This entire season has had a running story in the background. The story read like a question that was asked in louder and louder tones of voice as the season dragged on. Will Jimmy Vesey, the Nashville Predators third round selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, sign? The answer to that question came last night and it was an emphatic no.
There are several places to read about all things Vesey and the Predators’ General Manager David Poile‘s response to the news. For things specific to that I’d say they should be rather easy to find via search. That news story is really all for the Nashville media to pick to pieces on-site and I’m sure, in the days to come, there will be more reactions and opinions made from Vesey’s decision to opt for free agency rather than sign with the Predators.
This story isn’t about Vesey as much as it is why a person in my position hasn’t really cared too much about the question, “will Vesey sign?” It’s not that I don’t care about him as a prospect or person. Far from it. He’s had a tremendous collegiate career and I feel that his decision to enjoy a full college experience and earn a degree is something that more people should actually be applauding him for. Where my lack of caring comes in is quite simple. My eyes are always gazing at the Predators prospect talent pool and, considering Vesey wasn’t under contract in the first place, that pool’s depth hasn’t been decreased. It’s deep. It’s young. And it gets better with every draft class.
Playing for the Milwaukee Admirals right now there are currently ten players, who I would deem prospects, that I would have no problem saying they could play in the NHL tomorrow if they were absolutely needed. Amazingly, one of those players isn’t even under contract to the Predators but rather the Admirals on an AHL contract for the next two-seasons. That list, in no particular order, goes as follows: Kevin Fiala, Frédérick Gaudreau, Vladislav Kamenev, Max Görtz, Pontus Åberg, Félix Girard, Jimmy Oligny, Taylor Aronson, Marek Mazanec, and Juuse Saros.
For those that don’t know – the man under contract to the Admirals, not the Predators, that is on that list is the shutdown defenseman Oligny.
All of those players I feel could go up, log a game, and perform well. There is a rather good reason for that, too. They’ve been in the system already this season, for some even longer, and can make the transition rather seamlessly. It’s something that has made the moves up for players such as Austin Watson, Miikka Salomäki, Anthony Bitetto, Viktor Arvidsson, and Colton Sissons feel like the evolution in their developmental process that it really should be. They’ve absorbed Predators hockey already. They’ve performed it at the AHL level. And now they’re stretching their legs and warming up in Predators gold. If it sounds familiar at all it is because the Predators have made something of a process out of their developmental and roster organization throughout the years. The Predators roster right now features fourteen players who spent significant time at the AHL level before being familiar names to the NHL circuit. It’s how they’ve operated for years: draft, develop, and promote from within.
What many seem to lose sight of in the mystique factor of having Vesey enter the Predators fold, only to seemingly lose him via free agency now, is that it doesn’t lessen the current team in Nashville nor the future team in the years to come.
The Predators 4-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche last night was just their third regulation loss from their last twenty-two games. They’re doing fine. The Admirals are currently leading the AHL’s Central Division, have the most points (87) in the AHL’s Western Conference, and are tied with their opponent tonight -the Grand Rapids Griffins- for the most wins (41) in the AHL’s Western Conference. The Admirals are doing fine. And, not to sound harsh or nasty because it isn’t the intent when I say it, but this has all happened without Vesey on either team.
A look even further down the road has more and more prospects on the radar. There are currently four players under contract to the Predators playing junior hockey right now: Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier, Anthony Richard, and Jack Dougherty. There are also several names drafted by the Predators who have been enjoying great 2015-16 seasons at the moment that have yet to sign entry level contracts: Justin Kirkland, Aaron Irving, and Janne Juvonen. The future wave of prospects will only make the Predators and the Admirals continue to operate at the high rate of success that they have.
A season ago, the Predators didn’t even have a first round draft choice. That pick was packaged alongside Brendan Leipsic to the Toronto Maple Leafs in one of those “we’re going all in” trades that failed. The lesson of that scenario was learned from and the Predators made a massive trade by acquiring Ryan Johansen from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Seth Jones. The move was made long in advance of the NHL Trade Deadline and, on that day, the lone trade the Predators made was one that was specifically aimed at bolstering the Admirals defense. Should Vesey had told the Predators organization in advance of the NHL Trade Deadline that he would be testing free agency would that have been the case? Would the Predators have traded more future assets in an effort to rent a booster to the current campaign? And, if that happened, who is to say the exact same unfortunate failure of last season wouldn’t be playing out once again now?
The current state of things is great right where it is across the organization. It really is. One player entering, leaving, or never joining doesn’t quite rattle that.
This past weekend in the AHL featured the first team from the Western Conference clinch a playoff spot. The Ontario Reign, who are part of the Californian contingent set to play eight-less games than the rest of the league, locked up their spot in the playoffs and have a 0.692 points percentage. Right behind them are the two sides locking horns tonight in Milwaukee.
~Central Division Showdown~
The Grand Rapids Griffins enter tonight’s game with a record of 41-23-1-1 (84 points). Their 0.636 points percentage is 0.013 less than the Central Division leading Milwaukee Admirals. If you’re wondering about how things can play out tonight they go as follows:
A Griffins regulation win tonight would push them into first place via points percentage over the Admirals by 0.002. A Griffins win in overtime would keep the Admirals in first place via points percentage by 0.005. An Admirals win in overtime stretches their lead over the Griffins via points percentage by 0.020. And an Admirals regulation win pushes their lead up via points percentage by 0.030.
In any version of this narrative these two teams can’t fall further than second place as the stationary Rockford IceHogs hold a points percentage of 0.621 at the moment and the lowest possible scenario would be the Griffins losing in regulation and falling to a 0.627 points percentage. …once again, I wish this year’s AHL standings could have been sponsored by Texas Instruments.
Effectively, this game marks a quality chance for the Admirals to get some legitimate breathing space for themselves by taking down the second placed Griffins in their last meeting of the regular season. After this game the Admirals have eight-games left in the 2015-16 season and three-games at home. The Griffins will have nine-games remaining following this game and also have three-games left at home.
Let’s look at the, as I’ll casually call it, strength of schedule using the combined points percentage of the opponents both will be facing en route to the finish line (points percentage based on this morning’s totals). The Admirals opponents in their final eight-games have a combined points percentage of 0.509. The Griffins opponents in their final nine-games have a combined points percentage of 0.555, If the added road games for the Griffins won’t be tricky enough, where they have a far lesser record of 17-13-0-1 on road games this season, the opponents they get along that path are going to make things even harder. Which, again, is something that makes tonight’s game for the Admirals all the more important to get further breathing space for themselves against the Griffins.
