AHL Morning Skate: 5.13.22

A1-Charlotte Checkers vs. A6-Bridgeport Islanders
Game 3 – Saturday, 4:00 ET,
(Charlotte leads series, 2-0)

Game 1 – Charlotte 3, BRIDGEPORT 2 | Recap
Game 2 – Charlotte 7, BRIDGEPORT 6 (2OT) | Recap
Game 3 – Sat., May 14 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 4:00
*Game 4 – Mon., May 16 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

A2-Springfield Thunderbirds vs. A4-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 3 – Sunday, 5:05 ET,
(Springfield leads series, 2-0)

Game 1 – SPRINGFIELD 4, W-B/Scranton 1 | Recap
Game 2 – SPRINGFIELD 6, W-B/Scranton 2 | Recap
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Springfield at W-B/Scranton, 5:05
*Game 4 – Mon., May 16 – Springfield at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – W-B/Scranton at Springfield, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

N1-Utica Comets vs. N5-Rochester Americans
Game 2 – Saturday, 7:00 ET,
(Utica leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – UTICA 6, Rochester 3 | Recap
Game 2 – Sat., May 14 – Rochester at Utica, 7:00
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Utica at Rochester, 5:05
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Utica at Rochester, 7:05
*Game 5 – Thu., May 19 – Rochester at Utica, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

N2-Syracuse Crunch vs. N3-Laval Rocket
Game 4 – Saturday, 3:00 ET,
(Laval leads series, 2-1)

Game 1 – SYRACUSE 5, Laval 3 | Recap
Game 2 – Laval 3, SYRACUSE 2 | Recap
Game 3 – LAVAL 4, Syracuse 1 | Recap
Game 4 – Sat., May 14 – Syracuse at Laval, 3:00
*Game 5 – Tue., May 17 – Laval at Syracuse, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

C1-Chicago Wolves vs. C4-Rockford IceHogs
Game 2 – Saturday, 8:00 ET,
(Chicago leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – CHICAGO 6, Rockford 2 | Recap
Game 2 – Sat., May 14 – Rockford at Chicago, 8:00
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Chicago at Rockford, 5:00
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Chicago at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 5 – Thu., May 19 – Rockford at Chicago, 8:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern

C2-Manitoba Moose vs. C3-Milwaukee Admirals
Game 4 – Tonight, 8:00 ET, ,
(Milwaukee leads series, 2-1)

Game 1 – MILWAUKEE 3, Manitoba 2 | Recap
Game 2 – MILWAUKEE 2, Manitoba 1 | Recap
Game 3 – MANITOBA 5, Milwaukee 2 | Recap
Game 4 – Fri., May 13 – Milwaukee at Manitoba, 8:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 15 – Milwaukee at Manitoba, 3:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
The Milwaukee Admirals get another crack at advancing when they visit the Manitoba Moose in Game 4 tonight... The Moose were down 2-0 in the series and 2-0 in Game 3 when they stormed back for a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night, cutting the Admirals’ series lead to two games to one... Cody Glass (1-0-1), making his series debut after returning from NHL recall to Nashville, scored just 21 seconds into Game 3, and Jimmy Huntington (2-1-3) netted his second goal in as many games to give Milwaukee a two-goal lead after 20 minutes... Morgan Barron (2-0-2), Jeff Malott (1-0-1) and Leon Gawanke (1-3-4) answered for Manitoba in the second period, and Nicholas Jones (1-0-1) and Luke Johnson (1-0-1) put the game away with goals in the third... Declan Chisholm (1-4-5) notched two assists for Manitoba in Game 3; the Moose have gotten nine points (2-7-9) from defensemen Chisholm and Gawanke this series, and 13 points (6-7-13) from the rest of their roster... Mikhail Berdin (1-2, 2.37, .883) made 21 saves for his first career playoff win... Devin Cooley (2-1, 2.70, .934) finished with 30 stops for the Admirals, who have been outshot 121-60 through three games... After converting just three times on their first 101 shots of the series, the Moose scored five goals on their last 20 shots on Wednesday.

