AHL Morning Skate: 5.11.18

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s AHL Morning Skate.

Playoff Brackets | Today’s Scoreboard | League Stats | Series Infographics

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Game 5 – Saturday, 6:00 ET, AHL Live
(LV leads series, 3-1)
Follow @LVPhantoms Follow @CheckersHockey Tweet #LVvsCHA

Atlantic Division Finals – Series “I” (best-of-7)
A1-Lehigh Valley Phantoms vs. A3-Charlotte Checkers
Game 1 – Fri., May 4 – LEHIGH VALLEY 2, Charlotte 1 | Recap
Game 2 – Sat., May 5 – Charlotte 6, LEHIGH VALLEY 0 | Recap
Game 3 – Tue., May 8 – Lehigh Valley 5, CHARLOTTE 1 | Recap
Game 4 – Wed., May 9 – Lehigh Valley 2, CHARLOTTE 1 (5OT) | Recap
Game 5 – Sat., May 12 – Lehigh Valley at Charlotte, 6:00
*Game 6 – Mon., May 14 – Charlotte at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 15 – Charlotte at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

 vs.  
(TOR wins series, 4-0)
Follow @TorontoMarlies Follow @SyracuseCrunch Tweet #TORvsSYR

North Division Finals – Series “J” (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. N2-Syracuse Crunch
Game 1 – Thu., May 3 – TORONTO 6, Syracuse 4 | Recap
Game 2 – Sat., May 5 – TORONTO 2, Syracuse 1 (2OT) | Recap
Game 3 – Sun., May 6 – Toronto 7, SYRACUSE 1 | Recap
Game 4 – Tue., May 8 – Toronto 2, SYRACUSE 1 | Recap

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Game 4 – Tonight, 8:00 ET, AHL Live
(RFD leads series, 3-0)
Follow @ManitobaMoose Follow @goicehogs Tweet #MBvsRFD

As they host Game 4 tonight, the Rockford IceHogs sit one win away from their first trip to the Calder Cup conference finals after Wednesday night’s 4-1 win over Manitoba… With a 3-0 lead in the series, the IceHogs are also bidding to become the first AHL team to begin a postseason with back-to-back sweeps since Toronto in 2014… Tyler Sikura (4-1-5) and Victor Ejdsell (4-2-6) scored 67 seconds apart in Game 4 to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, and William Pelletier (2-0-2) and Matthew Highmore (2-2-4) added insurance markers as Rockford improved to 6-0 this postseason and 20-5-1-1 in its last 27 games overall… Sikura has scored in all three games of the series for Rockford… Collin Delia (6-0, 1.44, .953) stopped 36 of 37 shots in the win, and is now 16-1-2 in his last 19 decisions… Delia has allowed four goals on 97 Moose shots in the series (.959)… Julian Melchiori (1-3-4) scored the only Manitoba goal in Game 3, the first career postseason goal for the sixth-year pro… Eric Comrie (3-5, 2.92, .914) made 37 saves on Wednesday night as the Moose were outshot (41-37) for the sixth time in eight games this postseason… Rockford has allowed the game’s first goal in each of its last five contests but has come back to win all five… The IceHogs were 1-for-3 on the power play in Game 3 and are now 11-for-31 (35.5 percent) in the playoffs… Rockford is also 20-for-22 (90.9 percent) on the penalty kill, including 8-for-8 in this series… Manitoba is 13-3-0-1 all-time at the BMO Harris Bank Center… This is the IceHogs’ ninth Calder Cup Playoff series all-time; five of the previous eight have ended in sweeps (two won, three lost).

Central Division Finals – Series “K” (best-of-7)
C3-Manitoba Moose vs. C4-Rockford IceHogs
Game 1 – Fri., May 4 – Rockford 4, MANITOBA 2 | Recap
Game 2 – Sat., May 5 – Rockford 4, MANITOBA 1 | Recap
Game 3 – Wed., May 9 – ROCKFORD 4, Manitoba 1 | Recap
Game 4 – Fri., May 11 – Manitoba at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 5 – Sat., May 12 – Manitoba at Rockford, 7:00
*Game 6 – Tue., May 15 – Rockford at Manitoba, 8:00
*Game 7 – Wed., May 16 – Rockford at Manitoba, 8:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

