trying to avoid finishing last in the WHL
standings for a second straight season after having made the playoffs for 17
consecutive campaigns. Kootenay has shown a little more fight than Edmonton but
has been very lacklustre the past two weeks.
Had the Blades been able to get a split with the Broncos,
their chances of capturing a playoff berth would have improve immensely.
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| Markson Bechtold (#19) has given the Blades more of a physical edge. |
Last
Saturday’s 3-2 loss in the Swift Current hurt the worst. Both clubs were tied
2-2 going into the final minute of the third, when Ryley Lindgren netted the
winner for the Broncos. If the Blades had been able to capture a point, there
chances to make the post-season would have been better.
Going into last Friday, the Blades were in a position to
control their own destiny, because they would have made playoffs if they could
win the remaining five regular season games on their schedule at that point.
Now, they need to win out and hope for help that might not come.
Saskatoon’s best chance for a post-season berth might come
via a standings tiebreaker game, if a tie occurs with either Calgary or Red
Deer. That might be too much to ask for at this point.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
