Knights at Firebirds – 7:00 p.m. – Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, MI
Broadcast: 7:00 p.m. – AM980 and http://player.am980.ca
Where the teams sit
The London Knights are coming off their ninth regulation time loss this season. That mark ranks as the lowest in the OHL. The Knights were beaten 4-1 in Saginaw on Saturday night in a game that saw the Spirit score three times on 5-on-3 power plays.
London is two points back of the Erie Otters for first place overall. Both the Knights and Otters have 18 games remaining and will meet next Wednesday in Erie.
Sam Miletic scored London’s only goal on Saturday, moving into a tie for the team lead with Cliff Pu. Both have 27 goals on the season. Miletic has been king of the multi-goal game. He has scored at least two seven times.
The Flint Firebirds are in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with their I-75 rivals in Saginaw. They would have been hoping for a Knights’ win last Saturday as much as the Knights were. The Spirit victory keeps the spread at four points in the Firebirds favour. Flint has the added advantage of having played two fewer games.
The Firebirds have been hot lately. They have knocked off Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener in their last three games.
Former London Knight, Kole Sherwood has been Flint’s offensive catalyst, especially in the past month. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect has only been held without a goal once in his past eight games.
The season series so far
The teams have only met once this season, but it was a memorable meeting. London beat Flint 6-2 at Budweiser Gardens in the Knights’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game for the Salvation Army.
Flint scored the first goal of the game off the stick of Sherwood and held London off the scoreboard in the first period. Miletic brought down the birds at 8:04 of the second period as he finished a beautiful set-up from his linemates that day, Robert Thomas and J.J. Piccinich.
That was Thomas’ first of five points on the day. He scored twice, saving his best for last as he flew down the left side of the ice short-handed, put the puck through his own legs as he cut to the net, got around a defenceman and beat Firebirds’ goalie, Garrett Forrest in tight. That goal got a retweet from former teammate Mitch Marner that still shows up in Thomas’ @ mentions more than two months later.
Outlook
This might seem like a relaxed, mid-week matchup, but it can’t be for either team. London’s loss to the Spirit caused them to lose ground on the Otters and first place overall, which will be very important again this year in the playoffs. With the kind of skill that exists at the top of the Western Conference, playing at home as often as possible will be very important.
Perhaps more important for any team not named the Otters will be avoiding having to play as many as four playoff games in Erie. The Otters are 23-0-1-1 at the Erie Insurance Arena.
After an incredibly tumultuous first season in Flint, year two can already be called a success for the Firebirds. From coaching changes that basically brought a walk-out style protest by the players to a five-year suspension for owner Rolf Nilsen for violating an agreement he signed with the league in the aftermath of that protest, there were legitimate concerns about how many players would want to return.
Flint did trade 15-16 top scorer, Will Bitten, but they have fared very well in year two, considering they are still in a building mode.
With Saginaw facing a tough game themselves tonight against the Soo Greyhounds, the Firebirds will be giving it everything they have to come away with a win in the hope of stretching their lead over the Spirit for that final playoff position.
One more story…
Something that is often overlooked in junior hockey is the trade that works well for both sides. As professionally as the OHL is viewed these days, it remains a developmental league. That is something that has been top of mind for Dale and Mark Hunter and now GM, Rob Simpson.
The Knights couldn’t give Kole Sherwood the ice time he needed and still develop young players, so they found Sherwood a new home with the Firebirds and he is having a tremendous year.
London received two second-round picks in the deal and included one of them in a trade to acquire Mitchell Stephens at the OHL trade deadline.
It’s a deal that has worked well for both sides. As much as people want to declare a winner in every trade, it’s the ones that work out for both sides and all players involved that are ultimately the very best.
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