Can anyone slow down sizzling Knights?

Knight Watch: Local goalie tandem racking up wins; Cowan on cusp of points streak mark; Barkey 3rd in OHL scoring; Edward suspended. Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest Knights news & notes …

Ruslan Gazizov had a five-point night Wednesday (Feb. 7) in London’s 9-2 win in Flint. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Knights are racking up the wins as they look to distance themselves atop the Western Conference Standings. The Saginaw Spirit are now six points back of London (albeit, with two games in hand), and the Knights have opened up a nine-point advantage over Kitchener for the Midwest Division lead.

Winning 19 of 21, and picking up a point even in those two losses (shootouts) will certainly do that.

A 9-2 win over Flint Wednesday night was the Knights’ latest triumph. The Firebirds sit just outside the playoff picture but could be a potential first-round foe if they sneak into that eighth seed and London maintains top spot.

Ruslan Gazizov led the way Wednesday with a hat trick and a five-point effort. It was Gazizov’s 16th multi-point game this season — and the fourth time he’s scored four or more points in a game. Seven other Knights had multi-point games, including Easton Cowan (1G, 1A), who extended his point streak to an OHL-best 19 games. It was also the eighth straight game London allowed fewer than 28 shots against.

Denver Barkey posted three points Wednesday. He has three goals and seven assists over his last six games and has moved into third spot in OHL scoring with 74 points. 

The Knights have scored nine or more goals four times in their last 12 games.

Michael Simpson recorded his 25th win on the season Wednesday, a career high for the Londoner, giving him 69 regular season victories in his OHL career. Simpson and Owen Willmore have been quite the goaltending duo this season, especially lately.

Willmore is coming off an exceptional week for the green and gold, recording his first OHL shutout and posting three consecutive victories. It helped him earn OHL Goaltender of the Week honours. That came on the heels of Simpson being named the top OHL goalie for the month of January.

London has finished second in the conference behind Windsor the last two seasons. With a growing lead in the division, they’re searching for their fifth straight Midwest title.

The Knights moved back into first in the weekly OHL Power Rankings after being ranked third last week. Saginaw, the Soo, Sudbury, and Oshawa round out the top five. Looking at the CHL Top Ten rankings, the Knights currently sit in second.

Jackson Edward has been suspended for two games for a headbutt during Sunday’s game in Guelph. The Boston Bruins prospect is eligible to return Sunday in Oshawa. It’s the second time he’s been suspended in the last few weeks, as he was given a two-game ban following a Feb. 20 game against Kitchener where he received a game misconduct for a head check. Saginaw (4th) and the Soo (8th) are the other OHL teams to crack the CHL’s top 10 list.

The London Knights are holding a special ceremony before Friday’s home game to remember the life of Logan Hunter. The former Knight, and nephew of Mark and Dale Hunter, passed away this week, just months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December.

The Knights’ No. 2 goalie, Owen Willmore, is the reigning OHL Goaltender of the Week. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (Feb. 9, 7:00pm) vs. Windsor Spitfires (14-28-3-2, 5th in West Division)

It’s a rebuilding year for the last-place Windsor Spitfires. London has 16 goals in their two wins over the Spits this season. Ruslan Gazizov (2G, 4A), Sam O’Reilly (2G, 3A), Max McCue (2G, 2A) and Jacob Julien (1G, 3A) have all enjoyed the season series so far. On the other side, Ryan Abraham has four goals against London, while Liam Greentree has a pair of goals and four points in the season series. Greentree has been recently named captain and is the team’s most dynamic player. His 66 points this season is nearly double than the next best Spitfire. He’s looking like a very good prospect for the NHL draft. Londoner Jack Greenwell has suited up for 20 games with Windsor this year.

Sunday (Feb. 11, 2:05pm) @ Oshawa Generals (26-17-4-2, 1st in East Division)

Sunday will mark the first meeting of the season between these two teams — and they’ll play again later this month. Former Knight Stuart Rolofs captains Oshawa and is second on the team with 49 points. Colorado Avalanche prospect Callum Ritchie has been on an absolute tear since returning from injury. He leads the team with 56 points in 32 games and is the reigning OHL Player of the Month. Londoner Dylan Roobroeck has a goal and six assists during his current four-game point streak. He’s a New York Rangers prospect.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Ryan Roobroeck posted his first OHL hat trick for the Niagara IceDogs. He has five points over his last two games and is one goal away from 20. He leads all OHL rookies with 19 goals and 161 shots.

Parker Snelgrove scored his first OHL goal for the Guelph Storm and nearly had his second — if it wasn’t for Knights goaltender Michael Simpson robbing him in the late stages of Sunday’s game in Guelph.

St. Marys product Sam Sedley is chasing Owen Sound Attack history. After recording an assist Wednesday night, he is just two points back of Santino Centorame for the franchise lead in points by a defenseman. His 135 career assists is already a franchise record.

Owen Van Steensel has three goals and three assists over his last two games with the North Bay Battalion.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

19 - Easton Cowan’s 19-game point streak is tied for the longest in the OHL this season. He has 14 goals and 38 points during his hot streak.

22 - The London Knights lead the league with 22 shorthanded goals this year, nearly double the next highest total. In fact, they have the OHL record in their sights. The 2015-16 Barrie Colts have the record with 28 shorthanded goals in a season.

8 - The Knights have allowed fewer than 30 shots against in eight straight games.

31 - London has outshot its opponent 31 times this season. They’ve won 26 of those games.

AROUND THE OHL

The OHL announced that Oshawa Generals forward Connor Lockhart has been suspended indefinitely. The statement says that Lockhart is currently under investigation by Durham Regional Police Service and has been suspended indefinitely until the issue is resolved.

Former OHLer Matthew Spezza passed away this week. His older brother, Jason Spezza, shared the news of the tragic death due to an accidental overdose. Spezza played for four teams during his OHL career, including a brief stint with the London Knights. He was just 37 years old.