1 Saskatoon @ Prince Albert Friday, April 5 7:00
2 Saskatoon @ Prince Albert Sunday, April 7 6:00
3 Prince Albert @ Saskatoon Tuesday, April 9 7:00
4 Prince Albert @ Saskatoon Wednesday, April 10 7:00
5 * Saskatoon @ Prince Albert Friday, April 12 7:00
6 * Prince Albert @ Saskatoon Sunday, April 14 4:00
7 * Saskatoon @ Prince Albert Tuesday, April 16 7:00
Franchise playoff history: 2011 Saskatoon won 4-2 1st Round, 2005 Prince Albert won 4-0 1st Round, 1995 Prince Albert won 4-0 2nd Round, 1992 Saskatoon won 4-2 East Final, 1987 Saskatoon won 4-0 2nd Round, 1986 Round Robin & Prince Albert won 3-0 2nd Round
2018-19 head-to-head: Saskatoon went 2-5-1 while Prince Albert was 6-2. Overage players Max Gerlach and Dawson Davidson led the Blades with seven points each. Noah Gregor led the Raiders with 13 (seven games) and Cole Fonstad had 12 points. Riley McKay was Saskatoon’s only player with a positive rating (plus one) while not one Raiders player was a minus through the eight games.
The only two teams to sweep their first round series are playing each other in the second round. The current playoff format is a discussion for another day, but it’s allowed us to see one of the best rivalries in the WHL between two of the league’s top teams.
For the Blades, Kirby Dach led the team with a over a point in each game of the opening round for a total of five. Gerlach had a goal in each game for a total of five. The defense was solid with Davidson, Nolan Kneen and Brandon Schuldhaus all recording three assists in the opening series. In goal Nolan Maier was very good and the league recognized him for his play in March by naming him Goaltender of the Month.
For the Raiders, overage players Gregor and Dante Hannoun both had five points in their first-round sweep of the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders also got contributions throughout their lineup as key Euro players Sergei Sapego and Aliaksei Protas both had strong opening rounds. In goal, Ian Scott continued his strong season in the playoffs where he only allowed seven goals in the four games.
Storylines to watch:
Can the Blades win a game at the Art Hauser Centre? Saskatoon went winless in four games in Prince Albert with a minus-ten goal differential. On the bright side, most of those games came at the start of the year and post trade-deadline (where the Blades have been one of the league’s hottest teams) the teams only played twice, once in Saskatoon and once in Prince Albert, both meaningless games.
For Prince Albert it will be something to watch to see how they deal with adversity. Due to a hot start, the Raiders have had the top spot clinched for what seems to have been forever. Not a lot has went wrong for the Raiders but if things do, it’s something to watch for.
How they matchup:
There isn’t a lot separating these teams. Since both teams upgraded their top-six at the trade deadline (Blades acquired Ryan Hughes and the Raiders acquired Hannoun) they have near identical records. Both teams power plays are around 22%. Prince Albert has a slight edge on the penalty kill but this series will come down to Scott vs Maier. Both teams matchup on paper very evenly but at this time of the year it’s all about goaltending.
DubNetwork prediction: Raiders in 7.
