Erie Otters at (17-32-3-5) at London Knights (39-12-2-2)
When: Today, 2 p.m.
Where: Budweiser Gardens – London, Ontario
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.; Friday at Sarnia, 7:05 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters have split the first four games of the six-game season series with the Midwest Division rival Knights, including a 4-3 win at Erie Insurance Arena Friday night. They meet for the final time March 13 in Erie. … The Otters are five points away from being officially eliminated from playoff contention. Any combination of Otters losses and Saginaw wins/overtime losses totaling five points will end Erie’s postseason hopes. … The Otters are on pace to earn the No. 2 pick in the OHL Priority Selection. They have the second-worst record in the league, behind only Ottawa (15-37-0-4). Peterborough stands third worst at 20-29-3-4. … C Connor McDavid (24 goals, 30 assists, 54 points) holds a three-point lead over Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (24-27-51) in the league’s rookie scoring race. Brampton LW Blake Clarke (18-25-43) trails McDavid by 11 points. … RW Connor Brown set a new single-season career high with his 26th goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to Kitchener Saturday night. He already has new career highs with 40 assists and 66 points. … C J.P. Labardo needs one goal for the first 20-goal season of his five-year OHL career. His 34 assists and 53 points nearly equal his totals from the previous four seasons. … C Luke Cairns (10-28-38) has set a new career best in assists and points. … F Dane Fox (12-16-28 in 28 games) has averaged a point per game since returning from a foot injury. He had two goals and an assist Friday against the Knights, his former team. … D Jimmy McDowell has 12 goals this season, four more than in his previous three seasons. He ranks among the league’s top goal-scoring defensemen. … G Oscar Dansk stopped 75-of-81 shots the past two games after allowing 16 goals on his previous 106 shots. … Rookie D Darren Raddysh has played 14 games as an affiliated player, although nine count toward the total of 10 allowed by league rules. He has been a healthy scratch the past two games. … The Knights snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win at Niagara Sunday. … They remain nine points ahead of Barrie by in the race for the league’s regular-season championship and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. … The Knights are playing without RW Seth Griffith (33-49-82), who is reportedly out with a broken hand. … Rookie G Anthony Stolarz stopped 40-of-41 shots against the IceDogs after making 29 saves on 31 shots in relief of starter Jake Patterson Friday in Erie. … The Knights are 8-9 since posting a 24-game winning streak, which fell one shy of tying the CHL record. … They lead the league with 229 goals scored.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters had plenty of jump against the OHL-leading London Knights Friday night.
The Otters built an early 2-0 lead and then held on for a 4-3 win in front of 3,060 fans at Erie Insurance Arena. Dane Fox had two goals and an assist against his former team while Connor Brown added three assists for the Otters (17-31-3-5). Oscar Dansk made 30 saves for the Otters.
Matt Rupert, Ryan Rupert and Bo Horvat score while Max Domi had two assists for the Knights (39-12-2-2), which played without injured leading scorer Seth Griffith. Anthony Stolarz took the loss despite stopping 29-of-31 shots in relief of starter Jake Patterson.
Surprisingly, the Otters jumped on the Knights early on the way to taking a 2-0 lead and chasing Patterson from the net after only five minutes and five shots on goal. Luke Cairns opened the scoring by slipping a shot past Patterson for his 10th goal of the season 3:13 into the game. Then linemate Fox, who assisted on Cairns’ goal, flicked a backhand past Patterson at the 5:12 mark.
That goal sent Patterson to the bench in favor of Stolarz. He immediately was tested by Otters rookie Connor McDavid, the first of Stolarz’s 10 saves on 10 shots in the first period. He robbed Cairns of another goal with a right pad save in the final seconds of the period.
But the Otters, which ranked near the bottom of the OHL with 169 goals scored entering the game, continued to pressure one of the league’s stingiest defenses in the second. Erie gained momentum during a trio of 5-on-3 opportunities in a span of four minutes early in the period.
The Otters also regained a two-goal lead at 3-1 on Fox’s second goal of the night 5:51 into the period. Brown earned his third assist of the game on the goal. The Knights pulled within a goal at 3-2 on Horvat’s goal off a rebound 4:22 into the third period.
A great individual effort from McDavid led to his 24th goal of the season and a 4-2 lead with 6:27 left. McDavid slipped from behind the net, and then appeared to mesmerize two Knights’ defenders with his stickhandling, before sliding a shot past Stolarz.
The Knights once again sliced Erie’s lead to a goal at 4-3 with 5:01 left, as Ryan Rupert‘s scored a power-play goal with Stolarz on the bench for an extra attacker. Yet the Otters held on to even the season season with the Midwest Division rival Knights at two games apiece.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 4, Knights 3
London 1 0 2 — 3
Erie 2 1 1 — 4
1st Period — 1. Erie, Luke Cairns 10 (Fox, Brown), 3:13. 2. Erie, Dane Fox 11 (Brown, Kuzmyk), 5:12. 3. London, Matt Rupert 24 (Domi, Stolarz), 9:19. Penalties — Fox (E) high sticking, 9:31.
2nd Period — 4. Erie, Fox 12 (Brown, Pelech), 5:51 (pp). Penalties — Maatta (L) high sticking, 3:58; M. Rupert (L) delay of game, 5:18; Hughes (L) delay of game, 6:43; Fox (E) roughing, 7:17; Horvat (L) roughing, 7:17; R. Rupert (L) interference, 7:44; Pelech (E) roughing, 13:09.
3rd Period — 5. London, Bo Horvat 25 (Domi, Broadhurst), 4:22. 6. Erie, Connor McDavid 24 (Labardo, Donnay), 13:33. 7. London, Ryan Rupert 9 (Domi, Maatta), 14:59 (pp). Penalties — Betz (E) 14:06.
Shots on goal — London, 10-7-16—33; Erie, 15-13-8—36.
Goaltenders — London, Jake Patterson (5 shots, 3 saves), Anthony Stolarz 4-2-1-0 (31 shots, 29 saves); Erie, Oscar Dansk 9-16-2-3 (33 shots, 30 saves).
Power plays — London (1-3), Erie (1-4).
Referees — Jason Goldenberg, Bob Langdon. Linesmen — Ryan Holmstead, Drew Jackson.
Attendance — 3,060.

