There is a lot to be excited about in the second round of the OHL Playoffs, as all four matchups are officially set.
The first round of the OHL Playoffs has officially concluded, as we look onto round two. Kitchener was the final team to enter the second round, as they defeated the Erie Otters in game six last night.
In the first round, we saw three sweeps. Something tells me that we won't be seeing that many sweeps in the second round with these matchups.
Here are the official matchups for the second round of the 2024 OHL Playoffs:
Oshawa Generals (1) vs. Ottawa 67's (6)
North Bay Battalion (2) vs. Sudbury Wolves (5)
London Knights (1) vs. Kitchener Rangers (4)
Saginaw Spirit (2) vs. Soo Greyhounds (3)
There are some marquee matchups in the second round of the OHL Playoffs, and none of these matchups look easy.
In the West, all four teams remaining came into this season wanting to be contenders. They have now all made it to round two, but only two of them will advance past that.
London and Saginaw both had franchise record-breaking seasons. As the Spirit are hosting the Memorial Cup, they will want to ensure that they earn their spot with a second round win over the Greyhounds. The Knights are still seeking revenge after losing in the OHL Finals to the Peterborough Petes last season, and they have loads of playoff experience in their locker room.
In the East, the regular season standings finished so closely that there are a few lower seeded teams in these matchups. Sudbury and Ottawa both won as the lower seed in the first round, and will be looking to continue that trend in round two.
The battle of the north between Sudbury and North Bay will be a hard-fought series, and there is a great chance that the winner of this series makes it to the OHL Finals. Oshawa and Ottawa are two teams who are very top-heavy on their forward front, but have lots of depth on the blue line. The one thing that Oshawa holds over the 67's — they have an all-star goaltender in Jacob Oster.