Wolves can set playoff tone

By Amanda Zurkowski
March 21, 2017
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Today matters. It really matters. Win their regular-season finale and Sudbury Wolves will play Oshawa Generals in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. Lose and they better have set the tone for what the Wolves will want to be a long series with the Mississauga Steelheads.

Much like in the National Hockey League, when you get down to that final game of the regular season and there is a playoff spot or positioning in the playoffs on the line, it is exciting. If you don’t find it exciting, you better check your pulse and make sure you are still kicking, or better yet, go watch some polo.

The Wolves boarded a bus yesterday afternoon bound for Mississauga to face the Steelheads tonight in a rescheduled game that was originally supposed to be a Sportsnet broadcast but was postponed due to terrible ice conditions.

In a way, the Wolves have already won. They hold their own fate in their hands and have been given an opportunity very few teams have. They can set their own first-round playoff destiny. No matter what happens tonight when the puck drops, they can set the pace and tone of what could be a very exciting post season for them.

I conducted a poll on twitter to see who the fans thought the Wolves were better suited to play. Seventy five percent believe that the Wolves are better matched up against Oshawa and I would tend to agree. The Wolves split the season series with the Generals 2-2. The Generals style of play is better suited to the Wolves in-your-face, gritty game.

As for how they stack up against the Steelheads, the Wolves never beat them in regulation this season, with both Sudbury wins coming via the shootout. The Wolves dropped the other three matchups and were outscored 15-4 in those three losses.

One thing is for sure, the Wolves need to stay disciplined tonight. The Steelheads at home have the fifth-best power play in the league, compared to the Wolves 12th-ranked penalty kill on the road.

So sit back, relax, crack open a wobbly pop and enjoy the game.