Reflections on the London Knights’ 28-game streak
Last season, the American League’s Norfolk Admirals went on quite possibly the greatest run in the history of hockey. Following a loss to the Springfield Falcons on Feb. 5, they would go on a tear, setting a North American hockey record with a 28-game winning streak. Their next loss wouldn’t be for another 76 days when the Manchester Monarchs defeated them 5-2 in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, though they would go on to win the series and go 15-3 in the playoffs to take the Calder Cup.
This season, the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights very nearly matched that, going on a 28-game point streak in which they won 27 games, including 24 in a row, with their only blemish being a 6-5 overtime loss to the Sarnia Sting on New Year’s Day. They finally lost in regulation on January 12 to the Saginaw Spirit, 72 days after they failed to earn a point against the Windsor Spitfires.
That overtime loss was huge from a history standpoint as that game would have tied them for the longest winning streak in OHL history of 25 games set by the 1983-84 Kitchener Rangers. And although it was a defeat, they still earned a point and managed to roll off three more wins after that. It was a roller coaster ride the entire way and despite the fact that the winning streak ended at home, the fans were grateful for what they witnessed the preceding two-plus months. From Cam Charron of Yahoo! Sports Canada:
But the Knights fans in attendance (announced at 9,046) were gracious in defeat, giving their team a loud ovation to respect a 24-game win streak complete with comebacks, blown leads, great games, blowouts, 19-round shootouts and fine goaltending. It was obviously bound to end at some point, and almost fitting that it came in a wild one-goal overtime victory, a trope utilized by the Knights to get to 24.
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They outscored opponents 128-66, earning four shutouts and scoring at least five goals 12 times. They weren’t just blowing by every team however, as 10 of their wins came by a single goal. Their record after the streak was an amazing 35-5-1-2 record for 73 points and although they have lost their past two games, they still have 16 more points than the next closest team, the 28-13-0-1 Barrie Colts. The Knights are currently on pace for 111 points in the 68-game season which would be the second-highest total in OHL history, only after the 120 set by the Knights in 2004-05. That year they stormed through the playoffs, winning the OHL championship by going 16-2 before going undefeated in the Memorial Cup Tournament.
The Knights are oozing talent this season, led by the league’s leading scorer Seth Griffith (drafted 131st by Boston in 2012) who has posted 29-43-72 and a plus-16 this season and Max Domi (2013 Draft eligible) who is sixth in the OHL having put up 23-35-60 and a plus-25. They have also received a steady supply of points from Alex Broadhurst (199th overall by Chicago in 2011), Bo Horvat (2013 Draft eligible), Chris Tierney (55th overall by San Jose in 2012) and Ryan and Matt Rupert.
A couple of Pittsburgh Penguins draft choices anchor their defense Scott Harington (54th overall in 2011) and Olli Maatta (22nd overall in 2012), but the Knights were able to continue to stifle opposing offenses even when they were in Ufa for the World Junior Championship.
They have three players in the Top 10 in plus-minus including first year defenseman Nikita Zadorov who is currently third with a plus-30.
But the true strength of this team has been goaltending as Jake Patterson and Kevin Bailie have split duties and are currently fifth and sixth in the OHL in goals-against average, respectively. They also recently signed Anthony Stolarz (45th overall by Philadelphia in 2012) to an OHL contract, though he likely won’t see much time until next season as this is Bailie’s last year of eligibility.
The split, unusual for such a dominant team, has worked in their favor and the team is comfortable with whoever is their last line of defense. From John Matisz, former TheGP staffer and currently of the Metro News:
The two-goalie approach likely won’t change unless Patterson or Kevin Bailie falters heavily or is traded before next Thursday’s trade deadline.
London’s reliance on its pair of netminders was most evident during the winning streak: Patterson and Bailie recorded 12 victories each.
“I didn’t know it was 12 and 12,” Bailie said. “That’s pretty cool. I hope the team feels comfortable with both of us.”
Heading into the majority of weekends, it’s been a tossup who the coaching staff will elect as the temporary No. 1 goalie.
Patterson has started four of the five games since the winning streak ended, including both recent losses.
Of course any team with Dale Hunter at the helm is going to play well. Hunter, second all time in the NHL with 3,563 PIM who also scored 1,020 points, has been the coach of London since midway through the 2001-02 season save for a brief stint coaching the Washington Capitals last season when he led them to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Rangers.
Hunter has had a lot of success in major junior, so he’ll know how to get the Knights focused again; how to push the right buttons after losing their past two games and with the playoff coming up in March. From Ryan Pyette of IFPress:
Dale Hunter and his players have a simple understanding.
Keep winning, and you will enjoy coming to the rink every day. There was plenty of time, obviously, for laughing, joking and cutting up in November and December.
“When you win, practices are much easier,” London Knights forward Josh Anderson said. “We don’t like to lose, for sure. We like those practices. They’re nice.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Hunter handles this situation.
With the Knights playing as well as ever, it’s unlikely Hunter will have to change much. This is a team that’s hungry to finish the job they started last season, winning the OHL championship before losing in the Memorial Cup final and achieving that ultimate goal. A winning streak is nice, capturing the Memorial Cup for just the second time in their 45-year history would be even better.
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