AHL Quick Hits: Western powers meet at Ricoh


LOOKING BACK:
In Tuesday’s AHL action, Joakim Lindstrom netted his team-leading 24th goal of the season and assisted on the game-winner as Syracuse defeated Lake Erie, 4-2, to run its winning streak to 12 games and its points streak to 20 (17-0-0-3)… Matt Murley tied the game with 33.8 seconds left in regulation and Mike Zigomanis won it 29 seconds into overtime as San Antonio moved into a three-way tie for third place in the West with a 3-2 decision at Iowa.

Mon 4/7
No games scheduled

Tue 4/8
Syracuse 4, LAKE ERIE 2
San Antonio 3, IOWA 2 (OT)


LOOKING AHEAD:
Six points out of an East Division playoff spot with four games to go, Bridgeport travels to the Wachovia Arena on Wednesday to take on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which is tied for the division’s top spot… Reigning Rbk/AHL Player of the Week Jeff Tambellini has 14 points (7-7-14) in seven games since returning from the parent N.Y. Islanders, and is tied for the AHL lead with 36 goals on the year… Ben Walter boasts a nine-game scoring streak (4-11-15) for the Sound Tigers and leads the team with five goals and eight points in six games against the Penguins this season… Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is riding a six-game points streak (4-0-1-1) and is 14-2-1-1 in its last 18 contests… Tim Brent has a goal in three straight games and a point in six straight (3-4-7) for the Pens… AHL All-Rookie defenseman Alex Goligoski sports a season-high five game scoring streak (2-4-6).

The Western Conference’s two division champions collide on Wednesday when Chicago makes its only visit of the regular season to Ricoh Coliseum for a match-up with Toronto… The Wolves, four points ahead of the Marlies with four games remaining, can clinch home-ice advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs with a regulation win… Chicago took a 5-4 decision on Jan. 12 in the teams’ only previous meeting this year, with Bryan Little recording a goal and three assists… Wolves teammates Jason Krog and Brett Sterling are among four players tied for the AHL lead with 36 goals, while Krog also ranks first in assists (68) and points (104)… Toronto, which has won six in a row at home, followed a 10-game points streak (9-0-0-1) with a pair of losses at Manitoba last weekend, getting outscored 8-1 in the process… The Marlies don’t have a 20-goal scorer this season but do show 11 players in double digits, led by John Mitchell and Jeremy Williams with 18 each… Toronto is an even 6-6-0-1 against the West Division this season and 41-14-3-5 against the rest of the league.

Providence, three points away from clinching the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s overall regular season points champion, travels for a tilt against division-rival Worcester on Wednesday… The Bruins (53-16-3-4) have won five straight for the fifth time this season, and are looking for their first six-game streak since Oct. 27 to Nov. 10, 2006… Providence, 11-1-0-3 in their last 15 contests, has won its last three via shootout… First-Team AHL All-Star Pascal Pelletier is tied for the league lead with 36 goals, and he has a team-high 10 points (5-5-10) in eight games against Worcester… Defenseman Matt Hunwick has an assist in five of his last six contests (0-5-5)… Providence is a combined 64-0-0-0 over the last two seasons when taking a lead into the third period… Mike Iggulden has three goals in his last four games for the Sharks, who are 16-14-3-4 at the DCU Center this season, and has recorded the winning goal in each of their last three victories… Ty Wishart, the 16th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft, made his pro debut with Worcester last weekend.

(all times Eastern)
Wed 4/9
Norfolk @ Albany, 7:00
Portland @ Lowell, 7:05
Providence @ Worcester, 7:05
Bridgeport @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Chicago @ Toronto, 7:30
Rochester @ Hamilton, 7:30
Houston @ Quad City, 8:05
Peoria @ Rockford, 8:05

Thu 4/10
No games scheduled


ALUMNI WATCH:
Of the 941 players to skate in a National Hockey League game during the 2007-08 regular season, 789 were graduates of the American Hockey League (83.9 percent), including 311 who played in both leagues this year alone… There were 166 former AHL All-Stars and 75 former Calder Cup champions in the NHL this season, and 117 AHL alumni made their NHL debuts.


BY THE NUMBERS:
4
— Head coaches in the 2008 NHL playoffs who have won a Calder Cup as a bench boss: Washington’s Bruce Boudreau (2006), Philadelphia’s John Stevens (2005), Nashville’s Barry Trotz (1994) and Calgary’s Mike Keenan (1983).


AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks
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