AHL Morning Skate: 6.3.18

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


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Game 2 – Today, 4:00 ET, AHL Live | Series Infographic
TV: TSN2, Leafs Nation Network, NHL Network
Satellite Radio: NHL Network Radio (SiriusXM 91)

A wild, frenetic Game 1 of the 2018 Calder Cup Finals went to Toronto yesterday as Trevor Moore‘s go-ahead goal with 9:57 remaining held up as the difference in a 6-5 Marlies victory over Texas… Toronto, winners of 10 in a row coming into Game 2 today, rallied from down 4-2 in the final minute of the second period to pull out the first Finals win in club history (1-4)… Moore (5-9-14) now has 14 points in 14 playoff games after putting up 12-21-33 in 68 games during the regular season… Four members of Texas’s 2014 championship team were in the lineup yesterday, and they combined for 11 points: Chris Mueller (3-10-13) led the Marlies with a goal and two assists, while the line of Travis Morin (2g, 1a), Justin Dowling (1g, 2a) and Curtis McKenzie (1g, 1a) scored four of the Stars’ five goals in Game 1… Morin (6-5-11) has scored seven goals in his last six Calder Cup Finals contests and has 8-5-13 in 12 career Finals games… McKenzie (7-9-16) moved into a tie for the AHL lead with his seventh goal of the postseason… After combining for 16 points in four conference finals games vs. Lehigh Valley, Toronto’s trio of Andreas Johnsson (6-9-15), Miro Aaltonen (4-6-10) and Carl Grundstrom (6-4-10) was held scoreless by Texas yesterday… Justin Holl (2-1-3) netted his first goal for the Marlies since Game 1 of the first round vs. Utica, and Martin Marincin (1-6-7) ended a 15-game drought with his first goal since Apr. 6… Garret Sparks (11-2, 2.19, .920) stopped 32 shots to pick up the win despite allowing five goals for just the third time all season… Mike McKenna (11-5, 2.20, .933) made 28 saves in defeat… Toronto’s 10-game winning streak is the longest in AHL postseason play since Norfolk won its final 10 games of the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs… The Marlies also have a 13-game home winning streak, and have won 13 straight home playoff games going back to last year… The Marlies trailed for longer in Game 1 (31:45) than they had in the first nine games of their winning streak combined (22:57)… Texas scored on its first two power plays of Game 1 and finished 2-for-4; Toronto went 1-for-5.

2018 Calder Cup Finals (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. P2-Texas Stars
Game 1 – Sat., June 2 – TORONTO 6, Texas 5 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sun., June 3 – Texas at Toronto, 4:00, TSN2, NHLN, LNN
Game 3 – Tue., June 5 – Toronto at Texas, 8:00, TSN2, NHLN, LNN, FSSW+
Game 4 – Thu., June 7 – Toronto at Texas, 8:00, TSN2, LNN, FSSW+
*Game 5 – Sat., June 9 – Toronto at Texas, 8:00, TSN2, NHLN, LNN, FSSW, FSSW+
*Game 6 – Tue., June 12 – Texas at Toronto, 7:00, TSN2, NHLN, LNN
*Game 7 – Thu., June 14 – Texas at Toronto, 7:00, TSN2, NHLN, LNN
*if necessary… All times Eastern


About the Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is named for Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL (1917-43) and one of the driving forces behind the formation of the American Hockey League.

While the AHL’s history dates back to the fall of 1936, the Calder Cup trophy was first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. (In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial; it is believed the Stars never received a trophy for their 1937 championship.)

In 2001, the trophy’s base was changed to include two tiers of plaques, which feature the rosters of each of the last 20 Calder Cup champions; the plaques from the first 61 champions are on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The entire trophy now stands 24 inches tall and weighs 28 pounds. The bowl, made of sterling silver, is 12 inches high and eight inches in diameter; the base is made of Brazilian mahogany.


