Ottawa 67s Fan Report: Lazarev Starts Shaky, Shuts Down Petes In 4-1 Win

There aren't any pictures on the scoresheet, which is probably best for Leo Lazarev as he turned aside 34 shots in a 4-1 win over Peterborough on Sunday despite struggling to corral the puck early on.

The first period may have looked good on the scoreboard with 12 stops, but Lazarev didn't swallow any shots into his midsection during the opening frame.

"If you don't give up as much rebounds, you don't get as many shots," said Lazarev. "Rebound control should be good, my rebound control should be better."

Heading into today, the 67's had the worst save percentage in the OHL at 86.8%, although it's bound to look better now.

The Russian netminder didn't get burned by his rebound control until late in the third period, when C.J. Clarke had a tap-in on the powerplay.

"When he didn't (control the rebound) it was in our net," said Jeff Brown. "They're a physical team, they push pretty hard, we had to clear the front of the net as much as we could. He's been good against Peterborough."

Aside from the rebounds, Lazarev squared up well to shooters and wasn't sprawled out in his crease as much as usual.

By then, though, the 67's offence had done their job, scoring four times on their first 19 shots on net.

Ottawa was gifted a second-period 5-on-3, where Dante Salituro, on what looked like a broken play, picked the corner to open the scoring.

Still on the man advantage, Salituro set up Travis Konecny -- likely the play they had drawn up for the two-man advantage -- for a one-timer to open up a two-goal cushion.

Salituro added another with seconds left in the second, and Ben Fanjoy added the insurance in the third.

It may be a bit early to scoreboard watch, but if Barrie loses in Oshawa tonight, the 67's will hold sole possession of second in the conference.

Fluctuating Icetime

After sitting in the box to serve an unsportsmanlike penalty, being taken off the top line and being left open in the slot without receiving a pass from Austen Keating, Artur Tyanulin yelled and smashed his stick for a few moments at the bench late in the second.

From there, he didn't receive much icetime.

While it wasn't Tyanulin's day when it came to time on the ice, it was for two of Ottawa's younger blueliners.

Until the third period, Brown had no problem pairing rookies Hudson Wilson and Noel Hoefenmayer together.

"It's real hard for 16-year olds to play defence in this league," Brown said with a hint of irony, seeing as he put up 46 points as a rookie blueliner in the OHL. "We like both those kids, it's all about getting them used to this league."

Nevin Guy sat out as the revolving door for overagers continues.

Click here to see the game summary.

Three Stars as Selected by TSN1200