Oshawa Generals make Game 1 statement: OHL post-game questions

Michael Dal Colle mooted some McDavid magic and the Oshawa Generals, looking the part of favourite, took the 4-1 Game 1 victory.

Forty-six seconds into the third, Dal Colle got the final touch on a rebound to restore something that almost never exists against the Erie Otters: a safe-looking two-goal lead. The Generals gave up just 19 shots on the night whilst grabbing the lead in the best-of-7 final. Now it will only get harder.

"We definitely expect a big pushback game from them [Saturday]," Dal Colle said. "This win doesn't mean anything if we don't get another one."

McDavid was kept to a single assist for the only fourth time in 16 playoff games, as Oshawa's gauntlet of defenders posed problems. The future first overall pick hasn't had back-to-back games without a multi-point effort.

"They play a five-man unit back there and it's tough to play against," a relaxed McDavid said. "But I'll find a way."

On with the post-game questions:

Oshawa 4 Erie 1 (Generals lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Saturday) — How aware is Oshawa of how rare it to kee the Otters under wraps for three full periods? The typical championship-series respect was being paid after the Generals controlled most of the contest, with Ken Appleby seeing only 19 shots thanks to his teammates blocking at least that many, and likely then some. Appleby's best stop came against Dylan Strome on a solo rush minutes after Michael McCarron's first-period icebreaker.

"We stayed to the way we had to play," Generals coach D.J. Smith said. "We stayed above the puck, we blocked shots, Kenny made the saves when he had to. You're going to struggle if you want to trade chances with them. We've been good all year and we even have to turn it up one more notch. In saying that, it's going to be tough to keep that pace all series and we're going to do our best to reload for tomorrow.

"Sault Ste. Marie beat 'em in Game 1 and then they never looked back," Smith added. "We know that. You're never going to hold that many goal scorers off that board. We're going to do everything we can to mimic that effort.

Smith also noted his team was feeding off a standing-room-only crowd of more than 6,000.

"The energy is contagious in our building and you could see our players start to pick their legs up. In saying that, Erie is a loud building too."

How will the Otters, now 1-3 in series openers, respond on Saturday? Just as they did a series ago, Erie ultimately needs to cadge just a split of the first two games to reduce the series to a best-of-5. They did spend much of the night adjusting to the temperature, with Oshawa scoring first in each period, including opening-minute markers from Dal Colle and Mitchell Vande Sompel.

"They were ready to play and maybe we weren't," McDavid said. "After being on such a high of beating the Soo, maybe there was a letdown. We're fine. We've lost the first game in two of our first three series. We'll battle back.

"They did a very good job of shutting us down and clogging up the middle and making it tough for us to generate much offensively," McDavid added. "At the same we have to get better defensively. Four goals just can't happen against a Generals team when you're not going to get a bunch of chances."

With back-to-back games and a heat wave in southern Ontario, Erie will have to recover quickly. The Otters also shorten their bench quickly.

"We feel we still have a lot more to give," said Otters coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team will have forward Mason Marchment back from a 10-game head-checking suspension on Saturday.

"There's a lot of teams that play like Oshawa," Knoblauch added. "What those teams don't have is the personnel that Oshawa has, It's not the style of play, it's the personnel they have."

How essential was Cole Cassels for the Generals? The Vancouver Canucks prospect dominated on the dot and helped establish the labryinth that McDavid had to fight through during even-strength play. Cassels (2A, +2) has been maligned for not scoring, but he's now had more multi-point nights (7) than empty efforts (6).

"Cole's great on faceoffs," Smith said. "If you can start with the puck you udon't have to defend. He can make plays in traffic and he's a smart player. He's a great penalty killer and he knows how to pick up players, he knows hoiw to defend. The 200-foot game he brings is so valuable."

The Generals did draw McDavid into a frustration penalty 2:33 into the third, fewer than two minutes after Dal Colle's goal. That killed the Otters' chance to foment a response inside a steamy building.

"They're a hard-nosed team," McDavid said. "The main thing is not to get frustrated and, when you get your chances, make sure you're burying them."

How did the goaltending battle pan out? While Appleby had as easy a night as a goalie is every going to get against a team with a No. 97, Erie's 19-year-old Devin Williams (four goals on 30 shots) was besiged by times. Three Generals tallies came from crashing the crease, but Knoblauch used the post-game press conference to imply his goalie must be stronger on Saturday/

"I think he was a little bit better than average," Knoblauch said. "You look at the goals, they were from traffic and second opportunities. Those are never bad goals. But if we want to win this, Devin has to be really good. You have to win the goaltending battle."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.