Remember the last time we played these chums? It was just about the most clinical game of the entire season for the Milwaukee Admirals. They won by a final score of 9-1 and, for all intensive purposes, the game wasn’t even remotely close.

So what happened in that game that worked so well for the Admirals and allowed for them to finally break out of that five-game winless streak? Was the Pekka Rinne effect all it took? Bah, nonsense. His night was rather tame. Plus, he didn’t score a single goal! In truth – you can tell much from something as easy as that highlight reel from that game.

Hannu Toivonen may have been thrown into the fire far too quickly, having signed a PTO deal with the Wild a mere two-days prior to the game, but it was his defense in front of him that left him completely helpless.

Goal #1. The opener from Colton Sissons may have come from a power-play – but watch the four-man penalty kill box in front of the net the moment the puck falls to Vinny Saponari. Every single player in green is locked into the puck carrier and no one else (a theme that will repeat itself a fair bit). Sissons was standing directly on the door step and only needed a pass to a tap in.

Goal #2. Very similar play to the opening goal – save for the fact this one was on even strength. Taylor Beck receives a pass behind the goal line, scoots behind the cage, and -once again- all green jerseys are fixated on the puck carrier. How else could the noted goal scorer Joonas Jarvinen get so wide open in the circles? It wasn’t until that puck left Beck’s stick when Brett Bulmer even realized Jarvinen was all alone and charging down the slot.

Goal #3. You won’t be able to see him do it on the video – but I was watching Bryan “Thunderdome” Rodney as he set this play up. There were four Wild players trapped deep beyond the right wing face off circle with one man standing guard in the slot. All players were trying to trap Patrick Cehlin into an empty space. What they forgot was that other players were on the ice, with skates, and brains – and Rodney swooped around the zone from his typical right defensive spot all the way over to the left wing. He was all alone. He just needed the pass. He got the pass. And again the Wild burnt themselves by focusing too much on the puck carrier.

Goal #4. This was the first true goal scored in the game where you might be able to wag the finger at poor ol’ Hannu. It was a massive rebound to give up on the Miikka Salomaki shot – much worse where he kicked it out to – and who he kicked it out to. Still, when you look at those boys in green again, there were three jerseys giving up the slot for Austin Watson to be in the perfect place for just such a rebound: one behind the net – two hugging the sides of the net – and two far too deep from the action to deny Watson time and space. I believe the technical term used to describe such a play is called fubar.

Goal #5. Alrighty, this was one where you can let up on all parties involved. Sissons wins the face off. Joe Piskula corrals the puck… waits… shoots… and the puck wires through plenty of traffic. Was there anything more that the Wild could have done on this play besides win the face off?

Goal #6. This came from a four-on-four scenario and again featured Jarvinen doing something a little left field. With the extra space on the ice Jarvinen moved from the point, attacked Zack Phillips, held backhander, and the Wild gave him the slot to skate down. Just prior to the shot – Zach Miskovic abandons Watson in front of the goal to challenge him to shoot. By doing that he screened Toivonen’s sight to the puck as Jarvinen elevated it on the backhand. Toivonen never left the ice on the shot.

Goal #7. This was one where you could probably pin the damage on Toivonen who, at this point, was in a mad scramble to attack any and all shooters racing down the zone – probably because he felt exposed in net. On Scott Valentine‘s first goal of the season – Toivonen aggressively tried to close an angle towards the near post. Valentine had plenty of room to shoot at to the far post – but it still meant shooting against the grain, lefty shot from the far right wing, to beat him to that post. And, well, he did.

Goal #8. This was a combination of the opening goal from Sissons, scored on the power-play, and the Watson goal. A pass attempt from Saponari hit the skate of Carson McMillan. As it hits off of him most Wild players are looking up ice – and then nearly all of the spin around backwards. Tyler Cuma was just about the lone Wild player on the ice who followed where he went. His problem was his spinning tap away of the puck… directly to Mark Van Guilder in front of the net. Fubar.

Goal #9. The final goal of the game was a shorthanded variety for Joonas Rask with a massive assist to Charles-Olivier Roussel. I don’t know where the full blame can be pinned on from this play. Shorthanded goals should never happen if you ask me. When they do – typically the numbers being used on the extra skater are being used too aggressively. Add that with a crafty lead pass by Roussel that found Rask in a battle for ice with Jonathon Blum (insert punchline here) – and you have the breakaway from an Admiral penalty kill. I still find that no celebration gesture by Rask – classy.

So what does all of this mean – you might ask. Well, clearly the Wild are firmly aware of these exact same breakdowns. They have been in Milwaukee for two days ahead of this game. There is undoubtedly a sense of redemption in mind with this game and I expect them to come out strong in the first period.

Sound familiar? Try the follow up game in Rockford for the Admirals where they used their opponent’s aggression against them en route to yet another rout.

This one also has a spark to it in the form of a complete and utter pesk by the name of Corbin Baldwin. He tried to do several dirty things to the Admirals during that contest which caught the eyes of Mike Liambas (twice) and Scott Ford. There is a chance we could well see some fires reignited in that regard later tonight.

For added information on what we can expect from the Milwaukee Admirals, including the newbie Francis Wathier, I suggest hitting up yesterday’s edition of The Chatterbox which included a full-wrap up from morning skate – including some line combinations I expect we should see tonight (substitute Zach Budish for Cehlin who is not going to participate in tonight’s game despite taking part in practice).

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Will the Admirals winning streak reach five-games? What sort of fireworks could we expect from this contest as it related to the last time they played?

