The Admirals set a franchise record with a six-game winning streak to start the season. December happened. And now the Admirals are riding their second six-game winning streak of the season.

During this six-game winning streak the Admirals have outscored opponents 20-5, the goaltending tandem of Marek Mazanec and Magnus Hellberg have stopped 143/148 (0.966 save percentage), the power-play has gone 6/26 (23.1% conversion rate – well up from their overall figure of 16.2%), and the penalty kill has gone 19/21 (90.5% kill rate – their overall figure is 84.0%).

There are so many positives and they’ve all come together at the right time during this run. Two players that have stood out during this winning streak: Viktor Arvidsson, 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists)… Anthony Bitetto, 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists). Arvidsson especially has been playing full-throttle these last few games. His skating ability has been causing big time problems for opponents and he’s been solid on the resurgent Admirals power-play.

In one final stat I’d like for you all to wrap your head around this. Zach Budish has played twelve games for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. They have won all twelve games in which he has played. If you are wondering: Budish has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists), a plus/minus rating of +5, and 4 penalty minutes. Perhaps it’s just because he plays the right way?

~The Enemy~

The Adirondack Flames have a record of 22-15-2-1 (47 points) and are second in the North Division. They have gone 4-5-1-0 in their last ten games and have lost their last two games entering tonight’s contest.

The Flames haven’t played a game in a week so it will be really interesting to see the difference between the two sides as they lock up. Anticipate a quicker first period for the Admirals with the Flames having an extra step to their game later on.

Technically speaking the Flames leading scorer on the season is Drew Shore with his 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists). The thing is he was recently acquired after a trade between the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames that saw him and Corban Knight get swapped. Shore was recently called up to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday so that gives “leading scorer” moniker over to Émile Poirier who has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists).

In former-Admiral land, the Flames have Nolan Yonkman and Mathieu Tousignant on the roster. Yonkman’s leadership qualities have been pretty well documented already but it’s great to see he continues to play well at the AHL level to boot: 7 assists (1 goal, 6 assists), plus/minus rating of -1, and 35 penalty minutes. Tousignant has been on a bit of a roll this month. This season he has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists), a plus/minus rating of -7, and 72 penalty minutes. This month Tousi has 3 assists in four games.

In goal, the Flames have had the duo of Joni Ortio and Brad Thiessen working away. Ortio has played the better majority of games for them but was called up to Calgary last week. The good news for Adirondack is that the numbers between the two are quite close. Ortio: 17-8-1-0 record, 2.52 goals against average, and 0.916 save percentage. Thiessen: 5-7-2-1 record, 2.59 goals against average, and 0.917 save percentage.

Thiessen should be the man in net tonight. He’s a veteran, having played 182 career games, and has played the previous two games for the Flames. The alternative would be Doug Carr who has played 2 career games in the AHL with a playoff cameo last season. He has yet to play in the AHL this season. The majority of his season has been spent with the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL.

Expectations for tonight? Will the Admirals winning streak hit seven games? Would you give Rob Madore a start in net tonight?

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Happy Friday, everybody! This is a scouting report that I have been looking forward to doing for awhile now. The Utica Comets have been one of the best teams in the AHL this entire season. They enter having won seven of their last ten games including the last two contests by a combined 8-3. The Comets offer a complete game and it has worked like magic for them since the start of the season.

~The Who~

The Comets have a record of 24-8-5-0 (53 points) this season which has leading the North Division. The closest team to the Comets in their division are the Adirondack Flames who trail by 5 points despite having played in three more games.

Utica are currently second overall in the Western Conference thanks in small part to the massive surge taking place for the Oklahoma City Barons – who have gone 9-1-0-0 in their last ten games to claim the West’s top seed by 3 points.

~The What~

What has been so effective for the Comets this season has been their defense and goaltending. They’ve only allowed 83 goals all season. The only two teams to have allowed the same or less than the Comets are the Hershey Bears (81 goals allowed) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (83 goals allowed).

