AHL Morning Skate: May 13

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest from around the American Hockey League in today’s Morning Skate.

Complete Schedule || Playoff Brackets || Today’s Scoreboard || League Leaders || Series Previews

Tonight’s Previews

okc  tex
Game 3 – 8:00 ET, AHL Live (Series tied, 1-1)
After splitting the first two games of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series in Cedar Park, the Texas Stars and Oklahoma City Barons move north for the next three games at the Cox Convention Center in downtown OKC, beginning with Game 3 tonight… These teams combined for 76 goals in 12 regular-season meetings (6.3 per game), but have traded low-scoring 2-1 victories to kick off the series… Stars goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp (4-2, 1.13, .957), who stopped 27 of 28 shots in Saturday’s Game 2 win, has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his first six playoff starts… Mike Hedden (1-3-4) and Joe Morrow (1-1-2) scored their first career AHL playoff goals for Texas in Game 2… Kevin Connauton (2-3-5) notched an assist, and now has figured in the scoring of half of the Stars’ 10 postseason goals… Mark Arcobello (5-4-9) had the Barons’ goal in Game 2, his second of the series and his team-leading fifth of the playoffs… After a 37-save effort on Saturday, Yann Danis (4-3, 2.56, .927) has stopped 144 of 150 shots in Oklahoma City’s last four games… Texas was 4-for-4 on the penalty kill in Game 2 and is 26-for-27 (96.3 percent) in its last eight games vs. Oklahoma City… In 180 previous best-of-seven series that have been tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner has gone on to take the series 70.6 percent of the time (127 of 180).

Western Conference Semifinal – Series “K” (best-of-7)
1-Texas Stars vs. 5-Oklahoma City Barons

Game 1 – Thu., May 9 – Oklahoma City 2, TEXAS 1 (OT)
Game 2 – Sat., May 11 – TEXAS 2, Oklahoma City 1
Game 3 – Mon., May 13 – Texas at Oklahoma City, 8:00
Game 4 – Wed., May 15 – Texas at Oklahoma City, 8:00
Game 5 – Thu., May 16 – Texas at Oklahoma City, 8:00
*Game 6 – Mon., May 20 – Oklahoma City at Texas, 8:30
*Game 7 – Tue., May 21 – Oklahoma City at Texas, 8:30
   *if necessary… All times Eastern

About Last Night…

Former AHL All-Star Valtteri Filppula notched a goal and an assist as Detroit defeated Anaheim, 3-2, in Game 7 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series… Former Syracuse Crunch forward Derrick Brassard scored the only goal of the game as the N.Y. Rangers staved off elimination with a 1-0 win over Washington in Game 6… Toronto Marlies alumnus James Reimer stopped 29 shots as the Maple Leafs forced a Game 7 with a 2-1 win over Boston.

Stingy Stars
Texas is the first team since the 2009 Milwaukee Admirals (behind goaltender Drew MacIntyre) to allow two goals or fewer in each of its first six games of a postseason:

2009 Milwaukee Admirals
Game 1 – W, 3-1 vs. Rockford
Game 2 – W, 3-1 vs. Rockford
Game 3 – W, 3-1 at Rockford
Game 4 – W, 4-1 at Rockford
Game 1 – L, 1-2 vs. Houston
Game 2 – W, 4-1 vs. Houston
Game 3 – L, 1-3 at Houston

2013 Texas Stars
Game 1 – W, 3-2 at Milwaukee (OT)
Game 2 – L, 0-2 at Milwaukee
Game 3 – W, 2-0 vs. Milwaukee
Game 4 – W, 2-1 vs. Milwaukee
Game 1 – L, 1-2 vs. Oklahoma City (OT)
Game 2 – W, 2-1 vs. Oklahoma City
Game 3 – ?

The 2006 Manitoba Moose were the last team to allow two or fewer in its first seven playoff games.

Working Overtime
There have been 11 overtime games played in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Road teams are 8-3:

Apr. 26 – Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (Brett Ritchie, 11:44)
Apr. 26 – Charlotte 4, OKLAHOMA CITY 3 (Brody Sutter, 3:06)
Apr. 27 – SPRINGFIELD 2, Manchester 1 (Cody Bass, 10:36)
Apr. 27 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Chad Kolarik, 8:18)
Apr. 27 – SYRACUSE 4, Portland 3 (Richard Panik, 6:36)
Apr. 28 – Hershey 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Jon DiSalvatore, 3:05)
Apr. 28 – SPRINGFIELD 3, Manchester 2 (Cody Bass, 18:44)
*May 1 – Toronto 3, ROCHESTER 2 (Will Acton, 5:14)
*May 2 – Syracuse 4, PORTLAND 3 (Ondrej Palat, 19:43)
*May 4 – Springfield 4, MANCHESTER 3 (Nick Drazenovic, 8:06)
May 9 – Oklahoma City 2, TEXAS 1 (Anton Lander, 1:28)

AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2013 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts and highlights of every AHL game, as well as behind-the-scenes features and interviews in the Video On Demand section… Visit ahllive.com for details.