~Streakers~
If there is anything to best describe the Griffins 2015-16 season it would simply be to call them streakers. You kids in the back of the classroom can giggle all you want but it’s just how they’ve been.
Their season started with a four-game losing streak. In fact, the start to their season in general was a misery. In their first eleven-games they went 2-8-0-1 before exploding for a franchise record fifteen-game winning streak. After that things seemed to be balanced until stumbling for a spell of seven straight losses to end the month of January. That balanced back out and then the Griffins went back on a massive tear from February 20th up until March 19th where they won thirteen straight games to become the second AHL team in the last twenty-five years to record two winning streaks of ten-games or more. The other team to accomplish that feat was the 2009-10 Hershey Bears. During the Griffins most recent thirteen-game winning streak they outscored opponents 55-17 and posted a total of four shutouts.
What have the Griffins done since that streak came to an end? Well, amusingly and perhaps ironically, they ran into the San Antonio Rampage buzz-saw (that was sarcasm) and then lost to the Lake Erie Monsters. That’s right. The Griffins are now on a three-game losing streak. They lost all three-games in regulation. And, going back to the sarcasm, were clean swept by the Rampage in the season series having lost all four-games to them in regulation and had a shutout streak held against them in that series that lasted 171:56 of ice time over the course of three-games.
So what went wrong in those last three-games for the Griffins? Well, I think it’s a simple one. The opposition was able to actually match the Griffins offensive push while the Griffins were simply unable to finish more of their shots to the net. The Griffins posted 33.3 shots on goal per game while allowing 33.7 shots on goal per game. Compare that to their season series against the Admirals where they have averaged 31.0 shots on goal per game, allowed 27.7 shots on goal per game, and have a record of 5-2-0-0 as a result. When the Griffins are at their best they are forcing teams wide on offense, blocking long range perimeter shots, and keeping the ice tilted. That’s not been happening out of their latest massive winning streak which has them on a bit of a lull.
~Who What Now?~
When these two teams last met Anthony Mantha was the main man in the spotlight. The Griffins won 4-1 with Mantha recording the first hat trick of his professional playing career and added an assist for good measure. Good news? He’s currently playing at the NHL level with the Detroit Red Wings so that hammer shot won’t be available for the Griffins tonight. Bad news? They have plenty of other options.
The Griffins goal differential this season is +51 (211 goals forced, 160 goals allowed). That is the second best in the AHL this season behind the Toronto Marlies +89 (262 goals forced, 173 goals allowed).
The Admirals top two scorers this season are: Kevin Fiala, 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists… and Max Görtz, 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists). Those are the only two Admirals at the 40 point plateau. The Griffins, with Mantha included, have five players at or above the 40 point plateau.
The Grffins leading scorer right now is Andy Miele who has 52 points (14 goals, 38 assists) in 66 games. He is followed closely by Eric Tangradi who has 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 60 games. Tangradi’s play within the Red Wings organization this season recently earned him a two-year contract extension. Behind them is the team’s leading goal scorer Martin Frk – who has 40 points (26 goals, 14 assists) in 57 games – and the Griffins second best assist getter on the team Mark Zengerle – who has 40 points (6 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games.
In net the Griffins main man has been Jared Coreau who has had an incredible season: 43 appearances, 29-11-2-1 record, 2.23 goals against average, 0.929 save percentage, and 6 shutouts. Coreau is tied with Yann Danis of the Albany Devils for the second most shutouts in the AHL this season. Both trail Peter Budaj of the Ontario Reign by a pair of shutouts. Coreau also stacks up very high across the league leaders in the AHL this season in other categories: second most wins, the third best goals against average and save percentage, and the fifth most saves made and minutes logged in net.
~Ending with Reflection and Perspective~
This season’s head-to-head between the Admirals and Griffins happened to have featured one of the more frightening moments of the hockey season. On 1/8/16 in Grand Rapids, forward Alden Hirschfeld suffered a seizure on the Griffins bench. The game was delayed for a good while as medics attended to him and the 28-year old was stretchered off the ice.
For those wondering what has happened to Hirschfeld since that incident he has opted for and underwent brain surgery on 3/14/16 to correct a malformation. He has since tweeted out a message, along with a particularly gruesome photo of the surgery, in which he stated he was finally feeling a little better.
With this being the final game against the Griffins this season I feel the need to extend my best well wishes to Hirschfeld. I hope that this surgery was a success and that he is able to continue on participating in the game that he loves. I encourage you all to send him a lovely “Get Well Soon” tweet to him on Twitter: @AldenHirschfeld.
Expectations for tonight’s game? How will this game play out? How crucial do you feel tonight’s game is for the Milwaukee Admirals to win if they are to claim their first division title since the 2010-11 season?
The 2015-16 season is the Milwaukee Admirals fifteenth season as members of the American Hockey League (AHL). At the moment they stand in first place of the Central Division through sixty-seven games with a record of 41-21-3-2 (87 points) and have the second best record based on points percentage in the Western Conference.
Around this time a season ago things weren’t all that great. A calendar year ago the Admirals record was 32-25-6-5 (75 points) and it was trending downwards – fast. The Admirals record in March, through today’s date, was a woeful 3-8-2-1. Jump ahead to present day and the Admirals one-year later have a 8-3-0-2 record in the month of March with things trending very steadily in the upright position.
During this past month one of the real bright spots has come in the form of the line combination of Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, and Adam Payerl. This group has been paired together for the last twelve games and, during that time, have a combined 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists). It’s funny to think, through all the roster moves and permutations that an AHL season provides, that over such a long period of time this line reformed. They were paired together all the way back on 10/20/15 when the Admirals won their first game of this season. After that, it wasn’t until 3/3/16 when all three were placed together again after many different variations of one playing with one or the other. In particular, the 2014 NHL Draft duo of Fiala and Kamenev have been paired together for a total of sixteen games this season.
If there was ever a storyline that was going to be fun to watch develop over the course of the 2015-16 season it was going to be how these two teenagers take to a full-season of North American hockey. That storyline expands to much more than simply the on-ice product as well.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
For Fiala, he was looking to capitalize from his first taste of the North American game that he took in last season and make a case for time spent with the Nashville Predators. For Kamenev, he was set to join a very alien world in which no one on the Admirals roster spoke Russian and the one place where he would perhaps feel most comfortable, the ice, was a more smaller and confined version to that which he became accustomed to as a senior team player with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The good news was that they were both joining an organization in the Admirals that is rather experienced in developing talent from around the globe. In fact, this teenage tandem playing the better majority of a season is the fourth in the AHL history of the team following the likes of: 2004-05, Kevin Klein and Ryan Suter… 2009-10, Colin Wilson and Chet Pickard… 2013-14, Colton Sissons and Filip Forsberg.