The man most responsible for this great goaltending situation in Utica hasn’t seen a whiff of the AHL since the 2005-06 season. That’s right. I’m talking about Ryan Miller. When he signed a three-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks in July it meant a log jam in net was going to happen with either Eddie Läck or Jacob Markström getting it on the chin.

As would be the case, Markström has spent his entire 2014-15 season to date in the AHL with the Comets. His response to the situation is just about exactly what you would want. He has been brilliant when called upon: 12-2-1-0 record, 1.85 goals against average, 0.936 save percentage, and 4 shutouts.

Markström is by no means alone in his efforts this season either. Hailing from exactly the same hometown of Sweden as his Comets battery-mate, Gävle, Joacim Eriksson has more-or-less been the anchor for the Comets in net this season. He has played in more games this season in net and has a record of 12-5-4-0, a 2.38 goals against average, and a 0.914 save percentage.

Eriksson was in net for both head-to-head games against the Admirals and won each contest. In the first meeting between the Ads and Comets last season he had a 21-save shutout in a 3-0 Comets win. He followed that up by stopping 20/23 in Utica and 3/5 in the shootout to end last year’s statline against the Ads with a 1.44 goals against average and 0.932 save percentage.

~The When~

Tonight at 6:00 pm CST…

~The Where~

Fun Fact. The Utica Comets play in the Utica Memorial Auditorium. That happens to be the same barn as seen in the classic film “Slap Shot” where the amazing anthem scene takes place.

~The Why~

Why not stop and think back for a moment about all the good times you’ve had watching Cal O’Reilly play for the Milwaukee Admirals before tonight’s game? It will be only the second time in his career that he faces the Admirals when the Comets captain takes to the ice. His first game was the match-up in Utica last season.

O’Reilly’s track record for the Milwaukee Admirals just about speaks for itself. He is second all-time in the AHL history of the club with 253 points (56 goals, 197 assists). The assists total for him his the most in the AHL history of the team. While his 262 appearances has him eighth all-time in the AHL history of the Admirals.

This season O’Reilly leads the Comets in scoring with 30 points (4 goals, 26 assists). He has a plus/minus rating of -2 and only 6 penalty minutes on the season. His AHL career totals are now at 339 points (68 goals, 271 assists) in 376 games – a 0.90 points per game total.

Expectations for tonight’s game? Can the Admirals winning ways continue over the likes of the hefty Utica Comets? If Kevin Fiala debuts tonight what would that mean for the Admirals forward lineup and which center should he play with?

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It wasn’t that long ago since we faced the Hamilton Bulldogs. Upon entering that game the Milwaukee Admirals were on a four game losing streak. They claimed a 4-1 win and would proceed to go on a four game winning streak that storms into Hamilton’s barn tonight.

~Last Time~

Rather than simply re-hash another scout on the Bulldogs lets actually take a gander at just what happened in the game that kick started the Admirals win streak. What was it that the Bulldogs didn’t do? What was that the Admirals did do?

The first thing to note is the simple approach to the game: Defend. Limit high quality scoring chances. Maintain puck control. Be smart when on the puck. Put pucks to the net. Crash the net for rebounds or to establish screens in front of the goaltender. This is all part of “playing the right way” that we’re starting to become accustomed to.

So, what was the result of that approach? The Admirals outshot the Bulldogs in each and every period in the game: 8-5, 10-6, 13-5. Simply put, the Admirals exhausted the Bulldogs in the way the maintained and defended pucks in that game.

The first goal of that game came from a power-play. In some ways, this was a shoulder dropping moment for the team and for fans alike. It was the first power-play goal scored in thirty-two previous chances on home ice. The way it worked? Two forwards, Austin Watson and Joe Pendenza, crashed the net and were looking for a loose puck if Joey MacDonald spilled a rebound out in front of them. Viktor Arvidsson‘s shot hit a post and spilled kindly for Pendenza. Right place. Right time. And he reacts to the rebound faster than defenseman Joe Finley was able to. Goal. Bonus points for knocking the Gatorade off the top of the cage.

