Barber Poles take on Petes a day later than expected

Through the snow the Ottawa 67’s (17-27-3-5) bus cuts, en route to Peterborough where they’ll face the Petes (14-31-2-5) for the second time in three nights. Puck drop from the Peterborough Memorial Centre is at 7:05 p.m.

You can see all the action on Rogers TV and CHLTV, or hear Kenny Walls’ call on TSN 1200.

The Barber Poles moved back into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference briefly with their win on Wednesday night, but have since been overtaken by the North Bay Battalion, who have two games in hand. Though the calendar year has been tough, the 67’s are 2-3-0-0 in their past five games despite missing a handful of impact players, including Luca Pinelli for the past four games.

Following serving the final game of his four-game suspension on Wednesday, Pinelli is eligible to return to the lineup tonight.

The Petes have been digging themselves out of an early hole steadily since December, but they continue to be at the bottom of the league standings with 35 points. Now seven points back of a playoff spot, they’re looking to ramp up the speed those shovels are going.

These two teams met on Wednesday in Ottawa, a game in which the Barber Poles won 3-0. Frankie Marrelli and Matthew Mayich scored second-period goals, while Will Gerrior put a stamp on the win in the third.

Five games into the season series, the 67’s have won four of them, giving them a chance to clinch a series win tonight.

By the numbers

Keys to the game

• Snowball fight

Expect the Petes to fight back with everything they have today. The 67’s need to be ready for that, and counter appropriately.

• Roll

Now is as good of a time as ever to get rolling. Use some of the confidence built from Wednesday night, and bring it to this game.

• Lockdown

Defence was important Wednesday night, and it will be again today. Stay strong in your own zone.