Bulldogs healthy for big weekend
The Hamilton Bulldogs are healthy.
When the team visits Oshawa Friday, every player will be fit to play for the first time this season. That includes forward Mackenzie Entwistle, who has been sidelined with a rib injury since mid-September.
“He brings our intensity in practice up, he brings our intensity in games up, so he’s only going to help push it in that regard,” said head coach John Gruden. “It’s going to be great.”
Entwistle, who became Hamilton’s highest-ever National Hockey League draft pick when the Arizona Coyotes selected him in the third round in June, is expected to line up between Matt Strome and Will Bitten against the Generals.
He’ll also get time on the struggling power play, which is currently operating at just over 11 per cent.
“He’s going to make us better,” Gruden said.
Entwistle is not the only one returning.
Strome, who missed both of last weekend’s games with a bruised shoulder, is also back, as is Ben Gleason. The veteran defenceman, who underwent wrist surgery in the off-season, made his debut in Monday’s overtime loss to Sarnia.
The fact that the Bulldogs will have access to a robust roster is a boon with a difficult weekend ahead.
After visiting Oshawa, they will be hosting Kingston before travelling to North Bay for a Sunday matinee — which, when you add it up, means they will log three games and more than 1,000 kilometres in a little over 48 hours.
According to Gruden, the only good thing about the schedule is the fact that he can roll four lines and six defencemen. With everyone back in the lineup, he added, “we have to make sure we manage minutes.”
That includes between the pipes, where he projected back Nick Donofrio will “probably” get his second start.
The only player that definitely won’t be in the mix for the Bulldogs is forward Navrin Mutter, who is serving an automatic twogame suspension for slew footing. He’s eligible to return against the Battalion.
At Oshawa Friday, 7:35 p.m. The storyline: After opening the season with a pair of lopsided wins, the Generals have lost all but one of their last four outings. Player to watch: Allan McShane has a point in each of his last three games and leads the team in scoring with 10 points. Neat stat: Oshawa goes into the weekend with the worst penalty kill percentage in the OHL at 59.3 per cent. Hamilton connection: Mitchell Brewer is from Waterdown. Kingston Saturday, 7 p.m., FirstOntario The storyline: The Frontenacs are 5-1 and tops in the East Division heading into Peterborough Thursday. Player to watch: Jason Robertson had three points in two games last weekend, including the lone goal (and shootout winner) against Hamilton. Neat stat: At 14 minutes per game, Kingston started the weekend as the most penalized team in the league. At North Bay Sunday 2 p.m. The storyline: The Battalion had lost three straight going in Thursday’s game against Ottawa, but started the season with a trio of wins. Player to watch: Luke Burghardt starts the weekend on a six-game point streak and among the OHL’s scoring leaders with six goals and five assists. Neat stat: North Bay is third in the league in both shots for (37) and shots against (28) per game. Hamilton connection: Adam McMaster is from Beamsville and Jesse Saban is a former Bulldog.