Now come a pair of daggers. The Admirals scored twice in the span of 2:04 of ice time to start the second period off.

The first chance was a quickfire two-on-one after Brendan Leipsic stole a puck off of Davis Drewiske and then alluded his diving poke check that sent him off to the races with Arvidsson to his opposite with Greg Pateryn between them. The saucer pass by Leipsic may have been late getting over to Arvidsson but that’s part of why MacDonald was overly committed to Leipsic to his glove-side. The pass popped over Pateryn’s stick and Arvidsson stayed square enough to the feed to push the puck into an open net with MacDonald unable to go post-to-post with his pads fast enough.

Leipsic’s work along the wall helped set up a Taylor Aronson wrister moments later for the second goal in two minutes and the game’s second goal scored by crashing the net. Aronson pulled his best T.J. Brennan impression by skating up off the blue line and into the left wing faceoff circle to wire a shot on goal. The shot got to its intended target. The fact that Aronson shot so quickly, with traffic buzzing around the net, caused MacDonald to fumble a puck in and out of his catching glove and right to the net front pressence of Frédérick Gaudreau. Simple play. Effective play.

The Admirals final goal scored in the contest boils down to two things. One: Mark Van Guilder establishing a perfect screen in front of MacDonald in net. Two: Zach Budish putting in an even more perfect shot to the near post top shelf.

Funnily enough, if you look at the replay, even if the shot gets spilled out to the front of the net the Admirals are still organized for a goal. Rich Clune was unmarked on a drive down the center of the ice. The closest Bulldogs defensemen, Pateryn, never saw him as he skated in from neutral ice as his attention was firmly focus on the puck. The Bulldogs committed three red shirts to Budish on the right wing. The Admirals had their numbers right where that puck was either going or kicking out to.

Hamilton did managed to get a goal of their own from that game. They had a power-play midway through the third period and caught the Admirals penalty kill frozen at their own blue line. The speedy Drayson Bowman was able to get a huge step on Clune as he entered off the left wing. Ian White was no match for the pace. Despite even being the nearest d-man on that wing Anthony Bitetto did a better job getting tight to the shooting angle against Bowman. It didn’t detour what he wanted to do, though. Marek Mazanec was perfectly squared to him but Bowman beat him low and wide blocker side on a wrist shot.

~Tonight~

The Bulldogs enter this game with a record of 16-16-6-0 (38 points) which has them fourth in the North Division. They have the same points total as the Toronto Marlies but their Ontario counter-parts have a game in hand at the moment.

In their last ten games the Bulldogs are a woeful 3-6-1-0 (7 points). They are entering this game having lost their last two games – both of which were on home ice. They fell 2-1 against the Lake Erie Monsters in backbreaking fashion before getting shutout 3-0 by the Oklahoma City Barons and CCM/AHL Player of the Week Richard Bachman.

The Bulldogs haven’t scored a goal in 72:06 of ice time. The Admirals are entering this game with a shutout streak of 129:59 of ice time and counting.

If you were thinking about any one match-up to look out for from last game that would spill into this game it would be that of Triston Grant versus the man he blew kisses to, Finley. Grant appeared to get under Finley’s skin from the opening puck drop all the way to the end of the game. It wouldn’t shock me if these two find each other on the ice yet again tonight.

Another interesting thing to watch out for tonight would be whether or not we see the return of Leipsic to the Admirals lineup. He was a healthy scratch the last two games and was done so in a manner quite similar to that of Pontus Åberg not too long ago. He needed to learn how to, you guessed it, play the right way. Well, the last time Leipsic played against these Bulldogs he scored three assists. It could be the right time to reintroduce the Winnipeg native back into the Admirals lineup.

Expectations? Will the Admirals be able to maintain the success they found last weekend into this three-game road trip? Who would you like to see start in net tonight? Can the Admirals achieve three-straight shutouts?