We’ve seen these dastardly foes much of late. In the 7 games played between the Admirals and IceHogs this season the Ads have gone 3-2-2-0 (8 points).

Nov. 1 vs. Rockford: W, 4-2
Nov. 27 @ Rockford: L, 2-1 (OT)
Dec. 21 @ Rockford: W, 3-1
Jan. 24 vs. Rockford: W, 3-2
Jan. 25 @ Rockford: L, 2-1
Jan. 26 vs. Rockford: L, 4-3 (OT)
Feb. 22 @ Rockford: L, 4-1

The past 3 games in this match up haven’t gone the way of the Admirals – but they’ll be facing an IceHogs team that has a slightly different look about it since they previously played.

Rockford and Iowa made some swaps at the end of February that saw Brian Connelly become an IceHog in exchange for Brad Winchester. In an additional move between the two teams the IceHogs sent Zach Miskovic to the Wild for future considerations. (IceHogs release)

The moves continued this month with Brandon Pirri being shipped from Rockford to the Florida Panthers organization in exchange for draft picks: 3rd Round (2014) and 5th Round (2016). (IceHogs release)

That meant two roster spots were opened up and in stepped Philippe Lefebvre and Pat Mullane from the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. (IceHogs release)

Then the Chicago Blackhawks organization acquired David Rundblad and Mathieu Brisebois from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a draft pick: 2nd Round (2014). Brisebois was assigned to Rockford following the trade. (IceHogs release)

So, what sort of point production will be missed from this head-to-head match up following all these moves?

Brad Winchester, 7 games, 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist), 8 PIM’s, -4.
Zach Miskovic, 4 games, 0 points, 2 PIM’s, -1.
Brandon Pirri, 5 games, 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists), 2 PIM’s, -4.

The big loss here for the IceHogs in this match up is Pirri. Last season he was able to produce 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 12 games against the Admirals. He’s always been a thorn in their side – even in games where he isn’t picking up the odd point here and there.

With his absence that means the recently named CCM/AHL Player of the Month for February, Jeremy Morin, will need to really carry the load when it comes to this match up – and it is something he is fully capable of. This season against the Admirals he has scored 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 6 games. His season to date has been outstanding: 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists). He also has a plus/minus of +9 and 51 PIM’s. He enters tonight’s game on a 13-game point streak: 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) during the streak. Top Gear Top Tip: Stop Jeremy Morin.

The Rockford IceHogs have a record of 30-22-5-3 (68 points). They are ahead of the Admirals in the Midwest division by 6 points – but have played 4 more games than the Ads have. With this two-in-two between the Ads and IceHogs. It’ll be huge for the Admirals to claw back up the standings starting with divisional wins. It wasn’t long ago that I was saying it’s all about getting hot at the right time. The IceHogs are still a strong 7-1-1-1 (16 points) from their last 10 games. The Admirals are on a 2 game run off of the Pekka Rinne show last weekend. It’s time to start a run.

For a round-up on the Admirals and Calle Jarnkrok – I suggest paging back to yesterday’s edition of the Chatterbox where I have audio from Dean Evason, Mathieu Tousignant, and Filip Forsberg.

Quick Bullet Points, (1) Marek Mazanec will get the start tonight (2) Joonas Jarvinen will be out of the lineup (3) Calle Jarnkrok will actually be wearing the number 19 with the Admirals – not his Grand Rapids Griffins numeral (4) Forsberg will be playing on the wing with Jarnkrok – nothing else is set in stone in regards to the forward group. (5) Simon Moser was confirmed yesterday by Evason to be returning from the Nashville Predators.

UPDATE: The voice of the Admirals, Aaron Sims, was able to catch up with both Jarnkrok and Moser following the morning skate today. (Jarnkrok, jump to 0:27 of the video… Moser, jump to 6:16 of the video to catch a Mike Liambas interview bomb)

What are your expectations for tonight’s game? How about the weekend? Can the Admirals take all 4-points from the IceHogs? Marek Mazanec starts tonight – how will he do after some time out of the net? How will Calle Jarnkrok perform in his debut?

First off, I highly expect a bunch of website views from North Korea and much much more thanks to the lovely title for today’s scouting report (cringe, sigh, repeat).

The Admirals are freshly removed from a 9-1 thrashing of the Iowa Wild that ended their season long five-game winless streak. Pekka Rinne was heavily under the microscope in that game and he will be again today. He didn’t have too much strenuous work against the Wild on Friday. He’ll be playing against a team today in the Rochester Americans that has scored 2+ goals in six-consecutive games. In that stretch they’ve averaged 29.7 shots on goal per game. Rinne had his game length conditioning test Friday. He’ll have a much bigger work out today.

While there was plenty of hype surrounding Rinne on Friday, justly, he was outshined by an Admiral offense that finally burst to life. 

It begs asking. Can the Ads possibly comeback today with an offensive performance remotely close to Friday’s outburst? I’m not talking same scoreline… that would be silly… but the last time they scored 4+ goals in back-to-back games was 1/12/14 vs. Lake Erie and 1/16/14 @ San Antonio. Before that? 12/6/13 vs. Oklahoma City and 12/12/13 vs. Oklahoma City. In short, they tend to not sustain their offense that often. If Friday was the beginning of the Ads playoff push – it desperately needs that kind of an offense that can deliver so accurately from their chances.

