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lil · 09-27-2015, 11:11 PM

It was definitely an intense first round for the boys and girls in green (and for their fans)! A close series against the Firebirds is over in six, and the Knights will be moving on to face the Mammoths, who upset the conference-champ Whalers in five games in the biggest surprise of this year’s playoffs so far.

But before they do, let’s take a look at the playoffs so far. We’ll briefly go over each of the six games, then touch on what the Knights should be concentrating on if they want to move on to the Final.

Game One
Result: 5-3 Knights

3 Stars: Whooves (3rd, 2G/0A), Mäkinen (2nd, 1G/1A), Maximova (1st, 1G/1A)
KEL Hon. Mention: Koroviev (0G/2A)

A strong start to the series in front of a vibrant home crowd! Prospera Place was rocking--quiet only briefly in the second, when things looked dubious for the home team, but once they turned it around at the top of the third, the old barn got noisy again. Shots were 39-15 Kelowna, and although he was not named one of the stars of the game, PGF’s Prince is the only reason this game didn’t become a massacre.

The Good: Scoring depth, always Kelowna’s not-so-secret weapon, was on display in this game. The first line was responsible for just one goal, the second line for two (if you count Maximova’s powerplay goal, assisted by the second unit), and the third line for the other two--well, okay, really just Whooves. Still, it means that even if Colorado can shut down Kelowna’s top line, that’s not going to be good enough.

The Bad: Goaltending. Bjornsson is a rookie, but a .800 SV% isn’t anything to be too proud of, especially when facing just 15 shots. Yes, Kelowna won pretty handily, but had to more than double PGF’s shooting rate to do so--a common issue when facing a 350 TPE goalie, but either Bjornsson will need to step it up, or his teammates will need to put him on their backs if they want to make it to the Four Star.

The Ugly: That powerplay, though. One goal in seven attempts, or a 14.29% efficacy rate, is just not good enough, not from the SMJHL’s best offensive team of the regular season. Plain and simple, the powerplay has to be better.

Game Two
Result: 3-1 Firebirds

3 Stars: Taylor (3rd, 1G/0A), Lundberg (2nd, 1G/0A), Prince (1st, .952 SV%)
KEL Hon. Mention: Koroviev (0G/1A)

An extremely disappointing performance for the home crowd. Waste of money if you paid playoff prices for this one. Kyle Prince was even more on top of his game than usual, and the Knights’ offense just could not get anything going. Shots were 23-21 Knights.

The Good: Bjornsson improved, jumping to an .870 SV%. Considerably better than his first game. If he can continue to perform at or around this level, and Kelowna’s offense doesn’t have many more games like this, there’s a good chance the Knights can go far.

The Bad: Penalty Kill. PGF scored on 3 of 9 attempts--first of all, 9 penalties is more than Kelowna should be taking in the playoffs, but if they do, then second of all, the PK unit absolutely must do better than a 66.67% efficacy rate.

The Ugly: Offense in general. Kyle Prince is good, but with the number of 350 TPE players Kelowna has, they should be able to find a way to make it through--and what happened to last game, when they doubled PGF’s shot output? The powerplay was 0 for 4 tonight as well, so it deserves a spot under “ugly” too. The Kelowna forwards undoubtedly received an extremely fun lecture on the plane ride to Prince George for the next two games of the series.

Game Three
Result: 5-2 Knights

3 Stars: Scuderi (3rd, 0G/2A), Randleman (2nd, 2G/1A), Vilhjalmsson (1st, 2G/2A)
KEL Hon. Mention: Veenstra (0G/2A)

The Knights were bound and determined to make up for the embarrassment of the previous game by embarrassing PGF in front of their fans, and by golly, they did it. The top line was especially great; either Prince was having a bad night or he was just unable to withstand their combined firepower, because by the third period he was pulled and replaced with his backup. Shots were 26-17 Knights.

The Good: Thaaaaat’s the Kelowna offense we know and love. The first line, which didn’t contribute much to the first two games, came out on fire against the Firebirds tonight and were responsible for three of the five goals (if you count Maximova and Randleman’s goals on the top PP unit, all five). Bjornsson also improved again, though more modestly, to a .882 SV%.

The Bad: The scoring depth wasn’t on display much in this game...but then, it didn’t need to be. Knights fans shouldn’t worry too much about the bottom three lines’ lack of contribution--perhaps they were taking a well-deserved rest--so long as this is a blip as opposed to a downturn from the season’s trend of having four scoring lines.

The Ugly: Nothing was that ugly! Kelowna didn’t take too many dumb penalties, they played well, they scored all the goals. If every game was like this, there’d be no doubt that they’re strong contenders for the Four Star.