Fiala’s season expectations started off massively high for himself. Having taken in some of what the North American game has to provide from his entry to the 2014-15 season it makes sense that the level of confidence from the Switzerland native was as high as it was. He had played thirty-three games for the Admirals at the AHL level scoring 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) and also managed to make both his NHL debut and NHL Playoffs debut. That introduction was a good one but it felt early on in the off-season that he had set the bar extremely high on himself by saying the following to Predators General Manager David Poile.
“At the end-of-the-year meetings when [Head Coach] Peter Laviolette and I are talking to players, we’re usually the ones doing 90 percent of the talking,” Poile said. “So we did the talking to Kevin and then he says, ‘What do I need to do, I’m going to be playing for the Nashville Predators next season. I’m not going to [AHL affiliate] Milwaukee, I’m going to be playing [in Nashville].’” ~David Poile
Fiala did go to Milwaukee. And he did arrive after having failed to deliver on that statement. His competition in pre-season camp was a stacked one. Austin Watson, Viktor Arvidsson, Miikka Salomäki, Colton Sissons, and Stevie Moses were all in the running for spots out of camp and Fiala was one of the early birds to get bumped down to Milwaukee. When he arrived he did so by scoring a game-winning overtime goal in the Admirals final pre-season game where he played on a line with, you guessed it, Kamenev.
The regular season unfortunately didn’t have the same level of explosiveness for Fiala. It took nearly a month and a half into the season before he scored his first goal of 2015-16. By that point Fiala has already made enough noise doing different kinds of damage.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
On 11/11/15, Fiala became a target to the Lake Erie Monsters after running through their goaltender Joonas Korpisalo with 8:38 remaining in regulation. Fiala received charging minor for the hit to Korpisalo and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the scrum that followed. As the game was in its final seconds Brett Gallant tried to go after Fiala and clocked him with an illegal check to the head. Cody Bass stepped in on Fiala’s behalf to buddy-up with Gallant. From there Fiala would proceed to make his way from the Admirals attacking zone, skate past the Monsters bench, flip the bench off, get caught for his gesture, and be sent packing from the game nineteen seconds before the final horn sounded. Fiala received a two-game suspension from the AHL for his actions.
While that moment was indeed a bad one it appeared to generate the desired wake-up call effect needed for Fiala to get with the program. After being pretty much dormant for the opening two months of the season he blew up in December by scoring 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in fourteen-games during a time in which the Admirals went 9-5-0-0. His next eighteen games would see him produce 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) with an interruption inbetween from his first NHL action of the season where he would score his first career NHL goal on his first shift with the Predators in 2015-16. Yet, it is this current stretch where he has been playing alongside Kamenev and Payerl where things have really all come together. Fiala has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in his last twelve games.
(Photo Credit: Christina Shapiro)
What is perhaps more important than what can be read out of a box score is the evolution of his demeanor off of the ice. When Fiala arrived in Milwaukee last season he came across as nervous and stiff. When you’re playing in your third different country in four years – it kind of makes sense. The weight of expectations for an 18-year old player to make a good first impression on the organization that drafted him with a fifteenth overall selection is huge. Those same expectations were on his shoulders as he stated he wasn’t going to Milwaukee and that he was going to be playing in Nashville. The pressure ratcheted up when that didn’t happen and the poor start to his AHL season was dragging along all the way until he earned a suspension. Somewhere along the way it seemed as if the focus became less between the ears and more straight out of his eyes. Fiala’s far more loose and relaxed and, dare I say it, acting his age. He’s having fun. He’s looked to have been enjoying himself and his current status in Milwaukee for a long time now. The correlation to the shoulders dropping a bit off the ice and the on ice product taking a step forward doesn’t come across as very coincidental. He’s grown up a ton these last six months.
(Photo Credit: Stephanie Moebius)
On the opposite side of the spectrum there is the Russian teenager, Kamenev. It’s fun comparing the likes of Fiala and Kamenev just because the two are so different. Fiala is the brash, flashy, and highlight reel making one of the two. While Kamenev on the other hand has the language barrier keeping him rather quiet and low key and the manner in which he plays can pretty much be summed up the same way. It’s not that Kamenev isn’t flashy or worthy of making the highlight reel. It’s that he plays so smoothly on the ice that he makes things look slowed down or easier than they actually were to accomplish. His arrival to the North America seemed as if he’d be placed on the wing as a bit of an eased transition to a much faster and more physically demanding game. That hasn’t happened at all. He’s worked entirely from center this entire season and taken up all responsibilities that that entails: even-strength, power-play, penalty kill, etc. He does it all and does it all in a very calm manner on the ice. Which is perhaps why his lone flare up this season was a bit of an eyebrow raiser.
Like Fiala, Kamenev did actually earn a two-game suspension from the AHL this season. It was a consequence of a boarding incident on 10/29/15 when he hit Matt Fraser of the Manitoba Moose hard. There was no penalty called for the play on the ice but the incident was reviewed by the league itself which brought about the suspension. This, however, was not the eyebrow raising flare up for Kamenev. Instead, his incident didn’t happen like Fiala’s at the AHL level but instead with the whole world watching.
(Photo Credit: Andre Ringuette // HHOF-IIHF Images)
The 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships Gold Medal Game this year was between the host nation Finland and Russia. Kamenev was captain of Team Russia and putting together a tremendous tournament. Unfortunately, not too many are going to remember what Kamenev did on the goal scoring side of things in the tournament as much as they will all remember him losing his cool with the officials late in the game, picking up a misconduct penalty with 2:09 remaining in regulation after Finland just took a 3-2 lead, skating to the penalty box and breaking his stick at the door which struck an official sitting in the penalty box, and earning a game misconduct for doing so. Russia would managed to actually equalize with six-seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime but Kamenev could only watch from deep in Team Russia’s locker room tunnel as Kasperi Kapanen scored the game winning goal in the overtime period.
(Photo Credit: Andre Ringuette // HHOF-IIHF Images)
While Fiala’s low point this season happened around his team with a supporting cast around him to provide prospective and insight going forward – Kamenev’s low point was followed by a flight back to the United States. It might not be the comparison all would immediately understand but the first thing that I thought of was when David Beckham was red carded in the 1998 World Cup. For those unfamiliar I’d give this a watch but the short story of it is being “the man” of your national team only to be the one figure that could stand out as a let down or scapegoat as to why the team failed. At a team or club level the taste of failure is a bitter one. At the national level with as much media attention focused around the game as a World Juniors Final? Failure, specifically individual failure, is down right toxic. The true test of Kamenev’s first season in North America wasn’t necessarily coming from something that happened on the ice in Milwaukee as much as it was how he was going to bounce back from making an emotional mistake at the penalty box in the Hartwall Arena.
