GAME 55 PREVIEW | Blades face Tigers with win streak on the line
WHL REGULAR SEASON | GAME 54 | Saskatoon Blades (40-9-2-3) @ Medicine Hat Tigers (32-17-3-2)
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Tonight
The Saskatoon Blades (40-9-2-3) visit Co-op Place in Medicine Hat for a Saturday night tilt against the Tigers (32-17-3-2). The Blue and Gold lead the season-series 2-0, outscoring the Tigers 8-4. Last time Saskatoon faced Medicine Hat on the road was Sept. 30th, 2023 when Anaheim Ducks draft pick Egor Sidorov scored the game-winner in a 3-2 overtime victory.
Saskatoon became the first WHL club to reach 40 wins after a 1-0 overtime victory against the Lethbridge Hurricanes last night. It’s the team’s ninth straight victory as they push for home ice in Round 1 of the postseason. The magic number is seven points for Saskatoon (either Saskatoon gains seven points on the Swift Current Broncos by either winning or Swift Current losing).
Who to Watch
Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk was the hero last night against the Hurricanes in overtime. The 6-foot blueliner blitzed into the Lethbridge end and ripped his eighth goal of the year. Molendyk is on a three-game point streak (2G, 2A) and leads Blades’ defencemen with 45 points in 37 games.
HOLY MOLY what an overtime winner from Tanner Molendyk@PredsNHL pic.twitter.com/g5iJSVyrUc
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) February 17, 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 242 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. 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 last night against Lethbridge with 16 saves. Elliott has won five straight starts and owns a owns a 24-4-2-1 record.