Game Four
Result: 4-3 Knights

(in 2OT)
3 Stars: Fleek (3rd, 0G/2A), Veenstra (2nd, 2G/0A), Oduya (1st, 2G/0A)
KEL Hon. Mention: Bjornsson (.927 SV%)

A game that should have been much easier was almost given away to PGF thanks to thirteen (! Wink

sloppy Knights penalties. Thankfully, Bjornsson was an absolute brick wall in net, playing better than he’s played all season. Here’s hoping his teammates bought his dinner that night, especially the ones with three trips to the box!

The Good: Can’t ask for more than how Bjornsson performed in this game. If this kind of SV% becomes his new normal, the Knights are a scary, scary team indeed.

The Bad: The second line didn’t produce at all tonight. The Knights need to be able to count on them for at least one goal.

The Ugly: THIRTEEN PENALTIES, REALLY.

Game Five
Result: 4-3

3 Stars: Scuderi (3rd, 1G/1A), Nyquist (2nd, 0G/3A), Fleming (1st, 1G/2A)
KEL Hon. Mention: Randleman (1G/1A)

With a chance to eliminate the Firebirds and move forward, the Knights...faltered. Not much more to say about this game than that.

The Good: The PK was all right, at 75%, and the Knights stayed out of the box more than they did in the previous game. Also, the top line did all that we could ask of them.

The Bad: Predictably, the .927 SV% from the previous game wasn’t sustainable for Bjornsson. .833% is just not great, but it should have been good enough...

The Ugly: ...if the offense had been doing their jobs. As previously mentioned, the top line got two goals, but other than that, only the second line scored--and just one goal. Where is that scoring depth we know and love? Also, the powerplay’s back to 1 in 7. Not good.

Game Six
Result: 6-1 Knights

3 Stars: Chamas (3rd, 1G/1A), Bjornsson (.952 SV%), Whooves (1st, 1G/2A)
KEL Hon. Mention: Koroviev (1G/0A)

Disappointed by their performance last night, the Knights came out crusading tonight, and that coupled with a rough night from Prince meant that Kelowna absolutely dominated. At no point did this game look like it was anything but Kelowna’s to win, and win they did.

The Good: ...so maybe SV%s in the 90s are sustainable for Bjornsson. If he manages upper eighties and low-to-mid nineties for the next round, the Knights should have no problems. Plus, third-liner Whooves scored a hat trick! The scoring depth is back. Also, the penalty kill was a perfect 5 for 5, and the powerplay was an excellent 50%.

The Bad: Top line scored just one goal and were all -1. They don’t have to score, not if Whooves can keep getting hat tricks (which, with the season she’s had, isn’t out of the question), but they should at least play a 200-foot game.

The Ugly: Nothing was too bad! Again, can’t call anything too “ugly” in a 6-1 smackdown!

So Kelowna emerged victorious from a tight series, scoring 5 or more goals in 3/4 of their victories, and the combination of good defense and a developing goaltender have led to SV%s mostly in the upper .800s to low .900s. But what is their Achilles heel, what do they need to master if they want to be holding the Four Star when it’s all said and done?

In a word: consistency.

When you look at Kelowna’s stats over the course of this series, they’re impressive. Even the powerplay, which faltered in games 1, 2, and 5, has an overall efficacy rate of 25.8%. That’s undoubtedly top-notch. Thankfully for them, playoffs are decided over a series, not just one game, and thus far things have evened out in their favor--but the pendulum of “good day” to “bad day” is swingingly wildly for the Knights. They have to settle that down and play their hockey game, consistently, every night, if they want to make it to the Final.

Code:
WORDS: 1519

**Rich** · 09-27-2015, 11:49 PM

Alucard · 09-28-2015, 12:04 AM

Great article! Hopefully Koroviev can step up beyond an 'honourable mention,' but I won't mind if he doesn't if we can win it all. Knights

lil · 09-28-2015, 12:24 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Alucard@Sep 27 2015, 11:04 PM
Great article! Hopefully Koroviev can step up beyond an 'honourable mention,' but I won't mind if he doesn't if we can win it all.     

At least you got honorable mention more than anyone else! If each of those counts for half a star and they round up... Smile

)

***Ohtaay*** · 09-28-2015, 12:28 AM

Nice article lil
Knights

Jedi · 09-28-2015, 12:37 AM

Alucard,Apr 14 2016, 03:33 PM Wrote:May the harvest be with you, young spud.

enigmatic,Aug 26 2016, 10:05 AM Wrote:Jedi could have 1 TPE and still improve any team

First ever Norwegian IIHF Goal!!

Code:
2. Team Norway , Jackson Rodgers-Tanaka 1 (Isabella Esparza-Osvaldson, Aleksander Andrezjeck) at 5:50

Special Thanks to Count Chocula for the Hugo G sig <3

lil · 09-28-2015, 12:40 AM

Thanks all! Knights

***micool132*** · 09-28-2015, 01:03 AM

wooo!

Slappydoodle · 09-28-2015, 01:14 AM

Great article. Go Knights!
Cheers

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