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.

Season	Game 1	Series	Playoffs
2007-08	10-4 win vs PEI	4-0 Win	Lost semifinal
2008-09	5-4 OTL at CAP	4-0 Loss	Lost first round
2009-10	8-3 win vs PEI	4-1 Win	Lost final
2010-11	10-0 win vs CAP	4-0 Win	Championship
2011-12	13-4 win vs CAP	4-0 Win	Championship
2012-13	11-1 loss at HAL	4-0 Loss	Lost first round
2014-15	3-1 loss at BAC	4-1 Loss	Lost first round
2015-16	4-1 win vs BAT	4-1 Win	Lost semifinal
2016-17	9-2 win vs RIM	1-0 Lead	TBD

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