AHL Morning Skate: May 1, 2025

A1-Hershey Bears vs. A5-Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Game 2 – Friday, 7:00 ET,
(Hershey leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 30 – HERSHEY 3, Lehigh Valley 0 | Recap
Game 2 – Fri., May 2 – Lehigh Valley at Hershey, 7:00
Game 3 – Sun., May 4 – Hershey at Lehigh Valley, 5:05
*Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Hershey at Lehigh Valley, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Lehigh Valley at Hershey, 5:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

A2-Charlotte Checkers vs. A3-Providence Bruins
Game 1 – Friday, 7:05 ET,

Game 1 – Fri., May 2 – Charlotte at Providence, 7:05
Game 2 – Sun., May 4 – Charlotte at Providence, 7:05
Game 3 – Wed., May 7 – Providence at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Providence at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Providence at Charlotte, 3:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

N2-Rochester Americans vs. N3-Syracuse Crunch
Game 3 – Tonight, 7:00 ET,
(Rochester leads series, 2-0)

Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 25 – ROCHESTER 3, Syracuse 2 | Recap
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 27 – ROCHESTER 4, Syracuse 0 | Recap
Game 3 – Thu., May 1 – Rochester at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 4 – Sat., May 3 – Rochester at Syracuse, 7:00
Game 5 – Fri., May 9 – Syracuse at Rochester, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
Rochester brings a 2-0 series lead into Syracuse with a chance to close out the teams’ North Division semifinal series in Game 3 tonight... The Amerks were 23-9-2-2 (.694) away from home this season, the second-best road mark in the franchise’s 69-year history... Devon Levi (2-0, 1.00, .968), who led the AHL with seven shutouts in the regular season, made 35 saves in Sunday’s 4-0 victory in Game 2... Skating in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time in his seven-year career, Rochester defenseman Kale Clague has two goals and two assists through the first two games of the series to lead all scorers... Jiří Kulich tallied a goal and an assist in Game 2, giving him 8-7-15 in 19 career playoff games with Rochester... The Crunch have allowed seven consecutive goals since taking a 2-0 lead early in the second period of Game 1... Brandon Halverson (0-2, 3.09, .882) made 20 appearances on home ice in 2024-25 and was 9-4-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and three shutouts... Defenseman Max Crozier and forward Conor Geekie were returned to Syracuse after Tampa Bay’s elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night... Thirteen teams in AHL history have won a best-of-five after losing the first two games, including Rochester’s comeback against Syracuse in 2023.

C1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. C5-Rockford IceHogs
Game 1 – Tonight, 8:00 ET,

Game 1 – Thu., May 1 – Rockford at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 3 – Rockford at Milwaukee, 7:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 7 – Milwaukee at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Milwaukee at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Rockford at Milwaukee, 5:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
Milwaukee and Rockford begin their Central Division semifinal series tonight at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena... It is the first postseason meeting between the rivals since 2009, when the Admirals swept the IceHogs in four games in a division semifinal... Milwaukee closed out the regular season with a six-game winning streak to secure its second straight division title... Matt Murray (28-10-5, 2.07, .932) led the AHL in save percentage and victories in 2024-25, and he enters the postseason with wins in eight consecutive starts (8-0-0, 1.13, .963)... Cal O’Reilly, who ranks 16th all-time with 105 career Calder Cup Playoff games played, led the Admirals in assists (38) and points (49) this season... Rockford is coming off a two-game sweep of Chicago in the first round... Drew Commesso (2-0, 0.46, .985) stopped 66 of 67 shots in the series and earned his first career playoff shutout in Game 2 last Friday... Rockford has lost its last six visits to Milwaukee, including all five this season... Six of the 10 games during the teams’ regular-season series were decided by a single goal, including four that went past regulation.

C2-Texas Stars vs. C3-Grand Rapids Griffins
Game 2 – Monday, 7:00 ET,
(Texas leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – Tue., Apr. 29 – Texas 4, GRAND RAPIDS 0 | Recap
Game 2 – Mon., May 5 – Texas at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 3 – Fri., May 9 – Grand Rapids at Texas, 8:00
*Game 4 – Sat., May 10 – Grand Rapids at Texas, 8:00
*Game 5 – Mon., May 12 – Grand Rapids at Texas, 8:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

P1-Colorado Eagles vs. P6-San Jose Barracuda
Game 1 – Friday, 10:00 ET,

Game 1 – Fri., May 2 – Colorado at San Jose, 10:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 4 – Colorado at San Jose, 9:00
Game 3 – Tue., May 6 – San Jose at Colorado, 9:05
*Game 4 – Wed., May 7 – San Jose at Colorado, 9:05
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – San Jose at Colorado, 5:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

P2-Abbotsford Canucks vs. P4-Coachella Valley Firebirds
Game 1 – Tonight, 10:00 ET,

