2023 - 2024 OHL playoff prediction thread

[ohloutsider]

Well with London clinching a playoff spot Wednesday night it is time to start considering the playoffs, matchups and final results.
The thread rules are the same as past years.
1 point will be given for each series predicted winner.
1 point will be given for each series total games played.
Reminder- if you pick the incorrect winner but pick the correct amount of games played you will be awarded 1 point for that prediction.
Round 1 there will be 16 available points
Round 2 there will be 8 available points
Round 3 there will be 4 available points
Round 4 there will be 2 available points.
Important to get off to a good start

Predictions will be accepted up until the announced start time for the first game in that round. I will post date and time once the league has posted the schedule. I also post when enteries for that round are closed.
Reminder the first game may not be the game your team starts in.
Double Reminder- I'm a stickler for not including picks posted after the deadline has pasted. A potential winner last year missed out because they posted picks after the deadline.
Please if possible only pick 1 round at a time. As seen last year outcomes are sometimes not what you think.

And as always no prizes will be awarded. Also it's just me with a rock and chisel doing the calculations so don't be afraid to let me know if you think I've made a mistake.

Any questions send me a DM or post it on here so others can see the answer.

Have fun!!!

Click to read more...

 

[ohloutsider]

So if the playoffs started today this would be the matchups-
 EAST
Brantford- Barrie
Sudbury- Kingston
Oshawa- Ottawa
North Bay - Mississauga

WEST
London- Flint
Saginaw- Guelph
Soo - Owen Sound
Kitchener- Erie

With just a few weeks to go it's interesting to contemplate who might play who in the first round?
Might be some tough travel in the first round that could wear a team down going into the second round.
Also I think the west might not change much but the east will possibly look a lot different by mid March.

 

[OMG67]

So if the playoffs started today this would be the matchups-
 EAST
Brantford- Barrie
Sudbury- Kingston
Oshawa- Ottawa
North Bay - Mississauga

WEST
London- Flint
Saginaw- Guelph
Soo - Owen Sound
Kitchener- Erie

With just a few weeks to go it's interesting to contemplate who might play who in the first round?
Might be some tough travel in the first round that could wear a team down going into the second round.
Also I think the west might not change much but the east will possibly look a lot different by mid March.

The East is a toss up from 1st through 6th. No sense even trying to figure that out yet.

I think the West is a “who cares” about the first round. It would be a shocker if any of London, Saginaw, SSM or Kitchener lost. 17 points separate 4th and 5th. Seven points separate 1st and 6th in the East!

A Sault-OS first round would be a travel nightmare past 4 games.

 

[ZinErie]

The East is a toss up from 1st through 6th. No sense even trying to figure that out yet.

I think the West is a “who cares” about the first round. It would be a shocker if any of London, Saginaw, SSM or Kitchener lost. 17 points separate 4th and 5th. Seven points separate 1st and 6th in the East!

A Sault-OS first round would be a travel nightmare past 4 games.

I agree with your opinion of the western conference with one caveat. Erie is 21 and 11 with Gaudreau in net. If he is healthy at playoff time, that series gets a lot more interesting.

 

[HUSH10]

So if the playoffs started today this would be the matchups-
 EAST
Brantford- Barrie
Sudbury- Kingston
Oshawa- Ottawa
North Bay - Mississauga

WEST
London- Flint
Saginaw- Guelph
Soo - Owen Sound
Kitchener- Erie

With just a few weeks to go it's interesting to contemplate who might play who in the first round?
Might be some tough travel in the first round that could wear a team down going into the second round.
Also I think the west might not change much but the east will possibly look a lot different by mid March.

Still lots of time here in the East to shake things up but I'll give an Oshawa fans perspective.

Given the likelihood that Oshawa plays 1 of North Bay, Ottawa or Mississauga, The one team Oshawa doesn't want to play Round 1 is Ottawa imo.

They have their final game of the season tonight but so far Oshawa is 1-3-3 against Ottawa this year. Ottawa clearly has their number and that could he a mental edge in a series.


Oshawa would realistically prefer Mississauga imo.

 

[ohloutsider]

Still lots of time here in the East to shake things up but I'll give an Oshawa fans perspective.

Given the likelihood that Oshawa plays 1 of North Bay, Ottawa or Mississauga, The one team Oshawa doesn't want to play Round 1 is Ottawa imo.

They have their final game of the season tonight but so far Oshawa is 1-3-3 against Ottawa this year. Ottawa clearly has their number and that could he a mental edge in a series.


Oshawa would realistically prefer Mississauga imo.

I think Oshawa is the 1 team in the east that nobody wants to play. They are built for the playoffs, especially with the addition of Punnett.

 

[HUSH10]

I think Oshawa is the 1 team in the east that nobody wants to play. They are built for the playoffs, especially with the addition of Punnett.

And Oster has been on a heater lately

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

A Sault-OS first round would be a travel nightmare past 4 games.

We've done it so much over the years it's almost a given we play OS in the playoffs at some point so the travel is a non-issue IMO

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

So if the playoffs started today this would be the matchups-
 EAST
Brantford- Barrie
Sudbury- Kingston
Oshawa- Ottawa
North Bay - Mississauga

WEST
London- Flint
Saginaw- Guelph
Soo - Owen Sound
Kitchener- Erie

With just a few weeks to go it's interesting to contemplate who might play who in the first round?
Might be some tough travel in the first round that could wear a team down going into the second round.
Also I think the west might not change much but the east will possibly look a lot different by mid March.

Will certainly come to the wire for positioning in both conferences...the West is basically solidified as to who the top 4 teams while the east not so much and the bottom 4 in both conferences still yet to be decided...lots of hockey to be played still

 

[HockeyPops]

Yeah, it's actually ridiculous how many times we've met Owen Sound in the first round.

