Photo Courtesy of Scott Paulus

The Ads signed Mike Liambas to a standard player contract Sunday after an impressive 27-game stint last season.

His physical style of play and fighting ability quickly made him a fan favorite after he was loaned to Milwaukee by Orlando on February 4.

Liambas picked up 74 penalty minutes, scored his first AHL goal back on February 17 and added an assist in the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Texas.

In the NHL playoffs, seven former members of the Admirals organization remain in contention for a Stanley Cup: Boston’s Claude Julien and Rich Peverley, Ottawa’s Cory Conacher, Pittsburgh’s Tomas Vokoun and Mark Eaton, Detroit’s Jordin Tootoo and Chicago’s Sheldon Brookbank.

What do you think of the Liambas signing? Nice to see the team keep his presence on the roster, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do over a full season.

Which former Admiral has the best shot at the Cup? Who are you rooting the hardest for?

Photo courtesy of predators.nhl.com

The Roundtable caught up with Ads coach Dean Evason and forward Mark Van Guilder to get their thoughts on the 2012-13 season after about a week of allowing things to sink in.

Coach Evason

On the season overall and the team’s finish:

“Mixed emotions obviously. When you first lose you’re very disappointed, obviously. When you sit back and look at the effort we put in, and how we actually got there down the stretch it’s very rewarding for the entire group. We played some great hockey down the stretch, and I don’t think we were burnt out or wore out, we just ran into a really good team that’s very similar to us.”

“At the start of the year and middle of the year there were a lot of learning experiences, and a lot of things we went through as far as the lockout and having it end and losing players. It was hard to gain momentum, but we found ourselves as the season went on.”

“We thought we had a really nice balance of developing individuals and certainly the players who got their first opportunities to play in the NHL; guys who came up from the minors like the Budishes and the Rasks. It all added up to creating a good winning atmosphere by the end of the season.”

On first year with the Admirals:

“For myself, personally it was a great learning experience. It was my first opportunity to be a head coach in pro hockey, and I learned a lot from this year from both the negative and positive experiences. Hopefully I become a better coach after going through all those situations that we talked about.”

“You could say it was like a real-life roller coaster where you get scared at some points, but when you finish the ride and look back the overall experience was a lot of fun.”

“The overall experience for me was very positive. This whole organization is just a first-class organization and it really allows its people to do their jobs. I really look forward to getting started again next year.”

On selecting any one player as an unsung MVP:

“We’ve got so many guys. You can go down the list starting with our back end in Hellberg. He’s a good example of a lot of our players that we had here when you watch his development from his first game of the season to the last game of the playoffs.”

“I could go down the line and name so many players that had such major impacts on our hockey club. Again, they’re developing but creating a winning atmosphere as well.”

On moving to and living in Milwaukee:

“I’d heard a lot about Milwaukee and had been here before and heard about the people and what a great city it was with its small-town feel, but big-city life.”

“The biggest thing I noticed was the people. I really have enjoyed the people of Milwaukee; not only the fans, though they and our season-ticket holders are amazing, but really the overall community supporting the team, but more importantly just being great people. It’s certainly made my first year here very comfortable.”

On the offseason and what his focus will be?

“When I came in last year I didn’t really know any of the players. I didn’t know their dimensions, I didn’t know where they sit, I didn’t know their skill levels, their personalities. Now we’re going into next season and a lot of our people that were here at the end of the year are going to be back.”

“It’s nice to have the ability to kind of depth chart your team, put your team on paper and kind of fill holes with our general manager who does a tremendous job in Paul Fenton. Now we can have an input on the abilities of these players. Hopefully we’ll be ahead of the game next year, as we might have been a little behind not knowing the personnel at the beginning of last year.”

Photo courtesy of Scott Paulus

Mark Van Guilder

On the season overall:

“Unfortunately we wanted to win a championship, but I think what we did the last month of the season or so and the stretch we went on to even make the playoffs was awesome.”