Game 1 – Thu., May 1 – Abbotsford at Coachella Valley, 10:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 3 – Abbotsford at Coachella Valley, 9:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 7 – Coachella Valley at Abbotsford, 10:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 9 – Coachella Valley at Abbotsford, 10:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 11 – Coachella Valley at Abbotsford, 10:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
The Pacific Division semifinals open tonight as the Canucks visit the Firebirds in Game 1... Abbotsford earned a convincing 5-0 win over Tucson on Saturday night in a decisive Game 3 of their first-round series, while Coachella Valley finished a two-game sweep of Calgary with a 2-0 victory that same evening... Sammy Blais (3-1-4) and Arshdeep Bains (0-4-4) led the Canucks in scoring last round, with Blais scoring all three of his goals on the power play... Linus Karlsson (2-1-3), Tristen Nielsen (2-1-3) and Max Sasson (1-2-3) also average a point per game in the three-game set with the Roadrunners... Artūrs Šilovs (2-1, 2.01, .921) made 21 saves in the series-clinching shutout... Abbotsford is 18-2-0-1 in its last 21 games, a stretch that includes a 4-1 win at Acrisure Arena on Apr. 18... Mitchell Stephens (3-0-3) scored three of the Firebirds’ six goals in the first round, including both game-winning tallies... Nikke Kokko (2-0, 1.11, .952) stopped 59 of 62 shots in the sweep of Calgary, and enters the division semifinals with an active shutout streak of 102:07... Coachella Valley is 9-1 all-time in Game 1’s, including its 4-3 triple-overtime win over the Wranglers last round.

As the Milwaukee Admirals embark on what they hope can be a lengthy push through the Calder Cup Playoffs, the parent Nashville Predators have made sure that their AHL affiliate will be a well-stocked one.

Having missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nashville returned defensemen Marc Del Gaizo and Spencer Stastney along with forwards Fedor Svechkov and Kieffer Bellows to the Admirals. All four spent considerable time in the NHL this season. David Edstrom, a 2023 first-round pick who was acquired as part of the deal that sent Yaroslav Askarov to San Jose, has also been reassigned to Milwaukee.

No question, getting regular opportunities with the NHL club is a big step for any player. And for Bellows, who found himself on an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies last season, coming back to find some NHL staying power again marked an important career step. The key now, though, is to build on that success with a strong performance in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Rockford IceHogs serve up that first test tonight in Game 1 of the teams’ best-of-five Central Division semifinal.

Bellows, a first-round pick by the New York Islanders in 2016, put up 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 44 games with the Admirals along with two goals and two assists in 19 games for Nashville. This return to Milwaukee represents his best opportunity yet for the seventh-year pro to win a professional title.

“We play our game,” Bellows said of the Admirals’ game plan heading into the playoffs. “We go in there, the same game that we played the entire season, just elevate a little bit. Every single guy, every single player... You see it in the NHL. They elevate their game to a new level, and I think that’s something you really have to focus on. You still stick to your systems. You still stick to your game, but each player is going to elevate their game to a higher level and just play the game that got you there.”

After signing a one-year deal last July with Nashville, Bellows is also working to earn another contract. If it’s not with the Predators, there are other NHL organizations on the hunt for someone who can help.

“I’m very fortunate for the opportunity that I was given. Any time you get to play in the NHL it’s a privilege,” Bellows said Wednesday. “But here, we’ve got work to do, and that’s to win a championship.”

A win tonight for the Rochester Americans will accomplish more than a few objectives.

First, it would eliminate the rival Syracuse Crunch and end their North Division semifinal. It would prevent a long, drawn-out series. It would also be a bit of payback after Syracuse went into Rochester and won a decisive Game 5 in this round last year. And it would mean some rest.

All of that also means that the Amerks can expect the Crunch’s toughest fight yet tonight. Goaltender Devon Levi, who has stopped 60 of 62 shots in his first two starts this series, is expecting more net-front traffic in Game 3 tonight in Syracuse.

“I feel like next game they’re probably going to be more intentional about that stuff because a lot of their offense comes from that,” Levi said Wednesday. “They’re really good at it, too. Our ‘D’ is doing a great job boxing out and getting on their sticks. It’s one of their staples and we were ready for that. They know everything about us, we know everything about them.”

This being playoff hockey, the emotional intangibles will have a significant say as well.

“The system will only help so much,” Levi stressed. “As great as our systems are, we still know that against Syracuse it’s not the system work that’s going to win us the game. It’s the heart, it’s the compete, it’s the will to win, so that’s kind of the focus going into the next game.”

― with files from Patrick Williams

In yesterday’s Stanley Cup Playoff action, 2020-21 AHL goaltender of the year Logan Thompson made 28 saves as Washington eliminated Montreal with a 4-1 victory... Eetu Luostarinen notched a goal and three assists as Florida finished off Tampa Bay with a 6-3 win... Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists and 2017-18 AHL rookie of the year Mason Appleton recorded three assists in Winnipeg’s 5-3 win over St. Louis.