There aren’t many stories I’d be willing to tell of things I see happen in the locker room of the Milwaukee Admirals -but- there is one too good to not put a spotlight on. After Kamenev did return to the Admirals from his World Juniors experience there was a small spell in which he sat out to get recovered from the tournament wear and travel. He watched the game from the media section not too far from myself and, after the game, sat alone in his equipment stall. As I was awaiting to conduct interviews Marek Mazanec approached the Russian teenager. He went to shake his hand but, before doing so, mocked Kamenev breaking his stick at World Juniors. Those in the locker room at the time were all laughing. It was the perfect way of letting the rookie know he’s just one of the boys and that the team was there for him.
Kamenev made his return to the Admirals lineup from his World Juniors on 1/15/16 in San Antonio. He scored a goal four-minutes into the second period with the secondary assist coming from none other that Mazanec who would proceed to earn a shutout on the evening. This was followed the next night by yet another goal for Kamenev. His first two-games back from such a low moment resulted in a pair of two-point nights (goal and an assist) and wins for the Admirals.
(Photo Credit: Christina Shapiro)
The high-highs of getting back into the groove of things back in the AHL was sadly short lived. Kamenev had been selected to participate in the 2016 AHL All-Star festivities in Syracuse where he would have joined both Frédérick Gaudreau and head coach Dean Evason as Admirals representatives. Unfortunately, a lower-body injury prevented that from happening and he was sidelined for four-games. It would take awhile before he sprung back into gear but, like Fiala, it all seems to have come into place once this line combination of the teenage tandem and Payerl came back together. Kamenev has scored 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) from his last twelve games. Once again, he’s not just doing the flashy things that make the stat-sheets busy he’s also doing things that exemplify why Team Russia would want someone such as him as a captain. He’s a smooth and steady player in all game situations. His intelligence of the game is something that has transcended the language barrier and helped to make his first pro season in North America a joy to watch as he gets more and more comfortable with the different style of play and the English language itself.
There is a difference between what Fiala and Kamenev bring to the table. No doubt about that. But, for how there first full-season of North American hockey has developed, it seems very fitting that these two have found themselves playing on the exact same line and having a high level of success. The Admirals string of twelve consecutive playoff appearances came to a thunderous end last season with the Admirals finishing dead last in their division. A season later the eyes are set for a return to playoff hockey as well as the potential for the Admirals first division title since the 2010-11 season. Times have changed for the Admirals. And time is serving both Fiala and Kamenev very well on their road to Nashville.
The Milwaukee Admirals lost 5-4 in a shootout against the Texas Stars Saturday night at the Cedar Park Center.
This game had some serious momentum shifts involved in it. The Admirals raced out to a 3-0 lead with well over half the game remaining only to see that lead get dissolved by four-unanswered goals from the Stars including three straight goals scored on the power-play. Patrick Mullen was able to equalize late with his first goal since joining the Admirals to help see the Admirals earn a point to extend their point streak to six-games. Unfortunately, Brendan Ranford would add a game-winning shootout goal to his two-goal night to provide the Stars with the added point.
A touch of chippy behavior set the foundation for an Admirals four-on-three power-play chance in the first period. Pontus Åberg and Greg Rallo went to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct minors to make it four-on-four which was followed closely by a tripping call against Curtis McKenzie. On the four-on-three power-play Patrick Mullen threw a pass from the point off to the right wing circle where Vladislav Kamenev put some life back into the Russian Space Administration with an absolute rocket of a slap shot taken first-time. The power-play goal for Kamenev saw his season total hit twelve.
Cody Bass has been doing lots of great work on and off the ice for the Admirals with little to show for it in the stat sheet. The veteran forward finally got a pay off in the second period after battling to the front of the net to deflect a hard shot from Kristian Näkyvä at the middle of the blueline. The goal for Bass was his fourth of the season.
This was followed less than three-minutes later by a whirlwind of a shift by Pontus Åberg. The Swede generated a pair of turnovers, pushed the offensive cycle, and capped things off with a toe-drag wrister that whistled through traffic to go into the top shelf over Maxime Lagacé’s blocker shoulder. Åberg’s nineteenth goal of the season signaled the end of the night for Lagacé who stopped just 10/13 shots on goal before Jack Campbell entered the game.
The shake-up for the Stars in net seemed to provide the right spark the coaching staff was looking for as their offense came to life. In the final four-minutes of the second period the Stars scored a pair of power-play goals to draw the Admirals 3-0 lead down to 3-2. Brendan Ranford scored with a wrister from the left wing circle after a high paced rush through neutral zone opened up space for him to score his eighteenth goal of the season. That was followed 2:14 of ice time later by another power-play goal which was crafted behind the net from returning Stars captain Travis Morin and polished off at the side of the net by McKenzie on a backhander for his nineteenth goal of the season. The shot was taken just quick enough that the puck elevated up and over the reaching glove or Marek Mazanec.
Texas was able to equalize in the third period after scoring their third consecutive power-play goal. Patrick Mullen flipped a puck over the glass to put the Stars on the power-play and a Mattias Bäckman shot from the point ricocheted off the tip of Ranford’s stick in front of the net to record his second goal of the game and nineteenth of the season to make it a 3-3 game.
The Stars would score their fourth unanswered goal with 6:16 remaining in regulation to take hold of a 4-3 lead after having trailed by three-goals. A strong rush from the left wing by Derek Hulak put him in on a race to the front of the net where he lost puck control. The way momentum was going in the game it would naturally make sense for the puck to fortuitously slide like a pass to the path of Gemel Smith where he took a backhanded swipe and scored his thirteenth goal of the season.
With all the momentum in the world behind the Stars the Admirals were able to find an equalizer out of nowhere from an impossible angle shot from Mullen with 2:14 left in regulation. Mullen stepped way up into the rush and was near the right wing pocket by the wall when he decided to snap off a shot to Campbell’s near post. The shot managed to hit iron and squeak in for Mullen’s second goal of this AHL season and the first of his Admirals career.
This game would spill into overtime to extend the Admirals point streak to six-games. Unfortunately, the Admirals would fall in the shootout where only Ranford was able to score from the six attempts through three-rounds. Ranford swooped from the right wing and blew a wrister past the glove of Mazanec for the game-winning shootout goal. The loss for the Admirals ends a winning streak of three-games.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Wednesday there were no roster moves made throughout the organization. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz, Murphy-Bass-Pendenza, Elliott-Mullen, Oligny-Potter, Näkyvä-Aronson. Tonight’s scratches were: Jamie Devane (healthy), Cody Hodgson (upper-body), and Johan Alm (lower-body).
