Blades outlast Hurricanes to end best month of the season

The Saskatoon Blades clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, but you wouldn’t know it based on their play in Tuesday’s 6-4 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes at Sasktel Centre.

Saskatoon and Lethbridge played like two teams fighting for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) final playoff spot in a feisty game that featured as many arguments with the referees as it did scoring opportunities.

“It’s the nature of the beast this time of year,” head coach Mitch Love said. “Especially when teams are fighting for playoff position.”

“Right now what we’re looking for is consistency in our team game and individual game.”

It’s tough to argue the Blades aren’t getting that now after going 10-1-1 in the month of February, a stretch of games that included a seven-game winning streak.

It was the Hurricanes scoring 2:20 into the first period after keeping the play in the Blades end from the opening puck drop. Blades’ Max Gerlach took a cross checking penalty just over a minute before ‘Canes forward Nick Henry jumped on a bouncing puck for the power play goal.

Blades rookie Kyle Crnkovic would tie the game 1:11 later as he followed up a Eric Florchuk shot on a 2-on-1 advantage for his 10th goal of the season.

As the aggression continued to ramp up, so did the power play opportunities for both sides.

Gary Haden would cash in some quick passing from Kirby Dach and Ryan Hughes to start the second period. Then, it was Chase Wouters bullying his his way to the front of the net on a nearly identical play a for another power play marker.

The Hurricanes had opposite fortunes in the second period, connecting with goal posts on back-to-back shifts heading into the third period.

“(Referees) are putting the whistles away,” Dach said of the playoff style of hockey. “Those power plays we’re getting are more critical, and it’s a time for top line players to go out there and put the puck in the back of the net and so far we’ve been doing that lately.”

The ‘Canes would make the Blades sweat in the third period as two quick goals from Jake Elmer and Logan Barlage would tie the game at 3-3  midway through the third period before Hughes would ice the game with two goals after assisting on two goals previously.

“When you go out after a goal, you want to have a good shift,” Hughes said after his four-point night. “Not necessarily score, but it’s always nice when you do.”