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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Another big Game 1 victory

Friday's lopsided Game 1 result was nothing new for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs seem to have a tradition of blowing out teams in their first game of the playoffs - especially when they are the No. 1 seeded team (which should come as no surprise under the current 1 vs 16 format).

While nine goals is a lot, it didn't reach the team record of 13 goals scored in a playoff opener or tie for the second most - which has been done twice (10 goals).

Here's a look at how the Sea Dogs have performed in every round one, game one in team history.

SeasonGame 1SeriesPlayoffs
2007-0810-4 win vs PEI4-0 WinLost semifinal
2008-095-4 OTL at CAP4-0 LossLost first round
2009-108-3 win vs PEI4-1 WinLost final
2010-1110-0 win vs CAP4-0 WinChampionship
2011-1213-4 win vs CAP4-0 WinChampionship
2012-1311-1 loss at HAL4-0 LossLost first round
2014-153-1 loss at BAC4-1 LossLost first round
2015-164-1 win vs BAT4-1 WinLost semifinal
2016-179-2 win vs RIM1-0 LeadTBD

Notably, the Sea Dogs have also been on the other side of a blow out, falling 11-1 to eventual Memorial Cup champion Halifax in 2013 (yet the Sea Dogs lost Game 2 by a final of only 2-1).

History indicates that Friday's result has set the Sea Dogs up for success. We'll see what happens this year.

Some other notes...
  • It was a great Friday night of playoff hockey in the QMJHL. There was an overtime game (Cape Breton beat Gatineau 1-0), two upsets (Halifax defeated Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or beat Shawinigan) and just one blowout (Saint John's 9-2 win). Hopefully these entertainment trends continue.
  • In the OHL, the Memorial Cup hosting Windsor Spitfires earned a big 4-3 overtime win over the London Knights in Game 1 of that series.
  • The QMJHL website notes that five of the last seven regular season champions went on to win the President Cup. It also notes that Saint John went 23-3-2 - a .821 win percentage - following the end of the world juniors and trading period (Jan. 9).

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

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