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Game 5 – Tonight, 8:00 ET, AHL Live
(TEX leads series, 3-1)
Follow @RoadrunnersAHL Follow @TexasStars Tweet #TUCvsTEX

The Texas Stars have the Pacific Division’s regular-season champions on the ropes, taking a 3-1 series lead into tonight’s Game 5 at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park… Mike McKenna (6-2, 1.64, .953) made 27 saves for his second shutout of the postseason in Wednesday night’s 2-0 Texas victory… McKenna is now tied for 15th on the AHL’s all-time postseason wins list (26)… Curtis McKenzie (2-4-6) and Andrew Bodnarchuk (1-0-1) scored the Stars’ goals in Game 4, both coming in a span of 3:17 during the second period… McKenzie’s goal was his second game-winner of the series… Bodnarchuk’s goal was his first in 51 career Calder Cup Playoff games, and his first postseason point since assisting on the Calder Cup-clinching goal for Manchester on June 13, 2015… With two assists in Game 4, Brian Flynn (6-4-10) leads the entire AHL in playoff scoring, including 4-3-7 in the four games vs. Tucson… The Roadrunners are stuck in their first three-game losing streak since Dec. 9-13; they have not lost four straight since Mar. 31 to Apr. 9, 2017… Dylan Strome (3-5-8), who recorded eight points in four first-round games vs. San Jose, is still looking for his first point in the second round… Adin Hill (4-4, 2.05, .926) made 26 saves for Tucson in Game 4… Carter Camper (1-6-7) and Lawson Crouse (1-6-7) are the Roadrunners’ leading scorers in this series with three points each, all coming in Game 3… Texas is 9-2 all-time with a chance to close out a playoff series.

Pacific Division Finals – Series “L” (best-of-7)
P1-Tucson Roadrunners vs. P2-Texas Stars
Game 1 – Wed., May 2 – TUCSON 2, Texas 1 (OT) | Recap
Game 2 – Fri., May 4 – Texas 4, TUCSON 1 | Recap
Game 3 – Mon., May 7 – TEXAS 5, Tucson 4 (OT) | Recap
Game 4 – Wed., May 9 – TEXAS 2, Tucson 0 | Recap
Game 5 – Fri., May 11 – Tucson at Texas, 8:00
*Game 6 – Sun., May 13 – Texas at Tucson, 10:05
*Game 7 – Mon., May 14 – Texas at Tucson, 10:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

Alumni Watch
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, Winnipeg secured its spot in the Western Conference Final with a 5-1 win at Nashville in Game 7… 2015 AHL All-Star Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves for the Jets, who will face Vegas beginning Saturday… Washington visits Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final tonight, a series that pits a pair of former Calder Cup champion head coaches in Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994) and Jon Cooper (Norfolk, 2012).

In yesterday’s action at the IIHF World Championships in Denmark, Colin White, who recorded 11-16-27 in 47 AHL games with Belleville this season, scored in the United States’ 3-2 overtime win over Latvia… David Pastrnak‘s second goal of the game gave the Czech Republic a 4-3 overtime victory over Russia… Two-time AHL All-Star Curtis McElhinney made nine saves in Canada’s 5-0 win over Norway.

Working Overtime
There have been 10 overtime games played in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:

On This Date
May 11, 2012 – Cam Talbot makes 44 saves for Connecticut but Richard Panik scores in overtime to give Norfolk a 2-1 win and send the Admirals to the Eastern Conference Finals.

May 11, 2010 – Jamie Benn scores 4:57 into overtime as Texas, which trailed 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4, grabs a 6-5 win at Chicago in Game 7 of the West Division Finals.

May 11, 1997 – Jean-Francois Labbe makes a franchise-record 62 saves and Blair Atcheynum scores 42 seconds into the third overtime period as Hershey staves off elimination with a 3-2 win over Philadelphia in Game 6 of their division final series.

May 11, 1993 – Despite being outshot 63-37, the Springfield Indians (25-41-14 in the regular season) get a three points from Michael Nylander and the winning goal from Paul Cyr to take the Northern Division finals with a 6-5 overtime victory in Game 7 at Adirondack.

May 11, 1979 – The Maine Mariners win their second consecutive Calder Cup, wrapping up a four-game sweep with an 8-4 win over New Haven.

AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2018 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet all season long with live video webcasts and free highlights of every AHL game… Visit ahllive.com for details.