ROUND TWO PREVIEW: Kitchener Rangers vs. London Knights
London, ON – The Kitchener Rangers advance to the second round after beating out the Erie Otters in game six with a final score of 4-3 in overtime. They now get set to face the OHL regular season champions the London Knights. Game one starts at 7 pm on Thursday, April 11 at the Budweiser Gardens.
- TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
SCHEDULE
Game 1: Thursday, April 11 at London, 7:00 PM
Game 2: Saturday, April 13 at London, 4:00 PM
Game 3: Tuesday, April 16 at Kitchener, 7:00 PM
Game 4: Thursday, April 18 at Kitchener, 7:00 PM
* Game 5: Friday, April 19 at London, 7:00 PM
* Game 6: Sunday, April 21 at Kitchener, 2:00 PM
* Game 7: Tuesday, April 23 at London, 7:00 PM
* If necessary
Kitchener Rangers Playoff Tickets:
Tickets for Round 2 of the OHL Playoffs are on sale now online at kwtickets.ca and in person at the Aud Box Office sponsored by Whiteway Plumbing. Full box office hours can be found here.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This Season:
Since the OHL trade deadline on January 10th, the Knights racked up 51 points while the Rangers grabbed 30. The Rangers finished the season with an 8-4-2-0 record in the last 14 games while the Knights went 11-2-1-0.
The Rangers and Knights played each other six times this season in which Kitchener went 2-4-0-0. While playing in London, Kitchener’s record is 1-2-0-0, and when playing at The Aud the Rangers have a 1-2-0-0 record this season. Over these six games, the Rangers put up 14 goals and the Knights had 27. The last meeting between the two clubs was held in London on March 9th, the Knights took the game with a final score of 4-1. Jacob Julien (Winnipeg Jets), and Kaleb Lawrence each grabbed a goal with Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers), and Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) registering a goal and assist each. Mitchell Martin netted the sole Rangers’ goal with Luca Romano and Carson Campbell assisting.
Playoff History:
This is the Rangers’ eighth consecutive OHL playoffs appearance and the third straight year they have made it to the second round as well as the second year in a row they will play the London Knights in the Western Conference Semi-Final. This season marks the London Knights’ 22nd straight OHL playoff run and their second year in a row they have made it to the second round.
This past playoff season the Rangers and Knights met in the second round with the Knights winning the series 4-1 eventually moving on to the OHL Championship where they were beat out by the Peterborough Petes.
In the 2022 playoffs, the seventh-seed Rangers played the second-seed Knights in the first round, beating them in game seven in overtime 4-3. Mitchell Martin is the only current Ranger who recorded a point in the game having a goal and an assist. Easton Cowan was the only Knight to have a point (1A).
Playoff Statistics:
Kitchener
Overall Power Play: 2nd in the OHL at 36.8%
Away Power Play: 2nd in the OHL at 42.9%
Overall Penalty Kill: 3rd in the OHL at 85.7%
Away Penalty Kill: 4th in the OHL at 81.8%
London
Overall Power Play: 4th in the OHL at 33.3%
Home Power Play: 1st in the OHL at 42.9%
Overall Penalty Kill: 4th in the OHL at 80.0%
Home Penalty Kill: 12th in the OHL at 66.7 %
SCOUTING THE RANGERS (41-23-4-0) 86 points 68 GP
4th in the Western Conference, 5th in the OHL
Rangers Round One:
On Tuesday night the Rangers closed the first round beating out the Erie Otters in six games. The series went to overtime three of the six games with the Rangers winning all three games in the extra time. The Rangers netted 24 goals while they allowed 23 in the first round.
Rangers To Watch:
- Filip Mešár (Montreal Canadiens) is leading the Rangers in playoff points, tied for second in league points and is first in league assists with one goal and nine assists for 10 points. Mešár has five power play assists (1st in the league) and the centreman is currently on a three-game point streak (1G, 3A).
- Luke Ellinas is third on the Rangers in points and is tied with Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) for the most goals on the team in the playoffs (four). This is Ellinas’ first playoff run, and he has already tallied seven points. One of his goals came on the power play, two assists on the power play, one insurance goal, one first goal, and one game-winning goal. The 2024 NHL draft-eligible forward is on a three-game point streak (2G, 2A)
- Leading the blueline is Hunter Brzustewicz (Calgary Flames) with four assists in six playoff games. Brzustewicz has played 15 OHL Playoff games in his career racking up a total of eight assists, he registered one assist against the Knights in the 2023 OHL playoffs.
Goaltending:
Jackson Parsons:
Jackson Parsons played all six games for the Rangers recording a 3.28 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. In the most recent game on Tuesday night, Parsons finished the game facing 32 shots allowing three for a 2.74 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS (50-14-1-3) 104 points 68 GP
1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL
Knights Round One:
The first-place London Knights swept the eighth-seed Flint Firebirds finishing the series on April 4th. The Knights netted 16 goals and allowed nine in round one. In game four in Flint, the Knights closed the series winning by a final score of 3-2. Landon Sim (St. Louis Blues- 1G, 1A), Sam O’Reilly, and Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers- 1G, 1A) registered the Knights goals with Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Isaiah George (New York Islanders- 2A), Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) each grabbing an assist.
Knights to Watch:
- Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) is leading the Knights in points after the first round with two goals and four assists for six points. Barkey has one power play assist, one game-winning goal, and one insurance goal. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect played 64 games in the regular season where he registered 35 goals and 67 assists for 102 points. Barkey has played 29 OHL playoff games having a 14-18-32 stat line in those games.
- Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) is trailing behind Barkey for most Knights playoff points with two goals and three assists in four games. Cowan has registered a point in his last 40 games, his last game pointless was November 24th against the Sudbury Wolves. The winger has played 29 OHL playoff games having 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 total points in those games.
- Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) is leading the Knights blueline with one goal and two assists for three points in four games. In the regular season, Bonk had a 24-43-67 stat line in 60 games played. Having played 32 playoff games, through three seasons he has two goals and 13 assists for 15 points.
Goaltending:
Michael Simpson:
Michael Simpson played all four games for the Knights in the first round recording a 2.14 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Simpson is an OHL playoff veteran with 31 postseason games under his belt including winning the OHL Championship with the Peterborough Petes in 2023. In his playoff career he has a 3.10 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
BROADCAST COVERAGE
Thursday’s game vs the London Knights will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 470 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Thursday night’s action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.
UP NEXT:
The Kitchener Rangers will play game two in London on Saturday afternoon, puck drop is set for 4 pm at the Budweiser Gardens. The Rangers return to The Aud for games three and four. Game three is set for Tuesday, April 16th, at 7 pm. Game four is on Thursday, April 18th at 7 pm. Make sure you secure your seats for round two and get your tickets by visiting The Aud Box Office Sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.
For inquiries, contact:
Lindsay Eastwood
Manager of Communications and Team Services
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
613-793-0168
[email protected]
Photo Credit: Tiffany Luke / Kitchener Rangers