On comparing this year’s team to last year’s:

“I think every team has its own identity. We had a lot of young guys this year, and I think it was one of the most fun teams I’ve been a part of. They were really close and we had a great time. Obviously its a job for us, but at the same time we play the game, love it and have fun doing it. I had an absolute blast with this group.”

On his first year under Evason:

“Oh man, he was awesome. He demanded a lot from us, but at the same time made it fun to come to the rink. I think that’s key. Guys never dreaded coming to the rink for practice, but at the same time he demanded work ethic and discipline and all that kind of stuff.”

“I love playing for him and Stan (Drulia). They’re a great team. I think anytime you have a group of guys who love playing for their coach it goes a long way.”

On his favorite moments from the season:

“Always my best memories come from just me and the guys on the road being idiots and going to dinner, just joking around and having a good time.”

“As far as hockey goes, that last week of the season was just awesome. The whole season was on the line, and the intensity level of the games was great.”

On the offseason:

“I think it’s the same as every offseason for me. I just have to get better and work on my skating and skills, try to get stronger, faster. I think its important to not relax and take a break but spend the summer getting better.”

But looking back on the 2012-13 Admiral season, there were a lot of great things that happened.  So even though the season is over, I encourage you to remember the good times and look forward to the future times.

One of the things that I’ve enjoyed the most this year was watching the players improve their games.  Hellberg, Puustinen, Beck, Latta, Watson, Shalla, Bitetto, Henderson….the list goes on.  They all took giant steps forward in their game over the course of the season.  That’s a credit to both the players and the coaches.  The players for working hard, and the coaches for helping them get their game to a higher level.  That’s the way the system is supposed to work.  It didn’t always translate into wins early on, but towards the end?  Man, this was a fun group to watch.

The regular season finish was great.  The 10-2 record against the Wolves was a treat.  There were some memorable last minute comebacks along the way.  Chris Mueller dropped the gloves and knocked down his opponent.  Mike Liambas may be the best fighter we’ve had since Raitis Ivanans….just a half foot shorter.  I’ve gushed on the record about Magnus Hellberg…so I’ll keep it brief here….But I sure hope we get to see him one more year, and get to watch him become an even better goalie.  Pekka was here for three seasons.  I’d be delighted for a pair from Magnus.

Of course I’m bummed that the season is over.  But Texas played well, and they weren’t jerks.  I’m at peace with it.  I hope you are too.

At this point, I’d like to take a moment to send out some sincere thanks to you.  Thank you for reading the blog.  Whether it’s every day, every week, a couple of times a month, or if you just stumble onto it once in a blue moon…..whether you like to speak your mind, or lurk far away from the comments section….whether you agree or disagree with our opinions….whether you’re a local fan, a Preds fan, or a family member of a player….. thank you so much for reading.  Simply put, without you, there is no blog.  There’s no Furying The Fury without you.

On behalf of Trey, Jason, and myself….thanks for a great season on the Admirals Roundtable.

So the future of the blog?  We’ll continue to post when things of note happen during the off-season.  So do check in and say hi periodically.  And if you’re in to the twitter thing, follow @adsroundtable and @ryanadmirals .

Maybe I’ll even get around to giving the site the graphic design makeover it so desperately needs…we’ll see…

Talk to you soon,

-Ryan

Photo Courtesy of Texas Stars

The Admirals had their backs against the wall in Texas. Facing a 2-0 deficit after two periods in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, Milwaukee needed to dig deep to keep its season alive.

While the Ads mustered a quick goal and outshot the Stars 18-8 in the final 20 minutes, they would come up just short, closing out what was a truly exciting late-season run.

The Ads did a lot of good things Friday night, winning more faceoffs than Texas and firing 35 shots on net to Texas’ 26. Unfortunately, the Stars held the only advantage that really mattered as the final horn sounded.

