Outplayed, outgunned Blades steal a point from Edmonton

It will go down as a loss but Logan Flodell showed one more time why he is the early favourite for team MVP.

The 19-year-old goalie made 43 saves to help the Saskatoon Blades steal a point from a 3-2 overtime loss to Edmonton.

The Blades were outplayed and out-chanced throughout the game, out-shot 46-17 in the contest.

“We just couldn’t generate offense,” said Blades head coach Dean Brockman.

“We weren’t moving our feat and it’s tough I can’t really explain why we laid the egg.”

Despite an early surge from the visiting Oil Kings, it was Saskatoon finding the net early. Josh Paterson (7) and Chase Wouters (4) slipped home a pair of powerplay goals for an early 2-0 lead. The Blades scored twice on their first three shots in the first.

Edmonton continues to control the run of play in the period and defenceman Anatolii Elizarov got the visitors within one just before the intermission.

Some penalty trouble threatened the Blades’ lead in the second period.

Lukus MacKenzie was handed a six-minute penalty after going after Edmonton’s Kobe Mohr, starting a series of scuffles in the Blades’ zone. Within a few minutes, as many as five Saskatoon players were sent to the box, leading to a full two-minute 5-on-3 for Edmonton. The Blades were able to kill off the penalties and hold the 2-1 lead into the third. 

Edmonton would break through in the third. After Lukus MacKenzie crashed into the Edmonton net, the Oil Kings too the puck the other way and Davis Koch scored on the delayed penalty.

Kock would add the winner in overtime as well. He was left open off the face off and took the puck through the open lane, wristing the game winner past Flodell 11-seconds into the frame.

“Lack of communication, it’s man on man but we had two guys covering one of theirs,” said Blades Defenceman Bryton Sayers. 

The overtime loss is a slight consolation, Saskatoon trails Edmonton in the standings by three points. 

Saskatoon heads on the road to face another opponent barely ahead of them in the playoff race. The visit the Brandon Wheat Kings Friday night, who have a one-point lead in the standings.