Like batting average and earned run average statistics in baseball, the shot clock in hockey doesn’t always provide the best depiction of what has happened on the ice.
In Game 1 of the second-round series between the London Knights and the Erie Otters, the shot clock read 15-3 Erie after the first period. It read 28-9 for the Otters after the second period and 46-12 at the end of 60 minutes.
The score on the board read something very different.
London Knights 2, Erie Otters 0.
Knights’ goalie Tyler Parsons stopped every one of the 46 pucks blasted, wristed and deflected his way for his first shutout of the 2017 playoffs. His last post-season shutout came in the clinching game of the 2016 OHL Championship series against the Niagara Ice Dogs.
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London captain, J.J. Piccinich has seen Parsons play over 100 games and he is convinced he hasn’t quite seen the Calgary Flames’ prospect at the level he was on Thursday night.
“I think it is safe to say, as well as he always plays, I have never seen him play as well as that. I don’t think I’ve ever played with any goalie who has played like that.”
The longest-serving member of the Knights, Owen MacDonald echoed the statement.
“(Parsons) stood on his head for 17 games straight last year, but I don’t think I can remember a performance quite like we saw tonight.”
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London came out quickly in the game, thanks to an early power play. The Otters held them off and that seemed to shake any rust Erie may have carried into the series following an eight-day layoff.
The Otters pushed hard at London’s net for much of the first period, but couldn’t squeak one through and the game ended the first 20 minutes at 0-0.
Parsons was just as good, if not better in the second period. His biggest stop came off a feed from Alex DeBrincat to Dylan Strome who was on the left side of the London end, staring at an open side. Strome got a good shot away, and Parsons lunged and knocked the puck away with his blocker.
London began to get chances as well, but many of them went wide or resulted in missed opportunities near the Erie net, but eventually, a puck found its way in.
Knights’ forward, Robert Thomas tipped a puck on goal that pinballed off the pad of Erie goalie, Troy Timpano, right to Mitchell Stephens to the left of the net and Stephens buried his fifth goal of the playoffs on London’s seventh shot on goal to break a scoreless tie that had lasted 34 minutes and 23 seconds.
Erie managed to get a puck past Parsons that appeared to tie the game, however, Warren Foegele fell over Parsons before the puck was shot in from the right boards and the goal was waved off, reviewed and disallowed.
Before the end of the period, London struck again. Owen MacDonald did not pick up a point on the play, but he certainly made it happen. The over-age forward broke up a play in the defensive end and skated the puck out into centre ice with Max Jones and Janne Kuokkanen on a three-on-two. MacDonald fed Jones on left wing and he zipped a pass across to Kuokkanen on the right side of the Erie end.
While all of that was going on, Evan Bouchard was skating silently, but quickly into the play unchecked. Kuokkanen dropped the puck to Bouchard and he labelled a shot past Timpano for his second goal of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead.
“I saw that I could beat an Erie player up the ice and (Janne Kuokkanen) and (Max) Jones were ahead of me, so I went for it,” said Bouchard. Janne gave me a great pass.”
And that’s the way the score would stay.
But it was anything but smooth grains of sand draining softly through an hour glass the rest of the way.
The third period featured point-blank chances by the Otters and a huge Erie power play that went from five-on-four to five-on-three for a full 50 seconds.
Forward, Anthony Cirelli, who played for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, was set up in front of Parsons and got a shot away that Parsons dove to stop and cover the puck.
London killed the remainder of the two-man advantage and then the rest of the second minor penalty and continued to hang on.
Parsons wasn’t finished just yet, though.
Cirelli’s Team Canada teammate, Dylan Strome faded backwards through the slot in position to tee off and the Otters got the puck to him and Strome fired, only to have Parsons stop him point blank as the London goalie came way out of his crease to take away any and every opening he could.
What wasn’t getting through to Parsons was being blocked by his teammates. Both Cliff Pu and Robert Thomas made key blocks. Thomas got in the way of an Alex DeBrincat shot, helping to keep the OHL’s leading goal-getter quiet for one of the only times this season. DeBrincat scored 65 goals in 63 games in the regular season.
Erie pulled their goaltender with nearly two minutes remaining, but the Knights tied the puck up along the boards, got a save or two more from Parsons and grabbed home-ice advantage away from the Hamilton Spectator Trophy winners as Erie was the top team in the OHL’s regular season standings, earning home ice throughout the playoffs.
The Otters have only lost three times in regulation on their home ice this year. The Knights are now responsible for two of those losses. London also became the first team to shut out Erie this year.
Game 2 is right back in Erie on Friday night at 7:00. Broadcast time on AM980 is 6:30. After that, the series shifts to London for games 3 and 4 next Tuesday and Thursday at Budweiser Gardens. For tickets, call 519-681-0800 x 1, visit the Knights’ Armouries or go online to www.londonknights.com.
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