Was this a good or a bad result from the Milwaukee Admirals considering the lost a 3-0 lead but did comeback late to earn a point? What happened to the Admirals offense following the third goal and subsequent goaltending swap for the Texas Stars?
Normally, I don’t feel the need to re-hash Scouting the Enemy when the Milwaukee Admirals play the same opponent in back-to-back games. I’m going to make an exception here for two reasons: (1) a lot of great things are happening right now for the Admirals that deserves mentioning and (2) yet another great member of the Texas Stars media battalion has taken the time to chat with Admirals Roundtable!
~Cleaning Up With Consistency~
Let’s start with some talk specifically aimed at the Admirals because things have been on the up-and-up as of late. After their 2-0 shutout on Wednesday night the Admirals moved into first place of the Central Division and are only trailing the Ontario Reign for the best record in the Western Conference.
If you look around in the Central Division you start to appreciate the level of consistency that the Admirals have been playing with of late. While the games haven’t always been the prettiest they’re still finding ways to haul points in. The same can’t be said with the Rockford IceHogs. Ever since my visit to watch the Admirals play in Rockford, where they lost 5-2, the IceHogs have gone a very cold 2-5-1-0 from their last eight-games. In that span they are averaging just 1.6 goals per game. For comparison’s sake the Admirals have averaged 3.0 goals per game from their last eight-games.
The Griffins, who went on yet another ten-plus game winning streak, have proceeded to drop two straight road games to the San Antonio Rampage. You know how the Admirals seem to struggle against those lower tier teams such as the Iowa Wild and Manitoba Moose? The Griffins, for all their might, lost all four-games against the Rampage in regulation this season. The Rampage are in the basement of the Pacific Division and are the fourth worst team based on points percentage in the AHL. Yet, the Griffins haven’t taken a single point from them this season and were shutout by the Rampage for 171:56 of ice time during the season series. That’s almost beyond belief.
In the Admirals last eleven-games they have gone 8-2-0-1. They are on a three-game winning streak and have a five-game point streak. As we near the end of the month of March the Admirals Roundtable Admiral of the Month award awaits with several candidates. Let’s review shall we:
Kevin Fiala, 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists)… Pontus Åberg, 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists)… Max Görtz, 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists)… Matt White, 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists)… Taylor Aronson, 7 points (0 goals, 7 assists)… Stefan Elliott, 6 points (1 goals, 5 assists)… Juuse Saros, 7 starts (0-0-0-0 record, 1.69 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage, 2 shutouts)… Marek Mazanec, 5 starts (2-2-0-1 record, 1.78 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage).
Impressive list isn’t it? That’s all said and done by numbers without giving the serious pat on the back of performances from the likes of Cody Bass, Corey Potter, Jimmy Oligny, Félix Girard, Frédérick Gaudreau, Vladislav Kamenev, Adam Payerl, and Max Reinhart who have all been doing incredible jobs. Bass has been every part the leader on and off the ice you’d hope for. Potter arrived from his trade out of the Arizona Coyotes organization and immediately fit in as a solid two-way defenseman. Girard’s work, will it doesn’t show up in individual statistics, goes a long way to place the Admirals penalty kill team in the upper echelon of the AHL’s best this season.
The Admirals run of twelve straight playoff seasons ended last year when the Admirals had a record of 33-28-8-7 (81 points, 0.533 points percentage) to finish in dead last of the then Midwest Division and eleventh on the Western Conference standings. The Admirals current record is 41-21-3-1 (86 points, 0.652 points percentage). That point total is only one-point shy of last season’s cutoff from the Chicago Wolves who ended the season with 87 points. The turn-around from last season to this season has been outstanding.
~Texas Stars~
The Texas Stars enter tonight’s game with a record of 35-23-6-3 (79 points). Their 0.590 points percentage has them sitting in third place of the Pacific Division where they trail the Ontario Reign (0.698) and San Diego Gulls (0.603).
With the crucial fourth place in the Pacific Division being a flex point for the fifth place in the Central Division possibly able to supersede a lower points percentage seed in the Pacific the current placement of the Stars is where they would hope to fall no lower than. The San Jose Barracuda’s current 0.552 points percentage wouldn’t be good enough to surpass the Charlotte Checkers current position… and the difference, if the season ended today, would be decided by 0.001.
~Q&A with Sean Shapiro~
As noted, the Stars have some of my favorite media members in the AHL. We spoke with Stephen Meserve of 100 Degree Hockey to preview Wednesday’s game. Now we get another good bloke to preview tonight’s game. Sean Shapiro is a freelance journalist whose work can be found in many great places such as Austin American-Statesman, Hockey’s Future, The Hockey News, and Wrong Side of the Red Line. If the name sounds familiar that’s thanks to a lot of the amazing photographs that you see out of Admirals road games against the Stars because he is married to the talented Christina Shapiro. Before this becomes a new column called Scouting the Friends let’s hear from Sean about what’s what in Texas.
Admirals Roundtable: Wednesday’s game was not your typical Texas Stars home game. It was only the second time all season the Stars were shutout at home. What did you make of the contest and what was it the Admirals did so well to stifle that hot Stars offense?
Sean Shapiro: Wednesday’s game was a weird one. Neither team really had a good rhythm and both teams looked sluggish. Milwaukee, however, figured it out and played a nice, gritty road game. They went hard to the net and won the battles in key areas (the corners, the slot, etc.).
I wouldn’t say it was anything special. Rather, I would say it was smart. Milwaukee took away Texas speed at the blue line and the Stars didn’t adjust.
AR: It’s certainly not helpful having someone like Travis Morin out with injury at the moment. How big of a loss has that been for the Stars and how have some of the depth players filled in during his absence?
SS: It’s been a huge loss for Texas, particularly on the power play. For those who aren’t aware, Travis Morin is arguably the top player in the AHL and multiple coaches have pointed out he runs a power play better than any other forward in the league.
For Texas, the bigger disappointment has been the lack of younger players seizing opportunities. While Jason Dickinson has done a nice job filling in as the top defensive center, others haven’t filled his old roles. This has created a ton of inconsistency for the Stars. Some days they’re a deep, fast team that rolls four lines — that’s when they’re at their best. Other times, like the past three games, Texas has been a one or two line team and you can’t win games that way.
AR: Jack Campbell had such a large amount of hype surrounding him due to his performances at World Juniors and in junior hockey. Why hasn’t he been able to match his eleventh overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft and is his time with the Stars organization potentially over after this season?