Right now the Admirals have a record of 24-19-6-6 (60 points) and sit in fourth place of the Midwest Division – as well as the bubble spot, eighth place, of the Western Conference. They trail the Rockford IceHogs in the division by six-points – but have four-games in the bag to play with compared to the IceHogs. Today they’ll be playing against the team that sits above them in the conference, Rochester. They trail them by three-points and, shockingly, Rochester is one of only seven teams to have played less games than the Ads have this season. Perhaps the Ads schedule has finally caught up with the rest of the league?

The Rochester Americans record entering this afternoon’s game is 28-19-3-4 (63 points). They comfortably sit in second place of the North division trailing the Toronto Marlies by five-points and sit ahead of the Hamilton Bulldogs by eight-points. In the Americans last ten-games they have gone 6-3-0-1 (13 points). Good run, but they were roughed up by the Amtrak Rivals on Friday by a score of 6-2. It’ll be interesting to watch, for both teams, who we’re watching on the ice off of up and down Friday performances.

The ‘Mericans are led in scoring by Phil Varone who has played in 47 games and produced 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists). He earned his first career NHL call up during this season and played 9 games with the Buffalo Sabres where he scored 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist).

Leading the ‘Muricans in goal scoring is AHL All Star from this season, Luke Adam. He has 24 goals this season for Rochester. The next closest to him in that department is Jamie Tardif with 16 goals.

With Pekka Rinne added to the season stats for the Admirals – they have now had five different goaltenders play for them this season. That is the most since the 2010-11 season when they had the likes of Mark Dekanich, Jeremy Smith, Atte Engren, Anders Lindback, and Chet Pickard. I say this because Rochester has comfortably rotated a two-man battery the entire season.

Matt Hackett has had the majority of games this season: 31 games, 13 wins, 2.89 GAA, and 0.904 SV%. Nathan Lieuwen, playing in his first full professional season, has played in 26 games, won 15 games, 2.39 GAA, 0.920 SV%, and has 2 shutouts to his name. The rookie has had the better numbers this season. With Hackett taking the loss on Friday, conceding 6 goals from 37 shots by the Chicago Wolves, I anticipate a match up of Lieuwen against Rinne. Lieuwen has won his last two-starts – but has also allowed 2+ goals in his previous seven games.

What should we expect from today’s game? Will we see a drastic drop off from the Admirals today or can they carry Friday’s momentum? What do you anticipate from Pekka Rinne in his second rehab start? Will this be Rinne’s last appearance on conditioning assignment?

The Admirals are enduring their longest losing streak of the season, 5 games. While the problem has been a bit more to do with a lack of offense the spark they’ll be getting tonight comes in the form of Pekka Rinne starting between the pipes.

There is going to be such an intense focus on Rinne’s return tonight and with great reason. (1) He is Pekka Rinne. (2) He is returning to the ice for the first time in four months after complications of an infection related to his off-season hip surgery. (3) This is his first time back in Milwaukee since 2008. (4) How will he play in his return to game action?

While I’m certainly going to be hitting on all those bullet points throughout the day, I’m literally going to live at the Bradley Center all day today, I don’t want to take away the main focus which is tonight’s game against the Iowa Wild. In fact, while many might be wagging the finger at Rinne’s return as a source of turning this losing streak around – I actually feel the best thing that will happen tonight for the Admirals is that they are playing the Wild in the first place.

The Iowa Wild enter tonight’s game with a record of 22-22-6-4 (54 points) and sit 4 points beneath the Admirals at the bottom of the Midwest Division. In their last 10 games they have stumbled around much like the Ads have: 3-6-1-0 record (7 points). They are currently on a losing streak of their own, 3-games. Someone will go slump-busters tonight.

In recent days the Wild have made some transactions worth talking about. They acquired former-Admiral Brad Winchester from the Rockford IceHogs, along with Zach Miskovic, for Brian Connelly.

Winchester has quietly had a very productive season as a member of the IceHogs: 55 games, 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists), plus/minus of -8, and 85 penalty minutes. We saw what he meant to the Admirals when he joined last season. For a team that has sputtered around all season long – perhaps a guy like Winchester is an acquisition that can really boost the Wild’s season. Time will tell. In 7 games with the IceHogs against the Ads this season he had produced 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist), plus/minus of -2, and has taken 8 penalty minutes.

Another transaction that the Wild made involved bringing in Hannu goaltender. Eh? Eh? That’s right. Fresh off of his release from the Admirals on a PTO contract – Hannu Toivonen found himself Hannu PTO deal with the Wild. He fills the spot of John Curry who was recently called up to Minnesota.

I anticipate Johan Gustafsson in net over the likes of Hannu, BUT, the Wild and Gustafsson played last night against the Rochester Americans. They were taken down in Iowa by a final score of 4-2 and Gustafsson allowed 3 goals from 34 shots on goal. I can see him playing two-in-two. Should we see Hannu in net so soon after being released… awkward.

Will tonight be the night that the Admirals breakout of this losing streak? How do you feel Pekka Rinne will perform in his return? Does the offense snap out of their own funk with a game against a team like the Iowa Wild? Will last night’s game hurt or help the Wild entering tonight?

The AHL All Star break is officially over and tonight we’re back in game action. The Admirals players, outside of Colton Sissons, enjoyed plenty of time off this week. I’ve seen a few who: traveled down to Florida, went back home, or stuck around Wisconsin to go hunting. Considering how those last two games finished for the team – the AHL All Star break came at a good time. A little R&R can do the mind and body some serious good in a season as grinding as this. Case and point: welcome back from your vacation, Ads… we have a three-in-three.

