Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s AHL Morning Skate.
Playoff Brackets | Today’s Scoreboard | League Stats
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Game 1 – Friday, 7:00 ET – AHL Live free-view, SiriusXM 91
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The 2017 Calder Cup Finals get underway on Friday night when Grand Rapids hosts Syracuse in Game 1… Both teams are in the Finals for the second time in five years; the Griffins defeated the Crunch in six games to win the championship in 2013… In AHL history, teams that win Game 1 of the Finals have gone on to win the championship 61 of 80 times (76.3 percent).
2017 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
Grand Rapids Griffins vs. Syracuse Crunch
Game 1 – Fri., June 2 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 2 – Sat., June 3 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 3 – Wed., June 7 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 4 – Fri., June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sat., June 10 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 13 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 7 – Wed., June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
Three-Timers
Syracuse forward Cory Conacher becomes the fourth player in the last 20 years to reach the Calder Cup Finals with three different teams:
Cory Conacher – Syracuse (2017), Utica (2015), Norfolk (2012)
J.P. Cote – Syracuse (2013), Norfolk (2012), Hamilton (2007)
Jason Krog – Manitoba (2009), Chicago (2008), Bridgeport (2002)
Jay Henderson – Milwaukee (2004), Houston (2003), Providence (1999)
Reading List
Confident Frk aims to power up for Griffins (Detroit Free Press)
Stephens feels right at home in Crunch lineup (Syracuse.com)
Hockey’s fun, but McKenna gets revved up about racing (Syracuse.com)
Blues prospect Thompson took right step with AHL stint (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Working Overtime
There have been 17 overtime games played in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:
May 21 – PROVIDENCE 2, Syracuse 1 (Jordan Szwarz, 8:28)
May 14 – Hershey 3, PROVIDENCE 2 (Madison Bowey, 1:58)
May 11 – Hershey 2, PROVIDENCE 1 (Chris Bourque, 7:14)
May 10 – San Jose 4, SAN DIEGO 3 (Timo Meier, 17:40)
May 7 – HERSHEY 3, Providence 2 (Travis Boyd, 5:44)
May 5 – San Diego 3, SAN JOSE 2 (Kevin Roy, 0:38)
*May 2 – SAN JOSE 2, Stockton 1 (Ryan Carpenter, 8:52)
*Apr. 28 – TORONTO 2, Albany 1 (Justin Holl, 46:43)
*Apr. 28 – SYRACUSE 2, St. John’s 1 (Gabriel Dumont, 2:18)
*Apr. 26 – Grand Rapids 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (Kyle Criscuolo, 10:03)
Apr. 26 – TORONTO 3, Albany 2 (Colin Greening, 0:45)
Apr. 26 – Lehigh Valley 2, HERSHEY 1 (Chris Conner, 1:49)
Apr. 23 – Charlotte 4, CHICAGO 3 (Connor Brickley, 9:28)
Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton 6, PROVIDENCE 5 (Derrick Pouliot, 7:49)
Apr. 22 – Syracuse 4, ST. JOHN’S 3 (Tye McGinn, 30:37)
Apr. 21 – GRAND RAPIDS 4, Milwaukee 3 (Tomas Nosek, 9:32)
Apr. 21 – Hershey 1, LEHIGH VALLEY 0 (Nathan Walker, 7:38)
*clinched series
Alumni Watch
In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, 2016-17 AHL All-Rookie forward Jake Guentzel scored with 3:17 remaining in regulation to break a tie and send Pittsburgh to a 5-3 win over Nashville… Nick Bonino scored twice, Conor Sheary added his first goal of the postseason and Matt Murray made 23 saves… 2016 AHL All-Star Frederick Gaudreau scored his first career NHL goal for the Predators.
On This Date
May 31, 2013 – Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between Grand Rapids and Oklahoma City is postponed after a tornado emergency forces an evacuation of the Cox Convention Center prior to the scheduled start of warm-ups.
May 31, 1998 – Todd Hlushko scores at 1:26 of overtime as the Saint John Flames win Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals, 3-2, at Philadelphia.
May 31, 1997 – Hershey defeats Springfield, 3-1, in Game 7 to advance to the Calder Cup Finals.
Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live
As a thanks to the AHL’s loyal and dedicated fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion, Inc., are making video streaming of all seven games of the 2017 Calder Cup Finals available for viewing at no charge from AHL Live via desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet… To watch free on AHL Live, simply visit ahllive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code FINALS17 to access all of the action of the AHL’s championship series featuring the calls of the Griffins’ Bob Kaser and the Crunch’s Dan D’Uva… You can watch on your desktop or laptop through ahllive.com, or download the official AHL Live app from iTunes or Google Play to watch on your mobile device or tablet.
