Game 7 is not the time to make lineup changes.  No coach ever wants to risk a winner-take-all game by disrupting a roster that had developed chemistry.

There are no such worries for Milwaukee Admirals coach Lane Lambert heading into Tuesday night’s contest.  Presented with Nashville’s elimination from the playoffs on Monday night, all of sudden Lambert has three “black aces” available for insertion into his team’s lineup.  Overall, Houston has been the better team in the West Division finals, but Milwaukee’s addition of NHL playoff tested Jonathon Blum, Matt Halischuk and Blake Geoffrion, might be the tipping point to turn the series back in favor of the Admirals.

The biggest difference for Milwaukee tonight will be Blum, hands down.  Though he stagnated at times with the Admirals this season, Blum emerged as a top-four defender in the NHL during his short time with the Nashville Predators.  Blum found himself an effective role with the Predators as a transition defender who can log minutes and contribute on the power play.  After this spring, Blum will not be back in the AHL anytime soon.  If Blum is paired with a solid stay at home defender in Milwaukee, he should be electric.

Adding Matt Halischuk will give Lambert another offensive dimension for his team.  Halischuk has well-deserved reputation as a clutch goal scorer.  He can score gritty goals around the crease and provide highlight variety plays (see Preds OT-winner from Game 2 vs. Vancouver).  Houston’s biggest advantage in this series has been their offense, but the addition of Halischuk narrows that gap significantly.

The addition of Geoffrion is the hardest one to judge.  At times during his NHL promotion, Geoffrion looked like a solid NHL player, but at other times Geoffrion looked a step or two behind on the ice (much like he did during the first months of his AHL stint this season).  If Nashville coach Barry Trotz had a better option, Geoffrion likely would have sat and watched during much of the playoffs, but the Predators were decimated with center injuries, so Geoffrion got plenty of ice time.  A return to the AHL won’t likely see Geoffrion refind his offensive touch (showed in the final weeks prior his NHL promotion), but the former Hobey Baker-winner could prove useful for Lambert in a checking center role.

So for a Game 7 prediction?  I have Milwaukee defeating Houston 3-2 in overtime tonight, with Matt Halischuk scoring the game winner.

So Roundtable:  What differences do think Jon Blum, Matt Halischuk and Blake Geoffrion make for Milwaukee tonight in Game 7?  Do these three players tip the game in favor of the Admirals?  If you were Lane Lambert, is there one of the three who you would not play?

Is there one other Predator (other than the obvious choices:  Rinne, Suter and Weber) that if their contract/league rules allowed for it, would make a major difference tonight for Milwaukee?

Press release is out there now.  Jon Blum, Matt Halischuk, and Blake Geoffrion have been officially assigned to the Admirals.

Chris Mueller and Teem Laakso aren’t in the press release, probably because they were never ‘officially’ called up.  Has something to do with emergency call-ups due to injury…. more CBA stuff that I’ve given up trying to understand how it works.

But don’t let the press release make you think otherwise — All five SHOULD be in Milwaukee for tonight’s game.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled line combinations suggestions….. and with 8 capable defensemen on the roster, who do you think gets to sit?  Lewis and ____?  Or do they go with 7 defensemen for the night?

The Journal-Sentinel must be catching playoff fever, because they’ve given our friend Dave Boehler some space in the sports section to actually write some hockey features.

Delightful!

A story about superstitions…

And a story about how Kelsey Wilson was able to lighten the mood a bit in the locker room before Sunday’s game.

Hopefully, he’s doing something similar this afternoon.  Maybe the full Boss Hog getup might do the trick?

The winner of Game 7 tomorrow night will win the right to play the Hamilton Bulldogs, after the Montreal affiliate defeated the Manitoba Moose 6 seconds into the 3rd overtime period Monday night.

Now THAT is a game 7 for the ages.

The Bulldogs outshot the Moose 57-30, but Moose goaltender Eddie Lack was outstanding.  (Does this scenario sound familiar?)

Drew MacIntyre was the winner for the Bulldogs, and Dustin Boyd scored his first of the playoffs for the dramatic OT win.

Meanwhile in Music City, as you’ve probably seen referenced on Facebook and on the Preds blogs and twitter feeds, the Preds came up just short, losing 2-1 to the Vancouver Canucks.