The first stop of the weekend three-in-three is with the Iowa Wild who have a record of 20-17-5-4 (49 points). They are still in the basement of the Midwest Division and trail the fourth place Rockford IceHogs by 5 points. If you’re feeling like this sets up well for the Admirals to find their feet after two somewhat disappointing outings – you’re feelings are in the right place!

Nov. 3 @ Iowa: W, 5-2
Nov. 16 @ Iowa: W, 1-0
Dec. 29 @ Iowa: W, 4-0
Jan. 6 vs. Iowa: W, 4-3 (SO)
Jan. 31 @ Iowa: W, 3-2 (OT)

The Ads have taken all five-games so far against the Wild. The last two games gave been much tighter. Shootout and OT. But, for as bad as the Admirals are beyond regulation, they’ve still managed to get the extra point against the Wild.

Another element that will make games in the AHL that little bit more spicy is that, with the NHL’s Olympic break, a lot of players have been shuffled around. In the case of the Wild they have Erik Haula, Johan Gustafsson, and Stephane Veilleux who were brought in from Minnesota. They also recalled Riley Brace yesterday from Ontario Reign of the ECHL. One more, they traded Mr. Chad Rau (as seen skating the wrong way in the photo used for today’s story) for Curt Gogol of the Worcester Sharks. There’ll be a lot of mixing and matching of line combos for lots of teams in the AHL during this Olympic stretch. Oddly, the Milwaukee Admirals really aren’t one of them.

The Admirals return to action tonight with a record of 22-14-6-5 (55 points). They are third in the Midwest Division and remain sixth in the Western Conference. The Ads trail the Chicago Wolves by 4 points – and they will be playing them on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. It’s those two games that follow this one that make this meeting with the Wild that much more important. Don’t get caught thinking ahead to the bigger opponent. Take the Wild head on and then worry about the Amtrak Rivals.

Iowa gained a few faces. Milwaukee, not so much. Colton Sissons and Taylor Beck will be in the roster tonight but neither have spent that long of time away from the team. Even with Simon Moser doing awesome things in the Olympics I anticipate a pretty familiar lineup card as we’ve seen this season as a result. What could be fun to see is if Sissons, after his nonstop work and travel during the AHL All Star festivities, can hit the ground running that little bit quicker than others on the ice. While others were catching sun – he was playing against Färjestad BK of the Swedish Elite League. In short, he’s been in full playing mode all week. I’d like think that will benefit the team against the Wild tonight.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s game against the Iowa Wild? How about the three-in-three this weekend? Could this be a trap game tonight with the Wolves looming right afterwards?

The Amtrak Rivalry is here to wash away the pains of Friday night! With the Milwaukee Admirals trailing the Chicago Wolves in the standings – the stakes of today’s game are just as high as they often are between these two. Let’s rumble.

The Chicago Wolves enter today’s game with a record of 26-16-3-2 (57 points). They are in second place of the Midwest Division – trailing the Griffins by 7 points – and leading the Admirals by 3 points. In their last ten games they have gone 6-2-2-0 (14 points) and enter this chapter of the Amtrak Rivalry on a four-game point streak, 3-0-1-0 (7 points).

Through five-games between the Admirals and Wolves this season the Wolves are up big in the season series:

Oct. 19 vs. Chicago: L, 3-2 (OT)
Nov. 15 vs. Chicago: L, 4-3
Nov. 22 vs. Chicago: W, 3-2 (SO)
Dec. 22 @ Chicago: L, 2-1 (OT)
Jan. 11 vs. Chicago: L, 2-1

The Wolves have taken 9 points from a possible 10 points against the Admirals this season. To think that the Admirals trail the Wolves by 3 points in the Midwest Division… For the Admirals to cleanse the filth that was Friday night’s shutout loss – they will need to also buck this season’s downward trend against the Wolves. It’s one thing to have a bad day against a team like the Utica Comets. It’s another thing to have a bad season against a divisional rival.

The Wolves are lead in scoring by first-year pro Ty Rattie. The first-round draft choice of the St. Louis Blues in the 2011 NHL Draft has played in 46 games this season (only missing a single game). He has 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists). The next closest to him in points? Mark Mancari (27). The next closest to him in goals? Dmitrij Jaskin (13). In three-games in February, Rattie has tallied 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) – and that includes a silent night his last time out against the Iowa Wild. He’s been hot – and, along with a pesky player in Mancari, is one of the key players who will need to be slowed down and given serious attention when he’s on the ice.

Jake Allen will more than likely see the net against the Admirals today. He didn’t play in the loss to Iowa – so expect the AHL All Star goaltender to square up with Marek Mazanec this afternoon. This season Allen has played in 32 games, won 19 games, has a 2.12 GAA, and a 0.924 SV%. Last season he was able to make a quick impact at the NHL level for the Blues: playing 15 games, winning 9 games, displaying a 2.46 GAA, and a 0.905 SV%.

With the defeat Friday night the Admirals dropped to a record of 22-14-6-4 (54 points). As mentioned, they trail these Wolves by 3 points. As not mentioned yet, the Admirals do have a game at hand over these Wolves: Admirals, 46 games played… Wolves, 47 games played. The ground will be there for the Ads to climb up. Beating the Wolves today goes a long way in making that opportunity a reality.

It wasn’t posted here at the Roundtable yesterday… (apologies.. but I was with my father on our annual Chicago Auto Show trip) …but, Colton Sissons was a very late recall to the Nashville Predators for last night’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks. The move was a direct result from Matt Cullen having a quick on-off during morning practice and being scratched from the game.

