CREDIT: HOCKEY'S FUTURE
Much is expected from Knights forward Max Domi this season.

It's starting to come together.

In other words, the London Knights looked like the team they're supposed to be as November got underway. Rewind the clocks back one year, and you'll see that it was around this time that the Knights began their impressive 24-game winning streak.

If the start of November 2013 is anything to go by, the Knights seem to have found their scoring touch. What was impressive was the way they manhandled the Erie Otters on November 3. The Otters had won 11 straight, the Knights were bouncing back off a convincing victory over the Sudbury Wolves from two nights before.

This was the same Erie team that steamrolled the Knights in late October. This time, London showed who's boss.

“That's a good team over there,” said Londoner Brett Welychka. “But that was our best first period of the year. We were pretty embarrassed last time by them and for them to come into our barn and do that, we're not that team.”

During that earlier game Erie bombarded 49 shots at the Knights' net. This time they didn't get to 30.

“I think the guys are working a little bit harder in practice,” said defenceman Alex Basso. “We're coming up with some new things, working on video and stuff. We're looking to open up things on the ice.”

Basso is one of the Knights' key defencemen at present, with Olli Määttä remaining in the NHL and Nikita Zadorov's future still undecided. What's startling though are the points, or lack thereof, that the Knights offensive lines had been putting up.

Sure they're finding their groove and it's still early days.

Chris Tierney and Bo Horvat are trotting along as expected. They're both scoring at over a point a game. What about Max Domi's and Michael McCarron's numbers? Shocking at best. As first round NHL draft picks, you'd expect them to be contributing at over a point a game.

Domi is at exactly one point a game, thanks to his two assists during the Erie game. Michael McCarron? He's got five points in 14 games.

They need to be well over a point a game for the Knights to be the bully they're supposed to be.

Speaking to the team, they believe that they'll find the groove once the defensive zone is sorted out. That could still take a while.

The Knights say they're a playoff team. They have the experience from two Memorial Cup runs. This team is capable of another long winning streak, but they have to prove it on the ice. Perhaps that will bring London, now third in the Midwest Division behind Erie and Guelph, closer to the top.

But whatever the Knights are planning has to come quickly. As the year winds down, much of this Knights team will be decimated for the World Juniors for about a month. By then, you'll get a clearer picture as to who's challenging for the OHL title and who's throwing in the towel.

But for the London Knights, if there ever was a time to remind people they're going for the title, now is as good as any.