Will the Admirals get some reinforcements?  I’m inclined to say that it’s likely, but we shouldn’t count on it until we see a press release or see them on the ice.  I seem to recall that a couple of years ago, Antti Pihlstrom was on our clear day roster, but never actually came back when the Preds were done.  If they do come back tomorrow, hopefully they’ll all be mentally and physically tough enough to keep truckin’ for another huge game.

(continued)

Per Josh’s lead in the comments section…..assuming we get Mueller, Halischuk, and Geoffrion back, how would you like to see the forward lines?

The difference in the play of the Milwaukee Admirals from Game 2 to Game 3 against Houston was a dramatic as night and day.  The Admirals were better in every facit of the game and it paid off in a huge victory that ensures at least one more home game before the Aeros could win the series.

Yet with a 2-1 lead a team sits in roughly the same position as they do after winning the first game of a series.  A win in the next game is great, but a loss isn’t catastrophic.  It can be a recipe for disaster and complacent hockey–much like the type of efforts the Admirals showed in Game 2 against Texas and Game 2 against Houston.

So how can Lane Lambert coax his young team to avoid a let down game tonight in Game 4 at the Toyota Center?

1) Play tonight like you lost Game 3.  Though it is a not a perfect formula, playing a desperate style of play can lead to success for a team that over matched in the talent department.  Milwaukee wins games through grit, determination and out working its opponents.  The Admirals have also won a lot of games after losing the previous night.  The key tonight for Milwaukee is to show the same kind resilient effort that was apparent in the Game 3 win, where the Admirals were eager to show that Game 2 in Milwaukee was a fluke.

2) Find production from other sources.  Though Milwaukee’s top two forwards of Chris Mueller and Gabriel Bourque have provided plenty of offense in the playoffs, the Admirals are at their best when they get production from additional sources.  I thought Steve Begin played his best game of the year to date in Game 3, and he can be a difference maker when he plays that kind of game.  Playing against lesser lines of an opponent, Begin and other Admirals should get a chance to shine.

3) Follow the lead of Ryan Thang.  Though I was riding high on the Gabriel Bourque bandwagon to start the playoffs, Ryan Thang has taken over as Milwaukee’s playoff MVP in my estimation.  Thang’s effective play night in and night out has allowed Lambert to play around with his lines while attempting to spark energy in his team.  If he needs to get a player going, he just gives them a few shifts with Thang.

4) If all else fails, have Jeremy Smith steal a game.  Admirals goaltender Jeremy Smith has taken his game to another level in the playoffs.  Smith has come close to stealing a game for Milwaukee when his team offered poor efforts in front of him.  It seems like Smith is overdue to bring home a win on his own.  If the Admirals let down again, tonight might be the night.

So Roundtable:  What does Milwaukee need to do to avoid a let down in Game 4?

First, it was defenseman of the year.

The Ontario Hockey League has some more hardware for the Admirals’ defenseman, as Ryan Ellis was awarded the Red Tilson Award as the league’s most valuable player.

Here are some cherry-picked quotes from the Windsor press release:

Ellis led the Spitfires and all OHL defencemen in scoring this season, with 24 goals and 77 assists for 101 points in just 58 games.

He became the first defenceman to record 100 points in a season since Jamie Rivers (121 in 1993-94). He’s also just the third defenceman in OHL history to record more than 300 points. Only Denis Potvin (330) and Rick Corriveau (329) have more.

His record-setting season also saw him eclipse Joel Quenneville’s franchise mark for points by a defenceman (230).

Ellis wrapped his outstanding four-year career ranked second on the all-time Spitfires scoring list with 314 career points. Only Bill Bowler (467) has more.

He will also be the OHL’s nominee for CHL Player of the Year and Defenceman of the Year.

So Mazel Tov!  And hopefully he can continue to produce at this next level.

After Windsor lost in the OHL playoffs, it was just a matter of time.

I expect a press release this morning, but the AHL’s transaction page at theahl.com shows that defenseman Ryan Ellis is officially your newest Admiral.

He was the 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and has been at least a point per game every season with Windsor.

Career junior totals (including playoffs)?

288 games.
92 goals.
309 assists.
401 points.
+184 defensively.

When Jon Blum’s junior season ended a couple years ago, he played a few playoff games with Milwaukee and held his own fairly well.  Here’s hoping that Ellis will be able to be even better.  With Laakso on the Nashville roster, the door is open.