P1-Stockton Heat vs. P4-Bakersfield Condors
Game 3 – Tonight, 10:00 ET,
(Stockton leads series, 2-0)

Game 1 – STOCKTON 3, Bakersfield 1 | Recap
Game 2 – STOCKTON 3, Bakersfield 2 | Recap
Game 3 – Fri., May 13 – Stockton at Bakersfield, 10:00
*Game 4 – Sun., May 15 – Stockton at Bakersfield, 8:00
*Game 5 – Tue., May 17 – Bakersfield at Stockton, 9:30
*if necessary... All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
Bakersfield has its back to the wall as it returns home to take on Stockton in Game 3 of the teams’ Pacific Division semifinal series tonight... Down 2-0 in the best-of-five series, the Condors must now hand the Heat their first three-game losing streak of the season in order to advance... Emilio Pettersen’s goal 7:02 into the third period of Game 2 sent Stockton to a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night; Pettersen (2-1-3) has scored both game-winning goals in the series... Alex Gallant (1-0-1) and Nick DeSimone (1-0-1) also scored for the Heat in Game 2, and Dustin Wolf (2-0, 1.50, .942) stopped 21 of 23 shots in net... Brad Malone (2-1-3) and Devin Brosseau (1-0-1) scored the Condors’ goals... Malone now has 9-10-19 in 20 career postseason games with Bakersfield... Despite 25 saves in Game 2, Stuart Skinner (2-2, 2.25, .923) has lost back-to-back regulation decisions for the first time this season... Stockton is 0-for-9 on the power play in the series; Bakersfield is 1-for-8.

P2-Ontario Reign vs. P3-Colorado Eagles
Game 2 – Tonight, 9:05 ET,
(Colorado leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – COLORADO 10, Ontario 1 | Recap
Game 2 – Fri., May 13 – Ontario at Colorado, 9:05
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Colorado at Ontario, 11:00
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
Colorado and Ontario face off in Game 2 of their Pacific Division semifinal series tonight after the Eagles’ offensive fireworks stole the show in Game 1... Colorado scored three times in the first 5:32 of the game on Wednesday, including two shorthanded goals on the same minor penalty, en route to a 10-1 victory over the Reign, becoming the first AHL team to hit double digits in a Calder Cup Playoff game since the Hershey Bears’ 10-4 victory over the Worcester Sharks on May 1, 2015... The nine-goal margin of victory was the largest in a Game 1 in Calder Cup Playoff history, and the largest in any postseason game since the Providence Bruins’ 9-0 win over the Springfield Indians on Apr. 17, 1993... Keaton Middleton (2-1-3), Kiefer Sherwood (3-2-5) and Mikhail Maltsev (3-1-4) all scored twice for the Eagles, who went 4-for-6 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill in addition to their two shorthanded goals... Justus Annunen (3-0, 1.67, .947) stopped 33 of 34 shots in net for the Eagles... Captain Brett Sutter (1-0-1) scored the lone Ontario goal, the 10th of his Calder Cup Playoff career.

The Bridgeport Islanders sounded a defiant tone even after a heart-breaking 7-6 double-overtime loss to the Charlotte Checkers in Game 2 of the teams’ Atlantic Division Semifinals series last night.

The Checkers lead the best-of-five series 2-0 going into Game 3 in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon.

“This team’s a long way from being done,” said forward Chris Terry, who contributed a goal and two assists after leading the team in regular-season scoring. “This series is a long way from over, and we’ve been resilient all year.”

Said forward Austin Czarnik after a goal and three assists, “We know what we have in that locker room, and everyone wants to go out there for each other and just give it our all.”

The Islanders overcame Charlotte leads of 4-0, 5-3, and 6-5 to push the game into overtime. The Atlantic Division champion Checkers needed a hat trick from captain Zac Dalpe, including the overtime winner, to finally put away the host Islanders.

Among the hardest-nosed players ever to skate in the AHL, Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson is not easily impressed. But this Bridgeport team impresses Thompson.

