Rangers return home down 2-0
Power-play woes killing Kitchener in playoff series
The Kitchener Rangers are experiencing a power outage.
And it’s killing them in their Ontario Hockey League Western Conference semifinal against the London Knights.
The Blueshirts trail the Green Machine 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, after losing 5-1 on Saturday night at Budweiser Gardens.
The showdown now shifts to friendlier confines at the Aud for Games 3 and 4 — on Tuesday and Thursday — but will be over fast if the team can’t solve its power-play woes.
“We have to get that going if we want to win,” said Rangers skipper Jussi Ahokas. “We have to make better choices with the puck. We’re trying to force things.”
Oh, Kitchener has gotten opportunities.
There was a five-minute man advantage in Game 1 after Knights forward Sam O’Reilly received a major for boarding, which resulted in a two-game suspension.
On Saturday, the Rangers had a five-on-three for 1:20.
In fact, the club has been up a man 10 times in the series but has nothing to show for it.
And that’s frustrating. Especially since the team cashed seven times and sparkled on the power play in the first round of the playoffs against the Erie Otters.
“I think we have a lot of good players on our power play and we’re going to get to work in practice and hopefully convert,” said Rangers veteran forward Matthew Sop. They better.
London is two wins away from reaching the west final for the second consecutive season and is playing with confidence after sweeping the first two tilts at the Bud.
The Knights came out hitting on Saturday.
They were banging Rangers into the boards and in open ice. Heck, gritty Sawyer Boulton even ran into Ahokas as the coaches made their way to the benches before the start of the third period.
The game was close — 2-1 London — through the opening frame. Then the Knights took over and scored three unanswered goals.
But here’s the thing: The Rangers had their chances. They had six power plays in all, but just couldn’t capitalize.
“It’s all on the players,” said Knights assistant coach Rick Steadman, when asked about his team’s potent penalty-killing crew. “They really buy in and do all the hard things. It’s a point of pride for them.”
And, while goals can lift a team, clean kills can, too.
“When you get those big saves and kill them off, it kind of puts the momentum back on your side,” said Steadman.
Carson Rehkopf had the lone tally for the Rangers on Saturday while the Knights got goals from Kaleb Lawrence, Kasper Halttunen, Henry Brzustewicz, Jacob Julien and Jackson Edward.
“We’re definitely not out of this,” said Sop. “It’s going to take us grinding.
“We definitely have the punch. We definitely have the bite. We definitely want it so badly. Trust me, those guys in the locker-room want it really badly. We’re going to show that on Tuesday.”