London Knights (39-11-2-2) at Erie Otters (16-31-3-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Erie Insurance Arena
On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)
Upcoming schedule: Saturday vs. Kitchener, 7 p.m.; Monday at London, 2 p.m.
What to expect: The Otters have lost nine of their last 10 games to fall 18 points behind eighth-place Saginaw in the chase for the final playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference with 13 games left in the regular season. … Any combination of Otters losses and Spirit wins totaling nine points officially will eliminate the Otters from playoff contention. … The Otters have lost five straight home games by a combined 27-9 score. They have the league’s third-worst home record (9-12-1-5). … Ottawa (15-36-0-4), which lost 10-1 at home to Eastern Conference-leading Barrie Wednesday night, remains ahead of the Otters in the race for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming OHL Priority Selection. Peterborough entered Thursday night’s game against Brampton with an 18-29-3-4 record. … F Connor Crisp completes a five-game suspension for a game misconduct incurred Feb. 2 against Sudbury. He was ejected for being the aggressor in a fight with D Charlie Dodero. Crisp is eligible to play Saturday against Kitchener. … C Connor McDavid (23 goals, 30 assists, 53 points) holds a three-point lead over Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (24-26-50) in the league’s rookie scoring race after Goldobin was held scoreless in an 8-0 loss to Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday. The Sting play in Windsor Thursday night. Brampton LW Blake Clarke (18-25-43) trails McDavid by 10 points. … McDavid leads all rookies with 30 assists and trails Goldobin by one goal. … The Otters face the league-leading Knights three times in the final month of the regular season, including Monday in London and March 13 in Erie. The Otters have lost two of the first three meetings, including a 4-3 shootout loss at home Oct. 16. … London leads Barrie by nine points in the race for the league’s regular-season championship and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. … The Knights have lost three straight games for the second time in the past month. … They have lost eight of 15 games since posting a 24-game winning streak, which fell one shy of tying the CHL record. … They lead the league with 221 goals scored and fourth with 143 goals against. … RW Seth Griffith ranks among the league’s top five with 33 goals, 49 assists and 82 points. … C Max Domi (33-38-68) also stands among the leaders in all three categories. … G Jake Patterson has a 17-6-1-1 record, 2.46 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and four shutouts in 27 games. … Kitchener (32-15-1-6) stands third in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Owen Sound and four ahead of Guelph. … The Rangers have won seven of their last 10 games. … They have won four of six meetings in the eight-game season series with the Otters. … They are third with 137 goals against.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters winger Stephen Harper stands eighth among OHL skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings for next summer’s NHL Entry Draft, which was released Tuesday. Ottawa center Sean Monahan tops the list, followed by Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Darnell Nurse, Windsor winger Kerby Rychel and London’s frontlin duo of Max Domi and Bo Horvat. Mississauga’s Spencer Martin headlines the list of the OHL’s top goaltenders, followed by Peterborough’s Michael Guigovaz and Barrie’s Alex Fotinos.

LONDON, Ontario – The Erie Otters produced an exciting and entertaining performance on national television Friday night.
Better yet, they produced a much-needed win. Connor Brown scored the only goal in a four-round shootout to hand the Otters a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in front of 9,046 fans at Budweiser Gardens and a nationwide viewing audience on NHL Network.
The Otters (3-6-1-1) snapped a four-game losing streak, as well as avenged a pair of earlier losses to the Knights – 8-2 in London Sept. 21 and 4-3 in Erie Oct. 6. In the last meeting, the Otters rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime before losing in a nine-round shootout. Erie also rallied from two goals down this time around to force overtime and a shootout.
London (5-3-0-1) took an early lead on Max Domi’s sixth goal of the season 46 seconds into the opening period. Then Josh Anderson’s goal at the 14:24 mark handed the Knights a 2-0 lead. But J.P. Labardo’s goal with 37 seconds left in the period sparked the comeback.
Connor McDavid and Troy Donnay assisted on the goal, with McDavid extending his point streak to 10 straight games. Then the Otters tied the score at 2 on Adam Pelech’s power-play goal 4:39 into the second period. After a scoreless third period and overtime, these Midwest Division rivals headed to a shootout. Yet it didn’t last as long this time, and the Otters enjoyed a better result.
Both teams failed to score on their first three shots. But Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk stopped Ryan Rupert to start the final round, and then Brown beat Knights goaltender Kevin Bailie for the winning goal. Dansk finished with 37 saves through regulation and overtime and four more in the shootout. Bailie stopped 34-of-36 shots in the first 65 minutes and three in the shootout.
Stephen Harper and Luke Cairns also had assists for the Otters, which head home to face Windsor today at 7 p.m. at Erie Insurance Arena.

