The Eastern Conference's playoff matchups waited right until the last game of the regular season to establish themselves, but now we know who we will see faceoff in the first round of the OHL playoffs.
The results of the Eastern Conference playoff matchups banked on quite a few games on Sunday afternoon — the final game of the regular season.
In the end, North Bay beat Peterborough 8-2, Brantford beat Ottawa 5-1, and Oshawa beat Sudbury 5-1. With these wins, Oshawa established first place in the East, North Bay clinched second, and Brantford clinched third.
Here are the first round matchups out of the Eastern Conference:
Oshawa Generals (1) vs. Barrie Colts (8)
North Bay Battalion (2) vs. Kingston Frontenacs (7)
Brantford Bulldogs (3) vs. Ottawa 67's (6)
Mississauga Steelheads (4) vs. Sudbury Wolves (5)
Now, because the gaps in the standings between these teams were so tight until the end, there aren't many possibilities for upsets. Barrie beating Oshawa would be considered an upset, and Kingston beating North Bay may be considered a minor upset, but the other two matchups are very even — at least on paper.
The Oshawa Generals come into the playoffs on a twelve-game win streak that they will look to carry into their series versus Barrie. Oshawa stomped the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday night, despite that being a very meaningful game for the Wolves. They will be the team to stop in the Eastern Conference.
North Bay has always played that structured, high-pressure style of hockey that is so effective in the playoffs. They will be tough to deal with for a young team like the Frontenacs. The one area that Kingston does have them beat — is in the goal crease.
The Bulldogs and the 67's have a history of facing each other in the playoffs, especially in the first round. This will be a tight series given Brantford's injury problems, and Ottawa's inability to get their team to gel in the second half of the season.
Mississauga versus Sudbury will also be a competitive series, one we could see going to seven games. From Sudbury's top-heavy offensive core to the Steelheads' goaltending and defence, it will be an electric, hard fought series for both sides.