Calder Cup Finals History
Last 20 Calder Cup Finals results and Jack Butterfield Trophy winners (playoff MVP):

2017 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Syracuse Crunch 2 (Tyler Bertuzzi, GR)
2016 – Lake Erie Monsters 4, Hershey Bears 0 (Oliver Bjorkstrand, LE)
2015 – Manchester Monarchs 4, Utica Comets 1 (Jordan Weal, MCH)
2014 – Texas Stars 4, St. John’s IceCaps 1 (Travis Morin, TEX)
2013 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Syracuse Crunch 2 (Tomas Tatar, GR)
2012 – Norfolk Admirals 4, Toronto Marlies 0 (Alexandre Picard, NOR)
2011 – Binghamton Senators 4, Houston Aeros 2 (Robin Lehner, BNG)
2010 – Hershey Bears 4, Texas Stars 2 (Chris Bourque, HER)
2009 – Hershey Bears 4, Manitoba Moose 2 (Michal Neuvirth, HER)
2008 – Chicago Wolves 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2 (Jason Krog, CHI)
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Hershey Bears 1 (Carey Price, HAM)
2006 – Hershey Bears 4, Milwaukee Admirals 2 (Frederic Cassivi, HER)
2005 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Chicago Wolves 0 (Antero Niittymaki, PHI)
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 0 (Wade Flaherty, MIL)
2003 – Houston Aeros 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3 (Johan Holmqvist, HOU)
2002 – Chicago Wolves 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 1 (Pasi Nurminen, CHI)
2001 – Saint John Flames 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2 (Steve Begin, SJN)
2000 – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Rochester Americans 2 (Derek Armstrong, HFD)
1999 – Providence Bruins 4, Rochester Americans 1 (Peter Ferraro, PRO)
1998 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Saint John Flames 2 (Mike Maneluk, PHI)


Finals Firepower
Most goals scored in a Calder Cup Finals game, last 30 years:

17 – 1989 Game 5 – ADIRONDACK 10, New Haven 7
13 – 1990 Game 1 – Springfield 7, ROCHESTER 6
13 – 1989 Game 1 – ADIRONDACK 7, New Haven 6
12 – 2004 Game 2 – MILWAUKEE 8, W-B/Scranton 4
11 – 2018 Game 1 – TORONTO 6, Texas 5
11 – 2017 Game 2 – GRAND RAPIDS 6, Syracuse 5 (2OT)
11 – 1997 Game 2 – HERSHEY 6, Hamilton 5 (OT)
11 – 1992 Game 2 – Adirondack 7, ST. JOHN’S 4
11 – 1990 Game 4 – Rochester 6, SPRINGFIELD 5


Alumni Watch
In the 2018 Stanley Cup Final last night, two-time Calder Cup champion Jay Beagle had a pair of assists and 2010 Calder Cup winner and 2011 AHL All-Star Braden Holtby made 21 saves as Washington took a 2-1 series lead with a 3-1 win over Vegas… Tomas Nosek scored for the Golden Knights, his third goal of the series.


Working Overtime
There have been 16 overtime games played in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs so far (*indicates series-ending goal):

Date Result GWG Time
May 28 TEXAS 2, Rockford 1 Roope Hintz 19:51*
May 24 ROCKFORD 3, Texas 2 Victor Ejdsell 2:32
May 22 Texas 6, ROCKFORD 5 Curtis McKenzie 5:12
May 20 TEXAS 3, Rockford 2 Curtis McKenzie 10:46
May 20 TORONTO 3, Lehigh Valley 2 Miro Aaltonen 10:59
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
June 3, 2017 – Ben Street scores 7:02 into the second overtime to give Grand Rapids a 6-5 win over Syracuse in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals.

June 3, 2016 – Oliver Bjorkstrand scores twice and Lake Erie defeats Hershey, 5-3, to take a 2-0 series lead in the Calder Cup Finals.

June 3, 2014 – Texas scores six unanswered goals in the final 22:38 and defeats Toronto, 6-2, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

June 3, 2011 – Robin Lehner makes 21 saves as Binghamton shuts out Houston, 3-0, in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals.

June 3, 2010 – Matt Climie makes 26 saves and Scott McCulloch scores the go-ahead goal early in the third period as Texas opens the Calder Cup Finals with a 2-1 win over Hershey at Giant Center, where the Bears had been 37-1 in their previous 38 home games.

June 3, 2006 – Tomas Fleischmann records two goals and two assists and Mike Green tallies three assists in Hershey’s 6-3 win at Milwaukee in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals.

June 3, 2002 – Steve Maltais nets a hat trick and Yuri Butsayev scores 2:05 into the second overtime period as Chicago captures its first Calder Cup championship with a 4-3 win over Bridgeport.

June 3, 1998 – Peter White gets the game-winner at 2:54 of OT as Philadelphia beats the Saint John Flames, 4-3, in the third consecutive overtime game to begin the Calder Cup Finals.


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.