Three stars
* Dane Fox, Otters (2 goals, assist) ** Connor Brown, Otters (3 assists) *** Max Domi, Knights (2 assists)

KITCHENER, Ontario – The Erie Otters’ postseason hopes continued to slip away Friday night.
Kitchener’s three-goal second period sent the Otters to a 5-1 loss in front of 7,294 fans at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Meanwhile, Saginaw and Windsor won Friday, leaving the Otters 13 points behind the eighth-place Spirit and nine behind No. 9 Windsor in the race for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot heading into today’s 7 p.m. rematch with the Rangers at Erie Insurance Arena.
The Otters (15-25-3-5), which have 20 games left in the regular season, have lost three straight games and six of their last seven. In the latest defeat, the Otters played the Rangers (27-14-1-5) to a scoreless tie. But rookie Justin Bailey‘s goal 46 seconds into the second period, and Tobias Rieder‘s goal 1 minute, 5 seconds later, sparked Kitchener’s run to a 3-0 lead. Ryan Murphy also scored midway through the period.
The Otters hoped to mount a comeback following J.P. Labardo‘s 16th goal of the season 3:02 into the third period. But Matia Marcantuoni scored at the 7:05 mark to regain the Rangers’ three-goal lead. Derek Schoenmakers capped the scoring with 2:29 left.
Devin Williams stopped 41-of-46 shots in a losing effort for the Otters, while Joel Vienneau made 31 saves on 32 shots for the Rangers.
Luke Cairns had an assist for the Otters. Murphy led Kitchener with a goal and two assists, while Ben Thomson had two assists. Otters defenseman Adam Pelech was given an indefinite suspension for his knee-on-knee hit against Saginaw’s Zach Bratina Wednesday. The league hasn’t issued an official ruling.

