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AHL Morning Skate - Tuesday, May 20
May 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
AHL Quick Hits is now the Morning Skate... Every morning, take a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.
MONDAY'S SCORES:
No games scheduled
SUNDAY'S SCORES:
SUNDAY'S THREE STARS:
1. Jason Krog tallied two more goals and added an assist as Chicago took a 5-0 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
2. Geoff Platt posted a goal and two helpers to lead Portland to a 5-2 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
3. Chicago rookie goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made 24 saves for his second postseason shutout.
TUESDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 4 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05 (POR leads, 2-1)
Game 3 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30 (CHI leads, 2-0)
2008 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
Eastern Conference Finals – Series "M" (best-of-7)
E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. A3-Portland Pirates || Preview
Game 4 – Tue., May 20 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05
Game 5 – Wed., May 21 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05
*Game 6 – Fri., May 23 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Sat., May 24 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Western Conference Finals – Series "N" (best-of-7)
W1-Chicago Wolves vs. N1-Toronto Marlies || Preview
Game 3 – Tue., May 20 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30
Game 4 – Wed., May 21 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30
*Game 5 – Fri., May 23 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:30
*Game 6 – Sun., May 25 – Chicago at Toronto, 4:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 27 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern
GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 4 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05 (POR leads, 2-1)
Coming off wins in Games 2 and 3, Portland hosts Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tonight in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals... The Pirates captured a 5-2 decision in Game 3 on Sunday, their first victory by more than one goal this postseason... Portland's Geoff Platt tallied a game-high three points (1-2-3) in that tilt, giving him 13 points (6-7-13) in 14 postseason contests... 2008 AHL All-Rookie forward Bobby Ryan and Stephen Dixon chipped in a goal and an assist apiece in the winning effort... Ryan has registered a point in six of his last seven contests (7-4-11), and his 15 playoff points (8-7-15) are tied for the league lead among rookies with Penguins defenseman and fellow All-Rookie Team member Alex Goligoski (3-12-15)... Jason King notched his team-high third game-winning goal for Portland on Sunday, and he now has four points (3-1-4) over his last four games... Mike McKenna, making his third appearance this postseason, stopped 27 of 29 shots to pick up his first career Calder Cup Playoff victory... Portland is a perfect 6-0 at home and has won eight straight playoff games at the Cumberland County Civic Center dating back to the 2006 conference finals... Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has lost consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 29-Mar. 1, and is looking to avoid its first three-game slide since Dec. 7-14, 2007... Mark Ardelan netted a power-play goal for the Penguins and Tim Brent also scored in the Game 3 loss... Brent leads the league with 10 playoff goals and ranks second with 18 points in 13 games... Sunday marked the Penguins' first loss this postseason in which they scored the game's first goal (7-1)... Wilkes-Barre has gone four games without allowing a first-period goal.
Game 3 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30 (CHI leads, 2-0)
TV: Leafs TV, Comcast Cable Chicago
Chicago goes for a commanding lead in the Western Conference Finals as the series shifts to Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum for Game 3 tonight... The Wolves secured the first two games by a combined score of 9-1 last weekend at Allstate Arena, and enter tonight's tilt on a four-game winning streak overall... In four games since the Wolves fell behind 3-2 in their second-round series with Rockford, Jason Krog has recorded 11 points (8g, 3a) and all four game-winning goals... Krog leads the AHL with 21 playoff points and ranks second with nine goals, and has cracked the AHL's top 20 all-time with 70 career Calder Cup Playoff points... Darren Haydar posted two assists in Sunday's 5-0 win, moving into sole possession of second place all-time with 111 career Calder Cup Playoff points... Haydar is eight points shy of Willie Marshall's league record (119), and he is one goal back of another AHL Hall of Famer, Jody Gage, for the all-time record in that category (51)... Defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski posted a goal and an assist for Chicago in Game 2, a contest in which the Wolves held a 3-0 lead just 6:51 after the opening face-off... Rookie goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made 24 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs... The Marlies face a 2-0 series deficit for the second straight round after rallying to defeat Syracuse in the division finals... Kris Newbury (4-8-12) and David Ling (3-9-12) are still tied for the Marlies' postseason scoring lead with 12 points apiece... Toronto's 27 home wins in the regular season were second only to Chicago's 29, but the Marlies are 4-4 at Ricoh Coliseum in the 2008 playoffs.
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All-Time Calder Cup Playoff Leaders
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Points
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Goals
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Assists
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1. Willie Marshall
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119
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1. Jody Gage
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51
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1. Willie Marshall
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71
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2. Darren Haydar
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111
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2. Darren Haydar
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50
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2. Mike Nykoluk
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62
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3. Jody Gage
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110
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3(t). Willie Marshall
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48
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3(t). Darren Haydar
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61
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4. Fred Glover
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104
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3(t). Fred Glover
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48
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3(t). Domenic Pittis
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61
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5. Bob Solinger
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92
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5. Brad Smyth
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46
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5. Jody Gage
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59
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...
