The first-in-a-generation post-season series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Saskatoon Blades is returning to SaskTel Centre following a strong away opening to the series.

The Blades won game one, 3-2.

The second game was less fortune for the Blades as the Oil Kings got one over them in a nail-biting overtime, securing the second game 4-3.

The Oil Kings have put up a strong and physical offensive challenge against the Blades, but Blades captain Tyler Parr is undeterred.

“We can win this thing, we’re probably the underdogs, people say that from the outside. There’s a lot of people that said before the series. I don’t know how many said we’d win this series, but we can win this series. There’s two home games here, a lot of juice, a lot of energy, we’re ready to go,” said Parr

Both games were standout openings for Blades centreman Hayden Harsanyi. “I like to pride myself on being a playoff player,” he said. “I’ve always kind of been that through minor hockey U15, U18. So yeah, I think this is my best hockey all season.”

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Edmonton had a strong upper hand on the power play, capitalizing on opportunities. In the second game, three of the four Edmonton goals scored were on the blades penalty kill.

Coach Dan DaSilva says the Blades need to focus on not taking bad penalties.

“The issue I have is it’s just too many times,” DaSilva said. “They’re getting too many reps, too many looks and our penalty killers are getting worn down, so we have to be more disciplined, there’s no doubt about that.”

The Blades, likewise, were struggling to capitalize on their own power play.

“We understand that they have the best penalty kill in the conference, right? So it’s a tough test. They do a great job with their PK over there. So you got to give them credit,” DaSilva continued.

“They make it hard on us, but we’ll find a way to break through. We have a lot of tweaks we can make, too. It’s not like we haven’t found the chances, either.”

The home ice advantage comes back to Saskatoon for game three of the series, at SaskTel Centre on Tuesday evening.

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The Prince Albert Raiders enter the playoffs this year, sitting comfortable at the top of the standings, having won 52 of the 68 games played in the regular season.

According to head coach Ryan McDonald, these victories are a result of dedication.

“Our guys have done a tremendous job with that day in, day out, managing pucks, making sure that you’re making the opposition come 200 feet, and capitalizing on your opportunities, and continuing to play that winning brand of hockey,” said McDonald.

Their opponent in the first round is the Red Deer Rebels. It’s not the first showdown between the two teams this season, with the two teams neck and neck.

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Two games won, two games lost. The Rebels are known for their strong forecheck, putting pressure on defence to perform. For captain Justice Christensen, it’s his last season on the blue line, and he intends to perform.

“Just get back to pucks quick, don’t give a lot of time to set up or get close to us when we’re going back for pucks, making sure we get to pucks quick, and trying not to take a lot of hits back there,” said Christensen.

The Raiders are eager to break the tie against the Rebels.

“We split the regular season with them, that’s alright. Not exactly how we wanted it, but that’s alright, we learned from those games we didn’t come out on top of. Heading into this series a lot of excitement, we know they’re a really good team and we cant take them lightly,” said Rebels defenceman Daxon Rudolph.

Although the Raiders are far ahead of the Rebels in the standings, their even record is still cause for concern. Coach McDonald says that they’re still going to have to bring their A-game.

“It’s sticking to our process, sticking to what has brought us success all season, and making sure we put a real premium on our starts,” said McDonald

The series is set to start in Prince Albert where the first two games will be played Friday and Saturday.

The Raiders will then hit the road to play Red Deer on March 31st.

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