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Tonight is the last of the Admirals three games in three days spurt. It’s already been a success with two wins against the Midwest Division leading Rockford IceHogs in the bag. This will be the first time the Charlotte Checkers have come to Milwaukee since the season opener. However, the last time we played against the Checkers it was chaos in Charlotte.

~Remember That Time When Hellberg Face Punched Muse~

We last matched up with the Checkers at the end of November. It was the start of what would become a seven-game losing streak for the Admirals.

Game #1 was televised live on television for all to see and it was mayhem. The Admirals lost 5-4 and the game ended with 108 combined penalty minutes with a line brawl and goalie fight being the headline.

Game #2 was also centered around the action in net. This time it had less to do with goalie fighting and more to do with just how incredible Drew MacIntyre was for the Checkers. The former-Admiral made thirty-nine saves in a 3-2 (SO) contest.

~Names & Numbers Taken~

The main antagonist from the narrative in Charlotte was Rasmus Rissanen. He was everywhere and put himself in the crosshairs of all Admirals after standing up Rich Clune with a knee-on-knee hit. It was Rissanen that triggered the line brawl as well as the subsequent goalie fight because John Muse was trying to get Mike Liambas off of Rissanen which drew in Magnus Hellberg to even the numbers game in the scrap. Keep your eyes peeled for #2 in Charlotte red tonight. He could well be getting a receipt or looking for one of his own.

~As They Stand Today~

The Checkers have a record of 13-18-4-1 (31 points) which puts them fourth in the West Division and thirteenth in the Western Conference… because nothing says West like Charlotte, North Carolina… I digress. In their last ten games they have gone 4-3-2-1 (11 points) and enter on a three game point streak.

Their top scorers are Chad LaRose and Justin Shugg. LaRose leads the Checkers in scoring with 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists). Shugg has played ten less games than LaRose but has an impressive 17 points (12 goals, 5 assists).

MacIntyre continues to play well in net for the Checkers. He has a record of 11-11-3-1 this season with a 2.51 goals against average and 0.918 save percentage. In three games this month he has a 1.99 goals against average and 0.932 save percentage. He stopped 29/30 shots in the Checkers 2-1 win in Grand Rapids against the Griffins last night.

Expectations for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Checkers? Do you feel enough time has passed or will these two brawl it out like the first meeting in Charlotte? Would you reward Marek Mazanec with the start tonight after getting the shutout last night or rest him because it would be his third start in three days?

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The Admirals last game was a great step in the right direction. Tonight the team is gearing up for a really big test. The Ads start the first of a three-in-three that will see them go up against the Rockford IceHogs at home, then on the road, and then finishing up at home against the Charlotte Checkers. The games are here swift and fast. The time to get results are now.

~The Enemy~

The IceHogs remain the top team in the Midwest Division with a record of 21-11-3-1 (46 points) which is good for third place in the Western Conference. They enter with a two-game winning streak but a so-so 4-5-1-0 (9 points) in their last ten games. Which IceHogs team is going to show up? Which Admirals team is going to show up?

~Teuvo’s Time~

The IceHogs will be without Teuvo Teräväinen these next two games. The 20-year old Finn was recalled by the Chicago Blackhawks last Friday. He is second on the IceHogs in scoring with 23 points (6 goals, 17 assists). He also has a plus/minus rating of -3 with 6 penalty minutes.

~Stop Lucky No. 7~

T.J. Brennan continues to be one of the best scoring defensemen in the AHL. He leads the IceHogs in scoring with 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists). He has also been a thorn in the side of the Admirals in this season’s head-to-head. He has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) against the Ads this season. That ties him with Phillip Danault (1 goal, 4 assists) and Taylor Aronson (1 goal, 4 assists) for the top scorers in this match up.

~Fear the Beard~

Scott Darling is back with the IceHogs and could well factor into one or both of these two games. This season he has a record of 9-4-2-0 from fifteen games played, has a 2.17 goals against average, and 0.929 save percentage. In three games against the Admirals this season he has gone 1-2-0-0 with a 2.37 goals against average and 0.923 save percentage.

