Knights on the brink. Can they come back?

Knight Watch: It’ll take a comeback for the London Knights to win the 2023 OHL title over the Peterborough Petes. What’s the state of play from here? Columnist Jake Jeffrey has all the latest …

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The Knights will be on home ice with their season on the line Friday night, needing a win to send the series back to Peterborough for a Game 6.

It’s the first time the Knights have faced elimination this postseason, and they haven’t even trailed in a series until now. The Petes are 3-1 when they’ve had a chance to eliminate their opponents.

Game 4 Wednesday marked the second time this series that the Knights lost despite firing more than 50 shots on net. They had 26 shots in the third period alone in Peterborough, which also marked the first time this series the Petes had managed more than 30 shots in a game.

But while the Knights may have the edge in the shot department, the Petes have dominated the face-off circle — especially on home ice in Games 3 and 4, winning 67% of the draws. Jax Dubois wins far more than he loses, while Tucker Robertson and Owen Beck have also been dominant.

London held a lead heading into the third period in both Games 2 and 3, eventually losing both. Previously, they had been a perfect 11-0 in the playoffs when leading after 40 minutes.

Ryan Winterton has two goals and seven points in the first four games of this series, making him the only Knight above a point-per-game pace in the OHL Finals. Logan Mailloux has a goal and four points, while Sean McGurn has three goals. George Diaco registered just an assist in the series’ first four games. Mailloux has 34 shots on goal this series, while Winterton has 30. The pair has combined for 200 shots so far this playoff season.

Zach Bowen was a difference maker in the final two games of the Sarnia series, but he hasn’t had the same impact since his shutout in the opening game of this series. To Peterborough’s credit, they’ve been able to get Bowen moving from side to side more frequently, getting him out of position and forcing the rookie netminder to make additional movement in his net. Owen Willmore came on in relief in London’s Game 4 loss, only facing two shots in seven minutes.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The Knights’ top two defencemen, Logan Mailloux and Isaiah George, are both a minus-6 this series. That can be a misleading stat, but you do want to see your top guys a little closer to even. Again, that’s a credit to Peterborough’s top players, as they’ve made the necessary adjustments after getting shut out in Game 1.

Since being blanked in the opener, the Petes have scored 16 goals in three contests. Tucker Robertson and Avery Hayes have led the way offensively, with seven and six points, respectively. J.R. Avon and Owen Beck have both scored timely goals as well.

Prior to this series, Peterborough was 2-4 when they were outshot in this postseason. They’ve been outshot in all four games in this OHL Finals series, but they’ve won three of them. 

Denver Barkey and Easton Cowan returned to the Knights’ lineup for Game 4 after missing the previous contest due to illness. Ruslan Gazizov missed Wednesday’s contest due to illness. It’s unclear if he’ll be back in the lineup for Friday’s Game 5. Sam O’Reilly has drawn into the lineup for three games this series, while Mathieu Paris has also appeared in one game.

OHL Playoffs (Championship Final) - London Knights (No. 2 in West) vs. Peterborough Petes (No. 4 in East) (best-of-seven series)
Game 1: London 3 vs. Peterborough 0
Game 2: London 3 vs. Peterborough 5
Game 3: London 5 @ Peterborough 6 (OT)
Game 4: London 3 @ Peterborough 5
Game 5: Fri. May 19 (7:30pm vs. Peterborough Petes)
Game 6: Sun. May 21 (7:00pm @ Peterborough Petes) (if necessary)
Game 7: Mon. May 22 (7:00pm vs. Peterborough Petes) (if necessary)

A LOOK AT THE LOCALS

Petes goaltender Michael Simpson made 51 saves in Game 2, and then 50 saves in Game 4, helping Peterborough bounce back from a Game 1 loss and take a 3-1 series lead. The London Junior Knight alum has a .927 save percentage in the OHL Finals.

AROUND THE OHL

Some teams could punch their ticket to the Memorial Cup as early as Friday night. In fact, all three league finals could be settled on that date. Much like Peterborough, Quebec and Seattle both have 3-1 leads in their respective series heading into Game 5’s Friday. And like the Knights, Halifax and Winnipeg will both look to extend their series.