SS: Jack Campbell’s time with the Dallas Stars will likely come to an end, and it all comes down to his mental game. The former first-round pick has all the talent in the world and he’s a world-class human being, but he just hasn’t been able to put it together or stay healthy in his professional career.
The biggest indicator for me is body language. When Campbell is on his game and he’s not going to be beat, you can tell by looking at him. On the flip side, when Campbell has been beaten you can tell from the stands. That sends the wrong message to his team and those are the times he tends to struggle. He also let’s up bad goals at bad times, which you never want with a goalie.
AR: How have Julius Honka and Esa Lindell progressed this season and do you see them as NHL regulars next season?
SS: Lindell has made better strides and is closer to NHL ready than Honka at the moment. He munches big minutes and he played well earlier this season in four NHL games. Honka still looks young at times and needs to mature before making the next step.
Honka likes to push the offense and he can. But he needs to learn when to make the simple play and not make a risky decision. I think last week a 6-5 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins was a perfect example of Honka’s season. There were 11 goals scored and Honka was on the ice for eight of them — four for, four against.
AR: What have been some of the surprising storylines that have taken place for the Stars this season?
SS: By far the biggest story line and most surprising has been Maxime Lagacé‘s ascension to the top of the goalie depth chart. After last season Lagacé was a complete after thought and was expected to serve as the back-up in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads. But, here we are in late March and he’s one of the top rookie goalies in the AHL (Juuse Saros being the other).
In addition to Lagacé, I think the other surprising story line is what could have been with Devin Shore. The rookie forward lit up the AHL and was the player of the month in October before his season was cut short thanks to a shoulder injury. He still leads the AHL in shooting percentage, I would have loved to see what a full year of his progress would look like.
AR: The playoff picture is miles away before it becomes clear. That almost comes thanks to that Pacific Division of your’s with those California teams and their limited schedule. Do the Stars stay afloat in the hunt for a playoff spot or do they fall into the diabolical fourth seed in the Pacific where the fifth placed team in the Central can succeed them?
SS: I think they stay in the playoff hunt and finish third in the Pacific and play the San Diego Gulls in the first round. I then see Charlotte taking the crossover spot from either San Jose or Bakersfield (forcing Ontario to open the season on the other coast in a 2-3 format).
AR: Last and most important question. Which incarnation of the Doctor is your favorite and why? (Hint. The correct answer is David Tennant because he’s David Tennant.)
SS: David Tennant and Matt Smith are a close first and second in my book, with Tennant taking top spot. I don’t really have a good reason why, it just comes down to a feel and Tennant was the Doctor when I really started to find my groove with the show when it was introduced to me by my wife — my wife refuses to pick a favorite “she likes them all.”
(Peter Capaldi has grown on me. I personally like the bit about sonic sunglasses.)
I’ll leave you with this parting thought. Have you ever seen David Tennant and Dallas Eakins in the same place at the same time? How do we know the Doctor isn’t coaching the San Diego Gulls? Traveling through time and space would explain why they have less games…
~Le Fin~
Alright, I have one thing to add to that interview. I never thought someone could put me off the Tenth Doctor but a Dallas Eakins separated at birth comparison just did it. Christopher Eccleston. I’m a Ninth Doctor fan now. Nine was fantastic.
Expectations for tonight’s game? How important will it be for the Milwaukee Admirals to not get caught out by looking a game ahead, with a big showdown against the Grand Rapids Griffins looming for Tuesday night in Milwaukee, and focus on the job at hand tonight? This is still the same Stars team that can rifle in upwards of four-goals a game on home ice. Can the defense continue to hold the Stars offense down?
There are plenty of questions still out there in regards to the Milwaukee Admirals move to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. One of the more interesting questions is actually a simple one. Is my sweet spot, in terms of a seat at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, going to be just as good across the street?
That question can be answered on site this coming Monday because the Admirals and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena will have an Open House Night from 4pm to 8pm. This will allow season ticket holders and interested spectators to see the future arena layout in hockey configuration.
Milwaukee, WI—The Milwaukee Admirals will hold their first open house at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena this Monday, March 28 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.
The event is free and open to the public and is the first opportunity for fans to take a look the layout and configuration of the rink and to pick potential seat locations for season tickets for the 2016-17 Season. Fans who are interested in a particular seat can put $50 down and that will secure their spot on a seniority-based list for seat selection.
The UWM-Panther Arena will have both concession and merchandise stands open for the event, and while there won’t be ice down there will be goals in place and the red and blue lines will be taped down to give fans some perspective on where the seats are located. In addition, there will be public Wi-Fi available for fans to use.
There is free parking available for the event in the surface lot that is just south of the UWMPA. Fans should enter the lot from Wells St. and then take a ticket from the attendant. Fans should then bring that ticket into the event where a member of the Admirals staff will validate it.
Fans with further questions about the event are encouraged to call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550.
Personally, I’ve not been in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena since I was probably below the age of 10-years old when a supercross or monster trucks event took place at what was then called the US Cellular Arena. Times have changed and so has the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. I feel I’m not alone in not having visited across the street in a long time so this event should provide a great re-introduction for people such as myself – and quite possibly an introduction, period, for others. This should be a fun way to get to know the surroundings and start getting the building to slowly but surely be the home of the Milwaukee Admirals.
The Milwaukee Admirals won 2-0 on the road against the Texas Stars Wednesday night at the Cedar Park Center.
Juuse Saros was the story of tonight for the Admirals. The Stars were averaging 4.1 goals per game on home ice heading into this game but Saros stopped all twenty-eight shots on goal en route to his fourth shutout and his twenty-third win of the season from thirty-one starts.
For the last three Admirals games there was a scoreless first period of play. It was trending in that direction once again until a hooking call in the Stars attacking zone on Cole Ully put the Admirals on the power-play where they’d cash in from the first chance on the man-advantage. Stefan Elliott let loose on a wrist shot from the top of the left wing circle which got through Maxime Lagacé with Cody Bass standing in front of him. The goal would be credited to Elliott for his fifth goal of the season – all of which have come on the power-play.
In the second period the Admirals penalty kill would get tested three times with key penalty killers all involved with trips to the box. Not only did the Admirals penalty kill hold serve but the Stars were held for well over ten-minutes in the second period without a shot on goal.
The dagger moment of this game came in the third period when the Admirals scored once again on the power-play. Gemel Smith tripped up Corey Potter and set the stage for yet another blistering shot by Max Görtz to be unleashed for his sixteenth goal of the season and ninth scored on the power-play. His wrister beat Lagacé and then managed to beat up the crossbar before directing down and in to give the Admirals a two goal cushion.
