Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest from around the American Hockey League in today’s Morning Skate.
Complete Schedule || Playoff Brackets || Today’s Scoreboard || League Leaders
Tonight’s Previews
Game 7 – 7:05 ET, AHL Live (Series tied, 3-3)
Alexander Khokhlachev tallied three points and Niklas Svedberg made 36 saves as Providence staved off elimination for the third time this spring with a 4-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday night, setting up a Game 7 between the teams for the second consecutive postseason… The Penguins owned a 37-15 advantage in shots on goal for the game but got just one puck by Svedberg (4-4, 2.35, .917), who made his first start since giving up a 4-1 lead in a double-overtime loss in Game 3 of the series… Khokhlachev (7-5-12) scored twice and assisted on the game-winner by Bobby Robins (1-0-1), who returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games due to AHL suspension… Ryan Spooner (5-8-13) notched a goal and an assist and David Warsofsky (1-6-7) tallied two helpers for the B’s… Conor Sheary (4-4-8) broke up Svedberg’s shutout bid with 2:57 left in regulation, extending his point-scoring streak to five games (4-3-7)… After missing nearly two months due to injury, Philip Samuelsson returned for the Penguins and tallied an assist in Game 6… Khokhlachev (5-3-8 in the series) and Spooner (2-6-8 in the series) lead the AHL in second-round scoring with eight points each… The Bruins are 6-1 this postseason when Khokhlachev registers a point, 0-4 when he doesn’t… The Bruins are 3-0 this postseason when facing elimination, and 25-15 all-time… The Penguins are 21-12 all-time when facing postseason elimination, including 7-2 since 2012… Tonight’s winner moves on to face St. John’s in the Eastern Conference Finals beginning Saturday night.
Eastern Conference Semifinals – Series “J” (best-of-7)
6-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. 7-Providence Bruins | Series Snapshot
Game 1 – Fri., May 9 – Providence 4, W-B/SCRANTON 0
Game 2 – Sat., May 10 – W-B/SCRANTON 6, Providence 1
Game 3 – Wed., May 14 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (2OT)
Game 4 – Fri., May 16 – PROVIDENCE 3, W-B/Scranton 2 (OT)
Game 5 – Sat., May 17 – W-B/Scranton 3, PROVIDENCE 2
Game 6 – Mon., May 19 – Providence 4, W-B/SCRANTON 1
*Game 7 – Wed., May 21 – Providence at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern
Alumni Watch
Dustin Tokarski made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on Monday night and stopped 27 of 30 shots in Montreal’s 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers… It was Tokarski’s first postseason action since backstopping Norfolk to a Calder Cup championship in 2012… The 2014 AHL All-Star has won at least 20 games in each of his five AHL seasons with Norfolk, Syracuse and Hamilton, and is 14-6 with a 1.67 GAA, a .937 save percentage and four shutouts in his AHL playoff career.
Game 7 Histories
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Providence meet tonight in the 157th winner-take-all game and the 88th Game 7 in Calder Cup Playoff history… Home teams are 47-40 (.540) all-time in Game 7’s… Since 1992, teams are 46-12 (.793) in Game 7’s when scoring the first goal… Eleven Game 7’s in history have gone to overtime, the last being Hamilton’s triple-overtime win over Manitoba in 2011… Every AHL postseason since 1991 has had at least one Game 7… The Penguins are 7-2 all-time in winner-take-all games (5-2 in Game 7), including 4-0 (2-0) at home… The Bruins are 7-2 all-time (3-2 in Game 7), including 6-1 (3-1) on the road.
W-B/Scranton Penguins (5-2 in Game 7)
2013, Game 7 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 0
2012, Game 7 – ST. JOHN’S 3, W-B/Scranton 2
2009, Game 7 – HERSHEY 3, W-B/Scranton 0
2008, Game 7 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Portland 2
2006, Game 7 – W-B/SCRANTON 5, Bridgeport 4
2004, Game 7 – W-B/Scranton 2, HARTFORD 1 (OT)
2004, Game 7 – W-B/Scranton 3, BRIDGEPORT 2 (OT)
Providence Bruins (3-2 in Game 7)
2013, Game 7 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 0
2007, Game 7 – Providence 5, HARTFORD 4
2001, Game 7 – Providence 3, WORCESTER 2 (OT)
2000, Game 7 – HARTFORD 3, Providence 2 (OT)
1995, Game 7 – Providence 6, PORTLAND 3
Double Sevens
This is just the fourth time in Calder Cup Playoff history that two teams have met in a Game 7 in two consecutive postseasons:
2014 – Providence Bruins at W-B/Scranton Penguins
2013 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 5, Providence Bruins 0
2007 – Manitoba Moose 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 1
2006 – Grand Rapids Griffins 5, Manitoba Moose 4
2005 – Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 4, Milwaukee Admirals 3
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 5, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 1
1993 – Rochester Americans 3, Binghamton Rangers 2
1992 – Rochester Americans 4, Binghamton Rangers 2
Survive and Advance
With a victory tonight, Providence would become just the fifth team in AHL history to win three elimination games on the road in a single postseason:
2013 – Oklahoma City Barons (3-1)
2011 – Manitoba Moose (3-1)
2010 – Texas Stars (3-1)
2004 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (3-0)
Road Work
Providence is looking to add its names to the list of eight teams in AHL history that have won Games 6 and 7 of a playoff series on the road… The feat has happened five times since 2010:
2013 – W-B/Scranton Penguins def. Providence Bruins, 4-3
2011 – Manitoba Moose def. Lake Erie Monsters, 4-3
2011 – Binghamton Senators def. Manchester Monarchs, 4-3
2010 – Texas Stars def. Hamilton Bulldogs, 4-3
2010 – Abbotsford Heat def. Rochester Americans, 4-3
2007 – Providence Bruins def. Hartford Wolf Pack, 4-3
1996 – Portland Pirates def. Saint John Flames, 4-3
1983 – Maine Mariners def. Nova Scotia Voyageurs, 4-3
Working Overtime
There have been 15 overtime games played in the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:
Apr. 23 – Springfield 3, PROVIDENCE 2 (Andrew Joudrey, 2:21)
Apr. 23 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Mike Hedden, 5:35)
Apr. 25 – Providence 2, SPRINGFIELD 1 (Matt Fraser, 3:54)
Apr. 25 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Anton Zlobin, 8:40)
Apr. 25 – Chicago 4, ROCHESTER 3 (Dmitrij Jaskin, 1:06)
Apr. 25 – Grand Rapids 2, ABBOTSFORD 1 (Ryan Sproul, 39:26)
Apr. 26 – BINGHAMTON 4, W-B/Scranton 3 (Stephane Da Costa, 11:07)
Apr. 26 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Brendan Ranford, 15:04)
Apr. 30 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Binghamton 2 (Chuck Kobasew, 7:32)
Apr. 30 – NORFOLK 1, Manchester 0 (Maxime Sauve, 14:51)
May 13 – NORFOLK 3, St. John’s 2 (Andre Petersson, 13:10)
May 14 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Simon Despres, 26:32)
May 14 – TORONTO 4, Chicago 3 (Jerry D’Amigo, 3:28)
May 16 – PROVIDENCE 3, W-B/Scranton 2 (Cory Kane, 6:31)
May 16 – Texas 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2 (Chris Mueller, 3:18)
AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2014 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.