Sissons’ stat line last night: no points, 12 shifts, 7:27 of ice time (0:31 on the penalty kill), and he continued his faceoff success in the NHL – going 4/6 (66.7%) on faceoffs.

The bigger news from that game came from fellow Admiral call up Simon Moser. The soon-to-be Olympian scored his first career NHL point with a primary assist on the game’s opening goal scored by Viktor Stalberg (game highlights).

Moser’s stat line last night: 1 assist, 3 shots on goal, 1 takeaway, and 17 shifts for 12:53 of ice time (1:07 on the penalty kill).

With the Olympic break now in full-swing at the NHL level – I finally expect Moser can join up with Team Switzerland after a week or two of rumors that he was getting ready to join their camp in Sochi. A first NHL stint, and ending it on a high note with a first career NHL point, not a bad delay for his travels in my book.

I would anticipate the arrival of Colton Sissons and Mr. Aaron Sims from Nashville to Milwaukee in time for this afternoon’s game. In case you’ve been living under a rock, our very own radio play-by-play man was called up to the NHL as the Predators cycled their radio man in place of Pete Weber on TV following the sad events that took place with Weber in Minnesota where he suffered a heart attack (Roundtable story). This meant that the radio play-by-play seat was empty, Aaron was right next door/state at the time, and was able to call his first ever NHL game in his home state. It didn’t end there though. He has literally been working, nonstop and across the country, since Wednesday night’s Admirals game: Ads/Bulldogs, Preds/Wild, Ads/Comets, Preds/Ducks, and finishing off his marathon today with the afternoon tilt between the Amtrak Rivals. I salute you, Aaron!

What are your thoughts for this afternoon’s game? Will the early start time have any impact on how this game plays out? Does the game against the Utica Comets have you feeling ready for a rebound or more of the same?

Last time out the Admirals won in regulation. The last time they did that was on Jan. 24 vs. Rockford: W, 3-2. The next opponent they get to face? Another member of the Western Conference’s North Division: the Utica Comets. There is just one thing worth remembering. These are last year’s Chicago Wolves.

I made mention of this when we first met the Chicago Wolves this season but there were some changes in the last offseason. The Vancouver Canucks did not renew their deal to keep the Chicago Wolves as their AHL affiliate and, instead, purchased the Peoria Rivermen. There is no denying that the Canucks wanted to move their AHL team closer to Vancouver. They were in talks over the Abbotsford organization but those talks ended up breaking off. The end result became the Utica Comets. The Peoria Rivermen became no more (despite the Southern Professional Hockey League team carrying its name). And the Wolves were taken over by the old guard of the Rivermen when the St. Louis Blues joined on.

That entire situation still seems like a complete mess to me. The aim was for an AHL affiliate closer to Vancouver and they end up in New York. Compare that scenario with the Houston Aeros to Iowa Wild move for the Minnesota Wild and your head might hurt a bit. It’s still a shame to see the Rivermen go down. And it’s also a shame to be an AHL player called up to the NHL from Utica, New York and have to travel all the way over to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. If there is a yo-yo type player filling in a lot between both teams – I envy his frequent flyer miles. Anyways, what have our ‘old’ Amtrak Rivals up to since the move?

The Utica Comets are the worst team in the Western Conference with a record of 17-22-2-4 (40 points). The only team with a worse record in the entire AHL is the Hartford Wolf Pack, 17-23-0-5 (39 points). The Comets season started painfully. It took them 11 games before they finally won their first game of the season. In those opening 10 games without a win? They only earned 2 points. Since then, they have improved but only ever so slightly. Their current run, 6-3-0-1 (13 points), seems to tell me they might just finally be finding their groove. With that in mind. Let me tell you that they are still the lowest scoring team, 107 goals, in the entire league.

Who is on this Comets squad that took part in last season’s Amtrak Rivalry as a member of the Wolves… and how did they do in last season’s match up with the Admirals? Darren Archibald, 8 games, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists)… Alex Friesen, 4 games, 1 goal… Peter Andersson, 4 games… Alexandre Grenier, 1 game… Nicklas Jensen, 5 games… Alex Mallet, 3 games… Joe Cannata, 2 games, 1 win, 2.52 GAA, 0.937 SV%.

Last season, Cal O’Reilly was voted to the Top 35 Admirals of All-Time list – where he ranked eleventh. Tonight, he will play in his first career game against the Milwaukee Admirals. It will also be his first game in the Bradley Center since Jan. 22, 2010 against the Chicago Wolves where he tallied 2 assists in a 6-3 Ads loss. In his career as an Admiral he blistered the AHL all-time list: games played (262… tied for sixth with Chris Mueller), points (253… second to only Darren Haydar), and assists (197… the team in Ads AHL history – clear by 31 assists to the next closest Admiral, Haydar).

Since leaving the Ads, O’Reilly has quite literally been all over the place. He went up to the Nashville Predators, was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, played with the Portland Pirates in the AHL, he was claimed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins, went down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, then he went to Russia to play for Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL for a season, and now… *drumroll* …he’s back! In 26 games with the Comets this season O’Reilly has 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists). He has yet to take a single penalty. Having been such a great part of the team’s AHL history – I’m hoping he gets a real warm response tonight.

UPDATE: The fans will not get that chance as O’Reilly has been scratched from tonight’s game with an upper body injury. He did travel with the team, but is out of tonight’s lineup for the Comets.

