OHL playoff predictions

One man’s view — also known as one man’s guess — as to which teams will win the eight first-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series.

We begin with the Eastern Conference.

PETERBOROUGH-NIAGARA

The top-seeded Petes should have little difficulty with the IceDogs, who tried to give away the eighth playoff spot to the North Bay Battalion but could not.

The highlight of the series for Niagara might be the televised home game on Sportsnet 360.

This one could be over within a week.

Prediction: Peterborough in four.

MISSISSAUGA-OTTAWA

Many are calling for the second-seeded Steelheads to sweep the seventh-seeded 67’s. Not here, though.

While Mississauga has a lamp-lighting troika in Owen Tippett, Spencer Watson and Michael McLeod, let us not forget that overage goalie Matthew Mancina had a win-loss record barely above the .500 mark and a save percentage just below the .900 watershed.

The youthful 67’s are a Jekyll-Hyde type of team, though, and coach Jeff Brown might be wondering which one will show its face.

Ottawa has its share of seasoned, skilled forwards but a youthful defense known for its jitters has caused third-period letdowns throughout the season.

The 67’s will need goalie Leo Lazarev to be razor-laser sharp to extend — and maybe steal — this series.

Prediction: Mississauga in seven.

OSHAWA-SUDBURY

There are a couple of interesting sidebars to this series.

Both teams are coached by men who spent their entire OHL playing careers with the Soo Greyhounds and are former assistant coaches with the Windsor Spitfires.

Bobby Jones is the bench boss in Oshawa and David Matsos is the main man in Sudbury.

Then there are the starting goalies.

Rookie Jake McGrath — an eighth-round steal by “old era” Wolves management — gets his playoff baptism-by-fire in the Sudbury crease. At the other end, veteran overage backstop Jeremy Brodeur is Oshawa’s net worth.

I am going to go with the upset here and take the sixth-seeded Wolves to upend the third-place Generals if for no other reason than a win by Sudbury — which has missed the playoffs the past two seasons — makes for a feel-good story.

Prediction: Sudbury in six.

KINGSTON-HAMILTON

This may be the most-evenly matched first-round series in either conference as the fourth-place Frontenacs finished just two points ahead of the fifth-place Bulldogs during the regular season.

The two teams play contrasting styles.

Kingston scored a league-low 179 goals during the regular season and gave up just 200, which was fifth best in the entire OHL.

Hamilton plays a more-open style and may need to rely on goalie Dawson Carty to handle more Grade A scoring chances than Kingston’s Jeremy Helvig.

The coaches are somewhat of a contrast.

Hamilton’s John Gruden comes across as an easy-going kind of a guy who does not let the highs and lows affect him or his players.

Meanwhile, over in Kingston, Paul McFarland wears the look of someone who just drank a jar of sour pickle juice while wearing his pants a bit tight.

Prediction: Hamilton in six.

Over to the Western Conference.

ERIE-SARNIA

The top-seeded Otters finished with the most points in the OHL, 34 ahead of the eighth-place Sting.

Erie is led by goal-scoring machine Alex DeBrincat and features three defensive pairs that are as strong as any in the OHL.

Sarnia is a decent team and finished above the .500 mark, which three playoff teams in the Eastern Conference cannot say.

Still, the Otters are rungs above the Sting.

Prediction: Erie in four.

SOO-FLINT

Second-place Greyhounds have more balanced scoring than the seventh-seeded Firebirds, that is for sure.

Both teams have a trio of defensemen who can score.

Both teams are well-coached.

Both teams know how to win in the other team’s rink.

Who has the goal-tending edge? That’s hard to say.

The Greyhounds will start free-agent rookie Matthew Villalta while the Firebirds will likely counter with hot-and-cold veteran Connor Hicks. Both will be on a short leash.

I really like the makeup of this Flint team.

But I think the Soo is that much better.

Prediction: Soo in six.

OWEN SOUND-KITCHENER

Not only does the third-seeded Attack boast three 40-goal scorers — Jonah Gadjovich, Nick Suzuki and Petrus Palmu — but it has a dandy goalie in Michael McNiven.

On the other side, the sixth-seeded Rangers were sellers at the trade deadline as they — again — plan ahead for next season.

Prediction: Owen Sound in four.

LONDON-WINDSOR

Ah, the 2016 Memorial Cup champion Knights against the 2017 Memorial Cup host Spitfires.

The long-time rivals, separated by about 100 miles of southwestern Ontario highway.

You think of fierce OHL foes, you think of London and Windsor.

What will it take for the fifth-seeded Spitfires to upset the fourth-seeded Knights?

Can the Spitfires do OHL fans without any sort of affiliation to the Knights a big favour and knock the big green machine out of the playoffs in the first round?

There are many out there who would love to see that happen. So, let’s take a walk on the wild side.

Prediction: Windsor in seven.