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Plymouth Whalers quiet Kitchener upset talk, Radek Faksa return eyed: OHL post-game questions

Three of the four quarter-final series are tied after two games, while the Niagara IceDogs again held Brampton to a singleton while taking a 2-0 lead in their series. On with the post-game questions:

Plymouth 2 Kitchener 0 (Western Conference semifinal tied 1-1) — Have the Whalers adapted to John Gibson's austerity budget? The Rangers goaltender, with his 1.99 average and .953 save percentage in seven playoff starts, is showing little sign of cracking despite regular 35- to 40-shot workloads. So in the wake of a shutout loss in the series opener, Whalers coach-GM Mike Vellucci went with a seven-defenceman lineup and made sure Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which had a small for its standard crowd of 5,500, was quieter than the University of Waterloo library.

Scott Wedgewood only had to face 26 shots for a relatively easy shutout. The only big takeaway on the Rangers' end was the aphorisms used to describe their lack of urgency, between coach-GM Steve Spott saying his team "played an October game in April" and leading goal scorer Tobias Rieder saying "we need to get to the blue paint."

How long will the Whalers be without Stefan Noesen and how much will they miss him? The Ottawa Senators first-rounder, who has 14 playoff points, missed the game and was espied wearing a soft cast on his left hand. It's a big loss for the Whalers, but between Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Rickard Rakell and veterans Andy Bathgate and Mitchell Heard, they're not exactly lacking in centres. So it is possible to replace some of Noesen's offence by committee. At the same time, in a series where scoring appears to be at a premium, Noesen offers a combination of skill and smarts that cannot be replaced easily.

How far is standout centre Radek Faksa from rejoining the Rangers lineup? The 18-year-old centre has been out since suffering a concussion on March 28. However, Rangers radio analyst Mike Farwell reported on air Sunday night that Faksa, who was back skating on his own by early last week, might be close to completing the seven-day return-to-play protocol that must be completed before a player may compete again. Farwell noted it's pure extrapolation ("not from any doctor, not from any member of the training staff") but that could put Faksa in line to be back before the end of this week. An update on Faksa is expected Tuesday, Farwell said.

The Rangers sorely need another pivot. Playoff scoring leader Michael Catenacci likely played 25-30 minutes tonight; Game 2 is a little early to start riding the top-end forwards that heavily.

Saginaw 5 London 2 (Western Conf. semifinal tied 1-1) — Where does this series diverge from the others which are even through two games? The home team has yet to lose, meaning according of the playoff rules of thumb, it hasn't even started.

The sheer volume of penalties called — Brandon Saad's three points all came on power plays and the Spirit also got a shorty from Garret Ross — makes it hard to gauge this game. Saginaw ended up 3-for-12 with the extra skater to London's 2-for-6 and was clearly a changed club playing in its own space. The Knights, as Ryan Pyette reported, broke with routine by taking an overnight trip, yet it didn't change their performance. Granted, the wisdom of that move might be borne out later in the series. It does mean the two bus trips to and from Saginaw were better spaced out. Perhaps that helps London recover its energy with the quick turnaround for Game 3 on Monday evening.

Where in the world was Andreas Athanasiou? The left wing who had first-round NHL buzz was a healthy scratch for Game 2. He went pointless in four of London's first five playoff games, tallying only in the series finale vs. Windsor, when the hay was already in the barn. The Knights, who have put just two even-strength, non-empty net goals behind Saginaw's Jake Paterson through two games, can't write off the speedster who had 22 goals in the regular season completely. One wonders if that was a wakeup call intended to get Athanasiou to offer a little more consistency.

Barrie 3 Ottawa 2 (Eastern Conf. semifinal tied 1-1) — How is this reminiscent of Ottawa's first-round series? Even the most relentlessly positive Bleacher Report featured writer wouldn't commit a headline such as, "Ottawa 67's lose Game 2 in overtime, but still haven't lost in regulation during playoffs."

Yet it's true. Ottawa's three losses have all been in overtime, including Sunday's when Colts captain Colin Behenna bagged the decider 9:53 into the fifth period. The past two involved erasing a multi-goal deficit in the third period; they were down three late one night in Belleville and were down two on Sunday before Jake Cardwell and Tyler Toffoli struck 2:37 apart to force overtime.

From Aedan Helmer:

Toffoli said instead of getting down, the 67's should gain confidence from coming back to make a game of it.

"We definitely outplayed them," he said. "Obviously it's a big difference going to their rink (tied 1-1 instead of up 2-0) ... We have to go in and outwork them and come out to play right from the start." (Ottawa Sun)

After that second overtime loss in the Belleville series, Ottawa won the next two to close out the series. The question there's even less basis to answer is what happens to Ottawa now that it's venturing out of its comfort zone. The 67's, whose first series against nearby Belleville had a strict 1-1 format, haven't spent much time on the road in the playoffs. Like Barrie, though, they just need to get a split of the next two road games to be on good footing.

Will the Colts be galvanized by the overtime win? For their sake, they had better be, since the strength in numbers might not be there. Barrie had to marshal its resources carefully, between collapsing in the defensive zone around Niederberger (BTN's first star with 65 saves) and counting on the Mark Scheifele-Ivan Telegin-Behenna line for a modicum of offence. Coach Dale Hawerchuk, who's already down five regulars, had a sixth fail to finish the game when rookie defender Alex Yuill left with a leg injury early in the third period. With Ryan O'Connor also sidelined, that could leave the Colts without two defencemen who make a good first pass out of their own zone. Their showing today, though, indicates they might be able to hold on until the walking wounded are well enough to play.

Niagara 3 Brampton 1 (IceDogs lead Eastern Conference series 2-0) — Are the IceDogs going to give the Battalion an inch? Brampton has thrived all season on getting teams to either let their guard down or get so chuffed at playing a defensive game that they take frustration fouls. Needing power-play opportunities to put a dent in IceDogs goalie in Mark Visentin after beating him only once on 45 shots in Friday's opener.

Instead, the IceDogs yielded just two power plays and 23 shots on goal. No one's going to beat Niagara with that output. From Bill Potrecz:

[Coach-GM Marty] Williamson was also proud how his club kept their emotions in check.

"I could tell in the first period when [Alex] Friesen took a punch in the head and [Ryan] Strome also took one and there was no retaliation," Williamson said. "I said we had to reward these guys and pat them on the back for sucking it up.

"It's playoff hockey and we can't let our emotions get the best of us because you might miss an opportunity to get a goal or give up one if you get a little off-kilter." (St. Catharines Standard)

Is David Pacan this spring's Darren Archibald? The dearth of a good-sized finisher was one of the questions that revolved around the IceDogs entering the season. Last season, Archibald had 10 goals in 14 playoff games after putting up 41 in the regular season. It's early yet, but Pacan, the former Vermont Catamount, is filling that niche. His clinching deflection with 1:07 remaining was his fifth goal in four games and fourth in a third period or overtime.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.