Petes depth will be the difference in series
The Petes looked every bit the part of a first overall seed in sweeping the Niagara IceDogs in round one.
Niagara pushed Peterborough on occasion, including game three’s overtime thriller, but ultimately the depth of the Petes attack was too much to handle.
No line better shows that depth of attack than the newly formed unit of Zach Gallant, Jonathan Ang and Josh Coyle. At first glance, this would appear to be a defensive unit. The OHL Coaches Poll recently showered this group with accolades – Gallant as the Eastern Conference’s best defensive player and best on faceoffs, Coyle as best shot blocker and best penalty killer and Ang as best skater.
Uniting those talents gives the look of a dynamic shut down line, and they may be deployed that way as the playoffs progress, but in round one this line was a potent source of offence combining for eight goals, 16 points and a combined +17 rating in the four game series.
The fact Coyle was moved up to that line aligns with the coaching staff ’s apparent philosophy so far in the playoffs. They have relied heavily on the veteran players on the club, counting on experience to lead the way. While the rookies have seen less ice time, they’ve contributed when given the chance, both Nick Isaacson and Matyas Svoboda had multipoint games in the series clinching game four. In all, 13 Petes players recorded at least two points in the series.
If there’s one cause for concern coming out of the first round, it’s the status of Matt Timms. The Petes defence picked up his offensive slack well in round one, with both Matt Spencer and Brandon Prophet chipping in four points, but Timms is a finalist for OHL defenceman of the year for a reason and his presence will be missed if he misses any length of time.
The Petes reward for sweeping round one was a few days off to allow injuries to heal up and to be fully recharged for their round two series against the Kingston Frontenacs. The matchup with Kingston brings back memories of 2014. In those playoffs, the Petes were able to defeat the Frontenacs with an overtime victory in a hard fought seven game series in round one, much like the one the Frontenacs won Tuesday night.
The Fronts will be looking for revenge for that upset victory, lending extra motivation to pull off an upset of their own. The Petes meanwhile, can look to the fate they suffered after scoring that exhilarating overtime winner. They had left it all on the ice in getting through round one and in facing a more rested, higher seeded Oshawa team in the second round, they were quickly dispatched. This time around the Petes have the rest.
Kingston and Peterborough are different teams than they were in 2014. In that series, Jeremy Helvig and Dylan Wells weren’t even in the OHL. Now, they’re in starring roles and arguably the MVP of their respective teams. The Frontenacs also boast 40-goal, 80-point second year standout Jason Robertson up front and 2015 Memorial Cup Champion (as a member of the Oshawa Generals) Stephen Desrocher on the back end.
Just as in round one, I expect the Petes depth to make the difference in this series. The Frontenacs possess game breakers and a great goalie but so do the Petes, in greater numbers and on every line.