Darling has yet to play a game in the month of January. Michael Leighton started their lone contest in January and responded with a 31-save shutout of the Chicago Wolves in Rosemont.

~Pre-Game Update~

The news of Patrick Cehlin‘s call up yesterday now makes even more sense considering Miikka Salomäki has been recalled to the Nashville Predators once again. The call up for the Finn comes after the news that James Neal and Eric Nystrom have both been placed on injured reserve.

Expectations for tonight? Are these two games against the Rockford IceHogs already to be considered must win games? Which goaltender would you start tonight and how would you utilize both over this three game stretch?

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Perhaps what the Admirals need right now is an opponent that they have next to no knowledge of so that they can focus purely on their own game. That’s pretty much the story tonight as Milwaukee sees a team from the North Division visit Milwaukee for just the second time this season.

~The Enemy~

The Hamilton Bulldogs have a record of 15-13-6-0 (36 points) which has them sitting in third place of the North Division. By picking up a point in their 3-2 (OT) defeat to the Chicago Wolves last night, and the Admirals 4-2 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Bulldogs are now in the eighth and final playoff spot of the Western Conference. Lucky for the Admirals that the season isn’t on the line tonight. There is still plenty of time for both of these teams to climb the ladder.

~Who What Now?~

The Bulldogs are a team build with two players leading the way in scoring: Charles Hudon and T.J. Hensick.

Hudon leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 34 games. He is tied for the team lead in power-play goals with Sven Andrighetto with each having 3 PPG’s. Hudon also has a plus/minus rating of +7  and 40 penalty minutes.

Hensick is second on the team in scoring with 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists). He’s a +4 player and, in 34 games, only has 4 penalty minutes.

Other players to keep a keen eye out for include: Gabriel Dumont, Jake Dowell, and Eric Tangradi.

~Tendy Tandem~

In net right now the Bulldogs have Mike Condon and Joey MacDonald. Condon, despite this being his first full season at the AHL level, has played in 4 more games than his veteran counterpart. Both have performed quite well though. Condon: 8-7-3-0 record, 2.36 goals against average, 0.927 save percentage. MacDonald: 6-5-3-0 record, 2.95 goals against average, 0.902 save percentage.

What should we expect from the Milwaukee Admirals tonight? Is it getting to the point where you don’t know which Admirals team is going to show up? Scoreline prediction?

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Welcome to the start of the 2015 portion of the Milwaukee Admirals schedule. It’s a new year and, hopefully, a new start for the Ads. December went just about as poorly as it could have gone for the team. They face a good test tonight on the road to get things rolling.

~The Forgotten Ones~

The Grand Rapids Griffins are normally a steady and tough team to go up against. With how well the Rockford IceHogs and Chicago Wolves have played you nearly forget that the Griffins have regained their footing in the Midwest Division after a poor start.

Grand Rapids have a record of 16-11-3-1 (36 points) which places them a single point ahead of the Admirals in the division with both teams having played 31 games. Tonight’s result is the difference between the Admirals leap-frogging back into third place or falling further down the hunt in the division.

In the Griffins last 10 games they have a record of 6-2-1-1 (14 points). It’s the best last-in-10 in the division and includes a 3 game winning streak entering tonight’s contest.

~The Power of Power~

Teemu Pulkkinen remains the Griffins top scorer with an outstanding 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 31 games. He is currently tied for second in scoring in the entire league with Nick Shore of the Manchester Monarchs. Both trail fellow member of the Monarchs, Brian O’Neill, who leads the AHL with 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists).

Anthony Mantha continues to progress for the Griffins since making his professional hockey debut with the team in November. The Quebec native has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) with a plus/minus rating of +9 from 20 games. He also has shown signs that he is still going through the motions of learning the speed of the professional game. He has taken 45 penalty minutes and is tied with bruiser Chris Bruton for the team lead in penalty minutes per game with 2.25.

