Savard makes all the right as Spitfires take 2-0 series lead after 4-1 win over Sting

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Head coach Marc Savard pushed all the right buttons for the Windsor Spitfires on Saturday.

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Savard reunited his big line in the opening period and the trio responded by scoring the opening goal. He flipped overager forward Daniel D’Amico back onto the top power-play unit in the third period and he responded with a goal that gave the club some breathing room.

Combined, the moves helped the Spitfires produce just enough offense for a 4-1 win over the Sarnia Sting before a crowd of 4,302 at the WFCU Centre. The top-seeded Spitfires now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven, Western Conference quarter-final series.

“It seems brilliant, doesn’t it?” Savard said of the moves. “I just had a feeling (Saturday). Some nights you get those.”

Sarnia was held to a single shot in the first period of the series opener, but the two teams each had seven shots when Savard moved Matthew Maggio back onto a line with captain Will Cuylle and OHL scoring champion Wyatt Johnston.

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The Spitfires closed with the final nine shots of the period and the only goal. Cuylle lined up in a shooting position at the top of the faceoff circle behind Johnston, who won the draw cleanly as Cuylle scored glove side.

“It feels good to score,” Cuylle said. “You need goals to win games.”

It was the only goal of the game through two periods despite Windsor holding a 28-12 edge in shots through 40 minutes and 43-23 for the game.

“Both games have been really tight,” Cuylle said. “That’s what the payoffs are like and what it’ll be like the rest of the year. Everyone’s dialed in on defence.”

A hard forecheck on the first shift of the final period put Windsor up 2-0 as winger Pasquale Zito’s shot from the point found its way past Sting goalie Ben Gaudreau.

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Sarnia responded with the team’s first goal of the series as Nolan Dann finished off a two-on-one with Ty Voit to end Spitfires’ goalie Matt Onuska’s shutout string in the series at 104 minutes and 45 seconds.

“The total shot may be more for us than them, but Onuska’s make some unbelievable saves and kept us in the game many different times,” Johnston said. “He’s allowed one goal in two games. No matter how many shots, he’s been playing unbelievable for us.”

Minutes after the Dann goal, Sarnia defenseman Ryan Mast went after Johnston after the whistle sending Windsor to its fifth power play of the game.

That’s when Savard moved D’Amico to the top unit in place of Zito. D’Amico had moved to the top unit for the final five games of the regular season with Zito sidelined by an injury. Zito Windsor didn’t get the power-play goal, but D’Amico scored two seconds after the penalty expired to put Windsor up 3-1.

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“In the playoffs, it’s really important to make adjustments,” said Johnston, who had three assists in the game.

Cuylle added an empty-net goal for the Spitfires, who have won 16 games in a row at home.

Now, the series shifts to Sarnia for the next two games of the series start Tuesday at 7:05 pm

“We’re just going to continue to play the same way we have for two games,” Cuylle said of the approach to the series shifting to Sarnia. “We’ll definitely be ready.”

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Game Summary

Saturday Result

Spitfires 4 Sting 1

Scabies 0 0 1 – 1

Windsor 1 0 3 – 4

Firstperiod: 1. Windsor, Cuylle 1 (Johnston) 14:18. Penalties: Wainwright S (slashing) 2:41, Hill S (hooking) 14:38.

Secondperiod: Not scoring. Penalties: Miedema W (unsportsmanlike conduct) 3:22, McIntyre S (holding) 11:25, DeGurse S (too many men) 16:57.

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Third period: 2. Windsor, Zito 1 (Abraham) :43, 3. Sarnia, Dann 1 (Voit) 4:45, 4. Windsor, D’Amico 1 (Maggio, Johnston) 11:10, 5. Windsor, Cuylle 2 (Johnston , Renwick) 19:42 (in). Penalties: D’Amico W (holding) 5:42, Mast S (roughing) 9:09, Daviault S (roughing), Jodoin W (roughing) 15:22.

Game stats – SOG – Sarnia 7 5 9 – 23 Windsor 16 12 15 – 43 Goal (shots-saves) – Sarnia: Gaudreau (L,0-2-0) (42-39). Windsor: Onuska (W, 2-0-0) (23-22). Power play (goals-chances) – Sarnia 0-2. Windsor 0-5. Referees: Mike Cairns (34) and Danny Emerson (19). Linesmen: Andre Grougrou ​​(77) and Geoff Rutherford (62). Att.: 4,302 at the WFCU Center.