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

This week, I’ll break down all 20 OHL clubs division by division and unveil my predictions for the 2012-13 season. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference’s Midwest Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Erie Otters
Coach/GM: Robbie Ftorek/Sherry Bassin
2011-12 finish: 10-52-3-3, 5th division, 10th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Connor McDavid (No. 1 pick in 2012 OHL Priority Selection; 33 goals, 39 assists, 72 points in 33 games with Toronto Marlboros minor midget), G Oscar Dansk (No. 3 pick in 2012 CHL Import Draft; 2.82 goals-against average, .910 save percentage in 28 games with Brynas in Sweden), C Dane Fox (23-31-54), RW Connor Brown (25-28-53; Toronto prospect), LW Stephen Harper (24-11-35)
Key losses: G Ramis Sadikov (6-23-3-2, 4.26, .894)
Outlook: The highly anticipated McDavid era begins in Erie, but this team has other promising players at every position. Now these young Otters have to learn how to win after enduring the worst record in franchise history a season ago.

Guelph Storm
Coach/GM: Scott Walker/Mike Kelly
2011-12 finish: 31-31-2-4, 4th division, 7th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Plymouth 4-2 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: RW Zack Mitchell (37-38-75), G Garret Sparks (27-25-1-3, 3.11, .907, 5 SO; Toronto prospect), RW Cody McNaughton (25-24-49), RW Scott Kosmachuk (30-29-59; Winnipeg prospect), D Andrey Pedan (10-30-40; N.Y. Islanders prospect)
Key losses: C Francis Menard (24-36-60; traded to Peterborough)
Outlook: The Storm are ready to take the next step in this always competitive conference. They play solid defense, led by Sparks in goal and Pedan on the blue line, and they have skill up front in Kosmachuk, Mitchell and McNaughton.

Kitchener Rangers
Coach/GM: Steve Spott
2011-12 finish: 42-24-1-1, 2nd division, 3rd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference finals
Key players: RW Tobias Rieder (42-43-85; Edmonton prospect), D Ryan Murphy (11-43-54, +14; signed with Carolina), C Radek Faksa (29-37-66; signed with Dallas), LW Matt Puempel (34-35-69; acquired from Peterborough, signed with Ottawa), G John Gibson (21-10-0-0, 2.75, .928, 1 SO; signed with Anaheim)
Key losses: C Michael Catenacci (25-44-69), C Andrew Crescenzi (24-23-37; signed with Toronto)
Outlook: The Rangers are a perennial contender in the conference, and they made sure this season was no different with the acquisition of Puempel from Peterborough. Expect the Rangers to be near, if not at, the top of the West in 2012-13.

London Knights
Coach/GM: Dale Hunter/Mark Hunter
2011-12 finish: 49-18-0-1; 1st division, 1st conference
Playoff finish: Won league championship, lost to Shawinigan (QMJHL) in Memorial Cup final
Key players: RW Seth Griffith (45-40-85, Boston prospect), D Scott Harrington (3-23-26, +26; signed with Pittsburgh), D Olli Maatta (5-27-32, +25; signed with Pittsburgh; C Max Domi (21-28-49), C Ryan Rupert (17-31-48)
Key losses: Michael Houser (46-15-0-1, 2.47, .925, 6 SO; signed with Florida), C Greg McKegg (31-44-75; former Otter, signed with Toronto), C Vladislav Namestnikov (30-39-69; signed with Tampa Bay), RW Jared Knight (25-45-70; signed with Boston), C Austin Watson (25-43-68; signed with Nashville)
Outlook: Dale Hunter returns behind the Knights’ bench after leading the NHL’s Washington Capitals to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. He has work to do if the Knights are to recapture the success they enjoyed in 2011-12.

Owen Sound Attack
Coach/GM: Greg Ireland/Dale DeGray
2011-12 finish: 32-29-304, 3rd division, 6th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-1 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: G Jordan Binnington (21-17-0-1, 2.99, .906, 1 SO; signed with St. Louis), C Daniel Catenacci (33-39-72; signed with Buffalo), C Gemel Smith (21-39-60; Dallas prospect), C Cameron Brace (29-27-56), D Keevin Cutting (7-18-25, +20)
Key losses: LW Mike Halmo (40-45-85; signed with N.Y. Islanders), D Jay Gilbert (10-23-33, +8)
Outlook: The Attack lost a 40-goal scorer in Halmo, but they have enough talent from back to front to make a run in the conference. But they need to be more consistent after tailing off late last season and losing in the first round of the playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes