20 games left!!!

well with playoffs right around the corner and the gens sitting 6 points up in the EASTERN CONF.....and only 20 games left with only 2 against west teams....(kitchiner & london)....It should be a good old fashioned battle to win the east conf and gain home ice throughout the playoffs.

The talk at last nights gens dinner the talk was all positive and all seem to be on the same page and that is coming out of the east and going to the OHL final against whomever that may be.This team proved with that game vs erie that they can hang with a top team like erie,it was just a bounce her or there and maybe a few better calls and the gens could have beaten them.A 7 game series with them would be a dandy but. I dont see london coming out of the west,i think its between either erie or guelph(CAN U BELIEVE THEY CLINCHED ALREADY).

With 20 games left i ask a few questions...

Who do we want to face 1st round of the playoffs??? - STEAL HEADS or THE 67's

Whats the gens magic number to clinch a playoff berth???

Who dont we want to face in the first 2 rounds??? - PETES or WOLVES

I agree with you, after seeing London play 4 times (all times with full roster, once minus Stolarz), seeing Guelph 3 times and Erie twice. I do believe it's between Guelph & Erie for the West. The more I catch Erie & Guelph on TV or online I lean towards Guelph. Guelph just has so much depth. Erie's success is largely based on the success of their top 6. Now don't get me wrong their top 6 is amazing but come playoffs and the West Final, playing the hell out of 6 forwards can take its toll. If Guelph has a weakness it's in goal where Nicholas is good an plays well but has a tendincy to go through stretches where he plays poor. Dansk on the other hand in my opinion has been more then solid throughout the whole season.

I think will probably get the Steelheads in round one, they've improved a bit since dealing away Smoskowitz & Carrick. Not in a talent sense, but they just work harder and play as a team more. Their defensive scheme keeps them in every game as does goalie Spencer Martin. They have the ability to steal a game. Ottawa has a solid top line but they play a lot of games on the road to end the season an really have no depth what so ever.

As for round 2 I see it setting up as the Generals vs 4th Seed Barrie & Sudbury taking on Kingston in the 2/3 seed matchup. Peterborough is a scary team for me in round one an them matching up vs Kingston is very favourable for them as Kingston has thrown some games this year an are pretty poor defensively. If Peterborough does pull it off the Generals would get the Pete's in round 2, an with the Generals success vs Peteborough this year I wouldn't mind that matchup at all. North Bay's boring style of play does make them a candidate to upset Barrie as well but I doubt that happens. Look for a Sudbury vs Oshawa East Final.

My dream playoff matchup - Round # 1 - Niagara - Round # 2 - Barrie - The East Final - Kingston

Playing Missy in Round # 1 - hope not

I like the Round 2 & 3 matchups, but I don't want Niagara in Round 1. They are much improved from the start of the season til now. They have two fairly strong lines and a young but very decent d-core. Brent Moran has sky rocketed up the draft charts and good definitely steal games. With DiFruscia, Perlini & Verhaege those 3 alone possess more offense then the entire Steelheads forward core. Mississauga relies on CiaFrone & Foy for everything. Niagara has some depth with Ming, Jenkins, Maletta. As for the rest of there core they are your but a guy like Hayden McCool is just waiting to break out. Niagara scared me much more then Mississauga or Ottawa.

Gens could really get some separation between themselves and Sudbury this weekend.

Sudbury has pulled to within 4 points, but they play London tonight and SSM tomorrow. Some western conference help there would be terrific.

Best case scenario for the Gens, Sudbury would still be at 62 points after 50 games played.

Gens have North Bay, Ottawa and Mississauga this weekend. You'd think the Gens should be able to pick up close to 6 points, if not all 6.

Hopefully, by the end of Sunday night (game 51 for the Gens), the 4 point lead over the Wolves will be closer to an 8-10 point lead. 

The last game of the season is a home game against Sudbury.  I wonder if it will mean anything as far as 1st place in the conference is concerned.

This weekend should be 3 games, 6 points. But, it could also be a huge let down. What I mean is, the Generals play at 2pm tomorrow. Which means be at the rink in Ottawa for no later then noon. Do they leave tonight after the game around 11 on (once the bus is loaded and players have showered) or do they leave around 6:30am tommorow morning. Given the lack of sleep, an long bus ride, the Generals could very well come out flat an fall behind. Trudeau the Ottawa goalie, has stole a few game this year, so despite a Ottawa's poor record I would be very weary of this game tomorrow. Sunday at noon vs Mississauga 3rd game in 3 days, against a defensive hard checking team with a goalie that can steal games is also a chance for a let down. Now I don't see the Generals dropping 2 of 3, but I wouldn't say dropping one is out of the question. Hopefully they don't drop any, but they need to play their game against the weaker teams this weekend or they will be upset.

As for the final standings it breaks down like this, Sudbury & Oshawa both have 20 games remaining. Sudbury has the far tougher schedule as they play the Soo twice, London, Guelph, Erie, Barrie 3 times, North Bay 3 times, the Gens and Windsor. In my opinion they could every well drop 7 to 9 games. The Wolces also have Kitchener, Niagara 3 times, Mississauga & Belleville twice on their remaining schedule.
The Gens, well other then London at home, Kingston 4 time and Sudbury to close out the season their schedule is very favourable. They have North Bay 3 times, Mississauga twice, Peterborough 3 times, Ottawa twice, Kitchener & Belleville twice. Even if the Generals drop all 6 tougher games I think they still finish first given how tough Sudburys schedule is. However I really don't see them losing all 4 to Kingston. I can see Peterborough or North Bay pulling out a win on home ice though. But based on the season up to this point in the final 20 games Oshawa should about 16-4 and Sudbury 13-7.

Sundays game is not at noon, its at 2pm.

My bad, 2pm. Not a big difference. My point was 2 early games an lots of travel, throw in a very hard working good checking team on Sunday the third of 3 games and there is a good chance of an upset.

Macker if they play the rest of the weekend as they did tonight they wont pick up a point. did not look good no effort for loose pucks, no look passes, and no hitting.

not good

North Bay played last night and lost to London then had to travel to Oshawa for tonight's game, we should have been all over them. Not sure what happened from the dressing room to the ice but there was no jump, were they looking ahead to Ottawa and Miss if so they better re focus.

Back to one of the original questions about the magic number, if Ottawa wins every game for the rest of the season, they would have 76 points. The Generals have 66 points so they need 11 points to make it impossible to catch them. 11 points = 5 wins + an OT or shootout loss so to make it simpler, the Gens magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 6. Any combination of 6 Oshawa wins and Ottawa losses and the Gens clinch a playoff spot. If they beat Ottawa today in regulation time, that number drops to 4.

If all goes well, the Gens can clinch a playoff spot on Friday, February 7th, a week from now.

Well like I predicted the Generals ended up dropping the 2pm game today against the 67s. I didn't watch the game but plan on catching the reply at midnight on Rogers. That's 4 points gone out of what should of been a weekend where we get all 6.

As for last nights game, I watched it live, an again on TV. North Bay is a team that scares me as a potential playoff round 2 opponent. Now they aren't overly offensive, but goes like Goodrow, Paul, McKenzie, Thomas and Praplan all of offensive ability. That coupled with their improved blue line and overall defensive oriented system they could steal some games come playoff time. Especially given the travel teams face heading out to North Bay.

Tomorrow is a must win !
I think that close loss to Erie has had a negative effect on the team, an that's disappointing.

Hate to be negative and pessimistic but as I stated before the trade deadline, the Gennies should have been 'sellers'. They just don't have the firepower to go far this year. Yes, they usually get lots of shots but they don't capitalize on them. And Van Stralen gets 3 today against us. He's the one we should have gone after and pushed for, not Smoskowitz. They need more size on the wings on this team. Just my thoughts which are difficult to put out there with a first place team!

The Generals will still go far in the East, but they won't win it all, it's becoming more an more clear week by week. Based on the fact they won't make it to the Memorial Cup it's easy to say though should of sold off their assets. But anything can happen, an who's to say if they traded Laughton & Altshuller and they went on a winning streak we wouldn't all say, "now what if we kept them". I'm just happy we didn't trade away are future to upgrade and then play this poorly.

As for Smoskowitz and Van Stralen. While the Generals could of used Van Stralen, I think Smoskowitz ultimently brings more to the table overall. An given their OA position at the time it made sense to go after Smoskowitz as he plays PP, PK, Wing & Center. I know Ottawa's price tag for Van Stralen was a 2nd and a 5th and a roster player as they wanted a 2014 2nd, and a player but Oshawa didn't have their 2nd rounder.

Given the fact they have 3 games Vs Kingston left, 3 Vs Peterborough, 2 Vs North Bay & 1 Vs Sudbury they still
Control their own destiny as far as finishing 1st goes.

I have to disagree. They're in first place in the East. Safe to say that either the Gens or the Wolves will be in the OHL final. There isn't going to be a year where the Gens are 63-5, it doesn't get much better. I think this is very wishful thinking that selling will automatically create a year where the Gens are so dominant that they are a lock to appear in the Memorial Cup. They haven't had a chance as good as this year in a long time. Even with the JT-era teams, while the Gens were strong, there were three or four really solid teams in the conference. The combination of solid play from the Gens (this weekend notwithstanding) and the generally weak conference is a situation that needs to be taken advantage of.

Being sellers this year would have wasted a golden opportunity. They only have to play one series against the Western Conference and anything can happen in a short 7-game series. Also, it's not unthinkable that London might win the West and the Gens can back door their way into the Memorial Cup - not a likely scenario but not an impossible one either.

It's well worth a shot with this group to see what they could do in the playoffs. One bad weekend (particularly with a ridiculous travel schedule) isn't what we should be basing our opinions on.

Hockeybeats - I can agree with everything you said. The generals have arguably the most favourable chance to represent the East in the OHL final, an anything can happen in a 7 game series. We have beat Guelph & London and Played Erie tough. However the depth of the three aforementioned teams will play a big factor in a 7 game series an I don't think the Generals have the depth to compete with them. If the Generals make the Memorial cup it will be through the back door. That all being said, I'm glad the Generals didn't sell, it's nice to see us in championship contention, it will help the younger kids develop and it's good for the city.
But also one can't help but think, what would we have gotten for Laughton, Altshuller, Brown or Suellentrop had we sold. I did here London had Dvorak, Platzer, Centarome and a 2nd on the table. But that's rumours an wishful thinking.

All in all lets not loose are shit because we lost to Ottawa and an under rated north bay team. The Generals
Could go 18-0 in the last 18.