AHL Morning Skate: 5.24.18

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 4 – Friday, 7:05 ET, AHL Live
TV: TSN2, NHL Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia+, Leafs Nation Network, Service Electric TV2
(TOR leads series, 3-0)
Follow @TorontoMarlies Follow @LVPhantoms Tweet #TORvsLV

Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. A1-Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Game 1 – Sat., May 19 – TORONTO 4, Lehigh Valley 3 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sun., May 20 – TORONTO 3, Lehigh Valley 2 (OT) | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Wed., May 23 – Toronto 5, LEHIGH VALLEY 0 | Recap/Highlights
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 4 – Tonight, 8:00 ET, AHL Live
(TEX leads series, 3-0)
Follow @TexasStars Follow @goicehogs Tweet #TEXvsRFD

The Texas Stars are one win away from capturing the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as they hit the ice to battle Rockford in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals tonight… The Stars took a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 6-5 overtime victory in a back-and-forth affair on Tuesday… Curtis McKenzie (6-7-13) netted his second goal of the night at 5:12 of OT, becoming the sixth player in AHL history to score overtime goals in back-to-back games within the same playoff series (see below)… Four of McKenzie’s six playoff goals have been game-winners… Sheldon Dries (6-0-6) also scored twice for Texas in Game 3 and Justin Dowling (2-6-8) recorded a goal and an assist… Making his first appearance of the postseason, Austin Fyten (1-0-1) scored in Game 3 for the Stars… Mike McKenna (10-2, 1.93, .942) made 34 saves to run Texas’s winning streak to seven games… Gustav Forsling (1-3-4) and Luke Johnson (2-4-6) each picked up a goal and an assist for the IceHogs on Tuesday, while Chris DiDomenico (6-11-17) padded his cushion atop the AHL scoring leaderboard with three assists… Carl Dahlstrom (3-6-9) and Matthew Highmore (2-4-6) had two helpers each for Rockford in Game 3… The IceHogs outshot Texas 39-27 in the contest, including 28-14 over the second, third and overtime periods… Rockford scored two goals with a sixth attacker (one on a delayed penalty, one in the final minute of regulation) and once as their only power play of the game expired, but their streak of 11 straight contests with a power-play goal came to an end… After winning his first seven starts of this playoff run, Collin Delia (7-3, 2.34, 924) has been stung for a 4.09 GAA and an .852 save percentage in the series… Texas is now 6-1 in overtime this postseason; since Mar. 28, 13 of the Stars’ last 21 games have required OT… Rockford has never won a Calder Cup Playoff game when facing elimination (0-5)… Three teams in AHL history have won a series after losing the first three games: the 1960 Rochester Americans (vs. Cleveland), the 1989 Adirondack Red Wings (vs. Hershey) and the 2013 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (vs. Providence).

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 – TEXAS 3, Rockford 2 (OT) | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Tue., May 22 – Texas 6, ROCKFORD 5 (OT) | Recap/Highlights
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

Repeat Heroics
Six players in AHL history have scored overtime goals in back-to-back Calder Cup Playoff games within the same series:

2018 – Curtis McKenzie, Texas Stars (vs. Rockford)
2016 – Oliver Bjorkstrand, Lake Erie Monsters (vs. Hershey)
2014 – Travis Morin, Texas Stars (vs. St. John’s)
2013 – Cody Bass, Springfield Falcons (vs. Manchester)
2012 – Chris VandeVelde, Oklahoma City Barons (vs. San Antonio)
1983 – Jim Wiemer, Rochester Americans (vs. New Haven)

Eastern Conference Finals History
The Richard F. Canning Trophy is presented each season to the playoff champions of the AHL’s Eastern Conference… Here are the results of the Eastern Conference Finals since the league split into two conferences in 1995-96:

2017 – Syracuse Crunch 4, Providence Bruins 1
2016 – Hershey Bears 4, Toronto Marlies 1
2015 – Manchester Monarchs 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 0
2014 – St. John’s IceCaps 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2
2013 – Syracuse Crunch 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1
2012 – Norfolk Admirals 4, St. John’s IceCaps 0
2011 – Binghamton Senators 4, Charlotte Checkers 0
2010 – Hershey Bears 4, Manchester Monarchs 2
2009 – Hershey Bears 4, Providence Bruins 1
2008 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Portland Pirates 3
2007 – Hershey Bears 4, Manchester Monarchs 0
2006 – Hershey Bears 4, Portland Pirates 3
2005 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Providence Bruins 2
2004 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 3
2003 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Binghamton Senators 1
2002 – Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2001 – Saint John Flames 4, Providence Bruins 1
2000 – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Providence Bruins 3
1999 – Providence Bruins 4, Fredericton Canadiens 2
1998 – Saint John Flames 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 1
*1997 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Albany River Rats 1
*1996 – Portland Pirates 4, Saint John Flames 3
*known as Northern Conference

Western Conference Finals History
The Robert W. Clarke Trophy is presented each season to the playoff champions of the AHL’s Western Conference… Here are the results of the Western Conference Finals since the league split into two conferences in 1995-96:

2017 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, San Jose Barracuda 1
2016 – Lake Erie Monsters 4, Ontario Reign 0
2015 – Utica Comets 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 2
2014 – Texas Stars 4, Toronto Marlies 3
2013 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Oklahoma City Barons 3
2012 – Toronto Marlies 4, Oklahoma City Barons 1
2011 – Houston Aeros 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2010 – Texas Stars 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2009 – Manitoba Moose 4, Houston Aeros 2
2008 – Chicago Wolves 4, Toronto Marlies 1
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Chicago Wolves 1
2006 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 0
2005 – Chicago Wolves 4, Manitoba Moose 0
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, Rochester Americans 1
2003 – Houston Aeros 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 3
2002 – Chicago Wolves 4, Houston Aeros 1
2001 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Hershey Bears 0
2000 – Rochester Americans 4, Hershey Bears 0
1999 – Rochester Americans 4, Philadelphia Phantoms 2
1998 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Albany River Rats 2
*1997 – Hershey Bears 4, Springfield Falcons 3
*1996 – Rochester Americans 4, Syracuse Crunch 1
*known as Southern Conference

Alumni Watch
The Washington Capitals advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final with a 4-0 win at Tampa Bay in Game 7 last night… Former AHL All-Star and Calder Cup champion Braden Holtby made 29 saves to close out the series with his second consecutive shutout… Washington and Vegas will begin the Final on Monday night.

Working Overtime
There have been 14 overtime games played in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:

On This Date
May 24, 2011 – The Houston Aeros advance to the Calder Cup Finals when Jon DiSalvatore scores with 1:13 left in regulation of Game 7 for a 4-3 victory over Hamilton.

May 24, 2008 – Tim Brent’s goal with 30.7 seconds remaining in the third period of Game 7 snaps a tie and sends Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the Calder Cup Finals with a 3-2 win over Portland.

May 24, 2000 – J.F. Labbe makes 26 saves as the Hartford Wolf Pack open the Calder Cup Finals with a 1-0 win over Rochester

May 24, 1998 – Martin St. Louis picks up a goal and an assist as the Saint John Flames win the Eastern Conference championship with a 7-3 decision over Hartford.

May 24, 1991 – Michel Picard’s goal six minutes into the third period stands up as the game-winner as the Springfield Indians defeat Rochester, 5-3, to capture their second straight Calder Cup.

May 24, 1985 – The Sherbrooke Canadiens, led by 19-year-old goaltender Patrick Roy, win the Calder Cup with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Skipjacks.

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.