Frantic fortunes
OHL Notebook:
Some are here. Some are there. Some have been removed from the Ontario Hockey League playoff picture.
NO MOORE
It was a tough way for the Flint Firebirds to go out following a solid 2016-2017 regular season in which they put up 72 points from a record of 32-28-8 after missing the playoffs entirely in 2015-2016.
The no. 7 seed Firebirds lost to the no. 2 seed Soo Greyhounds four games to one in their opening round Western Conference playoff series.
Not that Flint was expected to upend the Soo.
It’s just that Firebirds split the the opening two matches of the series with the Greyhounds and returned home to Flint for Games 3 and 4 with the set tied.
But Firebirds scoring leader Ryan Moore — whose 90 regular-season points were seventh best in the entire OHL — was suspended for uttering a homophobic slur towards a Greyhound player late in Game 2 with Flint well on its way to a 6-3 road victory.
As it turned out, Moore’s unfortunate slip of the tongue cost Flint.
Without their 39-goal scorer in the lineup, the Firebirds dropped Games 3, 4 and 5 to the Greyhounds, scoring a total of only 4 goals in losing 3-1, 5-2 and 6-1 to close out the series.
OTTAWA SAVIOUR
Down three games to one and facing elimination on Friday night, the seventh-seeded Ottawa 67’s were saved — literally — by goalie Leo Lazarev in their Eastern Conference playoff series with the second-seeded Mississauga Steelheads.
Lazarev made 51 saves as Ottawa stole a 5-3 road decision at Mississauga to extend the series to a Game 6 on Sunday afternoon in the nation’s capital.
GENERALS MOTOR
Showing no signs of panic and riding the goal-tending of overage sensation Jeremy Brodeur, no. 3 seed Oshawa Generals have their first lead of their Eastern Conference set with the no. 6 seed Sudbury Wolves.
After trailing in the series 1-0 and 2-1, the Bobby Jones-coached Generals have rebounded to take a 3-2 lead thanks to victories in Games 4 and 5.
Game 6 of the hard-boiled series is set for Sunday night in Sudbury.