Knight Watch: Can London overcome injuries?

They’ve got the Midwest Division nearly locked up, but they’ve lost four in a row. Can the injured Knights make adjustments and enter the playoffs on a high note? Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest.

The Knights have struggled to overcome the injury to their star goalie, Brett Brochu, who hasn’t played since March 9. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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With five games left in the regular season, the London Knights have all but locked up the Midwest Division, sitting nine points ahead of Guelph and 10 points up on Owen Sound, their two opponents this weekend.

However, with four straight losses, including, most recently, a 6-3 decision to last-place Saginaw, London isn’t exactly lighting the league on fire down the stretch.

Brett Brochu is still out of the lineup and Owen Willmore is also injured, so the crease has belonged to Owen Flores the last five games. He did pick up his first OHL shutout against Guelph (March 27), a team London plays this weekend, but he’s lost four since.

The Knights will look to get back on track Friday night against a team they’ve had significant success against this season, as they’ll be looking for win number 10 over Owen Sound (it is worth mentioning that five of those wins came in London's first nine games, their most successful stretch of the season).

Injuries continue to hit London hard, and Kirill Steklov is the latest casualty. He missed Wednesday’s game against Saginaw. The status of Brett Brochu (ankle surgery) remains a question mark, while Logan Mailloux, Bryce Montgomery, and Ben Bujold are still out of the lineup.

In news around the league, the OHL announced significant sanctions against the Niagara IceDogs and Team Governor Joey Burke and Head Coach Billy Burke after a league investigation determined they violated the league's harassment and diversity policy. Both received a ban from the league (they’re also minority owners of the team) for two years. The IceDogs and Burkes were also fined a combined $150,000.

A statement from the league said they investigated messages from a team WhatsApp group.

“It is the position of the League that their conduct is prejudicial to the welfare of the OHL,” the statement read, saying that the pair can apply for reinstatement no sooner than June 1, 2024. “At that time, the Commissioner will assess whether they have successfully completed counselling and education to ensure that there will be no additional violations of League rules, policies, or expected conduct.”

Bryce Montgomery is among the banged-up Knights to miss games recently, along with Ben Bujold and fellow defenseman Kirill Steklov. The team also continues to play without another D-man, Logan Mailloux. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (April 8, 7:30pm) vs. Owen Sound Attack (31-25-5-3)

This will be the tenth and final attempt Owen Sound has this season to beat London. They’ve lost each of the first nine meetings (although they’ve taken three games beyond regulation). The Attack are currently jostling with Guelph for fifth place in the Western Conference. Of Luke Evangelista’s 53 goals this season, 12 have come against Owen Sound. Cody Morgan is the next highest London scorer with four in the season series. 

Sunday (April 10, 2:00pm) vs. Guelph Storm (32-23-5-3)

On the flip side, almost nobody has had more success against London this season than the Storm, as they’ve claimed six victories in 10 meetings (Sarnia has six wins in nine games against London thus far). Owen Flores picked up his first OHL shutout the last time these two teams met, on March 27 at the Sleeman Centre, but London has lost four straight since then. At 82.6%, the Storm have the second-best penalty kill in the OHL.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Michael Simpson is doing what he can to keep the Peterborough Petes in the playoff picture. He made 37 saves in a 1-0 overtime win over Barrie Tuesday.

Brady Stonehouse scored twice in a 6-5 win over Mississauga, giving the Ottawa 67’s rookie 17 goals on the season.

The London Junior Knights put forth a solid showing at the OHL Cup last week, losing in the quarterfinal to the eventual champion Mississauga Senators.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

738 - That’s minutes, and the Knights are the most penalized team in the Western Conference.

With 53 goals this season, Luke Evangelista has 10 more than the next highest scorer. The last time a player won the scoring race by double digits was in 2016-17 when Alex DeBrincat had 65 goals, 17 higher than the next guy.

Isaiah George’s plus-24 rating is the second best among OHL rookie defensemen.

London has had 13 games go past regulation this season. They have a 3-5 record in games decided in overtime, and a 4-1 showing in the shootout.