Connor Brown and Connor McDavid continued their impressive offensive play Friday night. But that wasn’t enough to keep the Erie Otters from their third straight loss, 6-3, to Western Conference-leading Owen Sound in front of 2,395 at Erie Insurance Arena.
Brown scored two goals, giving five goals in the past three games and a team-leading 12 on the season, and McDavid added a goal and assist for the Otters (4-9-1-2). But Daniel Catenacci and Gemel Smith had two goals and two assists apiece for the Attack (11-2-0-2), while Jordan Binnington stopped 20-of-23 shots for his eighth win in nine tries (8-0-0-1) against the Otters.
The Attack jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, as Holden Cook scored unassisted from in close 1:27 into the opening period. Then Jaden Lindo fired a wrist slot from the right wing past Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk at the 8:08 mark to build a two-goal lead.
However, Brown’s consecutive power-play goals – his 11th and 12th goals of the season, as well as fourth and fifth in the past three games – allowed the Otters to overcome a sluggish start and erase that deficit. Brown flipped a bad-angle shot from the corner off Binnington and inside the left post to move the Otters within 2-1 with 8:44 left in the period.
McDavid’s pinpoint pass to Brown in front tied the score at 2 with 5:59 left in the period. McDavid extended his point streak to 15 straight games. He has points in 15 of his first 16 career games. Yet the more experienced Attack gained momentum through their aggressive, attacking style. Owen Sound outshot the Otters 20-3 in the period, including Smith’s rebound in close with 4:11 left in the period that snapped the 2-2 tie. Dansk (32 saves on 38 shots) made several key saves, including on a shorthanded breakaway moments after the Attack took the lead. Owen Sound also began the third with 1:33 left on a power play. But moments after coming out of the penalty box, McDavid stole the puck at the Otters’ blue line and scored on an end-to-end rush to the the score at 3 at the 1:55 mark.
Yet the Attack responded quickly to take a 4-3 lead, as Catenacci scored on a rebound in front 1:05 after McDavid’s goal. Then Catenacci’s second goal of the night and 10th of the season, scored with 8:28 left, handed the Attack a two-goal lead. The Attack sealed the win on Smith’s second goal of the game with 4:17 left.
* News and notes: Troy Donnay left the game after appearing to block a shot with his right foot. His status for tonight’s game against the Attack is unknown. Adam Pelech was able to play Friday despite a bruised left ankle suffered while blocking shots in consecutive games last weekend. … Otters coach Robbie Ftorek altered his top two lines by moving Luke Cairns to the wing alongside McDavid and Brown on the No. 1 line and putting J.P. Labardo in between Connor Crisp and rookie Hayden Hodgson on the second line.