Milwaukee started the game with a surprising twist in the lineup. The starting five featured Chris Mueller centering Joonas Rask and captain Mike Moore at the wings. As speculated, Scott Valentine played again at wing, where he had been a decent sparkplug for the offense.

Before the game, Kevin Henderson’s comments built some excitement. He made it known that he would be the most physical player on the ice and backed it up with a solid performance.

Just 1:40 into the third period, Henderson got Milwaukee on the board and cut into the Stars’ lead. He entered the Texas zone and dropped a pass off for Taylor Beck at the right circle. Christopher Nilstorp stopped Beck’s wrister with his left pad, but the rebound came to Henderson who buried it. (Enjoy the slow-mo call courtesy of TexasStarsHockey.com)

It was the first time Milwaukee had scored in Cedar Park since October 24th, but it would be the Admirals’ last goal of the season.

Just minutes later, a Henderson pass could’ve set up a huge breakaway for Beck, but it sailed just wide for an icing call. That about sums up how things went for the Ads’ offense the rest of the way.

With around seven minutes to play, Magnus Hellberg robbed Kevin Connauton on a three-on-one rush using all of his 6-foot-5 frame to stretch left while going right and make an incredible left toe save. He finished the night with 24 saves, allowing just seven goals in the series’ four games.

The Ads continued to ratchet up the intensity late in the period, but couldn’t get another puck past Nilstorp, despite a holding call on Scott Glennie that gave Milwaukee a power play.

Hellberg left for the bench with 1:20 left in the game, but the Ads couldn’t get a decent chance on net as the final seconds ticked away.

Matt Fraser opened the scoring for the Stars at 10:16 of the first period, after a pass from Colton Sceviour in the corner inexplicably snuck through the sticks of Victor Bartley and Moore and hit Fraser in the slot. His low shot beat Hellberg glove side.

Texas added a goal early in the second period that ended up being the game-winner. For the second game in a row it was Alex Chiasson who ultimately decided things, as he redirected a Connauton shot in the slot past Hellberg at 1:29.

Before the game, Mattias Ekholm humorously stated that the “two Swedish guys in net” had been the reason goals were so scarce during the series. With just 12 total goals scored between both sides, it was the lowest-scoring playoff series in Admirals history.

Nilstorp and Hellberg were the last guys off the ice after hugging and talking for a while in recognition of what was a magnificent series by both goalies.

In his postgame interview, assistant coach Stan Drulia offered some closure for Ads fans.

“It’s not too hard to go out like this,” Druila said. “They gave it everything they had. They came together and had a tremendous run. It all came down to the men we had in the locker room. We had a really good group of people.”

Questions:

This is the last game recap post we’ll have this season, so I toss it up to you. Share your thoughts on the game and the series overall. Were you ultimately pleased with the Ads’ performance? Are you still impressed with the run they put forth to get to this point?

Heading into Friday night’s Game 4, the Milwaukee Admirals will go to the Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, Texas with their season in the balance. One loss in the next two games and the franchise’s second straight amazing end of season comeback bid will end in the first round of the playoffs.

Perhaps you might think its an unenviable position, having to win two straight games on the road to advance, but this series is much, much closer than just Texas leading two games to one. One overtime goal in Game 1 and the Admirals are leading 2-1 in the series. Perhaps one Milwaukee goal in the decisive third period on Wednesday might have lead to a similar fate and a 2-1 series lead for the Admirals.

Two years ago when these teams met Milwaukee was actually down two games to one to the Stars, before winning the next two games in a row in Texas. The Admirals would eventually win a third-straight in double overtime to take the series. That might not mean much this time around (especially considering that was a seven-game series, this a five-game series), but that experience is something to draw on.

But one area of concern in this series that is being overlooked, a little bit for both teams is the lack of goals scored. Maybe this was to be expected in this extremely competitive, tight series, but the two teams have combined for just nine goals in three games (and just four in the last two games). More staggering, Milwaukee has just three non-empty net goals against Christopher Nilstorp so far.