“There was no quit in this team,” Thompson said.

Now the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins need some sleep.

Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest’s team has embraced the playoff grind, finishing a stretch of five games in seven nights with a 6-2 loss in Springfield last night. The Penguins will rest today, practice Saturday, and then meet the Thunderbirds on home ice Sunday for Game 3 of the best-of-five series.

In the midst of their busy week was an overtime winner-take-all game against Hershey on Monday and a bus trip to Springfield, Mass., on Tuesday before clashing with the Thunderbirds on back-to-back nights.

Said Forrest, “I think it will be great for us to have a day to just rest and then just look forward to Sunday and playing in front of our own fans and [in] our own building, sleeping in [our] own beds. All that stuff helps.”

Adjustments are part of the playoff experience for prospects as well, and Forrest wants to see his players make Game 3 more difficult for Springfield in net. Thunderbirds netminder Charlie Lindgren limited the Penguins to one goal on 51 shots in Game 1 before Joel Hofer stepped in to stop 34 shots in Game 2.

“We’ve got to find a way to bear down just a little extra to find that extra whatever it is, [an] inch, six inches, put the puck behind the goal line there, get an extra whack at it here and there, fight through some of their box-outs, all that stuff,” Forrest said.

Rockford IceHogs interim head coach Anders Sorensen had his goaltender’s back Thursday night after a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of their Central Division semifinal series.

“He’s been great,” Sorensen said to IceHogs TV of 22-year-old goaltender Arvid Soderblom.

Signed by the parent Chicago Blackhawks to a two-year entry-level contract in May 2021 following a standout season with Skelleftea of the Swedish Hockey League, Soderblom has emerged as one of the organization’s top prospects. He went 21-15-2 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 38 regular-season appearances for Rockford.

The Wolves had several point-blank scoring chances in Game 1, and Soderblom was further victimized by bad bounces on at least two goals. After leading the IceHogs past the Texas Stars in the first round, Soderblom found himself up against the AHL’s top regular-season team.

Down 5-1 after the second period, Sorensen elected to rest Soderblom in favor of Cale Morris, who played the third.

“There were some strange bounces [for Soderblom],” Sorensen said. “I thought he looked good in net.”

The Colorado Eagles can expect a much different opponent tonight in Game 2 of their Pacific Division Semifinals series with the Ontario Reign.

Reign captain Brett Sutter issued a stern challenge to his team following a 10-1 loss to the Eagles in Game 1. Sutter, a 15-year pro in search of his first championship, knows that the Calder Cup Playoffs present the most difficult challenge that many young prospects have ever faced in their careers, and that the Reign must meet the higher standard of play that a top-tier opponent like the Eagles displayed.

It is all a necessary part of the development process, as rocky as that can sometimes be.

“We need more urgency in our game, more detail, and more accountability,” Sutter told LA Kings Insider after the loss. “I think it’s less about what they’re doing and more about us now. We’ve got to get back to our game, our checking, and our detail. We have confidence in this group, and character in this group. We’ve shown it all year long.”

After tonight’s Game 2 in Colorado, the rest of the series will be played in Ontario.

“After a tough loss, we can rebound and come back and find a way. That’s what we’re going to do here.”

― Patrick Williams

ALUMNI WATCH
In last night’s Stanley Cup Playoff action, Syracuse Crunch alumni Ondrej Palat, Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point scored to give Tampa Bay a 4-3 overtime victory over Toronto... Jordan Binnington made 25 saves as St. Louis eliminated Minnesota with a 5-1 win... Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle each recorded a goal and an assist and 2017 Calder Cup champion Tomas Nosek notched two assists as Boston defeated Carolina, 5-2... Mike Smith stopped 30 shots in Edmonton’s 4-2 win at Los Angeles.

Watch the Calder Cup Playoffs on AHLTV
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2022 Calder Cup championship. AHLTV features live streaming of every AHL game in high definition on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices, as well as OTT platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. A subscription is just $29.99 for the entire postseason, or just $8.99 for a day pass. Visit AHLTV.com for details.