With the team leader in points, Pascal Pelletier, called up to the Canucks on Tuesday – the Comets are lead in scoring by Benn Ferriero. The 26-year old has played in 98 games in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, and Canucks. He has 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 45 games this season with the Comets. For a team ranked at the lowest of the low in goal scoring, his production.. combined with Alexandre Grenier (15 goals) and Colin Stuart (11 goals).. make up for 40% of the team’s total goal production. If the Admirals want to put the Comets in a vice – lock those boys down and force others to step up.

In net the Comets have been working with rookies all season long. The current battery is Joacim Eriksson and Joe Cannata. Eriksson has been called upon the most between the two. This season he has played in 28 games, won 12 games, has a 2.57 GAA, and a 0.914 SV%. In two February starts, he has lost both games while conceding 6 goals from 65 shots. Cannata, who took part in last year’s Amtrak Rivalry, has played in 18 games, won 5 games, has a 3.21 GAA, and a 0.894 SV%. He made the team’s last start, made 43 saves, stopped 7 of 9 in the shootout, and helped the Comets win 3-2 (SO) in Iowa on Wednesday. Before that, he made 32 saves in a 3-1 win in Hamilton.

The Admirals enter tonight’s game with a record of 22-13-6-4 (54 points). They are still sitting behind the Grand Rapids Griffins (62 points) and Chicago Wolves (56 points) in the Midwest Division. The Ads are currently riding a 4-game point streak of 2-0-1-1.

In their victory against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday – the team had two injuries to work through. Austin Watson went flying knee first into the end boards. He played the rest of the game but took a nasty hit to his left knee. Joonas Rask re-injured his left shoulder and missed the entire third period.

For as tight as the team has been of late – an injury meant a recall from Cincinnati of the ECHL was mandatory. The man from the Cyclones recalled? Paul Crowder. This season with the Cyclones he has played in 42 games and is second on the team with 30 points (11 goals, 19 points). This will be his second rodeo with the Admirals. He was called up late last season: 5 games and 2 assists… 1 playoff game and 1 assist. He’ll be wearing the #11 for the Admirals.

UPDATE: Taylor Beck was reassigned to the Admirals this afternoon (story). There was also the news that Joonas Rask will be out of tonight’s lineup due to his shoulder injury – and could possibly miss much longer.

What do you expect from this game tonight? Any memories of Cal O’Reilly you’d like to reminisce over?

In their last three-games the Admirals have played beyond regulation. In two of those three games they’ve lost. Three game point streak for the team – but now, with the homestand continuing, it’s time to get greedy and claim the maximum amount of points from struggling Hamilton Bulldogs team.

The Bulldogs have a record of 20-21-0-4 (44 points). They are currently third in the Western Conference’s North Division behind the Toronto Marlies (56 points) and Rochester Americans (50 points). In their last ten games the Bulldogs have been a dreadful 3-7-0-0 including four-straight losses:

Jan. 26 vs. Chicago: L, 4-1
Jan. 31 @ Abbotsford: L, 6-0
Feb. 1 @ Abbotsford: L, 4-1
Feb. 4 @ Rockford: L, 6-4

While the Admirals rested up and practiced from the comforts of Milwaukee – the Bulldogs were in a slugfest in Rockford last night. 10 goals in the game. 2 fights. And, unknown if there will be instant repercussions for it, but an illegal check to the head delivered by Stefan Fournier.

I suppose it should come as a surprise to see such mayhem from the Bulldogs though. They currently have 873 penalty minutes. That is the second most, only to fellow North Division opponent the Lake Erie Monsters (976 penalty minutes), in the Western Conference. They are tied for third most shorthanded situations in the entire AHL with the Binghamton Senators with 233 shorthanded chances. Despite having 40 more shorty scenarios than the Admirals the Bulldogs actually have a better penalty kill (83.3%) than the Ads (82.4). It might be a statistical factoid but if you give any team that many chances with an extra skater – it’s a dangerous game to play.

Martin St. Pierre. Remember him? You should because last year, while playing for the Rockford IceHogs, he was an Admiral killer. In 12 games against the Ads last season he scored 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists). No one in last seasons match up, Ads and IceHogs, scored more goals than St. Pierre. This season with the Bulldogs he has played in 42 games, produced a team-best 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists), has a plus/minus of -12, and has logged 34 penalty minutes. Last season with the IceHogs he had 204 shots on goal in 76 games. This season with the Bulldogs – just 68 shots on goal from 42 games (well off last year’s offensive pace). He has a stellar month of November, 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists), but has since been very miss and not so hit. In his last 23 games he has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). For all we know, a game against a team like the Admirals, that he did so well against the year prior, could ignite a fire under him.

Leading the Bulldogs in goal scoring is first-year pro Sven Andrighetto who has 10 goals this season. In the Bulldogs game last night in Rockford he earned second star honors for contributing a 4 point night (1 goal, 3 assists). He might have only played in 33 games this season but has been one of the better and more consistent performers for Hamilton. The 20-year old played two seasons with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL before playing in the AHL this season. His numbers were sharp in juniors: 115 games, 172 points (67 goals, 105 assists), a plus/minus of +2 (first season, -23… second season, +25), and 95 penalty minutes. The native of Switzerland has enjoyed a decent first season of professional hockey so far. He’ll be a man to stop tonight.

The Bulldogs top goalie this season has been 24-year old Dustin Tokarski. Entering tonight’s game he has played in 30 games, won 15 games, has a 2.32 GAA, and a 0.919 SV%. He has lost his last four-starts. And he has also conceded 11 goals in his last two starts – including 5 goals against the IceHogs in last night’s game. Should the team decide against using him in their two-in-two scenario tonight that would mean seeing Bulldogs’ backup goaltender Robert Mayer. The 24-year old Czech has not played on a regular basis at all this season: October, 4 games… November, 4 games… December, 3 games… January, 3 games… February (so far), 1 game… In 15 total games in net this season, Mayer has won only 4 games, has a 2.97 GAA, and a 0.902 SV%. No matter who the Admirals face – it could be to their advantage. They will get the struggling goalie or the cold goalie.