~Open Wound~

Viktor Stålberg had himself quite the outing last game. He equaled his entire scoring output from his previous 4 game rehab stint in the 5-4 (OT) loss to the Lake Erie Monsters by tallying 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists).

Yet, the last time that Stålberg was on the ice against the Griffins was when Brennan Evans delivered a knee-on-knee hit that sidelined the Swede for well over a month. Could this be a case of forget and play on or will it come back to gloves dropping against Evans later tonight?

Expectations for tonight’s game? Will the surge that brought the Admirals back into the last game spill into tonight? Scoreline prediction?

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The Admirals current record is 15-11-1-3 (34 points) which has them in third place of the Midwest Division. Both teams in front of them have played more games: the Rockford IceHogs have played three more games, the Chicago Wolves have played two more games. The IceHogs are now 8 points ahead of the Admirals and the Wolves are clear by 3 points.

~Rewind~

When we last played the Lake Erie Monsters it was in their neck of the woods and we played two games played that summed up the very Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Admirals this season. Game One: a controlled, start to finish, 4-0 shutout victory. Game Two: a decent start and a better that decent collapse, 4-3 loss.

In fact, it is the last of those two games that was a lot like last night’s 3-2 (OT) loss in Iowa. The Admirals had a really strong start. They were outshooting the Wild to pieces and had a 1-0 lead. They tried to sit on it. Collapse. The Admirals took advantage of a mistake on Iowa’s end and reclaimed their lead. They tried to sit on it. Allowed the Wild to double them up in shots in the last period of play. Collapse.

If there has been anything more deflating to watch this past month for the Admirals it has been an inability to play a complete game. It always feels like the first period is a winner and the bottom drops out bit by bit as the game storms along. The Admirals should have that 4-3 defeat to these same Monsters in mind for tonight’s game. Don’t get comfortable. Don’t be content. Finish the game off.

~Cleveland Rocks~

The Lake Erie Monsters have a record of 13-12-2-3 (31 points) which has them in last place of the Midwest Division. They are entering this game not having won since the last time they saw the Admirals. They’re on a three-game losing streak and have been outscored 13-7 in regulation during that span.

~Tendy News~

A storyline from our last rodeo against the Monsters was that they didn’t have their starting goaltenders. Instead, we were treated to Roman Will for both games. That won’t be the case tonight. Not only has Sami Aittokallio healed from his lower-body injury. The Monsters will have Calvin Pickard available tonight after he was reassigned by the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Pickard has enjoyed a really successful spell for the Avalanche this season: 14 games, 6-6-2 record, 2.21 goals against average, 0.934 save percentage. For the Monsters this season he has played the most games in net (13), 6-4-3-2 record, 2.57 goals against average, 0.920 save percentage, and a shutout to his name.

What should we expect from tonight’s game between the Admirals and Monsters? Can the Admirals finally snap their 0/27 spell on the power-play at home tonight? Scoreline prediction?

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It’s not very often you get a Monday-Tuesday two-in-two but that’s precisely what we get to start off our week. Some slight recapping might be in order. When last in action the Milwaukee Admirals were beaten up 6-2 by the Chicago Wolves. It put a deflating halt to the Admirals three wins from four games that got started on the road. Perhaps it’s just another road game that the Admirals need to get back after it?

~Wild, Wild Stuff~

If you thought the last Admirals game hurt thank your lucky stars you aren’t an Iowa Wild fan. Last time out the Wild lost 9-2 on the road to the Grand Rapids Griffins – echoing back to their 9-1 road loss to the Admirals last season. Simply put. Both sides want to take a step forward tonight and put awful results behind them.

Entering this game the Wild have a record of 10-19-1-1 (22 points) which sees them dead last in both the West Division and Conference. In their last ten games they’ve gone 5-5-0-0 (10 points). They also have allowed more goals than any team in the AHL and have a goal scoring differential of -28 (78 goals forced, 106 goals allowed).

