For the first time since the Hamilton Bulldogs raised the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions last May, playoff hockey is making its return to the city Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs host the top-seeded Ottawa 67’s at FirstOntario Centre after losing the first two games of the series in the capital.
The 67’s have proven to be a tough nut to crack this year, as evidenced by their 50-win season.
In fact, Ottawa hasn’t lost to Hamilton since they were booted in the first round of last year’s playoffs by the Bulldogs.
The 67’s swept their five-game regular-season series, outscoring Hamilton 26-13, and through their first two playoff games, Ottawa has put up 14 goals compared to the Dogs’ five.
So, can the Bulldogs turn their ship around?
If the team has any hope of doing so — heck, of even winning a game — two things must happen.
First, Dogs goalie Zachary Roy has to really improve his .816 save percentage. Ottawa’s Michael DiPietro’s .898 mark isn’t exactly stellar, either, but at least he is getting some offensive support.
And that brings me to my second point. Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton’s leading scorer, has to start producing offensively.
Kaliyev finished sixth in league scoring in 2018-19 with 51 goals and 51 assists, but Ottawa has shut him down in this series, holding the sniper to one assist, five shots on goal and a minus-5 rating in their two meetings.
If Kaliyev can’t get going, the Bulldogs will be booking their tee times by the end for the week.