Connor McDavid scores 100th OHL goal as Erie Otters gear up for postseason

                                                                           Photo by David F. Sherman

As seen on AlongtheBoards.com

The endless string of accomplishments continued for Connor McDavid Sunday night.
The native of Richmond Hill, Ontario scored his 100th OHL goal in what was his 178th game in the league between the regular season and playoffs. The top prospect in this year’s NHL Entry Draft reached that feat when he tallied in the Erie Otters’ 5-1 win over the Kitchener Rangers in Erie, Pa.
The captain of the loaded Otters squad has been on a tear since coming back from a broken hand suffered in a fight before the World Junior Championships this season.

With just three regular season games remaining, McDavid is having no trouble getting on the score sheet. “Dave-o”, as he is known by his teammates and the Otters’ staff, has scored an astounding 43 goals, 72 assists and 115 points in just 45 games in 2014-15.

The Otters are so stacked, that McDavid is second on the team in points. He is right behind Dylan Strome, who is likely to go in the top 10 in this year’s draft as well. Strome — the younger brother of New York Islanders forward Ryan — has 39 goals, 78 assists and 117 points for Erie. Strome has appeared in 20 more games than McDavid this season.

Thanks to their high-powered offense and improved play in the net, the Otters are poised to make a long playoff run. Erie’s only question mark this season has been goaltending. Devin Williams, a 19-year-old native of Saginaw, Mich., has put to rest any questions about his play.

“We always believed in him. We always knew he was much better than what he was showing [earlier in the season],” McDavid said about their No. 1 goaltender. “Devin has always played well for this organization. For whatever reason, he was going on a slide. But it’s nice to see him put together his game.

“We have a certain swagger. Knowing he’s back there that if we miss a play or miss a check, we have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to do and that he’s going to stop it. That’s huge for this team, and it’s a big help.”

McDavid sees the Otters as a team hitting their stride at the right time.
“We’ve had our growing pains, but it’s good to see our chemistry come together,” he said. “Remi [Elie] and Alex [DeBrincat] have been playing some great hockey, especially Rem. He’s been playing great hockey all weekend. They’re definitely some fun guys to play with.”
When asked if the Otters are playoff ready, McDavid seemed confident, but knew they still had to refine a few things.

“We have some stuff to work on,” he said. “It’s certainly better than it was a few weeks ago. We’re feeling pretty good and confident.”

Injuries have also hampered the Otters of late.
“We’re going to miss [Kyle Pettit],” McDavid said. “He’s our best faceoff guy, blocks a lot of shots and chips in offensively as well. He’s the total package; he’s the glue that keeps this team together. We’re going to need some guys to step up.”

Pettit, the sixth-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2014, suffered a broken knuckle blocking a shot last week against Windsor. His hand does not need surgery, but according to the team, he will be out for the foreseeable future. In his third year in the OHL, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound center has totaled 16 goals and 27 points in 60 games for the Otters this year.

The Otters will finish the regular season on the road in stops in Windsor, Plymouth and in St. Catherine’s against the Niagara IceDogs. Dates for the first round of the OHL playoffs have yet to be released, but it seems Erie will open up playing the Sarnia Sting Thursday and Friday next week at home. Erie took the season series, 3-1, outscoring the Sting 22-10. The Otters’ explosive offense, paired with strong goaltending should help them advance to the second round without much difficulty.

Buffalo continues to deal at the deadline

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Tim Murray made it very clear after trading Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers and Jhonas Enroth almost three weeks ago, that more players would have a similar fate. On Monday, Murray continued the trend by trading away unrestricted free agents Chris Stewart, Torrey Mitchell and Michal Neuvirth, as well as third-year pro Brian Flynn.

Everyone knew Stewart and Mitchell were likely to be moved by Monday’s 3pm trade deadline and also knew there could be a possibility of Neuvirth being traded, but what was the real surprise to most was seeing Brian Flynn leaving town.

With Murray’s first move of the day, he sent the versatile forward in Flynn to Montreal for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick. The move came to the surprise to most fans as Flynn had not been mentioned in trade rumors and had seemed to have found a nice niche in Buffalo. 

The 26 year old Lynnfield, Massachusetts native tallied five goals and 17 assists this year in 54 games. Flynn was an undrafted free agent signee in March of 2012. The University of Maine product can play a strong two-way game and possesses a great deal of hockey IQ. In 159 total National Hockey League games, Flynn finishes his time in Buffalo with 17 goals and 41 points.

In Buffalo’s second deal of the day, Murray sent starting goaltender Michal Neuvirth to the New York Islanders for Isles backup goalie Chad Johnson and a third-round draft pick in 2016. With Neuvirth’s improved play of late, it’s no surprise to see Murray capitalizing on his rising stock. The Sabres pick up a decent draft pick, but also receive another big goaltender to their growing stockpile. Johnson is a 28 year old, 6’3, 205 pound goaltender who is signed through the end of next season. His numbers with New York were less than average with a goals against average of 3.08 and a save percentage of .889, and they are likely to get worse in the remainder of the year in Buffalo.

As for Neuvirth, he will be Jaroslav Halak’s backup on the island as New York looks to make a long playoff run. What is ironic about this goaltending tandem is that at last year’s deadline, Halak was traded from Buffalo to Washington for Neuvirth. Now they will be sharing the same locker room.

The third deal, and second forward traded by Buffalo today was Torrey Mitchell being dealt to his hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens. In a separate deal with the bleu, blanc et rouge, Mitchell was swapped for Montreal prospect Jack Nevins and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick. This deal is certainly a little bit of a head scratcher. Yes, I know Murray is looking to get top value for his pending UFA’s but a seventh-round pick and an undrafted prospect that has one assist in 35 professional games?

Mitchell, who only has 13 points in 51 games so far this year obviously wasn’t going to fetch Buffalo a first or second round pick, but it looks like Murray just gave him away. Nevins is 21 years old and is playing in his first full season in professional hockey. Standing in at 6’2 and weighing 205, Nevins enjoys throwing the fists and will help toughen up the Rochester Americans.

The last trade for Buffalo was Chris Stewart being sent to the Minnesota Wild for a 2017 second-round draft pick. One of the most sought after forwards at this deadline was traded in the waning moments before 3pm. Arguably Buffalo’s biggest haul for the 27 year old power forward. In 61 games this season, Stewart has come on strong as of late scoring 11 goals and 25 points. Stewart joins former Sabres’ Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and Jordan Leopold with the Wild. Stewart will add great third-line depth to a Minnesota team looking to make a long playoff run as well. 

All in all, Tim Murray was able to pull of exactly what he wanted to do. He was able to trade half of Buffalo’s UFA’s for draft picks and lesser players to help Buffalo cruise at their horrid pace to the end of the year. Look for Anders Lindback, Johnson and Rochester Americans’ goaltender Matt Hackett to get the duty in the crease. Another goalie to keep an on eye on is Boston University goalie Matt O’Connor, who Murray has been rumored to being interested in signing after the NCAA season is complete. O’Connor is a 23 year old goalie who is in his junior year. It is rumored that O’Connor is seeking a contract with a team that will promise him playing time in the NHL this season.