 

[OMG67]

Yeah, it's actually ridiculous how many times we've met Owen Sound in the first round.

That has to be the worst destination, correct?

 

[HockeyPops]

Erie is further

 

[ohloutsider]

Erie is further

So " Distance finder" has Soo to Erie as 9 hrs 2 minutes. It has Ottawa to the Soo as 9 hrs 5 minutes. Apparently it it's 3 minutes longer to get to Ottawa. So an Ottawa/ Soo final would require a few plane rides, lol. Carry on.

 

[HockeyPops]

Ya, I think everyone expects to travel for the finals. Soo Erie first round is rough though.

 

[OHLTG]

Ya, I think everyone expects to travel for the finals. Soo Erie first round is rough though.

At least Erie has Yuengling! #worththedrive

 

[OMG67]

Erie is further

Erie is very forgettable….

 

[All the Answers]

So " Distance finder" has Soo to Erie as 9 hrs 2 minutes. It has Ottawa to the Soo as 9 hrs 5 minutes. Apparently it it's 3 minutes longer to get to Ottawa. So an Ottawa/ Soo final would require a few plane rides, lol. Carry on.

Portland to Brandon is 22 hrs, Sydney (Cape Breton) to Rouyn-Noranda is 21.25. We've got it easy, even the least central of the league.

Scary thing in the Q is that due to playoff rules, although the first 3 rounds are best of 5, that travel is a possibility in the first round (not this year).

 

[Petes1987]

Ya, I think everyone expects to travel for the finals. Soo Erie first round is rough though.

The Peterborough Petes shortest trip in the playoffs last year was in the finals against London. Their longest was in the first round against Sudbury. North Bay and Ottawa were also farther than London. The 2022-2023 Championship season was shorter than their championship seasons in 1992-1993 when they played Sault Ste Marie in the Super Series and the OHL Final, Sudbury in the 2nd round, Kingston in Leyden Division Final. They also made a third trip to the Soo for the Memorial Cup. In 1995-1996 they played Kingston in division play in the 1st round. After that series they entered the league wide format they used from 1995 until 1998. They played Sarnia in the 2nd round, Detroit in the final four and Guelph in the OHL Final.

 

[SSMHoundsFan]

Ya, I think everyone expects to travel for the finals. Soo Erie first round is rough though.

Didn't the boys fly to Erie during the Western Conference finals against the Otters years back?

 

[HockeyPops]

Didn't the boys fly to Erie during the Western Conference finals against the Otters years back?

I had forgotten this, but now that you mention it I think you are right.

 

[OHL4Life]

The Peterborough Petes shortest trip in the playoffs last year was in the finals against London. Their longest was in the first round against Sudbury. North Bay and Ottawa were also farther than London. The 2022-2023 Championship season was shorter than their championship seasons in 1992-1993 when they played Sault Ste Marie in the Super Series and the OHL Final, Sudbury in the 2nd round, Kingston in Leyden Division Final. They also made a third trip to the Soo for the Memorial Cup. In 1995-1996 they played Kingston in division play in the 1st round. After that series they entered the league wide format they used from 1995 until 1998. They played Sarnia in the 2nd round, Detroit in the final four and Guelph in the OHL Final.

Thanks for letting us know

 

[dirty12]

Still lots of time here in the East to shake things up but I'll give an Oshawa fans perspective.

Given the likelihood that Oshawa plays 1 of North Bay, Ottawa or Mississauga, The one team Oshawa doesn't want to play Round 1 is Ottawa imo.

They have their final game of the season tonight but so far Oshawa is 1-3-3 against Ottawa this year. Ottawa clearly has their number and that could he a mental edge in a series.


Oshawa would realistically prefer Mississauga imo.

‘67s 6-2 vs Gens; Gens 2-3-3 vs ‘67s. The 3 on 3 is entertaining but skews the standings towards a few teams like Kitchener and Saginaw imo. I am not one of those that consider OTL & SOL as loser points.

Edit: worried that I may have been very wrong, I checked out a handful of teams. Saginaw in OT is 7-1, Kitchener 8-2, North Bay 2-8.

 

[HF92]

The East is a toss up from 1st through 6th. No sense even trying to figure that out yet.

I think the West is a “who cares” about the first round. It would be a shocker if any of London, Saginaw, SSM or Kitchener lost. 17 points separate 4th and 5th. Seven points separate 1st and 6th in the East!

A Sault-OS first round would be a travel nightmare past 4 games.

Not as bad as a Soo-Erie first round..

I had forgotten this, but now that you mention it I think you are right.

After being ridiculed for not flying to London when the Knights flew into the Soo... I remember this too.

 

[HockeyPops]

The Peterborough Petes shortest trip in the playoffs last year was in the finals against London. Their longest was in the first round against Sudbury. North Bay and Ottawa were also farther than London. The 2022-2023 Championship season was shorter than their championship seasons in 1992-1993 when they played Sault Ste Marie in the Super Series and the OHL Final, Sudbury in the 2nd round, Kingston in Leyden Division Final.

You replied to my post about long first round travel with this? I also think it's funny that you are bringing up 1992-1993 from Peterborough's perspective. From the Soo's perspective that same playoff year was Peterborough (super series), then Owen Sound, then Detroit, then Peterborough. Your second and third round opponents (Sudbury, Kingston) were both closer than our closest opponent (Detroit) lol.

 

[DWI Dale]

owen sound is a tough first round matchup overall imo.

they are typically a big team that plays a physical game (and always plays us hard), travel takes you off any 400 series highways and onto the slow-moving backroads, and the bayshore is one of the toughest road rinks in the CHL according to players.