The Windsor Spitfires now face elimination after a 6-3 loss to the Kitchener Rangers on Wednesday at the WFCU Centre. The Rangers took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven OHL Western Conference final, putting the Spitfires on the brink.
Early deficit proves too much
With a chance to tie the series, the Spitfires came out flat, allowing the Rangers to score the first four goals of the game. Kitchener never looked back, cruising to a decisive victory.
"I thought the boys played hard," Rangers head coach Jussi Ahokas said. "We battled hard. All these games are hard; you have to compete, and I thought our guys did a great job."
Special teams nightmare continues
Special teams, a strength for Windsor during the regular season, have become a liability in this series. The Spitfires boasted the league's best penalty kill and the second-best power play in the regular season, but both units have faltered against the Rangers.
"It's been a big part of the series, unfortunately for us we've been on the wrong side of it," Spitfires defenseman Anthony Cristoforo said.
After failing to convert an early power-play chance, Windsor watched Kitchener score on a five-on-three opportunity to take a 2-0 lead. The Spitfires went 0-for-7 on the power play in Game 4, while the Rangers capitalized on two of three chances. Kitchener also added a pair of short-handed goals, including one into an empty net.
"If you're not doing anything on the power play, you can't get scored on," Cristoforo said. "That just can't happen."
For the series, Windsor is 1-for-20 on the power play (5 percent) and has allowed three short-handed goals. Kitchener has converted 5-of-13 power plays (38.5 percent).
"Special teams, we feel, have cost us two games, and that's on all of us," Cristoforo added.
Little things make a difference
While special teams have been a major factor, the Rangers have also excelled in the details. After dropping Game 3, Kitchener adjusted its approach.
"We didn't change; we just executed a few things a little bit better," Ahokas said. "Got puck to the net, we had a little more guys in net front, huge tip goal. We want to play our game, and it's the small details you want to execute."
Spitfires head coach Greg Walters lamented his team's inability to block shots, noting that three Rangers goals came from deflections off point shots.
"The margin is so narrow when you get to this stage of the game," Walters said. "Our inability to block shots, three point shots that were tipped. I thought they did a lot better job than us with the shot block."
Game 5 is set for Friday in Kitchener, where the Rangers will look to close out the series. The Spitfires face a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive.
