It’s a travel day for all parties involved in the Calder Cup 2004 Final, with the Milwaukee Admirals sitting on a 2-0 series lead heading into the Penguins’ lair: the sold-out Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza:
Milwaukee squeezed out a 2-1 overtime win in Game 1 on Tuesday, then struck for six special-teams goals in an 8-4 victory on Game 2 on Wednesday.
For the Admirals, who owned the AHL’s top-ranked offense in the regular season, their eight goals in Game 2 tied a franchise playoff record, set in 1981… The 8-spot also marked the most goals by one team in a Calder Cup Final game since Adirondack beat New Haven, 10-7, to clinch the 1989 championship.
Milwaukee went 4-for-9 on the power play in Game 2 and added two shorthanded goals… The Admirals are now 6-for-13 in the series with the man advantage.
The Penguins, who allowed four shorthanded goals in 80 regular-season matches, have now given up six in 22 playoff games.
Only two teams — the 1972 Nova Scotia Voyageurs and the 1991 Springfield Indians — have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a Calder Cup Final series… Both of those clubs won four straight to win the series in six games.
Only 14 teams have come back from an 0-2 deficit in any round to win a best-of-seven series, including these same Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who came back to get past Bridgeport in this year’s division semifinals.
The Pens’ Tom Kostopoulos and the Admirals’ Darren Haydar are now tied for the league’s postseason scoring lead with 22 points each… Haydar, Simon Gamache, Mathieu Darche and Tony Hrkac each recorded three points in Game 2.
Andrew Hutchinson scored twice on Wednesday night, matching his output from Milwaukee’s first 19 playoff games combined.
Sebastien Caron allowed five goals on 16 shots in relief of Andy Chiodo and suffered the loss… Game 2 was the Penguins’ first loss this postseason on the second of back-to-back nights (5-1).
Wilkes-Barre defenseman Brooks Orpik was a plus-3 in the 8-4 loss… Guillaume Lefebvre actually gave the Pens a 1-0 lead at the 10:42 mark of the first period, recording his first point in 21 games and his first goal in his last 32.
QUOTABLE:
“We’re going home, and I’m sure the fans in Wilkes-Barre will give the Admirals a warm welcome like we received tonight. We’ve got great fans and great support.” — Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Michel Therrien, whose team heads home for three games facing a 2-0 series deficit.
“We know the climate; we’ve been there. Buffalo was like that, and Rochester was like that. Chicago was like that. We understood the scenario, we know where we’re going and we know the task at hand.” — Milwaukee head coach Claude Noel on his team’s preparations for Game 3 in Wilkes-Barre.
ON THIS DATE:
June 3, 2002 — Yuri Butsayev scores 2:05 into the second overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 win over Bridgeport and the Calder Cup championship in its first season in the AHL. Goaltender Pasi Nurminen is named the winner of the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs. June 3, 1998 — Peter White scores at 2:54 of OT to give Philadelphia a 4-3 win at Saint John in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Final. Each of the first three games of the series needed overtime. Calder Cup 2004 Final schedule
Previous Calder Cup Notebooks:
Wednesday, June 2
Tuesday, June 1
Saturday, May 29
Friday, May 28
Thursday, May 27
Wednesday, May 26
Tuesday, May 25
Monday, May 24
Sunday, May 23
Saturday, May 22
Friday, May 21
Thursday, May 20
Wednesday, May 19