With the shutout tonight the Admirals now have sole possession of first place in the Central Division and are second place to the Ontario Reign in the Western Conference standings. This was the eighth shutout of the season by the Admirals and only the second time all season that the Stars were shutout on home ice. The last time the Stars were shutout at Cedar Park Center was back on 10/21/15 against the Stockton Heat.
Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Sunday there have been no roster moves made throughout the organization. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz, Murphy-Bass-Pendenza, Oligny-Potter, Elliott-Mullen, Näkyvä-Aronson. Tonight’s scratches were: Jamie Devane (illness), Cody Hodgson (upper-body), and Johan Alm (lower-body).
Reaction to tonight’s game? How good was the Milwaukee Admirals defensive performance tonight as well as Juuse Saros in net? Is this the style of hockey the Admirals need to play to have long term playoff success?
The Milwaukee Admirals have descended to the lovely land of Texas for a pair of games against the Texas Stars. It’s been awhile since the Admirals have played in Texas. They took two games in two nights from the San Antonio Rampage back on 1/15/16 and 1/16/16. It’s also been a good while since the Admirals last played the Stars. These two have played twice this season with both games taking place in Milwaukee and the Admirals getting the edge each outing: 10/27/15 and 12/6/15.
What’s always fun about playing against the Stars is they have one of the best AHL media communities that I get to chat with throughout the season. Stephen Meserve is the man behind 100 Degree Hockey. To get the what’s what on the Texas Stars heading into tonight’s game he was kind enough to to a little Q&A to give us all some insight prior to puck drop.
~Q&A with Stephen Meserve~
Admirals Roundtable: Heading into the last time these two teams met the Texas Stars had a 0.591 points percentage. Coming into Wednesday’s game the Stars will be a smidge better than that at a 0.598 points percentage. How have things been going for the Stars since the turn into the 2016 calendar?
Stephen Meserve. Texas has solidified its standings with pretty great play since the turn of 2016. Unfortunately, Dallas and Texas have both suffered injuries that have diminished the AHL side’s scoring capacity. Travis Morin and Greg Rallo are both out with concussions with no timetable for return. Radek Faksa and Brett Ritchie were recalled to Dallas, and Stephen Johns is there as well, presumably for good now. That crop of players is worth 4 points a game to the Stars. They’ve been relying on depth scoring more than they did earlier in the year. The line of Gemel Smith, Cole Ully, and Matt Mangene has had success in this regard. Ully has been pretty impressive in his rookie season. Despite limited time, he’s made the most of his ice, scoring 16 points in 38 games. He’s a smaller player but makes the most of his size with a wicked shot.
AR: I don’t know if there is anything that makes me laugh more when looking at the current standings than when I spy that the Stars have scored 241 goals as a team this season but also allowed 212 goals as well. You guys certainly don’t lack for entertainment do you?
SM: Well, certainly not! Texas has mostly retired its crazy track meet ways late in the season. Part of the craziness that was the early season was the inconsistency in net. Maxime Lagacé has emerged as the clear starter, and it’s likely he will start every game from here until the end of the playoffs. The penalty kill is an area that has dogged the Stars all year. Any team facing off against Texas has to make the most of those opportunities. Texas is the least penalized teams in the league. Therefore, it really is unfortunate that the PK is such a glaring issue.
AR: Speaking of entertaining, how has life in the Pacific Division treated this Stars team throughout the 2015-16 season?
SM: The Pacific is interesting to say the least. I would say I didn’t start to notice big differences in schedule until about December or so. That’s when games played started to diverge. Texas is in a battle for home-ice with the second seed but can’t catch Ontario for #1. At this point, it honestly looks like the Reign will take the division and battle whoever emerges from the unholy slugfest that will be the Central Division playoffs. All for the privilege of losing to Toronto in the final.
AR: The Stars have two names in the AHL’s Top 20 for Rookie Scoring this season: Jason Dickinson and Esa Lindell. How have your first year players progressed as this season has gone on?
SM: Lindell has made great strides. He is coming from a league of men in Finland, so the adjustment was pretty smooth for him. He’s got a knack for scoring and probably won’t be back on this squad next season. Dickinson was the last pick of the first round his draft year, acquired with the pick that came over in the Stars’ trade with Boston for Jaromír Jágr. Dickinson was a fine return, a defensively-sound center who has an amazing quickness and deft moves with the puck. He scored the prettiest goal all season in November with a beautiful individual effort to pop the puck over SA goalie Roman Will, who had come out to play the puck, catch it himself, drop it and tap it into the empty net. Kid has hands and finish. Dangerous combo. With other centers out or recalled, Dickinson is collecting top 6 minutes along with PP time.
AR: Your leading scorer at the moment is Brendan Ranford who has already eclipsed his AHL points total from a season ago. What have you liked from his game in his third professional playing season with the Stars?
SM: Ranford is still working on the defensive side of his game. He’s had a taste of the NHL and definitely wants more. Ranford, like so many players in his position, needs to ensure he is not a defensive liability at the NHL level in order to ensure a call-up. Of course, you do that by proving yourself in tough situations in the A. He will probably get a ‘prove it’ RFA deal this summer and the key will be what he does with that one season.
AR: Julius Honka is one of the top prospects for the Dallas Stars organization and he’s living up to that billing in the AHL this season. How has his sophomore season been going in your eyes and is this probably the last season of AHL hockey he partakes in?
SM: Ah, Julius Honka. Everyone loves to put him at the top of the heap and he’s certain got potential to end up there, but today is not that day. Remember that Honka only just turned 20 this season. He still has a tendency to put the world on his shoulders, skate when he should pass, or try to force a play a little too much. He is a brilliantly talented player and there is absolutely a reason why he was coveted by nearly everyone that talked with Dallas GM Jim Nill at the trade deadline. He’s just not 100% there yet. When you compare his consistency to that of Lindell, Johns, or Mattias Bäckman, it’s clear he needs more time. However, I absolutely think he’s a top callup starting next year.
AR: The last ten-games for the Stars have seen the team at a 4-3-3-0 record with some real grinding games going down. What should fans expect from the Stars for these games against the Admirals in Texas?
SM: It depends how much Coach Laxdal‘s message sinks in. The past two games against Grand Rapids, Texas was trying to get too pretty according to their coach. He wanted the club to play a more playoff style shooting game, pucks to the net, sticks and skates in close to generate traffic and bounces. It was what GRG did to the Stars. Watch to see not just the quantity of shots but the types of shots that go toward the Ads’ net. That will help tell a little bit more about how Texas is going about their game.
~Le Fin~
Thanks very much, Stephen. You can follow along with him on Twitter. You can, and should, also bookmark 100 Degree Hockey. It’s a great all-around AHL website to check in on.