- Victor Fernandes

Connor Brown recorded his first career hat trick, and eight teammates also recorded points. But the Erie Otters couldn’t hold onto an early three-goal lead, as they lost to Sault Ste. Marie 6-5 in a shootout in front of 2,196 at Erie Insurance Arena Friday night.
Andrew Fritsch scored the winning goal in the fourth round of the shootout for the Greyhounds (8-7-0-0). J.P. Labardo had three assists and scored the lone shootout goal for the Otters (4-7-1-2), which lost for the second time in three shootouts this season. Darnell Nurse scored two goals and Nick Cousins had three assists for the Greyhounds.
The No. 1 line of captain Brown, No. 1 pick Connor McDavid and overager Labardo sparked the Otters’ surge to a 3-0 second-period lead. Brown recorded a natural hat trick – his team-leading eighth, ninth and 10th goals of the season. Labardo assisted on all three goals while McDavid had an assist to extend his point streak to 13 straight games.
Brown scored on the power play off assists from McDavid and Labardo to snap the scoreless tie 9:07 into the game. Brown scored again on the power play, this time from Adam Pelech and Labardo, five minutes later to send the Otters into the second period with a 2-0 lead. Brown completed the natural hat trick – his first OHL hat trick – on a rebound of Labardo’s shot 48 seconds into the second.
The Greyhounds sliced Erie’s lead to 3-2 with two second-period goals – from Nurse at 4:03 and Nick Halagian with 7:52 left.
Connor Crisp redirected Spencer Abraham’s shot past goaltender Matt Murray for a 4-2 Otters’ lead with 5:50 left in the period. But the Greyhounds responded by scoring twice early in the third to tie the score at 4. Former Otter David Broll scored from in front to pull the Greyhounds within a goal at 4-3 at the 2:15 mark. Colin Miller‘s first goal of the season, scored on the power play, tied the score at 4 at the 5:45 mark, only to have the Otters regain the lead with their third power-play goal of the night.
Stephen Harper scored on assist from Luke Cairns to give the Otters a 5-4 lead with 11:37 left. Yet the Greyhounds rallied again to tie it at 5 with 6:25 left on Nurse’s second goal of the game. Then the Greyhounds rebounded from an early deficit in the shootut to claim the win.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters hadn’t enjoyed a game like this for a long time.
“It feels good,” veteran winger J.P. Labardo said after a 7-1 win against Saginaw in front of 2,083 at Erie Insurance Arena Wednesday night. Since the rebuilding process began a season ago, the Otters (4-7-1-1) have found themselves on the wrong end of blowouts.
And for the most part, Erie has encountered tightly contested games this season. Yet after a slow opening few minutes against the Spirit (4-7-2-0), the Otters exploded offensively, especially on special teams, while clamping down on Saginaw’s dangerous offense.
The Otters scored three times apiece in the first and second periods, headlined by two power-play goals and a pair of short-handed scores, on the way to the franchise’s largest margin of victory since a 10-3 win in Kingston Feb. 13, 2011. The Otters also scored their most goals in a game since an 8-7 shootout loss to the Spirit March 2, 2012. They entered the game averaging 2.9 goals per game.
Luke Cairns led the way with a goal and two assists. Labardo scored twice while Connor Crisp (goal, assist), Jimmy McDowell (goal, assist) and Adam Pelech (two assists) had two points apiece. Meanwhile, Oscar Dansk stopped 34-of-35 shots, and was headed to his first OHL shutout until Jimmy Lodge’s power-play goal with 1 minute, 32 seconds left in the game.

- Victor Fernandes

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Erie Otters lost their fourth straight game Thursday night.
The penalty kill that extended their season-high skid was longer. Windsor took advantage of a rare seven-minute power play, scoring late in the second period and early in the third, on the way to handing the Otters a 2-1 defeat in front of 5,501 at WFCU Centre.
The Otters (2-6-1-1) and Spitfires (5-3-0-3) battled to a scoreless tie late in the second. Then Otters defenseman Adam Pelech received 17 minutes in penalties and a game misconduct, including two minutes for instigating and five for fighting, with 4 minutes, 4 seconds left in the period. The Spitfires scored twice on the power play – Kerby Rychel’s goal with six seconds left in the second and Derek Schoenmakers‘ goal 42 seconds into the third. That was enough offense for the Spitfires, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Standout rookie Connor McDavid’s fifth goal of the season, sliced Windsor’s lead in half at 2-1 with 9:30 left in the game. J.P. Labardo and Luke Cairns assisted on the goal. But the Otters couldn’t produce the tying goal against goaltender Jaroslav Pavelka, who finished with 26 saves. Rookie goaltender Oscar Dansk suffered the loss despite stopping 45-of-47 shots – two saves shy of his season high.
Former Otters winger Chris Marchese had an assist for the Spitfires. The Otters travel to London today for a 7 p.m. game against the Midwest Division rival Knights. The game will be televised on NHL Network, which can be found on Channel 157 (DISH Network), Channel 215 (DirecTV) and Channel 324 (Time Warner Cable).