To move on to a second round battle with Toronto, the Admirals must find some more offense. There is no time like the present.

One unlikely solution: Less traffic in front of the net. Just ask John Tortorella of the New York Rangers (approximately :25 seconds into this clip).

So Roundtable . . . How does Milwaukee beat Nilstorp tonight? Do the special teams have to produce even more? Are you expecting more from Chris Mueller, Austin Watson, Taylor Beck, Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, all forwards with recent NHL experience? Who will step up and be the difference maker tonight?

Photo Courtesy of TexasStars.com

The Admirals got some familiar faces back Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to win Game Three and break the 1-1 deadlock in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Along with the returns of Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, the Ads lineup card also featured Chris Mueller, Taylor Beck and Victor Bartley. However, in an entertaining contest, Texas scored twice in the final thirteen minutes to make Friday’s Game Four a must-win for Milwaukee.

The Stars’ Alex Chiasson, who rejoined Texas along with Reilly Smith for Game Three, ended up with the game-winner at 7:42. After making contact with Mueller on what could’ve been a crosschecking call, Chiasson was fed by Justin Dowling in the slot and redirected the pass past Magnus Hellberg.

It was the first road goal the Admirals had surrendered in 205 minutes and 33 seconds, and it didn’t get any better for Milwaukee from that point.

Kevin Henderson ran into Kevin Connauton behind the Texas net, drawing a roughing call that gave Texas a power play at 13:33.

Connauton would give Texas a late two-goal cushion just 24 seconds later, firing a slapper from near the blue line that zipped through traffic and over Hellberg’s glove.

That was more than the Stars would need to seal the win, as the Ads couldn’t sneak one past Christopher Nilstorp. Hellberg hit the bench with two minutes left, but it was for naught.

The game was very tightly played up to Texas’ first goal, as the Ads and Stars battled back and forth for two periods.

Milwaukee got off to a shaky start as it was outshot 5-1 in the first eight minutes and 15-6 total for the first period. The Ads bounced back to win the shots battle 7-4 in the second period, and finished the game with 21 total shots.

Texas fired the puck long on Hellberg all night, forcing him to play it and setting up a lot of offensive zone faceoffs. Though they didn’t win a majority of these faceoffs, this strategy kept the Ads at their own end for good chunks of the game.

Despite the loss, Helberg had another solid showing stopping 29 of 31 Texas shots and adding to his total of 93 saves on 98 shots for the series. Nilstorp has been just as good, allowing just three goals in his three games started.

After the game, assistant coach Stan Drulia said the team will need to find “a way to get more pucks to the net in Friday’s game.”

“We just didn’t get into it in the third period,” Drulia said. “We have to shake this one off and be ready to go Friday. We’ll also need to make sure we’re getting out of our end cleanly at key moments. In the end we try not to rush to judgments, so we’ll look at the video and see what adjustments we need to make.”

Milwaukee must now win on back-to-back nights in Cedar Park to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Questions:

How do you think the presence of Mueller, Beck and Bartley affected the team tonight, if at all? Mueller led the team with four shots, and Bartley was a close second with three. Zach Budish and Patrick Cehlin were the only other guys with more than one shot.

If you were at Goolsby’s (or if not), what adjustments do you see the Ads making in Game Four? Valentine back at wing possibly?

So much for carrying momentum into game 3.  By the time Wednesday rolls around, Saturday will be ancient history.

With all these off-days, it makes me wonder why we can’t have a 7-game series in the first round…  It doesn’t appear to be due to a lack of time.

Looks like we get a Koharski of the Jamie variety on Wednesday, along with Graham Skilliter.  I know a lot of you don’t care much for Koharski, but I’ll take any Koharski over Shaun Davis any day of the week.

Here’s an open thread for you to discuss whatever you want heading into game 3….but here are some topic suggestions…

- Give us some line combinations you’d like to see. Are any lines from the stretch run untouchable?

