LONDON, Ont. — The Edmonton Oil Kings and London Knights are in desperate times just two days into the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
Both teams lost their first game in the tournament and wish to avoid an all but fatal 0-2 start. Only the 2009 Windsor Spitfires have won the MasterCard Memorial Cup after losing their first two games.
“We don’t look at history, we’re only looking at this tournament here,” Oil Kings captain Griffin Reinhart said. “Every game we’re going to try to play our best whether we win or lose. The next game is always going to be important.”
Programming Alert: Watch the London Knights face the Edmonton Oil Kings at the MasterCard Memorial Cup at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West & Pacific.
The Knights lost the tournament opener against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Val-d’Or Foreurs. It’s the first time in the three tournaments the Knights dropped their first game and the veterans on this team who have been in this tournament before understand the urgency.
“(We) know how quickly it can slip,” said Knights forward Gemel Smith, who previously participated in the MasterCard Memorial Cup with the Owen Sound Attack in 2011. “You really can’t dwell on anything like that game. We lost (but) we could end up being the first seed in this if we win our next couple games.”
CAN THE OIL KINGS WIN ON A BACK-TO-BACK?
The second game in as many days hasn’t been kind to teams in this tournament. Last year, all four times a team played back-to-back nights, they lost on the second night — a fate even the eventual champion Halifax Mooseheads couldn’t overcome.
The Knights, who in the two previous tournaments have never won on the second night of a back-to-back, see it as a big advantage for the home team.
“It’s definitely hard,” forward Josh Anderson said. “You finish a game and you have to play in less than 24 hours. Physically, I think it’s hard and you have to be ready to go for the next game. It’s our advantage now that we get a day off.”
The Oil Kings should be well-prepared for the challenge. They lost Game 6 of the Western Hockey League final to Portland and won the following night in Game 7 on the road in front of a large, opposing crowd.
“I can tell you it wasn’t as bad as it was after Game 6 against Portland,” Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal said of his team’s mood after Saturday’s loss against Guelph. “The guys understand what’s going on here. They understand they have to regroup. They understand they have to be better and we have to get better efforts from our whole team.”
CAN THE KNIGHTS GENERATE OFFENCE?
Given all their offensive firepower, the Knights were surprisingly blanked on 51 shots against Val-d’Or on Friday. It was only the second time they were shutout all season.
The Knights were quick to give credit to Foreurs goalie Antoine Bibeau for the goose egg. However, after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, the Knights sat for more than a month, leading to the obvious question whether this team is still rusty from the break.
“We have to give back to our fans a little bit here,” Max Domi said. “For them to be cheering that loud and us not scoring a goal is our fault and we have to be better than that. We’re not going to be able to win hockey games if we don’t score goals.”
WHICH TEAM WILL WIN THE TRANSITION GAME?
It’s not a stretch to say the battle over the neutral zone could determine the winner of Sunday’s game. Both teams are known for making it difficult for the opposition to leave their zone and for creating a quick-strike counter attack from turnovers.
“Every square inch of ice is tough to get out there, especially when you’re playing against a team that’s that sound defensively,” Domi said.
The Knights defeated the Oil Kings at the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup so the Oil Kings know what to expect from the Knights.
“They like to trap it up from what I remember and pounce on the mistakes you have,” Edmonton forward Henrik Samuelsson said. “We’re going to have to play a smart game if we’re going to have a chance to win.”
WHICH TEAM WILL WIN THE BATTLE IN THE TRENCHES?
Edmonton began Saturday’s game with more jump than the Guelph Storm. They were physically dominant for a stretch, and when they play that style, they create space for their skilled players to execute.
Reinhart said that style is hard to maintain for any team over a full 60 minutes, but it could benefit the Oil Kings if they can establish their physical presence.
“We have a lot of big bodies up front and when we get them throwing around, it creates a lot of turnovers and creates a lot of chances for us,” Samuelsson said.
The Knights like playing the body, too. Anderson made no secret he will be honing in on the Oil Kings’ best players.
“Reinhart’s a pretty good defenceman,” Anderson said. “We’re just going to have to cycle pucks on him and hopefully grind him down.”
