The Windsor Spitfires are in familiar, yet cautious territory. On Tuesday night, they earned a Game 3 road win over the Flint Firebirds in their Ontario Hockey League (OHL) second-round series, taking a 3-0 series lead. However, getting that decisive fourth win may be their toughest challenge yet.
The two teams battled throughout the 2025-26 season, aiming for the West Division title and that coveted second seed in the Western Conference. The Spitfires won the battle by two points, earning home ice in this (second) round. After taking Games 1 and 2 at the WFCU Centre, the club found a way to shut down the third-seeded Firebirds in Game 3 in Flint, MI, on Tuesday by a 2-1 score. It sets up an important Game 4 on Thursday. However, it’s a scenario the Spitfires know very well, and they can’t let history repeat itself. Here are three keys to the game.
Spitfires’ Best Players Must Be Their Best Players
While the Spitfires have prided themselves on secondary scoring all season, they’re going to need their best players to be their best players for the foreseeable future.
The Firebirds have tons of talent in Kevin He (Winnipeg Jets), Nathan Aspinall (New York Rangers), Jimmy Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings), Jacob Battaglia (Calgary Flames), and of course goaltender Mason Vaccari. If the Spitfires want to take the series, they’ll best have to find a way to beat this group.
That means captain Liam Greentree (Rangers), defenceman-turned-forward Anthony Cristoforo, A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks), Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers), defencemen Wyatt Kennedy and Conor Walton, along with goaltender Joey Costanzo, have to be at the forefront.
So far, Cristoforo and Nesbitt have been rocks up front with six and four points in three games, respectively. Greentree has two points but has been all over the ice. Spellacy had the game winner on Tuesday, plus Walton and Kennedy have been instrumental in their own zone. Costanzo has been his usual steady self, too. However, all of this has to continue, if not grow, until that fourth win is under their belt.
The Spitfires have solid secondary scoring and depth players. However, if they want to get this series over as quickly as possible, their best players have to be at their best.
Stick to What Works
Since he was hired by the Spitfires in July 2024, head coach Greg Walters has been all about defence-first hockey. You control your own zone, get the puck back, and create offensively. The result this season was finishing second in the OHL in goals against with 173 (in 68 games).
In the first round, they worked their magic well, outscoring the seventh-seeded Guelph Storm 21-5 in four games. With the Firebirds, they’ve allowed eight goals in three games, but that includes a 6-5 come-from-behind win at home in Game 2. On Tuesday in Game 3, they allowed one goal on 19 shots. They played their style and executed well.
There’s no need to play a run-and-gun game with the Firebirds in Game 4. Can they do that if push comes to shove? Probably, yes. Would it be better to stick to what works? Absolutely.
The Firebirds aren’t the Storm. Nobody is expecting an 11-3 outcome again in the deciding game. However, Walters and his crew know what they have, know how to use it, and are confident with it. It’s the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Stick with what got you this far.
Never Forget the Kitchener Rangers
Finally, it would be easy to walk into the arena on Thursday and believe the series is over. If you’re up 3-0 in a series, that’s usually a good sign. However, the Spitfires can’t get arrogant.
Last season, the then-second-seeded Spitfires found themselves in this same situation. They were up 3-0 on the then-third-seeded Kitchener Rangers in the second round, with two wins at the WFCU Centre in Windsor and one at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. It seemed like the series was over… until it wasn’t.
Despite being outscored 16-5 in the first three games, the Rangers went on a defensive tear. They won Game 4 by a 3-0 count, then won Game 5 on the road, 5-2, followed by Game 6 at home, 4-0. That set up Game 7, which the Rangers took 2-1 in a dramatic overtime thriller.
The Windsor #Spitfires suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss to the Kitchener #Rangers at the WFCU Centre on Tuesday in Game 7 of their #OHL WC Rd 2 series. pic.twitter.com/IlDtnRCSp3
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) April 23, 2025
While the Spitfires had as many as eight regulars out of the lineup during the series, it was still a reverse sweep. It’s an experience that they can now learn from. It’s here again, and they have to be ready.
Related: OHL Round 2: 5 Takes from Spitfires’ 2-1 Overtime Game 7 Loss to Rangers
With Aspinall, Lombardi, He, Battaglia, and Vaccari, the Firebirds were successful for a reason. They know how to score, how to defend, and how to win. Taking anything for granted creates a possible repeat of last season.
If Walters and the leadership group can focus and learn from their mistakes last season, and get everyone on board with their plan, they can create history instead of just repeating it. Game 4 goes Thursday in Flint, MI, at 7:00 p.m.
