What does Connor McDavid have in store for Game 4 against the London Knights?
The Otters star lit up the hockey world with a five-goal performance in Game 2 of the series and followed that up with a three-assist effort on Sunday night in a 4-1 win over London. McDavid’s second assist on Nick Betz’s goal was pure brilliance and definitely highlight worthy.
He continues to pace the OHL in playoff scoring, but the Otters have received strong secondary scoring from Jake Marchment and Remi Elie while waiting for Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat to break out. Betz is also back to form after missing some time with a concussion earlier in the playoffs. Sticking with offence, keep an eye on how well Erie utilizes the space behind the net in the offensive zone.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch Game 4 between the London Knights and Erie Otters on Sportsnet 360 starting at 7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. PST
Defensively, the Otters have done a nice job taking away second chances from London. The third pairing of Patrick Murphy and T.J. Fergus was particularly effective, making up for the loss of Kurtis MacDermid who still has five games remaining on his suspension. Travis Dermott opened the scoring in Game 3, while Cory Genovese and Troy Donnay brought a physical presence.
Devin Williams was able to maintain his focus despite being underworked in the first period, which served him well in the final 40 minutes. Williams is starting to regain the form that saw him take over the top job from Oscar Dansk during the playoffs a year ago. He was calm, didn’t overplay the puck and was effective controlling rebounds.
The Knights are in a must-win situation and things couldn’t be worse as Mitch Marner and Tyler Parsons remain out of the lineup on Tuesday.
Max Domi doesn’t look himself and may still be feeling the after effects from the hit he took from MacDermid in Game 1. Christian Dvorak was also relatively quiet for the Knights on Sunday. Both have to be better on Tuesday. Matt Rupert has played well and you can bet he won’t want to end his junior career by getting swept on home ice. Look for Owen MacDonald to continue to get under Strome’s skin. Drake Rymsha has taken big strides, while Dale Hunter would love to get more from his second line of Jack Hidi, Josh Sterk and Aaron Berisha.
London’s back end, led by Victor Mete, should be going all-out in this one in order to provide some offensive support. Christian Bergman and Aiden Jamieson have the ability to join the rush at anytime as well, while Chris Martenet and Brandon Crawley have significantly improved and both should be NHL selections come June.
Michael Giugovaz couldn’t play much better than he did in Game 3, especially in the early going, but somehow he’ll have to be even better if the Knights hope to extend the series. Giugovaz is a cool customer and shouldn’t be rattled despite the task at hand.
Erie Otters
Individual Stats
In Goal
Devin Williams (6-1-0, 2.50 GAA, .903 SV%)
Team Stats
Power Play: 8/33=24.2% (6th)
Penalty Kill: 2/27=92.6% (1st)
Goals For/Game: 4.75 (2nd)
Goals Against/Game: 2.25 (5th)
NHL Drafted/Signed Players
Remi Elie (DAL 40th 2013)
Nicholas Baptiste (BUF 69th 2013)
Kyle Pettit (VAN 156th 2014)
Jake Marchment (LAK 157th 2014)
Kurtis MacDermid (signed LAK FA)
Troy Donnay (signed NYR FA)
NHL Central Scouting
Connor McDavid (No. 1)
Dylan Strome (No. 4)
Travis Dermott (No. 46)
Under The Radar
Jake Marchment: He has turned things around after a rather pedestrian regular season. Has good size and strength and enough skill to be a threat where Erie is best: down below the circles.
London Knights
Individual Stats
In Goal
Michael Giugovaz (0-2-0, 4.93 GAA, .881 SV%)
Team Stats
Power Play: 7/33=21.7% (8th)
Penalty Kill: 6/39=84.6% (6th)
Goals For/Game: 4.11 (5th)
Goals Against/Game: 4.00 (8th)
NHL Drafted/Signed Players
Max Domi (ARI 12th 2013)
Christian Dvorak (ARI 58th 2014)
Chandler Yakimowicz (STL 172nd 2014)
Julius Bergman (SJ 46th 2014)
NHL Central Scouting
Mitch Marner (No. 6)
Chris Martenet (No. 81)
Brandon Crawley (No. 102)
Under the Radar
Chris Martenet: He has improved dramatically from the start of the season. Understands how to play defence and with great reach, uses his stick well to break up plays and clog lanes.