AHL Morning Skate: Finals shift to Wilkes-Barre tonight

Every morning, take a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.

SUNDAY’S SCORES:

Game 2 – CHICAGO 4, W-B/Scranton 2 (CHI leads, 2-0)

SUNDAY’S THREE STARS:

1. Darren Haydar scored twice and added an assist to become the AHL’s all-time playoff leader in goals and points as Chicago took a 4-2 win over W-B/Scranton in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals.

2. Colin Stuart netted the eventual game-winning goal for the Wolves.

3. Tim Brent tallied a goal and an assist in the third period in a losing effort for the Penguins.

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Game 3 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35 (CHI leads, 2-0)

2008 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:

Complete Results || Scoring Leaders || Goaltending Leaders

 

2008 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)

W1-Chicago Wolves vs. E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Game 1 – Thu., May 29 – CHICAGO 5, W-B/Scranton 4

Game 2 – Sun., June 1 – CHICAGO 4, W-B/Scranton 2

Game 3 – Wed., June 4 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

Game 4 – Fri., June 6 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

*Game 5 – Sat., June 7 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

*Game 6 – Tue., June 10 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 8:00

*Game 7 – Thu., June 12 – W-B/Scranton at Chicago, 8:00

 

*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Game 3 – Chicago at W-B/Scranton, 7:35

TV: NHL Network, Comcast Channel 100 (Chicago)

Video Webcast: B2 Networks
Official Media Notes (PDF – 504 KB)
The Calder Cup Finals shift to northeastern Pennsylvania for tonight’s Game 3 at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza… Chicago defended its home ice to take a 2-0 lead in the series, an advantage that has been squandered only twice in Calder Cup Finals history (see By The Numbers below)… Darren Haydar’s two first-period goals set the stage for the Wolves’ 4-2 win in Game 2 on Sunday… Haydar finished the afternoon with three points and as the new record holder for career AHL playoff goals (53) and points (121)… Haydar enters Game 3 riding a 10-game scoring streak (4-14-18)… Joel Kwiatkowski scored a power-play goal for the sixth consecutive game for Chicago; the all-time AHL record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman is seven, set by Springfield’s Brian Chapman during the 1992-93 regular season… Colin Stuart also scored, and Arturs Kulda recorded a pair of assists for his first career two-point game… Jason Krog had two more helpers in Game 2, extending his scoring streak to 11 games (9-12-21)… After his two-assist effort on Sunday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Alex Goligoski has recorded a point on all six Penguins goals in the series (1-5-6), and enters Game 3 as the new holder of the AHL record for points in a postseason by a defenseman (26) and two shy of the mark for a rookie (28)… Goligoski, who was recalled by Pittsburgh but did not dress in Monday’s triple-overtime game at Detroit, has 10 points (1-9-10) in his last four games and 26 points in 19 playoff games after recording 38 points in 70 regular-season contests with Wilkes-Barre… Mark Ardelan and Tim Brent scored just 37 seconds apart for the Penguins in the Game 2 loss… Brent, who assisted on Ardelan’s goal, now has a point in four straight contests (2-3-5)… Ryan Stone added a helper to run his scoring streak to three games (2-1-3)… Sunday marked Pens defenseman Alain Nasreddine’s 100th career Calder Cup Playoff game… Chicago is 4-for-9 and Wilkes-Barre is 4-for-11 on the power play in the series, good for a combined 40.0 percent efficiency… The Wolves are now 20-for-61 (32.8 percent) over their last nine games… The Penguins are 8-2 at the Wachovia Arena this postseason, and Chicago shows a 4-4 mark on the road… Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is looking to avoid going winless in three straight games for the first time since Dec. 7-14.

 

2008 CALDER CUP FINALS LIVE ON NHL NETWORK:

The American Hockey League has announced that the entire the 2008 Calder Cup Finals series between the Chicago Wolves and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States and Canada. The Wolves’ broadcast team of veteran play-by-play announcer Pat Foley, analyst Bill Gardner and rinkside reporter Judd Sirott will handle the call.

https://theahl.com/news/league/index.html?article_id=8748

MORNING HEADLINES:

 

END MAY BE IN SIGHT FOR WOLVES’ LONG RIDE

Len Ziehm, Chicago Sun-Times

First it was a bus ride from Rosemont to Midway Airport, then a flight to Philadelphia. After that came a 1-hour, 45-minute bus ride to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. That’s how the Wolves — who already have played 100 games this season — spent their last day of preparation for the resumption tonight of their series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup finals. “But,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said, “at this time in June, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.” The Wolves are hoping their season ends at 102 games. If it does, they will have swept the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top farm team and won their second Calder Cup. Up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Wolves face the Penguins at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza tonight and Friday, with Game 5 also scheduled there Saturday if needed.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/wolves/985816,CST-SPT-wolves04.article

WBS GETS LEADING SCORER BACK

Tom Venesky, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

For a day, Chicago Wolves forward Darren Haydar was the second-leading scorer in the postseason – by default. Not that Haydar didn’t deserve it, but he had a little help when Alex Goligoski was called up to Pittsburgh after Game 2. Goligoski previously occupied the second spot in the playoff scoring race, but more importantly, he was the Penguins’ leading scorer with 26 points (4 goals, 22 assists) in 19 games. “Certainly not having him (Goligoski) here is a huge loss,” said goaltender John Curry. Pittsburgh sent Goligoski back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the afternoon, meaning the team’s leading scorer won’t miss Game 3 tonight.

http://www.timesleader.com/sports/WBS_gets_leading_playoffs_scorer_back_06-04-2008.html

STAKES AT THE HIGHEST

Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen’s Voice

From radio station morning shows to a lunchtime pep rally on Public Square to an appearance on the evening news, the Calder Cup crisscrossed Northeast Pennsylvania in a dawn-to-dusk publicity tour Tuesday. Where will the fabled trophy spend its summer? That will be determined, in large part, by what happens on Wachovia Arena ice tonight when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins host the Chicago Wolves in Game 3 of the Calder Cup finals. “It’s Game 3. You’re down two games to nothing. Everybody can do the math,” coach Todd Richards said. “Everybody knows what’s at stake.”

http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19744305&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=460522&rfi=6

 

AHL BOSS WEIGHS IN ON INSTANT REPLAY DEBATE

Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen’s Voice

If the instant replay fairy waved her magic wand and gave the AHL the ability to review video of controversial goals quickly, cheaply and 100 percent accurately, the league would have had it years ago. But the issue is a little more complicated than that, league president Dave Andrews said Sunday before Game 2 of the Calder Cup finals between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Chicago Wolves. “One of the things about replay is if you want to do it properly, it’s very, very expensive,” Andrews said. “You can do a poor job of replay (inexpensively), but in that case, you probably shouldn’t have it at all. To do it at the level that the NHL does, which still appears not to be foolproof, is extremely expensive.”

http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19740966&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=460522&rfi=6

 

RALLYING AROUND THE PENGUINS

Denise Allabaugh, The Citizen’s Voice

Wearing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins jerseys, shirts and hats, holding signs and chanting “Let’s go Pens!” more than 1,000 fans attended a pep rally on Public Square Tuesday to show their support for the team to bring home the Calder