Well-rested Saskatoon Blades face uphill climb in chase for east’s fifth seed

Lengthy breaks and late season scheduling in the Western Hockey League very rarely mix.

The push towards WHL playoffs often means tight turnarounds and limited time to heal up season-long injuries. That’s why the Saskatoon Blades have been aiming to make the most of their last week without a single game on the schedule.

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“We needed the rest, we needed the recovery,” said Blades head coach, Dan DaSilva.

“In talking with some of the leaders even just after practice that they feel good. They’ve had the rest that they needed and deserved.”

Most recently hitting the ice last Friday in a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors, it’s the Blades’ longest break between games since the Christmas break more than two months ago.

As the grind of playoff hockey approaches, veteran forward, Rowan Calvert, said the extra few days of rest has the team feeling rejuvenated for the stretch drive of the season.

“I think it’s almost better than playing Wednesday or Tuesday this week,” Calvert said. “Just to get guys back and guys who are playing just getting some rest.”

The Blades enter their final five games of the regular season fighting to gain ground on the Brandon Wheat Kings for fifth place in the Eastern Conference – a race that tilted in Brandon’s favour on Wednesday night, pulling off a 6-4 win against the Calgary Hitmen to make up their game in hand on Saskatoon and extend their lead to seven points in the standings.

Facing the Swift Current Broncos this weekend in a home-and-home series, it’s become a must-win scenario for the Blades to catch the Wheat Kings with so few games remaining on the schedule.

“That’s what we’re thinking about,” Calvert said. “When it comes to game time it’s just try and win. We have five games left to try and go 5-0. Just like the start of the year, you got 68 (games) and you try to win them all right?”

The Blades hope to have second-year forward, Zach Olsen, back in the fold, who hasn’t played since the WHL’s Top Prospects Game on Feb. 18, where he suffered an upper body injury.

Olsen – who has 31 points in 54 games – has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day and skated with the Blades in practice on Wednesday with a no-contact jersey.

“(Olsen) is a driver,” Calvert shared. “He’s a workhorse, a big, strong, fast skater. He provides so much for us, whether that’s physically or energy-wise in the room. He’s a great player and he’s a big piece for us, so it will be great to get him back whenever we do.”

While Olsen is nearing a return, the Blades will be without defenceman, Isaac Poll, in what’s been an injury-riddled season for the 2022 first round pick.

Poll left Friday’s game against Moose Jaw with a lower body injury and is now out week-to-week, adding to a season in which he’s only dressed for 34 games.

DaSilva is hopeful this injury won’t mark the end of Poll’s season, however.

“It’s still a wait and see,” DaSilva said. “Obviously (Poll) is a big part of our team, a big loss for us on the back end leadership wise and just presence wise. We will miss him when he’s out, but we’ve dealt with it probably the majority of the season.”

The Blades will need some help to catch the Wheat Kings over their final five games of the regular season, with Brandon visiting the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings starting Friday.

Up first for Saskatoon will be focusing on earning four points against Swift Current this weekend to put themselves in contention for a final week battle for the fifth seed.

“With five games left, we’re still trying to gain as much ground as you can and climb the ladder as far as we can,” DaSilva said. “That’s our priority right now and we’ll see how things shake out.”

The Blades and Broncos square off at SaskTel Centre at 7 p.m. on Friday night, with the rematch going Saturday at 7 p.m. in Swift Current.