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 1 – Today, 4:00 ET, AHL Live
TV: TSN2, Leafs Nation Network, Service Electric TV2
Follow @TorontoMarlies Follow @LVPhantoms Tweet #TORvsLV
The Eastern Conference Finals get underway this afternoon with Toronto hosting Lehigh Valley in Game 1… This is just the eighth time in the last 30 years that the AHL’s #1 and #2 teams from the regular season are meeting in the Calder Cup Playoffs… The Marlies enter the series coming off a four-game sweep of Syracuse in the North Division Finals, allowing only two goals over the final 185:45… The Phantoms won three straight on the road to eliminate Charlotte in five games in the Atlantic Division Finals… Trevor Moore (3-6-9) leads the Marlies in playoff scoring with nine points in nine games; the second-year pro averaged less than half a point per game in the regular season (68gp, 12-21-33)… Pierre Engvall (3-4-7) enters the series with a six-game scoring streak (2-4-6), longest in the AHL this postseason… Garret Sparks (6-2, 2.22, .920) has won 11 consecutive starts at Ricoh Coliseum… Thirteen different Marlies scored at least one goal in their second-round series… Lehigh Valley is being led in playoff scoring by Chris Conner (4-4-8), while Oskar Lindblom (4-3-7), Danick Martel (4-3-7) and Greg Carey (3-4-7) are all one point off the pace… Phantoms defenseman T.J. Brennan (1-4-5) made three playoff runs with the Marlies in 2014, 2015 and 2016, recording 14-16-30 in 34 postseason games for Toronto… Alex Lyon (6-1, 1.49, .959) was 4-0 in the second round vs. Charlotte, allowing four goals on 188 shots (0.73, .979)… Toronto is 5-0 at home this postseason and has won 10 straight home playoff games going back to last year… Lehigh Valley is 4-1 on the road… This series marks the first Calder Cup Playoff meeting between affiliates of the Maple Leafs and Flyers since 1986, when the Hershey Bears [PHI] defeated the St. Catharines Saints [TOR] in a seven-game league semifinal.
Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. A1-Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Game 1 – Sat., May 19 – Lehigh Valley at Toronto, 4:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 20 – Lehigh Valley at Toronto, 4:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 23 – Toronto at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., May 25 – Toronto at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., May 26 – Toronto at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*Game 6 – Mon., May 28 – Lehigh Valley at Toronto, 7:00
*Game 7 – Wed., May 30 – Lehigh Valley at Toronto, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
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Game 2 – Sunday, 6:00 ET, AHL Live
(TEX leads series, 1-0)
Follow @TexasStars Follow @goicehogs Tweet #TEXvsRFD
Western Conference Finals – Series “N” (best-of-7)
P2-Texas Stars vs. C4-Rockford IceHogs
Game 1 – Fri., May 18 – TEXAS 4, Rockford 2 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sun., May 20 – Rockford at Texas, 6:00
Game 3 – Tue., May 22 – Texas at Rockford, 8:00
Game 4 – Thu., May 24 – Texas at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 5 – Fri., May 25 – Texas at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 6 – Mon., May 28 – Rockford at Texas, 8:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 29 – Rockford at Texas, 8:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
1 vs. 2
This year’s Eastern Conference Finals marks the eighth playoff meeting between the AHL’s top two regular-season teams in the last 30 years:
2018 Eastern Conference Finals – 1-Toronto vs. 2-Lehigh Valley
2015 Calder Cup Finals – 1-Manchester def. 2-Utica
2007 Eastern Conference Finals – 1-Hershey def. 2-Manchester
2000 Calder Cup Finals – 1-Hartford def. 2-Rochester
1999 Calder Cup Finals – 1-Providence def. 2-Rochester
1998 Western Conference Finals – 1-Philadelphia def. 2-Albany
1997 Mid-Atlantic Division Finals – 2-Hershey def. 1-Philadelphia
1991 Calder Cup Finals – 2-Springfield def. 1-Rochester
Alumni Watch
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, 2017 Calder Cup champion Tomas Nosek scored to help Vegas to a 3-2 win and a 3-1 series lead over Winnipeg in the NHL’s Western Conference Final… Nosek led the Grand Rapids Griffins in goals (10) and points (22) during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs… William Karlsson and Reilly Smith also scored, three-time AHL All-Star Jonathan Marchessault recorded an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves for the Golden Knights.
Working Overtime
There have been 11 overtime games played in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:
| Date | Result | GWG | Time |
| May 11 | TEXAS 3, Tucson 2 | Joel L’Esperance | 8:43 |
| May 9 | Lehigh Valley 2, CHARLOTTE 1 | Alex Krushelnyski | 86:48 |
| May 7 | TEXAS 5, Tucson 4 | Sheldon Dries | 13:36 |
| May 5 | TORONTO 2, Syracuse 1 | Frederik Gauthier | 35:10 |
| May 2 | TUCSON 2, Texas 1 | Michael Bunting | 8:53 |
| Apr. 28 | LEHIGH VALLEY 4, Providence 3 | Maxim Lamarche | 18:36 |
| Apr. 26 | Rockford 4, CHICAGO 3 | Victor Ejdsell | 57:22 |
| Apr. 22 | Texas 5, ONTARIO 4 | Samuel Laberge | 37:38 |
| Apr. 21 | TORONTO 3, Utica 2 | Chris Mueller | 17:48 |
| Apr. 20 | CHARLOTTE 3, W-B/Scranton 2 | Lucas Wallmark | 3:18 |
| Apr. 19 | TEXAS 4, Ontario 3 | Brian Flynn | 1:55 |
On This Date
May 19, 2003 – Stacy Roest scores his second goal of the game at 6:35 of the second overtime to give Grand Rapids a 5-4 win over Houston, staving off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
May 19, 2000 – J.F. Labbe makes 39 saves as Hartford snaps Providence’s AHL-record 16-game home playoff winning streak with a 5-3 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
May 19, 1983 – Led by head coach Mike Keenan, the Rochester Americans win the Calder Cup with a 3-1 win at Maine, completing a four-game Finals sweep.
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.
