Bulldogs power to series sweep
Hamilton’s explosive power play propels it to second round of the playoffs
A little over 20 years ago, a hockeythemed TV series was filmed at what was then called Copps Coliseum. It was called Power Play. Some of you might remember it.
Funny thing, though. Even those behind a show with that name never bothered to write a script in which the home side scored 13 power play goals in a four-game playoff series. Sure, it was fiction, but it was still supposed to be believable. And that kind of output simply isn’t realistic.
Just don’t tell that to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
There can be no surprise that the black and gold are moving on to the second round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. Nobody could seriously have expected anything else when the team they were facing finished 43 points behind them in the standings.
The more cautious among us might not have gone so far as to predict a sweep of Peterborough. But, that happened when the Bulldogs won Game 4 by a 7-3 score Thursday night.
Either way, this was absolutely the expected result. So, it’s not that it happened that’s the story. It’s how it happened.
They did it on the strength of 13 power play goals. A baker’s dozen with the man advantage. That should be a typo, but it isn’t.
Collecting that many in a sevengame series would be tough to do. Doing it in four games is simply a staggering level of production. It’s hard to recall any stretch of games at any level of hockey where a power play was this potent.
Most teams would be thrilled to average one a game. Hamilton averaged better than three. That’s not normal. It’s difficult to find records for this kind of thing but this is right up there.
You’d think whoever Hamilton faces in the next round — could be Barrie, Mississauga or Oshawa — will have taken note and might decide that spending a huge chunk of the game short-handed isn’t a winning strategy. That could make it less of a grind and more of a track meet.
The Bulldogs clearly don’t mind the physical play. Many guys have said they like it. But, encouraging their opponent to choose a slightly less-physical and more free-flowing game should benefit Hamilton because there’s no team that can match their skill or depth. Not that we’ve seen this year, anyway.
If their opponent still thinks playing on the edge and taking penalties is the way to win, well, based on this, you can be pretty sure the Bulldogs would be fine with that, too.
The question is, can this possibly continue?
Logic would say no. As would the fact that you just don’t see this kind of output.
And the reality that the law of bounces — if there such a thing — can’t favour one side forever. And if Mississauga is the opponent, all those things, plus the fact that the Steelheads had the third-best penalty kill in the league this season, says there’s no way it could happen again.
That said, Barrie and Oshawa were both in the bottom third in that category. And both teams struggled on the penalty kill against Hamilton in their later games this season once the Bulldogs had their full roster and were rolling.
We’ll get our answer soon enough. In the meantime, while those other teams beat each other up a bit more, we now have a few days simply to enjoy what that was we saw.
Because execution at a level you just never see is worthy of appreciation.
For however long it lasts.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, it was better than Power Play.