Ellis will wear #15.  We don’t yet have confirmation that he’ll play tonight….but it will probably be him or Foss.

Charles-Olivier Roussel (if anyone still cares about him) will wear #38.

UPDATE:  You’ll also notice on the AHL’s transaction page that Laakso and Pickard have been sent down.  That’s just a paper transaction.  Laakso is still in Vancouver, and we’ll probably see another note that he’s been called up prior to the next Preds game.

The verdict is in on the Teemu Laakso decision:  Nashville did not need a fill-in for an injured top-six defenseman.  Instead Laakso appears to be up with the Predators as a spare defenseman, a role he played at a few points during the regular season.  With the series in Vancouver, Nashville coach Barry Trotz and G.M. David Poile want to make sure they had a quick option to turn to if necessary.

I think it’s pretty clear that this decision by the Predators is a crippling one for the Milwaukee Admirals, but I shall speculate that Laakso will be back once the series shifts to Nashville for games three and four.  If the Predators need Teemu on short notice, flights from Milwaukee or Houston are not difficult to arrange.

So it looks like Admirals coach Lane Lambert will be without Laakso for at least Game 1.  Nashville and Vancouver’s second game is on Saturday, meaning Teemu could be available for Game 2 of Milwaukee and Houston with some well-executed travel arrangements.  There is an extra day break for the Predators and Canucks between Games 2 and 3, so that would make the most sense for a short return.

However, Jim Parker of the Windsor Star appears to have Ryan Ellis already on his way to Milwaukee as of last night pending it made public:

“The club will lose some veterans.

Captain Ryan Ellis will graduate and left to join Nashville’s top farm team in Milwaukee.”

The key word there being:  “left.”  However, until I can confirm that fact, Lambert will just have to wait before he can plug the Predators prized prospect into his Admirals lineup.  

(As of now Ellis is a confirmed Admiral).

PS.  Trotz lashed out harshly at what he felt was a pretty disappointing effort from his hockey club in a 1-0 loss to Vancouver, especially from his forwards.  Therefore, I expect a lineup change or two for Game 2.   However, Trotz went out his way to praise his top-six defensemen, so one of those lineup insertions won’t likely be Laakso.

UPDATE:  As of 12:29 this afternoon, Ryan Ellis is officially a Milwaukee Admiral.  He has signed ATO (Amateur Try-Out Contract).  Congrats to Ellis for taking the next step in his career and Milwaukee for getting a great player.  The next question is when will Lambert get him into the lineup?  Expect soon.

North Division finals:

1) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. 3) Manitoba Moose

Two of the AHL’s strongest attendance markets and most frequently mentioned locations in regards to future NHL relocation meet in a classic North Division finals matchup.

The Bulldogs enter this series playing well, having won their last two games over Oklahoma City in dominating fashion.  It is no surprise that Nigel Dawes is leading the way offensively with five goals and eight points, nor is it a surprise that Aaron Palushaj (7 points) is chasing right behind him.  Former Wolves (and Admirals) goaltender Drew MacIntyre (4-2-0, 1.67 G.A.A) is delivering between the pipes, with an AHL-best .945 save percentage in the first round.  More help is on the way after Montreal was eliminated in the NHL playoffs last night.

The only goaltender ahead of MacIntyre in goals against average is Manitoba’s Eddie Lack (1.60), who allowed just seven goals in five games played against Lake Erie.  Moose forward Marco Rosa leads the entire Western Conference with 12 points and eight assists, while Sergei Shirokov trails close behind with five goals and seven points.  Manitoba showed plenty of offense to outgun high scoring Lake Erie and might be a stronger defensive club than the Bulldogs, despite Hamilton’s Western Conference-best 193 goals allowed during the regular season.

Despite a down year in the North Division, the winner of this series will provide plenty of challenge for either Houston or Milwaukee, which both finished ahead of first place Hamilton in total points.  But I think the Moose’s recent playoff experience and the excitement brewing in the city of Winnipeg over regaining an NHL team, as being the tipping points in a 7 game series victory for Manitoba.

To read my in-depth West Division final preview (Milwaukee vs. Houston), click here.

To read my division finals previews from the Eastern Conference, click here.

To read my feature on MilwaukeeAdmirals.com on the Admirals victory in Game 6 over Texas click here.

1) Milwaukee Admirals vs. 2) Houston Aeros