~The Story In Net~

The Minnesota Wild’s Niklas Bäckström was placed on injured reserved prior to Christmas and that lead to a call up for John Curry. With Josh Harding‘s health issues putting him out of action it also meant Iowa needing extra help in net so they signed Dave DeSander to a PTO contract.

All that sounds rather hectic but not quite as hectic as Johan Gustafsson‘s season is going. He finished last season with a record of 12-20-4-4 with a 2.98 goals against average and 0.903 save percentage. This season he has a record of 5-12-1-0 with a 3.60 goals against average and 0.889 save percentage. He even laid an egg at the ECHL level for the Alaska Aces where, in his lone outing, he allowed four goals on twenty-eight shots.

~Moving Forwards~

It appears as if the Wild will be without two of their top scoring forwards tonight. Minnesota called up Tyler Graovac and Brett Sutter late last night. Graovac was tied for Iowa’s team lead in scoring with 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists). Sutter was fourth in scoring for Iowa with 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists).

They’ll be lead tonight by Michael Keränen and Jordan Schroeder. Keranen, tied with Graovac in scoring, has 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists). Schroeder is third on the Wild in scoring with 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists).

Still like Jon Blum? If so, he leads Wild defensemen in scoring with 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists), a plus/minus rating of -9, and 10 penalty minutes.

Expectations for tonight’s game? Can the Admirals keep up their road success? What impact will Viktor Stålberg have in his return to the Ads lineup?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

Today is a date that I have had marked on my calendar since precisely one month ago. On that date the Milwaukee Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-1 and, after the game, Rich Clune unloaded on the Amtrak Rivals by calling them “S” word: soft.

That CM Punk level pipe bomb was then followed up in the post game interview with the media:

“I would be nice to them if they just shut their mouths and took what was coming to them, but they seemed to like to throw personal comments out toward me. None of them are really tough enough to really deal with me in a fight. They just don’t match up with us at all, toughness and speed. I love running them over every night.” ~Rich Clune

As we know from our side of things, cringe, things didn’t go all to well following that game against the Wolves. The Admirals went on to lose seven-straight games including all games held during a five game homestand.

Now the good news! For as rough as that stretch of games was for the Admirals they traveled to Cleveland for two games, Rochester for one, and Toronto another – and they have returned from a four game road trip with three wins including two straight.

During the four game road trip the Admirals scored 14 goals. During their seven game losing streak they only scored 12 goals. Things are starting to trend a little more back to normal and the bodes well for tonight. Because I have the feeling that the Wolves, like myself, have had this game marked on their calendars for awhile.

~Since We Last Met~

The Wolves currently have a record of 16-11-3-0 (35 points) which has them second in the Midwest Division and fifth in the Western Conference. They are ahead of the Admirals in the divisional standings but only by 2 points with a pair of extra games already played.

Since our last game with the Wolves they have gone 5-5-0-0 (10 points) in ten games. Hit and miss but better than the rough spell we endured. During that ten game period for the Wolves they played only one game that went past regulation and their goal differential was +2 (28 GF, 26 GA). Again, hit and miss – but steady.

~Who What Now?~

Ty Rattie continues to roll for the Wolves offense. He tops the team in scoring with 21 points (14 goals, 7 assists). He is followed closely by Pat Cannone with 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists). Then, in the mix of things, there is “The Great One” Shane Harper with 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists).

In goal the Wolves are still rocking Jordan Binnington and Matt Climie. The two have split games pretty evenly this season but the numbers, wins being the most important stat, favor the second year pro Binngington: 2.08 goals against average, 0.919 save percentage, 9-4-1-0 record. Climie, who has long suffered at the hands of the Admirals, should probably sit this one out. He started the season well but now has a sub-900 save percentage and has a record of 7-7-2-0 on the season.

Expectations for tonight? Will Rich Clune’s previous comments make him a target in this game? Is the Christmas break going to cool off the Admirals run that was getting started from their road trip?

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