The Admirals will play tonight’s game after enjoying some downtime after a hectic two-in-two that saw them travel down to Iowa and back to Milwaukee. They won in overtime on the road in Iowa and then lost a shootout against Grand Rapids. This pushed their record to 21-13-6-4 (52 points). They are still third in the Midwest Division behind the Chicago Wolves. The Ads might be trailing their Amtrak Rivals by 4 points but they have 2 games at hand. If the Ads win those 2 games – we’re all even.

Colton Sissons is back in the lineup for tonight’s game after enjoying his first taste of the NHL. I’m still not too sure if this is a truck stop game for him tonight with a possible post-game trip over to Minnesota where the Predators play tomorrow. If it happens, it is a solid win-win for all involved. If not, this is still a win for the Admirals and Sissons. The Admirals get back one of their top scorers and all-around (power-play and penalty kill) players. Sissons gets to play lots and lots of minutes – minutes that were already alluding him at the NHL level on the Preds’ fourth-line. He has 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists). I expect his presence to be a big boost to the team in multiple facets of the game tonight.

Marek Mazanec will start tonight. That’s a shot in the dark from me. Just a guess. But, considering he has started in all 8 games since he was reassigned to the Admirals from the Predators, it’s probably a safe bet on my part. In his last game he looked incredible against the Griffins. It may have been a shootout loss. He may have given up 2 goals again (continuing his wacky stat of always conceding 2 or more goals per game in the AHL). But, he made more than enough clutch saves that allowed the Ads to take a point from the Griffins in the first place. He stopped 35 of 37 shots by the Griffins. With some much needed rest for the Ads’ workhorse – I expect a nice night in net for Maz. Bold Prediction: tonight he will end his string of 2 goals or more allowed.

What are your thoughts for tonight’s game? Will last night’s physical game against Rockford hurt or help the Hamilton Bulldogs as they play tonight? How will Colton Sissons play in his return to the AHL? Should the Admirals continue to dress 7 defensemen and scratch a forward or should they scratch a defenseman and keep the forward group stacked?

The Admirals did two amazing things last night in Iowa. They won on the road. And they won in overtime. Prior to last night’s victory the Ads were on a stretch, starting in Lake Erie, of six-straight road defeats. In overtime this season the Ads are 5-0-6-3 (19 points) in 14 games. Their six defeats in overtime are the most in the entire AHL right now. Last night was only their second overtime win.

Another bit of good news from last night was the return of Patrick Cehlin after he missed thirty-four games due to injury.

Felt good to be back playing with the boys. Been a long 3 months!! Nice to get that OT win with us back home #7hbusride

— Patrick Cehlin (@PattyC29) February 1, 2014

In his return he played on a line with Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder. He didn’t score a point in his return, had two shots on goal, and his plus/minus was a -1. Still, after missing so much time, it’s understandable if he feels his way back into game speed. He could have been skating and practicing as much as anyone in the last two weeks – but you can never simulate game action. Last night’s game was a good first step back into what the Ads hope is an added scoring option on the top lines.

More good news? Sure! The Admirals are now starting up a five game homestand where they are the second best team on home ice in the AHL this season with a 0.763 winning percentage. In nineteen home games this season the Ads are 13-3-3-0 (29 points). Their home ice goal differential is +19.  Also, of the six meetings against the division leading Grand Rapids Griffins, the Ads have won both home contests in the season fixture with last season’s Calder Cup champs:

Oct. 18 @ Grand Rapids: W, 3-2
Nov. 13 vs. Grand Rapids: W, 2-1
Nov. 20 @ Grand Rapids: L, 5-0
Dec. 13 @ Grand Rapids: L, 4-2
Dec. 14 @ Grand Rapids: L, 5-0
Dec. 26 vs. Grand Rapids: W, 4-1

Sure, there have been some clunkers in that mix – but there have also been some of the more stellar all-around performances from the Admirals as well. Seeing as it has been over a month since we’ve last seen the Griffins – just what have they been up to?

The Grand Rapids Griffins enter tonight’s game with a record of 28-13-2-2 (60 points). They’ve pretty much been in charge of the Midwest Division from the start of the season and still maintain an 8 point cushion over the second place Chicago Wolves – and a 9 point lead over the third place Admirals. In their previous ten games they have gone 5-4-1-0 (11 points). They are also on a two game losing skid in which they have conceded six goals in both defeats: 1/26, @ San Antonio and 1/31, vs. Chicago.

Don’t let those defeats fool you though. The Griffins have been a model of consistency this season and to remind you of that let me bring up the home and away again. The Griffins are right behind the Admirals with the third best home record in the AHL with a 0.688 winning percentage (the top home team in the conference and entire league is Texas with a bazonkers 0.804 winning percentage). Where the Griffins differ to the Admirals is how lethal they can be on the road. The Griffins have a conference best 0.643 winning percentage on the road. They also have a +14 goal differential in road games. Again, don’t let their recent defeats where they have conceded six goals in back-to-back outings fool you. This team can rebound better than perhaps any in the AHL this season.