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...
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...
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19(t). Jason Krog
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70
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25(t). Jason Krog
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26
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15(t). Jason Krog
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44
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MORNING HEADLINES:
PIRATES RIGHT AT HOME IN WIN COLUMN
Rachel Lenzi, Portland Press-Herald
Kevin Dineen will admit it. He feels a certain something going on around Portland's Free Street when it comes to his hockey team. But Dineen's idea of home-ice advantage isn't just about having a 2-1 lead over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with two games remaining at the Cumberland County Civic Center. "I asked (the players) 'What is it?'" the Portland Pirates coach said. "We had numerous responses, from our fan base to (getting) the last line change, which is a little bit of a strategic thing. They like sleeping in their own beds on a game day. (There's a) comfort factor in playing at home. You know the building, you know the ice, you know the boards, and you know the people here are going to support us." The Pirates take a 6-0 home playoff record into Game 4 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals tonight. That's the best home record among the AHL's four remaining playoff teams.
PENGUINS' TOP CONCERN
Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen's Voice
Chris Minard knew it was coming. A line that rips through two playoff rounds like the top line for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins did was going to face a defensive challenge eventually. That time is now. Minard, Tim Brent and Kurtis McLean torched Hershey and Philadelphia for a total of 18 goals and 41 points in 10 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. In three games against the Portland Pirates so far in the Eastern Conference finals, they've been all but shut down. Brent has a goal, McLean an assist and Minard nary a point. Trailing the series two games to one heading into Game 4 tonight in Portland, it's no exaggeration to say the Penguins probably need more of a contribution from their top line to keep their season alive.
WOLVES COACH ANDERSON STILL HAS HOPES FOR NHL JOB
Mark Zwolinski, Toronto Star
Thirteen years ago, Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson almost left hockey for good. The Toronto native had just wrapped up a playing career that took him from the Toronto Marlies to the Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers, a nice résumé for a retiring hockey player. He had set down roots, established John Anderson Hamburgers in Toronto, married Karen, who gave him three children, the second, Spencer, who is now playing in the Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers. But Anderson had designs on becoming a coach. He's now the bench boss with the Chicago Wolves, who are leading the Toronto Marlies 2-0 in the AHL's Western Conference final. By anyone's measure, he's considered one of the best coaches outside the NHL.
WITH THINGS GETTING HAIRY, LITTLE COMES UP BIG
Lindsay Kramer, NHL.com
Maybe it was a little chalk talk from coach John Anderson that got Chicago Wolves rookie center Bryan Little going before Game 7 of the West Division finals against Rockford. Little sure hopes so. He'd hate to think the magic was in his moustache. That was part of the plan hatched by the Wolves after Game 5, when the IceHogs led the series 3-2. Everyone shaved down their playoff beards to a moustache to change the team's luck. Little, of course, went along, although he winced at the man in the mirror. "It didn't look too bad with beards," Little noted. "Moustaches on us, maybe because we're younger, look funny. Mine's not too bad, but it still doesn't look good. We get weird looks from people." Little proceeded to score a crucial goal in Chicago's decisive win May 13. The victory moved the Wolves into the Western Conference final vs. Toronto.
MEDIA QUICK HITS:
American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews is scheduled to make several media appearances in the coming days, including appearances on Off The Record, Prime Time Sports, Leafs Today, Home Ice XM 204, The FAN 590 and AM 640 Toronto.
BY THE NUMBERS:
0 – Teams that have come back from 0-2 down to win a series twice in the same AHL postseason... Toronto will have to become the first in order to reach the 2008 Calder Cup Finals.
5 – Consecutive seasons in which a former AHL head coach will win the Stanley Cup... Either Detroit's Mike Babcock or Pittsburgh's Michel Therrien will follow Randy Carlyle (2007), Peter Laviolette (2006), John Tortorella (2004) and Pat Burns (2003).
FROM CALDER TO STANLEY:
Kris Draper netted a goal and Mikael Samuelsson added an assist as Detroit closed out Dallas with a 4-1 victory last night to advance to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals against Pittsburgh.
ON THIS DATE:
May 20, 2006 – Portland scores twice in the final 5:22 of regulation and Shane O'Brien strikes 7:31 into the second overtime as the Pirates end Hershey's 10-game winning streak with a 6-5 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
May 20, 2005 – Freddy Meyer's hat trick lifts Philadelphia to a 4-2 win over Providence in Game 1 of their conference final series.
May 20, 2002 – Louie DeBrusk scores 9:10 into overtime as Hamilton staves off elimination with a 3-2 win at Bridgeport in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
May 20, 1987 – Rochester extends the Calder Cup Finals to the limit with a 7-4 win over Sherbrooke in Game 6.
May 20, 1981 – The Adirondack Red Wings win their first Calder Cup, defeating Maine in Game 6, 5-2.
ON THE AIR:
B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts of every AHL game... Visit theahl.com for details.
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