AHL Quick Hits: Eastern Conference leaders meet


LOOKING BACK:

Brad Moran scored in overtime on Thursday night to give Manitoba a 3-2 win at Rockford… On Wednesday, Jeff Glass made 41 saves as Binghamton doubled up Philadelphia, 4-2… Riley Armstrong had two goals and an assist as Worcester downed Lowell, 6-1… Corey Locke lit the lamp with 33 seconds left in overtime to push Hamilton past Lake Erie, 2-1… Portland scored three third-period goals to rally past Hershey, 4-3.

Wed 2/6
HARTFORD 3, Manchester 1
Portland 4, HERSHEY 3
BINGHAMTON 4, Philadelphia 2
Worcester 6, LOWELL 1
PROVIDENCE 3, Milwaukee 2
NORFOLK 3, W-B/Scranton 2 (SO)
Syracuse 3, ROCHESTER 1
HAMILTON 2, Lake Erie 1 (OT)
San Antonio 4, TORONTO 2
Houston 3, QUAD CITY 2 (SO)

Thu 2/7
Manitoba 3, ROCKFORD 2 (OT)


LOOKING AHEAD:
The Atlantic Division’s top two teams clash on Friday when Providence (37-8-2-1) hosts Hartford (30-13-2-5) at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center… The Bruins enter winners of three straight overall and four of five against Hartford this season (4-1-0-0), but the Wolf Pack are 5-0-2-1 in their last eight contests and 9-3-1-2 at the Dunk over the last three seasons (including playoffs)… Providence ranks second in the league averaging 3.65 goals per game; Hartford’s average of 2.50 goals allowed is third-best… Pascal Pelletier leads the Bruins in scoring (25-24-49) and is tied for second in the AHL with 25 goals… Jeff Hoggan has 15 points (7-8-15) in his last nine games for the B’s… Hartford’s P.A. Parenteau paces the team in goals (19), assists (28) and points (47), and he leads all scorers in the season series with five goals and seven points in five games against Providence… Goaltender Miika Wiikman (13-4-2) ranks third in the AHL with a 2.08 GAA.

East-leading Philadelphia embarks on a three-game New England tour this weekend, visiting Springfield on Friday and Manchester on Saturday before taking on league-leading Providence on Sunday afternoon… Philadelphia is 7-2-1-0 against the Atlantic Division this season… Phantoms leading scorer Jared Ross, who had a hat trick in a 4-3 win over the Falcons on Oct. 27, returned from a nine-game injury absence on Wednesday and posted an assist at Binghamton… Rookie Kyle Greentree has a season-high five-game scoring streak (4-4-8) and ranks second on Philadelphia with 34 points overall (15-19-34)… Pete Zingoni has a team-high 17 goals, one shy of last year’s total with the Phantoms… Ryan O’Marra boasts a five-game scoring streak (2-3-5) for the Falcons, and 2007 AHL All-Star T.J. Kemp has a point in four straight games (2-3-5).

Toronto and Hamilton will face off eight times over the final 65 days of the regular season, beginning with a meeting Saturday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum (4:00 ET, The Score)… The Bulldogs enter the weekend having won three in a row overall, tied with Syracuse for the North Division’s third and final guaranteed playoff spot… The Marlies come in having lost back-to-back home games in regulation for the first time all year; the Bulldogs have won five straight and seven of eight on the road… Jaroslav Halak has a 2.28 GAA and .931 save percentage in four starts vs. the Marlies in 2007-08, but only one win… Meanwhile, three different Toronto goaltenders (Justin Pogge, Scott Clemmensen, Todd Ford) have defeated Hamilton this season.

(all times Eastern)
Fri 2/8
Hartford @ Providence, 7:05
Portland @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Binghamton @ Norfolk, 7:15
Lowell @ Bridgeport, 7:30
Philadelphia @ Springfield, 7:30
Grand Rapids @ Lake Erie, 7:30
San Antonio @ Hamilton, 7:30
Manitoba @ Milwaukee, 8:00
Peoria @ Quad City, 8:05
Chicago @ Iowa, 8:07
Houston @ Rockford, 8:30

Sat 2/9
San Antonio @ Rochester, 2:05
Hamilton @ Toronto, 4:00
Syracuse vs. Albany, 7:00 (@ Glens Falls, N.Y.)
Portland @ Bridgeport, 7:00
Lowell @ Springfield, 7:00
Philadelphia @ Manchester, 7:05
Hershey @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Binghamton @ Norfolk, 7:15
Grand Rapids @ Lake Erie, 7:30
Milwaukee @ Chicago, 8:00
Peoria @ Iowa, 8:07

Sun 2/10
Houston @ Toronto, 4:00
Manitoba @ Chicago, 4:00
Philadelphia @ Providence, 4:05
Peoria @ Milwaukee, 5:00
Worcester @ Hershey, 5:00
Rockford @ Quad City, 6:05
Grand Rapids @ Rochester, 6:05

Mon 2/11
No games scheduled

Tue 2/12
Syracuse @ Philadelphia, 7:05
Houston @ Peoria, 8:00
Iowa @ Manitoba, 8:30


ALUMNI WATCH:
Kris Newbury, who is tied for the Toronto Marlies’ team lead with 14 goals this season, tallied his first NHL goal of the year in the parent Maple Leafs’ 4-2 win at Montreal on Thursday… Recalled after tallying 15 points in 11 games with Hartford, 2007 AHL All-Rookie Team selection Ryan Callahan scored in the N.Y. Rangers’ 4-1 loss to Anaheim… On Wednesday, 2008 AHL All-Star T.J. Hensick scored his fifth goal in the last three games, helping Colorado past San Jose, 3-1.


BY THE NUMBERS:
5,446
— Penalty minutes amassed in 2,236 career NHL games combined for Philadelphia head coach Craig Berube and Springfield counterpart Kelly Buchberger… Their teams square off Friday night at the MassMutual Center.


AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts of every AHL game… Visit theahl.com for details.