Knight Watch: Can London make push for top seed?

With eight games left, the Knights are jockeying for playoff positioning — and home-ice advantage in postseason. Back-to-back games this weekend will put London to the test. Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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It hasn’t exactly been pretty over the last few weeks, but somehow the London Knights have just one regulation loss over their last nine games, which has helped them pad their lead atop the Midwest division.

And that stretch included wins over Owen Sound and Guelph, the two teams with a shot at catching them (although their odds are getting slimmer by the day).

A pair of wins for the Knights (37-18-4-1) this weekend would pretty much lock up the division — and perhaps put the team in a good position to catch Windsor (39-16-3-3) for top spot in the Western Conference. The Spitfires are hot, having won eight in a row, but they’re only five points ahead of London entering the weekend, with London having one game in hand.

Windsor aside, the Knights will need to pack their offensive punch this weekend with games against Flint and Barrie, as both teams have very strong goaltending. Flint’s Luke Cavallin leads the league with 31 wins, and Mack Guzda has played London tough on more than one occasion this year during his time in Owen Sound.

And, no, Barrie was not a typo. London will get their first and only Eastern Conference opponent Saturday night when they travel to Barrie. Those in charge of the OHL schedule had to get creative to find a way to squeeze in all of London's make-up games, and a matchup with Barrie was the simplest solution.

London has relied very heavily on their top line this season, but it has been their secondary scoring that has made the difference during the last little bit, particularly from their three overage forwards. Cody Morgan has four goals and 11 points over his last seven games, Camaryn Baber has a goal and six points over his last four games, and Tye McSorley stepped up with six goals over a three-game span last week.

Defenseman Gerard Keane will miss both games this weekend due to a suspension. He can return April 6 in Saginaw.

With Connor Federkow and Logan Mailloux still hurt, it is very likely that Oliver Bonk will get some more games in the Knights’ lineup. He’s been having an absolutely stellar season with the GOJHL’s St. Thomas Stars. He picked up a pair of assists in London’s win over Guelph last season, his first multi-point effort at the OHL level.

Antonio Stranges has been one of the hottest — and most exciting — players in the OHL in recent weeks. Since March 14, the 20-year-old has tallied 8 goals and 19 points in eight games. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (April 1, 7:30pm) vs. Flint Firebirds (37-19-1-4)

The Knights have just one win over the Firebirds in four tries this season, and with this being their last meeting, it marks the first time that Flint has won the season series against London. As one of the league’s best road teams, Flint boasts a 24-7-1-2 record away from home. Sahil Panwar has a pair of goals against his former team this season. The Firebirds currently boast the league's top penalty kill at 84.1%.

Saturday (April 2, 7:30pm) @ Barrie Colts (32-21-5-1)

It’s the only Eastern Conference opponent London will face this season, and with Tyson Foerster back from the AHL, and Brandt Clarke returning from a lengthy suspension, there is plenty of skill to keep an eye out for. Barrie is very dangerous offensively with those two in the lineup, especially on the powerplay. Foerster scored 36 goals during the 2019-20 season, 18 of which came with the man advantage.

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

The OHL cup is underway and the London Junior Knights and Elgin Middlesex Chiefs Under-16 teams are both in Toronto for the tournament. It’s one of the most highly scouted tournaments in minor hockey as teams prioritize prospects ahead of the OHL draft next month. 

Liam Van Loon scored his first OHL hat-trick, giving him 19 goals on the season for the Niagara IceDogs. 

Bryce McConnell-Barker scored his 20th of the season for the Soo Greyhounds. The first-year forward also has 20 assists.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

Owen Flores made 31 saves against Guelph last Sunday to record his first OHL shutout.

Luke Evangelista became the latest London Knight to reach the 50-goal and 100-point plateau, and has since scored his 51st goal. With eight games remaining, he’d have to really pour it on to hit 60 — though it’s not out of the question for the Nashville Predators prospect, who scored 11 goals over an eight-game span on two separate occasions this season.

In his last eight games, Antonio Stranges has eight goals and 19 points. He is creeping up to some seasonal milestones, with 29 goals and 77 points on the season entering the weekend.

Speaking of milestones, Sean McGurn scored his 20th of the season last weekend.

With 199 goals against, London is the only Western Conference team yet to allow 200.