Knights have home advantage in search for first

Knight Watch: Tied with Saginaw atop Western Conference, London will play 5 of final 7 games at home; Barkey, McCue ink NHL contracts; Cowan climbing points list; Columnist Jake Jeffrey has the latest Knights news & notes …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Knights find themselves one step behind in the Western Conference following a midweek loss in Guelph.

The Knights got down early on Wednesday, and although they closed in on a potential comeback, the Storm held off the late push to win 5-4.

Easton Cowan scored his 31st goal of the season to extend his point streak to 30 games, which ties for the fourth longest in OHL history since 1994.

London has lost three of its last four games now, with that lone win coming against eighth place Flint. The Knights are tied with Saginaw for first (heading into action Friday, March 8), but the Spirit holds the tiebreaker between the two teams.

With some room atop the division, the Knights are not likely to slip further than second, though, and a win over Kitchener Saturday would certainly solidify the division. With both London and Saginaw having seven games left, it should be a tight battle for top spot.

Following a stretch of playing predominantly road games, the Knights will play five of their final seven games at Budweiser Gardens. The Spirit, meanwhile, have three home games in their final seven.

A pair of Knights signed NHL contracts last week. Denver Barkey inked his deal with the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia Flyers, while free agent forward Max McCue signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both forwards are enjoying breakout seasons. Barkey leads the Knights with 89 points, while McCue has career-high 26 goals and 54 points, all while providing a physical presence up front.

The Knights have won four of their five meetings with the Sarnia Sting heading into the final contest between the two teams on Friday, March 8, 2024. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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UPCOMING GAMEDAYS

Friday (March 8, 7:00pm) vs. Sarnia Sting (23-33-3-1, 9th in Western Conference)

The Sting are on the outside looking in for the playoff picture. They now sit eight points back of eighth-place Flint. With only one win in their last eight, their playoff hopes are getting slimmer by the game. Sarnia is a team that is in rebuild mode following a run to the conference final last year. After dropping the first meeting of the season, the Knights have four straight wins over the Sting. Denver Barkey has had some significant success in the season series with five goals and a whopping 16 points over the five games. Sam Dickinson has two goals and 10 points. Tyson Doucette and Marko Sikic lead the Sting in points, respectively, with 50 and 41

Saturday (March 9, 4:00pm) vs. Kitchener Rangers (39-20-2-0, 4th Western Conference)

The Rangers got the overtime win at home last weekend and can even up the season series with the Knights with a win Saturday. Kitchener has won eight of their last nine and sit 10 points back of London with seven games left. Hopes of catching London are slim, but not nil. Also last weekend, Carson Rehkopf hit the 50-goal mark and Matthew Sop sits one away from 40. Hunter Brzustewicz is tied for the league lead among defenseman with 85 points. Both Easton Cowan and Kasper Halttunen have nine points in five games against Kitchener this season.

Wednesday (March 13, 7:00pm) @ Erie Otters (28-27-4-1, 6th in Western Conference)

The Otters have had London’s number this season, winning three of the five meetings so far. Malcolm Spence has three goals and eight points in the season series, while Carey Terrance has four goals in four games against London. The hope is that overage netminder Ben Gaudreau will return sometime before the playoffs. He has 21 wins this season but hasn’t played since late January. Erie is currently caught up in the logjam that is the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture, chasing Guelph for the fifth position. Barring a late season collapse, Erie is preparing for their first postseason appearance since the team won the Memorial Cup in 2017.

The Otters have won three times against the Knights this season, including a 5-3 contest, shown here, back on Oct. 20, 2023 at Bud Gardens. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Aylmer’s Cameron Reid potted his second goal of the season for the Kitchener Rangers. The 16-year-old freshman has 23 points in 44 games from the blue line.

Ilderton’s Owen Van Steensel has extended his point streak to 12 games. The North Bay Battalion forward has a career-high 34 goals and 76 points this season.

Both the Elgin Middlesex Canucks and London Junior Knights have qualified for the OHL Cup.

KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS

28 - The Knights have tied the OHL record with 28 shorthanded goals this season. Denver Barkey and Easton Cowan are tied for the league lead with seven each.

3 - Michael Simpson recorded an assist in Guelph this week, giving the overage goaltender three this season.

30 - Cowan’s 30-game point streak is tied for the fourth longest in the OHL since 1994 behind Windsor’s Bill Bowler (41), Sarnia’s Trevor Letowski (34), London’s Dave Gilmore (33), and Oshawa’s Brett MacLean (32). Sarnia’s Jordan Kyrou had points in 30 consecutive games during the 2016-17 season.