The Erie Otters rallied from two goals down on home ice for the second straight weekend. Yet they experienced the same result.
Dylan Smoskowitz scored his second goal of the night with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game, as Mississauga handed the Otters a 4-3 loss in front of 2,483 at Erie Insurance Arena. Erie (2-5-1-1) lost for the third consecutive time despite erasing a 3-1 deficit.
Veteran defenseman Troy Donnay and Adam Pelech scored their first goals of the season four minutes apart midway through the third period to complete the comeback. Pelech collided with Steelheads goaltender Tyson Teichmann, a former Erie Otter, on the play. That sent Teichmann off the ice with an apparent leg injury. No. 1 Connor McDavid assisted on Pelech’s tying goal with 9:45 left to extend his point streak to eight games. But Smoskowitz followed with the game winner for the Steelheads (5-3-0-1).
Spencer Martin stopped all three shots he faced in relief of Teichmann to earn the victory. Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk took the loss after allowing four goals on 38 shots. Mississauga outshot the Otters 39-27. Yet Erie opened the scoring on Connor Crisp‘s third goal of the season 7:42 into the opening period. But the Steelheads tied the score on Josh Burnside‘s goal with 30 seconds left in the period.
Then Mississauga built a 3-1 lead in the second, as Smoskowitz scored the tiebreaker at the 7:47 mark and Spenser Cobbold followed with his first goal of the season less than six minutes later. The Otters overcame that deficit, much like they did in a 4-3 shootout loss to London at home last Saturday night. But just like in that game, the Otters couldn’t turn the comeback into a victory.
Crisp added an assist to his goal. Luke Cairns also had an assist for the Otters. Burnside and Cobbold had a goal and assist apiece for the Steelheads, while Riley Brace had two assists. The Otters return to action Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. game in Windsor.

The shootout already had ventured into the ninth round. Yet Erie Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk wanted it to last longer.
After eight failed attempts, Dansk hoped to give his teammates another chance against London Saturday night at Erie Insurance Arena. But Knights rookie Kyle Platzer scored the only goal of the nine-round marathon to hand the Otters a 4-3 loss in front of 2,667 fans.
The Otters (2-3-1-1) settled for one point and three out of four during their two-game weekend homestand. Meanwhile, the Knights (4-2-0-0) earned their second straight win despite squandering a two-goal, second-period lead. Dansk finished with 19 saves on 22 shots in regulation and overtime before his stellar effort in the shootout. His counterpart, Kevin Bailie, had 26 saves on 29 shots through 65 minutes of action and several more quality saves in the shootout.
No. 1 pick Connor McDavid, Connor Brown and Stephen Harper scored for the Otters. Brown added an assist for a two-point outing.
Seth Griffith and Bo Horvat had a goal and assist apiece for the Knights, while Max Domi added a goal.
McDavid continued his impressive start to his rookie season by scoring 1 minute, 55 seconds into the opening period – his third goal in two nights and fourth goal in seven games. He slid past the Knights’ defense and slipped a shot past Bailie to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead. But that lead didn’t last long, as Domi tied the score at 1 at the 6:23 mark with his fourth goal of the season.
Domi escaped a crowd of defenders behind the Otters’ net and squeezed a shot between the right post and Dansk’s left pad. Then Griffith, who burned the Otters for three goals in an 8-2 Knights’ win in London Sept. 21, scored his seventh goal in six games to snap the 1-1 tie with 8:28 left in the period. Griffth tied Oshawa’s Boone Jenner for the OHL lead in goals.
The Otters dominated at the start of the second. They held the Knights without a shot on goal for nearly eight minutes. Meanwhile, the Otters’ offense generated several quality scoring opportunities. Yet while Bailie stymied the Otters, including key saves in close on Johnny McGuire and Luke Cairns, Bo Horvat scored on the Knights’ first shot of the period to build a 3-1 lead at the 7:56 mark.
But the Otters converted their first power play of the game, as Brown turned a fortunate bounce off a defender in front of the net into his fourth goal of the season. His rebound to Bailie’s left with 2:48 left in the period sent the Otters into the third trailing 3-2.
Then the Otters capitalized on their second power play of the game 9:27 into the third to complete the comeback. After Nick Betz stole the puck from a Knights defender, linemate Jake Evans found Harper in front for his fourth goal of the season.
Harper appeared to give the Otters a 4-3 lead on a power play late in regulation. But the officials whistled the play dead for offsides, a call Harper disagreed with but Otters coach Robbie Ftorek defended. Scott Harrington nearly sealed the Knights’ win in overtime, but his shot from the point glanced off the post and into the ground. Then the Otters killed off a power play in the final 1:32 of the extra period, sending the game into the shootout. But the Otters couldn’t beat Bailie, while Platzer slipped a shot through Dansk’s pads
* News and notes: Head coach Dan Bylsma and former forward Bill Guerin headlined a group of Pittsburgh Penguins officials at the game. Knights defensemen Harrington and Olli Maatta are Penguins prospects. … Scott Howson, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager, attended both games this weekend to watch Dansk, the NHL club’s second-round draft pick this past June. … The Otters scratched Anthony Cortellessa (flu) and Dane Fox (broken foot). Liam Maaskant, Justin Felker and Mitch Eisenberg were healthy scratches. Maaskant and Eisenberg haven’t dressed for a game this season.

