Big road swing vs. East; Will Knights show their mettle?

Knight Watch: London clinched 4th straight division title, but it’s top spot in Conference they’re after; Road trip vs. East ahead (Barrie, Sudbury, North Bay); Columnist Jake Jeffrey has all the latest Knights news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Knights have locked up another Midwest Division title, their fourth straight — and 15th division trophy in franchise history.

Now, they set their sights on first place in the conference and securing home ice advantage through the opening three rounds of the postseason. They’re currently two points up on Windsor (with a game in hand) heading into action Thursday — with two more games head-to-head against the Spitfires this season.

Windsor missed an opportunity to surpass London in the standings last weekend, uncharacteristically losing each of their three games (including a 4-3 shootout loss against the Knights). The Spits play a pair of games this weekend, while London plays three games in four nights, beginning Thursday in Barrie.

Finishing first in the Western Conference would mean more than just bragging rights. That team would potentially avoid a much tougher second round opponent. If the Knights were to finish second, for instance, they would face either Sarnia (or Windsor if they don’t win their division) in the second round.

That, of course, is only the case if the top seeds get out of the first round. As of now, London’s first round opponent would be Kitchener, the eighth seed who has won five straight games — and who also upset London in last year’s playoffs as the seventh seed.

The Knights should be well-rested as they get set to play three games in four days. They were last in game action last Friday when they came up short in a lopsided 6-1 loss in Sarnia. London has just three regulation losses in their last 17 games, and two of those have come against the Sting.

London has now played nine straight games without a regulation win, although they have five victories over that span — three coming in overtime and two in a shootout.

Ryan Winterton has been as consistent as they come the last few weeks, as he’s only been held pointless twice in his last 16 games, posting four goals and 18 points over that stretch. Sean McGurn has hit several career highs this season. He currently has the sixth-most points among overage players with 74. George Diaco has 69 points this season, one short of his 70 points last year, and he’s got time to spare. His next assist will be the 100th regular season helper of his OHL career.

London is halfway through their extended stretch of road games (due to the ongoing Brier curling event being held at Budweiser Gardens). They’re four down with four to go. They have just one win so far, and it was a big one — a 4-3 shootout victory over Windsor last Thursday. But they’ve lost three of their last four.

The Knights continue their road swing this weekend as they make a tough northern trip through Barrie, Sudbury and North Bay, facing two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. And heading into Thursday night, all three of those teams are currently on win streaks. North Bay has won four in a row, Sudbury’s won three straight, and North Bay is coming off back-to-back wins.

Of London’s nine remaining games, just three will be on home ice. They host Kingston March 17, Windsor March 24, and finish the season March 26 against Kitchener.

With three losses in their last four games, the Knights found themselves outside the CHL Top 10 rankings this week (for the first time in a month). Along with Barrie, their Thursday night opponent, the Knights were named an honourable mention this week. The Ottawa 67’s were No. 7, while the Sarnia Sting were No. 9. 

George Diaco enters actions Thursday one point short of his career-best 70 from last year — and one assist shy of 100 for his OHL career. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Thursday (March 9, 7:30pm) @ Barrie Colts (36-16-6-2, 3rd in Eastern Conference)

One of the OHL’s hottest second-half teams has climbed into the top three in the Eastern Conference. Brandt Clarke has been putting up some serious points since joining Barrie following the World Juniors. The OHL Player of the Month for both January and February has 16 goals and 45 points in 25 games — a very impressive offensive output, especially considering he’s a defenseman. The LA Kings prospect has six goals and a whopping 19 points during his current 10-game point streak. The Colts have two 30-goal scorers in Evan Vierling and Ethan Cardwell, and both have a shot at hitting 40. They also have very solid goaltending in Anson Thornton.

Friday (March 10, 7:05pm) @ Sudbury Wolves (27-25-5-3, 7th in Eastern Conference)

The Wolves have won five of their last six games as they look to secure a playoff spot down the stretch. They’re currently nine points up on ninth-place Kingston. David Goyette leads the team with 77 points; he has five goals and 11 points in his last six games. Former first overall pick Quentin Musty has goals in five straight games and 14 points in his last seven. Former Knight Nicholas Yearwood has two goals and nine points since joining the Wolves at the trade deadline.

Sunday (March 12, 2:00pm) @ North Bay Battalion (41-17-2-1, 2nd in Eastern Conference)

North Bay is one of three OHL teams with 40 wins (Ottawa and London are the others). Depth is a strength for the Battalion, who have four players with more than 60 points: Matvey Petrov, Kyle Jackson, Josh Bloom, and defenceman Ty Nelson. Six players have scored 20 goals, including Dalyn Wakely who leads the team with 30. Keep an eye out for Ilderton’s Owen Van Steensel, who has eight goals and 24 points this season. Londoner Charlie Robertson just picked up his second shutout of the season last weekend. He’s played sparingly this season behind Domenic Divincentiis, who is the reigning OHL Goaltender of the Week.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

The Bulldogs’ Noah Nelson had his first two-goal game in the OHL, giving him five goals on the season.

Saginaw’s Hunter Haight has three goals and six points in his last four games. The Strathroy native recently signed his entry level contract with the Minnesota Wild.

North Bay Battalion netminder Charlie Robertson made 20 saves Sunday to record his second shutout of the season.

No goalie has been busier than the Peterborough Petes’ Michael Simpson this season, who’s faced a league-high 1,375 shots, making 1259 saves. That’s 90 more saves than any other goalie this season. Simpson also leads the OHL with five shutouts.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

177 - No Western Conference team has allowed fewer goals than London’s 177. In the Eastern Conference, Ottawa and North Bay have allowed 150 and 171, respectively. 

57 - Of London’s 235 goals this season, 57 have been scored by a defenseman. Logan Mailloux leads the way with 22, while Oliver Bonk has 10 and Sam Dickinson has eight.

6 - George Diaco is tied for the OHL lead with six shootout goals. He’s only missed one shootout attempt this season.

739 - The London Knights are the most penalized team in the Western Conference with 739 penalty minutes this season. They’ll play the only two teams with more penalty minutes this weekend when they face North Bay (752) and Sudbury (802).

106 - Jackson Edward has accounted for 106 of those penalty minutes. He’s one of six OHLers to hit the century mark so far this season. 

900 - Knights head coach Dale Hunter is three wins shy of 900 for his career. He’s the third-most winningest coach in the OHL, and he’s closing in on No. 2 (Bert Templeton, 907 wins). Brian Kilrea (1,193) is the all-time leader.

AROUND THE OHL

Kitchener and Flint have both found their groove lately with five straight victories. The Firebirds are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, while Kitchener sits in eighth. The Rangers have put some distance between themselves and the Soo Greyhounds, who are now 11 points back of the final playoff spot. It’s looking more likely that the ‘Hounds will join the Erie Otters as the two teams outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.

Sarnia has also won five straight, including statement wins over both London and Windsor last weekend. The Sting are now six points back of Windsor for top spot in the West Division.

Only six points separate fourth place and eighth place in the Western Conference standings, as Saginaw (68 points), Flint (65), Guelph (65), Owen Sound (63) and Kitchener (62) jostle for playoff positioning.

The Eastern Conference has a similar logjam with just three points separating fourth and seventh place: Peterborough (65 points), Hamilton (64), Mississauga (62) and Subury (62). Oshawa and Kingston are currently battling for the final playoff spot, although the Frontenacs have lost 10 straight and sit three points back of the Generals.