Expectations for tonight’s game? After a relatively relaxed schedule these last few weeks do you think it will be nice for the Admirals to get a long bit of time on the road to rejuvenate the minds a bit? The Texas Stars score a ton of goals but also allow a boat load as well. Are we in for a track meet these two games in Texas?
The Milwaukee Admirals won 2-1 on the road against the Chicago Wolves Sunday afternoon at the Allstate Arena.
Entering the third period the Admirals trailed 1-0 but saw a goal from Kevin Fiala in the opening minute of the frame level the playing field. Then it became the Russian Hammer show as Vladislav Kamenev got involved in his first fight in professional hockey during the third period. The teenager would then be the closer to tonight’s game as he put away a rebound with 2:12 remaining in regulation to cap off a three-in-three weekend for the Admirals where they claimed five out of a possible six points.
As has been the featured story of the weekend the first period came and went without a goal being scored. The opening goal wouldn’t come until midway through the second period and would come the way of the Wolves on the power-play. Jordan Schmaltz was priming to fire a shot to the net from the left wing but opted to set his sights off to the side of Marek Mazanec where Jeremy Welsh was crashing from the low right wing. The Wolves defenseman let loose on the shot pass and caught Welsh clean on the redirect for the forward’s thirteenth goal of the season.
Of note, the Admirals road power-play this season has only allowed fifteen power-play goals from one-hundred-and-four penalty kills. The Wolves have accounted for eight of those power-play goals by doing that damage at the Allstate Arena this season.
Only two-minutes after the power-play goal for the Wolves and the Admirals earned themselves a penalty shot that could have drawn them back to level terms. A fast sequence of passes put Félix Girard on a breakaway from the face-off circles in on Pheonix Copley but was taken down from behind by Zack Phillips. On the penalty shot Girard swooped down the left wing side of the ice, held forehand, and tried to snap a wrist shot over the pads blocker side of Copley but didn’t get the elevation he was looking for.
The Admirals were able to equalize just fifty-seven seconds into the third period after a terrible defensive zone turnover by Ivan Barbashyov. The Wolves had four men back in their own zone looking to breakout while the Admirals had Adam Payerl trailing behind them. Barbashyov lost the handle and it led directly to a quick one-two with Payerl passing across Copley to find Kevin Fiala on the backdoor where he’d score his sixteenth goal of the season.
It wouldn’t be much of an Amtrak Rivalry game without a fight, right? Out of all of the possible combatants I don’t think many would have picked out Vladislav Kamenev versus Danny Kristo to go down but it did after the Russian laid out Kristo behind the Admirals net. Kristo had Kamenev’s number following the hit and the two locked horns long after a whistle came. It wasn’t a long scrap at all but Kamenev landed a clean overhand right that dropped Kristo and, in the fall to the ice, the two actually managed to mangle the right ankle of linesman William Hancock. Thankfully the linesman would skate off the pain and carry on for the rest of the game.
With 2:12 remaining in regulation the Admirals scored to take a 2-1 lead. Stefan Elliott hammered a low shot that spilled out in front of Copley. The man quickest to react to rebound was Kamenev to smacked the puck around the right pad of Copley to score his eleventh goal of the season.
The Wolves went empty net with 1:24 remaining in regulation and ended up getting a power-play with twenty-seven seconds remaining. With effectively two extra attackers the Wolves ran out of time as the Admirals held on to the 2-1 lead for their second win in less than twenty-four hours.
The win today for the Admirals pushes their record to 40-20-3-1 (84 points) with a points percentage of 0.646. It is the first time since the 2012-13 season that the Admirals have hit the forty wins plateau and there are still eleven games remaining on the 2015-16 season schedule.
Ramblings: Prior to today’s game the Nashville Predators recalled both Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom from their long-term injury loans. Today’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, White-Girard-Görtz, Devane-Bass-Pendenza, Elliott-Mullen, Näkyvä-Aronson, Oligny-Potter. Today’s scratches were: Trevor Murphy (healthy), Cody Hodgson (upper body), Johan Alm (lower body).
Thoughts on today’s game? What did you think of the Milwaukee Admirals ability to battle back late in today’s game? How impressed are you right now with the line combination of Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, and Adam Payerl?
After participating in two games in two days both Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom have been recalled by the Nashville Predators early from their long-term injury loans.
Nashville, Tenn. (March 20, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has recalled forwards Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom from Long-Term Injury loans with Milwaukee (AHL). They each played a pair of games vs. Charlotte on Friday (2-1 shootout loss) and Saturday (6-2 win).
Bourque, 25 (9/23/90), went scoreless in this weekend’s games, and has appeared in four games for the Admirals in two Long-Term Injury Loans over the past four weeks. He has missed the Predators last 50 games after leaving the team’s Nov. 27 game at Philadelphia with an upper-body injury. In 22 NHL games in 2015-16, the Rimouski, Quebec native has four points (1g-3a).
Nystrom, 33 (2/14/83), scored a goal in Saturday’s win, his first action since sustaining a broken foot on Jan. 26 at Vancouver. He has missed Nashville’s last 23 games, and has seven goals/points in 40 games with the Predators this season.
The Nashville Predators commence a four-game home stand Monday night when they face off against the Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. (TV: FOX Sports Tennessee; Radio: 102.5 The Game). The game will feature several special promotions and events, with Mike Fisher’s 1,000th game celebration and tribute taking place prior to face off. The team will also be hosting 90’s night, and will be selling hot dogs for just $1 during the evening. A limited number of tickets remain, fans can purchase tickets by visiting NashvillePredators.com, or by calling 615-770-7800.
The two were eligible to play in this afternoon’s game with the Milwaukee Admirals but Nystrom had suggested this weekend that fatigue might dictate not playing throughout the three-in-three. The veteran forward also said that “he was leaving Sunday” so that, combined with a fatigue factor, probably speaks to the early call up.
I feel both Bourque and Nystrom looked great considering both had such long lay offs since their last piece of game action. There was no lag effect for either and Bourque, in particular, played with a hot motor throughout the Admirals two-games against the Charlotte Checkers. He was running over just about everyone on the ice and reminded me a lot of Miikka Salomäki‘s style of play. As for Nystrom, he played a smooth first game and appeared to play with an extra level of confidence last night. In the process he just so happened to get rewarded by going to the net and getting a redirect goal for his first AHL goal since 2/17/08 when he scored twice as a member of the Quad City Flames. Both Predators players were on a line with Cody Bass for those games and Admirals head coach Dean Evason was quick to acknowledge how well that group played after last night’s game.
Admirals Roundtable 