- Now that the NHL talent is back for both teams, do you expect another defensive grudge match or some higher scoring games?

- If they go with six defensemen, who do you scratch?  And if Fordo is your answer, how much will they miss his leadership during the game?

- Ever been to Austin?

- Who is going to Goolsby’s on Wednesday for the viewing party?

Photo by Scott Paulus

Magnus Hellberg stopped all 23 shots he faced, while goals by Austin Watson and Captain Mike Moore gave the Admirals all they needed to knot up the Western Conference Quarterfinals at 1-1.

Texas ended up outshooting Milwaukee 23-20, but the Ads were able to squeeze one past the Stars midway through the second period and finish with a remarkable empty-netter.

While the first period ended scoreless, the Ads had a strong start controlling most of the action. They got their first power play chance just 20 seconds in after a Kevin Connauton hooking call, and used it to build early momentum.

Mattias Ekholm had two pretty good chances on the PP, but the Stars eventually killed it off. Nevertheless, Milwaukee finished the period up 12-2 in shots.

The Ads got another early power play chance 37 seconds into the second period, but again failed to put one past Christopher Nilstorp.

After a brief rumble along the boards, Brad Winchester was down on the ice for a few moments and had to be helped up and off by trainer Doug Agnew and Patrick Cehlin. He went to the locker room and did not return. No news on his status.

After a couple of nice saves by Hellberg on long blasts from Francis Wathier and Joe Morrow, Watson got Milwaukee on the board.

Mike Liambas fired a nice shot from the left circle that popped off Nilstorp right to Watson. Watty was able to chip it past the Stars goalie who was late adjusting the rebound.

Watson said after the intial shot it was a matter of beating the goalie to the puck.

The Ads went on the PK right after taking the lead, but a shorthanded rush by Cehlin drew a tripping call on Mike Hedden that evened things out.

Holding the 1-0 lead for the final 20 minutes would be no easy task for the Ads, as they were dealt a blow in the first four minutes.

Liambas was called for charging after a big hit along the boards, and he then dropped the gloves with Luke Gazdic. After Gazdic dropped Liambas to the ice with a vicious hook to the head, Liambas looked a little dazed getting up. He also would not return after being helped off the ice.

The results of the fiasco were offsetting five-minute fighting calls, a ten-minute misconduct call and two-minute instigating call on Gazdic along with the initial charging call on Liambas. In short, after two minutes of four-on-four, the Ads faced a three-minute Stars power play.

The defense came up huge and Hellberg made some nice stops, as the Ads killed off what could’ve been a big turning point for the Stars.

Coach Dean Evason was pleased with his team’s performance on the extended PK and overall on defense.

With the Ads keeping the good chances away from their net, Nilstorp hit the bench with 1:30 to go.

Moore erased any doubt with a goal from the top of the left circle…of his own zone. His laser beam from the opposite end hit the back of the empty net to seal the deal.

Notes:

When asked about which Nashville guys he expects to rejoin the Ads Wednesday, Evason promptly replied, “All of them.”

Evason also gave his expectations of the team’s trip to Texas, complimenting their ability to never get “too high” or “too low” after a game.

As mentioned, we don’t know the statuses of Liambas and Winchester and will keep you posted.

Milwaukee is 42-73 historically on the road in the playoffs and 9-13 in road Game Threes.

Questions:

Did tonight change anybody’s opinions on the overall series outlook? Do you think the Ads can pull off two of three on the road?

While it would be foolish to not want guys like Chris Mueller back in the lineup, are you at all concerned it may mess with the Admirals’ chemistry at this point?

Photo Courtesy of Scott Paulus

Magnus Hellberg and the Admirals played well enough to take Game One, but a rough break in overtime put Milwaukee down 0-1 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

After the Admirals tied the game at 7:11 of the third period, Brett Ritchie’s goal at 11:44 of OT sent top-seeded Texas to a 3-2 victory.