- Victor Fernandes

The renovations at Erie Insurance Arena aren’t finished yet. But the Erie Otters already feel at home.
Connor McDavid scored twice, and Oscar Dansk made 34 saves, in their home debut to lead the Otters to a 5-1 win in front of a home-opening crowd of 3,474 fans Friday night. Stephen Harper had a goal and assist, while Connor Brown and J.P. Labardo added two assists apiece.
The Otters (2-3-1-0) snapped a two-game losing streak. Brampton fell to 2-3-0-1.
The Otters were excited to finally play at home after spending the first five games on the road. Then in a heartwarming and emotional pregame ceremony, the club honored Anna Ftorek, the youngest daughter of Robbie Ftorek and Wendy Ftorek who died July 21 at the age of 23, by unveiling a banner in her memory and dedicating the season to her. The players also exchanged hugs with the Ftorek family.
The Otters used that spark to gain momentum early, and then took a 1-0 lead on a goal from an unlikely source – Johnny McGuire. The physical winger scored his first goal of the season – and his fourth in 64 career OHL games – 8:48 into the opening period.
The Otters’ offense sputtered after that. The defense, which allowed 40 or more shots in every game of last weekend’s three-game trip to Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa, surrendered 13 shots on goal in the period to a Battalion club averaging two goals per game.
Yet rookie goaltender Dansk stopped them all. He stood strong in the second perod as well with 14 more saves. Meanwhile, No. 1 pick McDavid scored in his home debut – his second goal and seventh point of the season – to hand the Otters a 2-0 lead at the 6:06 mark. The rookie center redirected Brown’s cross-ice pass past goaltender Jake Smith before barreling into the net.
Brampton began the third on the power play, as Brown took a holding penalty as time expired in the second. But the Otters capitalized instead, with Luke Cairns scoring short-handed from in close on an assist from J.P. Labardo 10 seconds into the period.
Blake Clarke‘s wrist shot from in front – his second goal of the season – ended Dansk’s bid for his first OHL shutout 7:30 into the third period. But the Otters responded with 4:51 left, as Harper slipped past the Battalion’s normally staunch defense for his third goal of the season and a 4-1 Otters’ lead. Harper tied Brown for the team lead in goals. McDavid tied them in goals two minutes later.
McDavid posted his first career two-goal game, on assists from Brown and Labardo, to open a four-goal advantage at 5-1.

- Victor Fernandes