Complete Schedule || Playoff Brackets || Scoreboard || League Leaders || Series Previews
Game 5 – 7:00 ET, AHL Live (Series tied, 2-2)
After splitting two games in Hampton Roads and two more in Hartford, the Norfolk Admirals and Connecticut Whale hit the ice in Bridgeport for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series tonight, all knotted at 2-2… The Whale have already won twice at Webster Bank Arena this postseason, shutting out the Sound Tigers in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series… Connecticut’s 4-1 victory in Game 4 ended Norfolk’s 16-game road winning streak and was the Whale’s first home win over the Admirals since Feb. 29, 2008, ending a seven-game skid… Connecticut’s Kris Newbury (1-3-4), scoreless in his first five games this postseason, has four points in the last two contests… Casey Wellman (4-4-8) has three goals in the last two contests for the Whale, and Marek Hrivik (5-3-8) brings a six-game scoring streak into tonight… Andre Deveaux (2-2-4), a Calder Cup winner with Chicago in 2008, has a point in three straight for Connecticut… Richard Panik scored Norfolk’s only goal in Game 4 after not registering a point in his previous 12 games… Alex Killorn (3-7-10) registered an assist, extending his scoring streak to seven games… This is the 10th time in franchise history that Connecticut has been tied 2-2 in a best-of-seven series; they are 2-7 in the previous nine Game 5’s, and won three of the nine series… This is the fourth time in franchise history that Norfolk has been in that same position; the Admirals lost Games 5 and 6 in each of the previous three series.
Game 5 – 10:00 ET, AHL Live (TOR leads series, 3-1)
A third straight win last night puts the Toronto Marlies one victory away from a trip to the Western Conference finals for the second time in five years… British Columbia native Greg Scott‘s third-period natural hat trick — the first three goals of his AHL playoff career — lifted the Marlies to a 3-1 win in Game 4… Scott (3-1-4) scored on a drive from the right-wing circle at 2:31 of the third to tie the game, on a shorthanded breakaway at 7:11 to give Toronto the lead, and into an empty net at 19:31 to ice the victory… Juraj Mikus (0-4-4) set up the game-winning goal, his fourth consecutive game with an assist… Ben Scrivens made 35 saves as Toronto was outshot by a 36-17 margin for the game… Scrivens (6-1, 1.58, .945) now has a 1.27 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage in the series, stopping 118 of 123 shots… Hugh Jessiman (2-3-5) scored the lone goal for the Heat in Game 4, redirecting a shot from Ben Walter (1-7-8)… Danny Taylor (4-2, 2.18, .917), back between the pipes after Leland Irving had started Game 3, finished with 14 saves last night… Abbotsford has already authored one of the 17 comebacks in AHL history from a 3-1 series deficit, rallying to eliminate Rochester in the first round in 2010… Heat forward Guillaume Desbiens accomplished the feat last season with the Manitoba Moose (vs. Lake Erie).
From Calder to Stanley
David Clarkson scored the winning goal, Adam Henrique recorded two assists and Martin Brodeur made 27 saves as New Jersey advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2003 with a 3-1 win over Philadelphia in Game 5 last night… The Devils’ roster features 13 players who were developed with New Jersey’s AHL affiliates in Albany, Lowell or Utica.
By the Numbers
123 – Best-of-seven series in AHL history that have been tied, 2-2.
80.5 – Percentage of the Game 5 winners in those series that went on to win (99 of 123).
On This Date
May 9, 2011 – In the longest Game 7 in AHL history, Dustin Boyd scores just six seconds into the third overtime period to give Hamilton a 2-1 win over Manitoba and their second straight berth in the conference finals.
May 9, 2008 – Andrew Ebbett records three assists as Portland defeats Providence, 5-4, to win the Atlantic Division finals in six games.
May 9, 2006 – Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula record a goal and an assist each in Grand Rapids’ 5-4 overtime win over Manitoba in Game 3 of the North Division finals.
May 9, 2001 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays its fifth consecutive overtime game and wins its fourth straight, both AHL records, defeating Hershey by a score of 5-4… Michal Rozsival caps a four-point night with the game-winner in OT for the Penguins.
May 9, 1980 – Future Calder Cup winning head coach Claude Noel, now bench boss of the Winnipeg Jets, scores the winning goal in Hershey’s 5-3 win over the New Brunswick Hawks in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals.
AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2012 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts and highlights of every AHL game, as well as behind-the-scenes features and interviews in the Video On Demand section… Visit ahllive.com for details.