Ritchie took a neutral-ice pass from Mike Hedden (that was very close to being offsides), skated to the slot and whipped a high wrister past the big goalie.

(Goal starts at :18)

Hellberg finished with 41 saves in the solid overall effort. He said Joonas Jarvinen may have screened him a bit on the game-winner, but credited the quality shot.

After killing off Texas’ first chance of the game, Milwaukee got its first power play opportunity on a Scott Glennie holding call. The Admirals showed some spark right off the bat on the PP rattling off seven shots.

Patrick Cehlin finally Furied the Fury, getting the Ads on the board at 12:05 with three seconds left in the man-advantage. The puck came right to Cehlin at the left dot and his beautiful, quick slapper beat Christopher Nilstorp for the 1-0 lead.

Right after the goal, Nilstorp was assessed a 10-minute misconduct penalty and Toby Petersen served.

The Ads wouldn’t register a shot on net for the rest of the period, and with just 15.6 on the clock the Stars tied things up.

Ryan Ellis and Juuso Puustinen couldn’t get back and set up in time to disrupt a tight rush by Matt Fraser and Travis Morin. Morin chipped the puck towards Hellberg and Fraser redirected it slightly from the left slot for the equalizer.

The second period was a tough one for Milwaukee, as the Ads mustered just one shot on goal.

Zach Budish went to the box at 2:14 for interference, but the Ads killed off their second penalty thanks to back-to-back stops by Hellberg including a great save on Ritchie’s try from point-blank range.

After an interference call on Brad Winchester, however, Texas grabbed a 2-1 lead at 9:09.

Mattias Ekholm fell down a bit, giving Kevin Connauton too much space, and the defenseman lifted a wrister to beat Hellberg top shelf from the left dot.

Milwaukee headed to the break facing a one-goal deficit, and history wasn’t on its side. The Admirals have won just seven of 41 AHL playoff games when trailing after two periods.

After failing to get a shot on net in almost 30 minutes, the Ads started the third with four shots in the first five minutes.

Six seconds after a tripping call on Joonas Jarvinen, Hedden went to the box for embellishment. Then another Texas penalty on Joe Morrow gave the Ads a 4-on-3 chance that they would convert for the equalizer.

Early in the PP, Zach Hamill whiffed on a nice circle-to-circle feed from Winchester, but seconds later made it a 2-2 game from the exact same spot.

Winchester’s wrister from the right circle bounced cleanly off Nilstorp to a waiting Hamill in the left slot. He had plenty of room to bury the rebound with a wrister of his own and pick up some momentum for Milwaukee at 7:11.

The Ads kept the pressure on right after the goal, drawing an interference call against Connauton.

The Stars promptly responded with a solid penalty kill that ended with a nifty move by Morin on a shorthanded breakaway to draw a hooking call on Puusty.

Some monster pad saves by Hellberg kept the score tied and sent the game to the extra period, but it was for naught.

Notes:

Coach Dean Evason was pleased with the power play’s two for five performance, but felt his team didn’t produce as well at even strength.

Coach added that his team showed good composure despite the loss.

Evason wouldn’t confirm any player movement for tomorrow, but it’s probable that Daniel Bang, Austin Watson and Kevin Henderson will be recalled to the Predators. Evason also had nothing to add about Nashville’s decision to keep Filip Forsberg.

As AHL playoff records go, the Ads drop to 22-24 in Game Ones, 25-20 in one goal games and 20-23 in overtime games.

Milwaukee will get its second and final home-ice shot at Texas tonight at 7 pm CDT.

However, when the Admirals/Predators made several key transactions down the stretch, and goaltender Magnus Hellberg got hot, my expectations for this constantly overachieving club rose. Little did I know that Milwaukee would need a final run of 15-4-1-0 in order claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the AHL’s Western Conference, needing to sweep its last four contests to overcome hard-charging, nemesis Rockford.