We’re done with warm-ups. It’s go time, #GriffinsNation! #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/tLWEf1MCqV

— GrandRapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 31, 2014

Making some news this week was the announcement that long time NHL’er Mikael Samuelsson cleared waivers and joined the Griffins. How did the 37-year old feel his Griffins debut went last night?

“I didn’t feel great. I’m not going to lie. I felt better as the game went on, had a couple chances, but, overall, not my best game.” Mikael Samuelsson (source)

He has played in 699 career NHL games – including 26 games with the Red Wings this season. He might be on the decline. But the experience and skill that he possesses pose a big threat for the Admirals to deal with tonight.

Another name back in camp is goaltender Petr Mrazek. His last game played for the Griffins was 12/7 vs. Rochester. Since? He’s been up with the Red Wings before his reassignment this past Tuesday. He didn’t play in the team’s defeat last night. He could well be the man between the pipes for the Admirals to scrap it out with tonight.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Can the Admirals take down the division leaders? Would you start Hannu Toivonen in net tonight?

It’s game day! Pretty nice to say after a few days off, eh? You want to know what is even better to say? We don’t have to deal with the Rockford IceHogs again until Saturday, Feb. 22. Instead, we stroll down to Iowa for a game before kicking off a five-game homestand to start the month of February.

The Admirals enter tonight’s game with a record of 20-13-6-3 (49 points). They are currently third in the Midwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference. In their last ten games they have grinded out a record of 4-3-1-2 (11 points). The big happenings? Colton Sissons was called up to the Nashville Predators, played his first NHL game, and recorded his first NHL point – an assist. Here’s what he said of the experience:

Let’s hope history repeats itself with Sissons. First AHL game. First AHL point (assist). First NHL game. First NHL point (assist). Second AHL game. First AHL goal. Second NHL game…

That said, the lack of Sissons and fellow recent call up Taylor Beck does take away the team’s top two scorers. That means the top man in camp, as far as scoring is concerned, is Miikka Salomaki with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists). He’s been a rather consistent performer – not always offensively but in the two-way sense of the game. With the top two gone, it is going to be important to have guys like Salomaki and Filip Forsberg producing big for the team.

Perhaps the even bigger story from the recent call ups is that there is now a gaping hole in the center spot. This season it has been: Colton Sissons, Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson, and Mathieu Tousignant. There hasn’t been a call up to respond to this circumstance. That means we should have a winger moving down the middle starting tonight in Iowa. Who will it be? If I were in Dean Evason’s shoes, I would cook up my line combos like this for tonight:

Salomaki-Watson-Forsberg
Moser-Van Guilder-Cehlin
Henderson-Tousignant-Saponari
Liambas-Rask-Budish

UPDATE: Patrick Cehlin will return to game action tonight for his first game since playing against these very same Iowa Wild on 11/3/13, This means Evason now also has the tricky choice of Valentine, Roussel, and Rodney on defensive assignments to round out six d-men.

This season the Admirals have played the Iowa Wild four times and won each contest:

Nov. 3 @ Iowa: W, 5-2
Nov. 16 @ Iowa: W, 1-0
Dec. 29 @ Iowa: W, 4-0
Jan. 6 vs. Iowa: W, 4-3 (SO)

Two shutouts from four games? Nicely done Scott Darling (played in two games against Iowa and has stopped all 65 shots on goal). Marek Mazanec, who will no doubt get his seventh straight start tonight, played in the team’s first meeting of the season. He made 28 saves from 30 shots in that game. In the head-to-head this year the top scorer’s for the Admirals (that aren’t in Nashville) are defensemen Anthony Bitetto and Bryan Rodney who each have 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists).

The Iowa Wild will enter tonight’s game with a record 19-16-3-3 (44 points). That is the lowest in the Midwest Division and they are currently ninth in the Western Conference. In their last ten games they have gone 5-2-1-2 (13 points).

Oddly, the Wild are a better road team than they are at home. This season the Wild have earned 20 points in 22 home games and have earned 24 points in 19 road games. Just as odd with the home and away stats are the goal differentials. Road, +2 goals. Home, -10 goals. That’s pretty severe. With the Ads not fairing much better on the road, 20 points from 23 road games and a goal differential of -21 goals on the road, this could be a game based on maintaining structure and minimizing mistakes. The team that does that the best should earn the two points.

The Wild are lead in scoring by defenseman Brian Connelly with 25 points (3 goals, 22 assists). The top goal scorer is Brett Bulmer who has team-best 10 goals to go with his 5 assists. I am sort of put off by the term, scoring by committee, but it really does apply well to the Iowa Wild when you look at the team’s scoring stats. It’s never one or two guys you have to worry about with the team. Which is probably a bad thing for the Wild – who are the third lowest scoring team in the AHL this season with 103 goals scored – only the Utica Comets (98 goals scored) and Adirondack Phantoms (100 goals scored) are worse off.

The man in net for the Wild in tonight’s game should be Johan Gustafsson. The rookie goaltender from Sweden leads the team with 18 games played this season as well as a team-best 8 wins. So far in the month of January he has gone 4-1-1-2 and played in 4 shootouts from 8 starts. He has decent numbers this month: 2.52 GAA and a 0.928 SV%. The good news? History. He has faced the Admirals three times this season and lost each time: twice in regulation (11/3/13 @ Iowa and 12/29/13 @ Milwaukee) and once in a shootout (1/6/14 @ Milwaukee).

Thoughts for tonight’s game? How would you work tonight’s line combinations? Who has to step up in Sissons and Beck’s absence? Will Marek Mazanec finally play a game at the AHL level where he concedes less than two goals?