The Milwaukee Admirals have a record of 6-8-1-0 since the start of November. Looking across the border at this weekend’s opponents, the Manitoba Moose, and they have gone 13-2-0-0 since the start of November while enduring 11 road games. Oh, and here is a fun one, the Moose enter this weekend’s set against the Admirals on a 9 game winning streak. This should only go well. How could it possibly not? …let’s find out.
Before the Nashville Predators would play against the Anaheim Ducks in their first ever Western Conference Finals appearance there was some news in the organizational ladder. The Norfolk Admirals were announced as the Predators brand new ECHL affiliate beginning with the 2017-18 season. The Predators would continue on towards their first ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance. An ECHL alumni named Frédérick Gaudreau could be seen scoring goals along the way for the Predators after time spent working through the entire developmental process as an undrafted talent. This all seemed to be a promising fit. Until it clearly wasn’t.
Last week the Nashville Predators terminated their ECHL affiliation agreement with the Norfolk Admirals. The agreement which was announced back on 4 May, 2017 lasted less than two full months into the 2017-18 season before being utterly dissolved. What happened? Why did it happen? And what happens next?
The Milwaukee Admirals have been trending in the wrong direction for a long time now. Last night’s 5-2 loss to the San Diego Gulls pretty much sums things up. They were flat. They looked outnumbered at every puck battle. They were outshot through the opening two periods 29-14. It was just sloppy and lifeless – until the third period where the Admirals threw 20 shots on Reto Berra, scored twice, and played with desperation. That energy by them was way too late to have mattered.
The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-2 against the San Diego Gulls at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Tuesday night.
As far as rough outings go this game ranks pretty high on the 2017-18 season. The Admirals were outworked for the better majority of this contest and a late push from the leadership combo of Trevor Smith, Bobby Butler, and Harry Zolnierczyk is what prevented this from becoming the first time since 2005 where the Admirals were shutout in consecutive games.
“It’s a struggle for us right now to find offense,” Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason stated after the game. “We’re not generating a whole lot of five-on-five. We have to find a way to get more pucks to the net.”
Continue reading “Flat Out Flat; Admirals Fall 5-2 to Gulls”
A rivalry that I’m personally enjoying more and more is that of the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. The two do not get along, pack skill and grit, and can really knock seven bells out of one-another. It is always entertaining to watch. The rivalry is still raw with the 2017 NHL Western Conference Finals match-up still lingering. And we’re not far removed from the two having yet another scrappy affair. If the Milwaukee Admirals and San Diego Gulls can display any of the same intensity as their parent clubs? Milwaukee is in for a treat tonight.
The Milwaukee Admirals returned to home ice this morning following a three-game road trip. Today was a skills day with Nashville Predators Director of Player Development Scott Nichol at the helm. Lots of work was done on the basics as well as getting pucks through the neutral zone and battling on defense. It all sets the stage for tomorrow night’s game at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena against the San Diego Gulls.
The Nashville Predators have recalled Juuse Saros and reassigned Anders Lindbäck from the Milwaukee Admirals. This is the second time in two weekends that the Predators put Saros into road games with the Admirals before calling him back up to the NHL. Saros has lost all four appearances with the Admirals and Lindbäck has yet to make an NHL appearance to date.
The Milwaukee Admirals were shutout 3-0 on the road against the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center on Saturday night.
For the second time in four games the Admirals have been shutout. The offense struggled to get going against the Bears and Vitek Vanecek was strong when called upon to earn a twenty-one save shutout tonight. The Admirals end a three-game road trip with a 1-1-1-0 record.
Continue reading “Listless; Admirals Shutout 3-0 in Hershey”
The Milwaukee Admirals lost last night to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. While that game had its tough moments what is perhaps most significant was the way the Admirals battled back and played in the third period. They trailed the Penguins 4-2 after allowing a shorthanded goal in the final minute of the second period. They knuckled down, played better defensively, and kept a simple approach in attack. Their persistence and urgent play pushed them forward and forced overtime.
Yes, the Admirals lost in overtime -but- they earned a point on the road against one of the top teams in the entire league. That’s a positive. It wasn’t the ideal result. But the ideal result can be achieved tonight if that exact same approach from last night’s third period can be manifested by the Admirals for a complete sixty-minute effort against the Hershey Bears.
The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-4 in overtime on the road against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Despite a first period hat trick by Garrett Wilson for the Penguins the Admirals were able to fight back and force overtime by the end of regulation. The Admirals battled so strongly in the third period to earn a point tonight but Jean-Sébastien Dea would get a shot high glove on Juuse Saros for the game-winning goal in overtime tonight. The win for the Penguins snapped a two-game skid and goes down as the first career win for goaltende Colin Stevens.
Continue reading “Hard Fought Point; Admirals Lose 5-4 in OT”
Admirals Roundtable 