PHOTO COURTESY Brent Just/SASKATOON BLADES
Medicine Hat Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt squares up for a face-off in the first period of a 5-3 win at Saskatoon over the Blades on Tuesday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers return to Co-op Place with two much needed wins under their belt.
The Tigers snapped a three-game skid with a pair of wins in Saskatchewan, beating the Saskatoon Blades 5-3 on Tuesday before topping the Prince Albert Raiders 3-1 on Wednesday.
Two different types of wins for the Tigers,; Tuesday’s saw a lead fall in the third period before two unanswered goals sealed the win. In Wednesday’s victory, the Tigers sustained a one-goal lead for a period and a half before icing the game with an empty netter.
“The guys battled throughout, this time of year is hard,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “There’s lots of guys banged up a little bit, and we’re short, but it was a good, gritty effort. The boys played hard, (Jordan) Switzer was really good in PA, had a great game for us. So it was good to see.”
Medicine Hat came into the week off a pair of home losses, blowing a three-goal third-period lead on Feb. 7 to lose 5-3 to the Swift Current Broncos, before falling 5-4 in OT to the Price Albert Raiders the next night. Those losses provided lessons that are as well received as cough syrup, but like the medication, left a positive impression on the group looking to develop their winning ways.
“We’re working on playing with the lead a little bit better,” 20-year-old Mat Ward said. “We’re always good when we play down, we know it’s a challenge. But that’s something we’re really trying to hammer in before playoffs.”
The Tigers have 13 games left on the calendar before playoffs get underway at the end of March. They’ll knock two games of that total this weekend, the first half of a four-game home stand at Co-op Place. The Tigers host the Regina Pats on Saturday before the Lethbridge Hurricanes come to town on Family Day Monday for the sixth rendition of the Highway 3 rivalry this season.
The Tigers have won all three matchups with Regina this season, outscoring them 25-10 in the process. But it’s a meeting they say has to be approached with energy, not expectation.
“We have some good numbers against them, but our play has been a little bit sloppy at times,” Ward said. “So it’s just hammering down our systems and making sure we get two points out of that game.”
Monday’s game is the first Central division matchup for the Tigers since before the U.S. division road trip, a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Hitmen on Jan. 18. Lethbridge enters play Friday just five points behind the Tigers, hosting the Pats for their 53rd game (Tigers at 55 games played entering Saturday).
It also gets underway at a unique time, with puck drop slated for 2 p.m. on the holiday Monday and kids out of school for the week. None of Desjardins, Wiesblatt or Ward mind the earlier start; the Tigers bench boss joked all it means is they’ll be out of the rink earlier.
The Tigers captain hopes it means for a crowd full of families looking to share the day with them.
“We haven’t ever had that (start time) in my career here, I’m looking forward to it,” Wiesblatt said. “We’ve done it a few times, maybe at Calgary or whatever, but it’s going to be good. Hopefully the crowd can get packed full of family and friends and it’s going to be an exciting game.”
Lindstrom skating
Tigers fans had some elation and concern with the drop of a story from The Athletic on Cayden Lindstrom this week. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect skated for the first time since undergoing lower-back surgery in November.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, reported Lindstrom is in the third section of a five-section recovery program, with another doctor’s approval needed to move to stage four. Three weeks of that would put the 18-year-old into the middle of March before he is cleared for the final stage.
Desjardins confirmed he spoke with Columbus GM Don Waddell, as said in the story, but he says it’s more up in the air than anything. He still believes they will see Lindstrom in Medicine Hat this season, health permitting.
“Everything’s up in the air, nobody knows what’s going to happen and it all depends on his recovery,” Desjardins said. “Everybody wants him to play, Lindy wants to play, Columbus would like to see him and we want to see him, but he can only play if he’s healthy.
“So when he skates and all that, then we’ll see. If there’s setbacks, it’s a problem. But right now, I still think we’ll see him by the end of the year. The longer you go (in playoffs), the better chance you have. So, do I think we’ll get a look at him? I do.”
