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
Tonight’s Previews
Game 1 – 6:00 ET, AHL Live
The second round of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs gets underway tonight as St. John’s hosts Norfolk in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal from Mile One Centre… The IceCaps, who knocked off Albany in four games, are the highest remaining seed in the East after division winners Manchester, Springfield and Binghamton were all eliminated in the first round… Norfolk was shut out in Game 1 against Manchester but then took three straight from the regular-season conference champs… Neither the IceCaps’ Michael Hutchinson (3-1, 1.51, .952) nor the Admirals’ John Gibson (3-1, 1.42, .947) had ever made a professional playoff start before round one, but were both stellar in leading their teams to victory… Two-time Calder Cup winner Andrew Gordon (3-1-4) led St. John’s with three goals vs. Albany, all coming via a Game 4 hat trick… Zach Redmond (0-4-4) recorded an assist in each of the IceCaps’ four first-round games… Scratched from Norfolk’s lineup in Game 1 at Manchester, Maxime Sauve (2-0-2) made his pro playoff debut in Game 2 and scored the game-winning goal in both Game 3 and Game 4… Norfolk led the AHL in penalty killing in the regular season (88.1%), then killed off 16 of 17 shorthanded chances in the first round… The IceCaps and Admirals did not meet during the 2013-14 regular season… Norfolk (then affiliated with Tampa Bay) swept St. John’s in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals; Anaheim’s affiliate that season, Syracuse, lost to the IceCaps in the first round… The Admirals franchise has won five consecutive playoff series and 13 of its last 14 postseason games.
Eastern Conference Semifinals – Series “I” (best-of-7)
4-St. John’s IceCaps vs. 8-Norfolk Admirals
Game 1 – Tue., May 6 – Norfolk at St. John’s, 6:00
Game 2 – Wed., May 7 – Norfolk at St. John’s, 6:00
Game 3 – Sat., May 10 – St. John’s at Norfolk, 8:00
Game 4 – Mon., May 12 – St. John’s at Norfolk, 7:15
*Game 5 – Tue., May 13 – St. John’s at Norfolk, 7:15
*Game 6 – Fri., May 16 – Norfolk at St. John’s, 6:00
*Game 7 – Sat., May 17 – Norfolk at St. John’s, 6:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
Starting Strong
In AHL postseason history, the winner of Game 1 of a playoff series goes on to win the series 71.4 percent of the time… Series records of Game 1 winners in recent years:
2014 – 6-2 (.750)
2013 – 10-5 (.667)
2012 – 12-3 (.800)
2011 – 10-5 (.667)
2010 – 10-5 (.667)
2009 – 10-5 (.667)
2008 – 9-6 (.600)
2007 – 11-4 (.733)
2006 – 10-5 (.667)
2005 – 11-4 (.733)
Working Overtime
There have been 10 overtime games played in the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Road teams are 7-3 this year, and 27-9 in the last 36 playoff OT games overall:
Apr. 23 – Springfield 3, PROVIDENCE 2 (Andrew Joudrey, 2:21)
Apr. 23 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Mike Hedden, 5:35)
Apr. 25 – Providence 2, SPRINGFIELD 1 (Matt Fraser, 3:54)
Apr. 25 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Anton Zlobin, 8:40)
Apr. 25 – Chicago 4, ROCHESTER 3 (Dmitrij Jaskin, 1:06)
Apr. 25 – Grand Rapids 2, ABBOTSFORD 1 (Ryan Sproul, 39:26)
Apr. 26 – BINGHAMTON 4, W-B/Scranton 3 (Stephane Da Costa, 11:07)
Apr. 26 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Brendan Ranford, 15:04)
Apr. 30 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Binghamton 2 (Chuck Kobasew, 7:32)
Apr. 30 – NORFOLK 1, Manchester 0 (Maxime Sauve, 14:51)
Comeback Central
Half of the 32 games played in the first round of this year’s Calder Cup Playoffs were come-from-behind victories, with five teams erasing two-goal deficits to win:
Game 2 – Norfolk 3, MANCHESTER 2 (trailed 0-2)
Game 1 – Springfield 3, PROVIDENCE 2 (OT; trailed 0-1)
Game 3 – SPRINGFIELD 3, Providence 2 (trailed 0-1)
Game 5 – Providence 6, SPRINGFIELD 3 (trailed 0-1, 1-3)
Game 1 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (OT; trailed 0-1, 1-2)
Game 2 – BINGHAMTON 4, W-B/Scranton 3 (OT; trailed 0-1, 1-3)
Game 2 – ALBANY 4, St. John’s 2 (trailed 0-1)
Game 1 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (OT; trailed 0-2)
Game 2 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (OT; trailed 0-1, 1-2)
Game 1 – Chicago 4, ROCHESTER 3 (OT; trailed 0-2, 1-3)
Game 2 – ROCHESTER 3, Chicago 2 (trailed 0-1)
Game 5 – CHICAGO 4, Rochester 2 (trailed 1-2)
Game 1 – Grand Rapids 2, ABBOTSFORD 1 (2OT; trailed 0-1)
Game 2 – Grand Rapids 7, ABBOTSFORD 2 (trailed 0-1, 1-2)
Game 3 – Abbotsford 2, GRAND RAPIDS 1 (trailed 0-1)
Game 4 – GRAND RAPIDS 5, Abbotsford 3 (trailed 0-1)
AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2014 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.
