Now it gets interesting for the Bulldogs
Round Two of the playoffs opens Thursday at home against Mississauga
Things are about to get a whole lot tougher for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
When they step on the FirstOntario Centre ice Thursday at 7 p.m. for Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs, it won’t be the overmatched Peterborough Petes facing them again. Now it’ll be the vastly superior Mississauga Steelheads.
Yes, the Steelheads finished 25 points behind Hamilton in the regular-season standings. However, head-to-head they gave the Bulldogs some problems.
They won three of the first four meetings between the two sides this season. That’s a clear sign of something. But, even after Hamilton had made some trades to get stronger in the new year and Mississauga lost all four of their final meetings, they generally kept things close. The final scores of 1-0, 4-2, 2-1 and 5-1 make that clear.
That’s just the headline, though. Dig down a bit and there are plenty of other comparables.
Sure, the Bulldogs surrendered the fewest goals in the league this season. But, who was No. 2? Mississauga. Hamilton goalie Marco Costantini was first in goals-against average, but Steelhead goalie Roman Basran was right behind him in the second spot.
Yes, Hamilton had the secondmost-potent power play all year — and collected a ridiculous 13 goals with the man advantage in its fourgame sweep of the Petes — but the Steelheads had the third-best penalty kill.
So, where are the differences? Hamilton’s offence is far-more productive, outscoring Mississauga’s
by 71 goals over the course of 68 games. That’s largely because its lineup is deeper. Three Steelheads finished with more than 50 points this year. Seven Bulldogs did that and Mason McTavish and Ryan Winterton absolutely would’ve joined them had they played more than 29 and 37 games.
At this point it’s also probably worth pointing out that the Bulldogs’ lineup the last time they lost to Mississauga looks a whole lot different from the one that’ll be on the ice on Thursday.
Not playing that evening? McTavish, Winterton, Arber Xhekaj, Nathan Staios and Jan Mysak, who just happen to be three of the team’s best forwards and its two best defencemen.
Regardless, the easy part of the Bulldogs’ season is now done. This shapes up to be a real challenge. As does the rest of the year, however long that lasts.
If they win this series, they could well get North Bay next. The Battalion split four games with them this year. And if they can win that series, they’d get the best from the
Even after Hamilton had made some trades to get stronger in the new year and Mississauga lost all four of their final meetings, they generally kept things close
Western Conference, which we know little about since there were almost no crossover games due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Nothing from here on will be a soft touch. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
This is where Hamilton gets its first real test in a long time. This is likely where we see what happens when the team that’s gone 39-4 since the start of 2022 faces some adversity.
Game 2 is Sunday at 2 p.m. at FirstOntario Centre, Games 3 and 4 are Tuesday and Friday in Mississauga. Game 5, if necessary, will be Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. in Hamilton. Game 6, if necessary, is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 in Mississauga. And if Game 7 is needed, it will go Wednesday, May 18 at 7 at FirstOntario.