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Knight Watch: London remains in fifth, but home-ice in playoffs still in play; Knights embrace matinees; William Nicholl scoring the winners; Two tough West opponents this weekend in Windsor (at home), Kitchener (on road).
Another strong start helped the London Knights get back into the win column.
They scored four times in the first period en route to a 4-2 victory over Sudbury last Sunday.
That’s been a recent trend in afternoon games, as the Knights have outscored opponents 10-1 in the first period of their last three matinees — wins over Peterborough, Owen Sound, and now Sudbury.
Assistant coach Rick Steadman says the team makes it a priority to be ready to go despite an earlier puck drop.
“It all starts in the dressing room,” Steadman said. “[Henry] Brzustewicz leads the way. He’s making sure guys are taking care of themselves, getting a good sleep the night before and making sure they’re ready to go.”
Cohen Bidgood had another offensive explosion, scoring twice and adding an assist in the win. That performance came just two games after he scored a pair of goals in a four-point game against Owen Sound.
“It’s about just trying to get involved early and get the legs going, not let the afternoon games get to you,” Bidgood said.
The forward is now up to 31 points through 40 games this season, ranking him sixth on the team in scoring. Bidgood says he’s been working at being a regular in the lineup and producing when he gets the opportunities to do so.
“I’m just trying to be more consistent this season, showing the coaches they can trust me in any situation.”
Steadman says Bidgood brings the same effort every game regardless of how many points he tallies.
“He’s been playing hard. It’s nice to see the points are starting to come,” Steadman said. “He’s a hard-nosed player and goes to those dirty areas. He doesn’t cheat the game at all, and anybody who does that usually finds success out there.”
It’s a busy weekend ahead for the Knights with three games in three days — two of which will be on the road.
Goals might be hard to come by, too, especially against Windsor and Kitchener. The Spitfires have allowed the second fewest goals against this season, while the Rangers have allowed the third fewest. Brampton, on the other hand, has really struggled, scoring an OHL-low 139 goals this season.
UPCOMING GAMEDAYS
Friday (Feb. 27, 7:00pm) vs. Windsor Spitfires (37-14-5-2, 4rd in Western Conference)
The Spitfires have won eight of their last 15 games and sit just a single point back of Flint for the West Division lead. Joey Costanzo leads all eligible goaltenders with a 2.12 goals against average and is tied for the league lead with four shutouts. Windsor has the third best powerplay at 26.3% and best penalty kill 83.2%. Liam Greentree‘s point totals haven’t been what they were last season, but he’s still one of the OHL’s more dangerous players. He has five goals in his last four games. Nathan Villeneuve is pointless in three games, but the former Sudbury Wolves captain has 17 points in 19 games since joining the Spits. Carson Woodall is in the running for OHL defenseman of the year. He’s second among blueliners with 59 points.
Saturday (Feb. 28, 4:00pm) @ Brampton Steelheads (15-32-6-3, 9th in Eastern Conference)
The Steelheads have struggled this season, especially lately. They’re winless in their last nine games coming into the weekend and have just two wins in their last 19 games. Their powerplay sits 14th in the OHL, but they remain the only team to not surrender a shorthanded goal this season. Scoring has been a challenge with an OHL-low 139 goals this season. Londoner Carter Hicks has two goals and 10 points in 18 games since joining the Steelheads at the trade deadline. Manuel Amado, another former Junior Knight, is coming off a two-assist game against Brantford, his second multi-point effort of the season. The Steelheads have won the only meeting between the two teams this season, way back in late September when London was still looking for its first win of the year. Three goals were scored in that game, two of which were by players who are now teammates with the Kitchener Rangers, Sam O’Reilly and Gabriel Chiarot.
Sunday (March 1, 2:00pm) @ Kitchener Rangers (40-12-4-2, 1st in Western Conference)
Few teams have been as red hot as the Rangers, who are the first Western Conference team to 40 wins. They’ve lost just four games since the start of 2026, recording 17 wins since the turning of the calendar. And they’ve had London’s number, with four straight wins over the Knights. Former Knights captain Sam O’Reilly has four goals and seven points in the two games against his former team. Christian Humphreys, Jack Pridham and Dylan Edwards are all in the top eight of OHL scorers. The Rangers have four players with more than 20 goals, and Gabriel Chiarot comes into the weekend one goal shy of joining that club. Goaltender Christian Kirsch has the fourth best goals-against average among eligible netminders.
KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS
10 – Despite a much earlier start, the Knights have scored 10 first-period goals in their last three matinee games, leading to wins over Peterborough, Owen Sound and, most recently, Sudbury.
3 – Three of London’s last four game winning goals have come off the stick of William Nicholl.
15 – The Knights have been great in one-goal games with a record of 15-4-4-1.
42 – Jaxon Cover is tied for fifth in OHL scoring among rookies with 42 points.
16 – Henry Brzustewicz has 16 goals this season, fourth most by an OHL defenceman.
A LOOK AT THE LOCALS
– Jett Luchanko has 12 points in his last seven games.
– Tyson Ackerman, who’s spent this season with the GOHL’s Komoka Kings, made his OHL debut with the Saginaw Spirit Sunday.
– Brennan Faulkner scored his 20th goal of the season for the Peterborough Petes.