The Admirals managed to do just that, winning their final two games in shutouts to boot, to claim a playoff spot on the final night of the regular season for the second straight year. Make it 11 straight berths and ten straight 40 or more win seasons, as my feature on MilwaukeeAdmirals.com states.

Now Milwaukee gets Texas, about as favorable an opponent as a team can find in a top seed in the conference. The Admirals have just two fewer wins than the Stars this season, and are playing better hockey as of late compared to Texas. But how will the matchup breakdown?

1. Texas Stars (43-22-5-6) vs. 8. Milwaukee (41-28-4-3)

Offense: Without a doubt, Texas is is a deeper, more dangerous team offensively than Milwaukee. Currently up with Dallas, Matt Fraser has 33 goals (on just goals he has 11 fewer points than Milwaukee’s top scorer). Texas scored 235 goals this season, while Milwaukee put up less than 200, and veterans Colton Sceviour (team leading 52 points) and Travis Morin remain dangerous threats.

The Admirals counter at some point (likely by Game 3) with a full compliment of talent, and will have all five of its top scorers during the season in the lineup (Zach Hamill, Taylor Beck, Austin Watson and Chris Mueller). Brad Winchester also re-discovered his offensive prowess (27 points in 37 games). Slight Advantage Texas.

Defense: Surprisingly, Milwaukee gave up one fewer goal than the usually stout defensively Stars, (200 to 201), and much of the Admirals damages came during the January/February funk and four miserable blowout losses. Milwaukee shored up that aspect of their game with the additions of Scott Ford and Joe Piskula. Add soon-to-be NHL full timers Victor Bartley and Ryan Ellis to the mix (Bartley later in the series) and the Admirals are stout on the blueline.

However, don’t count out the Stars’ blueline quite so fast. NHL veteran Cam Barker, and future/current NHL talents Brenden Dillon and Jordie Benn (back likely for Game 3) are solid, while Jamie Oleksiak had a phenomenal season. Slight Advantage Milwaukee.

Goaltending: If there is one place where either team has an obvious edge, its here. Simply put, Admirals goaltender Magnus Hellberg has been the best goaltender in the AHL since the calender turned to February. The rookie has lost just seven times since Feb. 1 in 27 appearances, posting an 18-7-6 record in that span, and the Uppsala, Sweden native racked up three shutouts in April when the Admirals needed them most.

For Texas, there is no clear cut No. 1 in net between Christopher Nilstorp or rookie Jack Campbell. Bachman’s been up with Dallas, making 12 appearances, but hasn’t played since April 15. He may get a start against Milwaukee in Texas. Advantage Milwaukee.

Coaching: Its been an impressive first season for Willie Desjardins in Texas. All the rookie head coach did in his first campaign was guide the Stars to a Western Conference regular season title after a last place finish a season ago.

Milwaukee’s Dean Evason earned his stripes coaching as an assistant with the Washington Capitals. Considering the lockout, it was a tough first season for any coach, but both did a great job. But because of their full season of success and an incredible 30-point turnaround, I give an edge to Texas.

Intangibles: Tough call here, but because of the Admirals end of season momentum, I will give Milwaukee a minor edge, but last year it didn’t mean much.

Who wins the series: The only two matchups during the regular season were won by Texas, but that should mean little on the outcome, considering how early they were on the schedule. Goaltender Jeremy Smith was a star of the Admirals six-game series victory against the Stars in 2011, but Smith is unlikely to even play this time around.

This series may get decided in the first two games in Milwaukee. Texas was the best team in the AHL on the road this season, going an incredible 25-9-3-1, while the Admirals impressed at home: 21-12-3-2. If the series splits heading to Austin, either team has a chance to grab momentum in three games in Texas. I will take Milwaukee in five games.

So Roundtable . . . How do you see the series shaking out? Any places where Milwaukee/Texas has an edge? Who will win the coaching battle? Am I crazy to pick the Admirals over the West’s top seed?