Robby Fabbri injured by high hit in Guelph Storm playoff opener: OHL post-game questions

The Guelph Storm might have lost first-line centre Robby Fabbri in the first game of the playoffs, which is the main story from the first busy night of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. On with the post-game questions:

Western Conference

Owen Sound 5 Sault Ste. Marie 4, overtime (Attack lead 1-0, 'Hounds host Game 2 on Saturday) — Will playing back-to-back work to Matt Murray's benefit? Edmonton Oilers pick Kyle Platzer's winner on the Attack's first shot of OT came on a partial screen. There's no denying was still a snapshot from well out that a fourth-year goalie should handle 99 per cent of the time.

Platzer's winner capped a barnburner that saw seven goals in the final 22 minutes, which included Jared McCann scoring five seconds after an Attack go-ahead goal and Detroit Red Wings second-rounder Zach Nastasiuk (2G, +2) scoring just seven secs after his team had fallen behind 4-2. The 'Hounds letting a third-period lead get away probably comes back to the coverage, or lack thereof, in their zone. The upshot for Murray might be that he is right back in the barrel for Game 2.

Guelph 5 Plymouth 2 (Storm lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Saturday) — How will the Storm adapt if Fabbri ever goes down again? The sophomore who had 87 points this season was drilled with a check to the head from Plymouth's Yannick Rathgeb — who got a major and game misconduct — and didn't return.

The Storm said afterward that it sat Fabbri down as a precaution. The centre is apparently expected to play on Saturday, but it was a tense couple hours for Guelph.

With Fabbri out, Storm coach Scott Walker put Swiss rookie Pius Suter on the production line with Columbus Blue Jackets first-rounder Kerby Rychel and Minnesota Wild signing Zack Mitchell. Suter ended up popping in a goal. However, losing the No. 1 centre would put a strain on Guelph's vaunted depth. It might not affect it vs. Plymouth, but it could hurt in the long run. It got by without him for one night.

Plymouth might be hearing from the league prior to Game 2, and not just about Rathgeb. Carolina Hurricanes-signed overage wing Carter Sandlak also got a match penalty for swinging his stick at Ryan Horvat. A match penalty usually means an automatic two-game ban.

Erie 4 Saginaw 3 (Otters lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Saturday) — Should people rethink the quick-knockout predictions after Saginaw had two leads on the road? The Spirit, which hung in thanks to Jake Paterson's 44 saves, knows how to come in as the heavy underdog. It did after all, play London in the 1 vs. 8 series in 2013, and came within one second of getting a split of the first two games in the Knights' arena. Similarly, it was fewer than two minutes from extending Erie into overtime before an delay-of-game penalty on Jesse Graham created the chance for Dane Fox to score the winner with 1:42 left.

Saginaw showed some mettle, with overages Kristoff Kontos (2G) and Eric Locke (2A) producing to help forge a 3-2 lead after 40. But Erie just had so much offence, and André Burakovsky found a couple holes in Paterson to foment the Otters' comeback.

After that cliffhanger double-OT loss in London, Saginaw wasn't able to recapture the same energy and was swept aside by the heavily favoured Knights. A year older and a year wiser, it's capable of pushing Erie again. At the same time, the Otters, who had Devin Williams in goal instead of Oscar Dansk, might have just needed two periods to get over the awkward feeling-out portion of the series.

London 6 Windsor 1 (Knights lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Saturday) — How thin is Windsor along the blueline? So thin that ...

The Spitfires organization will not accepting rolling over, but it's running with a depleted lineup. Dallas Stars draft pick Gemel Smith (1G-2A, +1) was the high scorer for London, which had six goal scorers.

Eastern Conference

Kingston 4 Peterborough 1 (Frontenacs lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Sunday) — Will the Petes adapt to Kingston's tempo? The post-game spin on the Peterborough end is that a series is never decided in the first 20 minutes. Kingston, led offensively by overage Darcy Greenaway (1G-1A, +1), applied heat early and took 17 of the first 20 shots on its way to building a three-goal lead. With more touch around the net or the Petes' Andrew D'Agostini (41 saves) being less dialed in, it might have been over early.

The Petes, whose top gun Nick Ritchie was held pointless, adjusted reasonably well to Kingston's speed over the last 40 minutes. Its reasonable goal coming in was to split at the K-Rock Centre, where it hasn't won yet this season. That's doable.

Will Sam Bennett keep his wits about him? Kingston's star centre is hardly a shrinking violet, and tends to give as good as he gets in chippy games. The first two after-the-whistle skirmishes of the night both involved the Petes trying to get at No. 93. Bennett (1A, +1) got away from the first and got a coincidental penalty on the second.

With Bennett and Ritchie going head-to-head, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was in attendance.

North Bay 4 Niagara 0 (Battalion lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Sunday) — So that talk about the Battalion franchise being 2-24 vs. in the playoffs Marty Williamson-coached teams was just a diversion? Hey, look over there! It really does come down to what stage a team is at its development. North Bay played a patient game, with captain Barclay Goodrow (1G-1A, +1) factoring into two special-teams tallies during the decisive second period.

Oshawa 6 Mississauga 0 (Generals lead 1-0, host Game 2 on Sunday) —What was that about Oshawa having the target of allowing only one goal in the series? Sunday night is another day, but that is certainly in play after a walkover over the natural offence-deficient Steelheads. Michael Dal Colle had no problems, scoring five points.

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