With their backs against the walls, the Saskatoon Blades fought back against the Regina Pats on Tuesday night. The Blades tied Game 3 with 27 seconds remaining in regulation before Egor Sidorov scored his second goal of the game to give Saskatoon a 4-3 overtime win.
The Pats still hold a 2-1 series lead.
Connor Bedard had a goal and a pair of assists in a losing cause.
Regina came out firing in the opening minutes against a desperate Blades team. Their effort was rewarded when Bedard’s cross-ice pass found the stick of Stanislav Svozil who gave the the Pats an early lead.
Saskatoon responded with their first power play goal of the series as Jayden Wiens buried a loose rebound to tie the game.
The following shift, the Pats pressed the Blades inside of their own end which led to Bedard forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, he would then find Suzdalev who scored his first goal of the series to give the Pats a 2-1 advantage.
It appeared the Pats had secured a 3-1 lead late in the first period after Bedard fired a shot past Blades goalie Ethan Chadwick but the goal was waved off after a video review determined that the net was dislodged during the goal.
Both teams clamped down defensively in the second period which led to no scoring in the frame. Following a giveaway behind his own net, Pats goalie Drew Sim made a big glove save to prevent the Blades from tying the game.
Saskatoon was unable to find the equalizer in the opening half of the third period before Bedard put the Pats ahead by two as he was able to split a pair of Blades defenders and scored on a breakaway.
‘Take the body’ they said.
Easier said than done when it’s Connor Bedard charging at you #CB98 gives us a 3-1 lead in the 3rd!#StandWithUs | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/qqC62G5ixU
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) April 5, 2023
Shortly after Bedard’s goal, the Pats found themselves short-handed which Saskatoon took advantage of as Sidorov fired home the Blades second power play goal of the game to cut the lead to 3-2.
With 1:59 remaining, the Pats received penalty, setting up one final opportunity for the Blades to tie the game. For the third time in the game, Saskatoon scored on the extra-man advantage as Brandon Lisowsky found the back of the net to send the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, the Blades were the ones who applied the pressure, eventually leading to Sidorov driving to the net from the right-side corner and firing a shot top-shelf to give the Blades the victory.
Sim made 33 saves for Regina, while Chadwick picked up the win for Saskatoon in his first start of the series after replacing Austin Elliott in Game 2.
Entering Game 3, the Pats had a not allow a single Blades power play goal. On Tuesday, the Pats allowed three of them.
Regina Head Coach John Paddock said the Blades managed to get puck in a scoring position when they were operating with the extra-man advantage.
“They got the puck to the paint.”
Svozil said the Blades are a dangerous team when given the opportunity.
“They have good players on the powerplay, they are so smart.”
With a tough loss on home-ice, Paddock says the Pats have to remain even-keeled heading into a pivotal Game 4.
“There’s up and downs all over, that’s what playoff is in any sport.”
On Wednesday night, the Pats will try and take a 3-1 series lead while the Blades will be looking to even the series at 2-2.
Coverage of the game will begin on 620 CKRM with the pre-game show at 6:10, Dante De Caria will have the play-by-play beginning at 7:00.
