AHL Morning Skate: May 1, 2026

The postseason heats up as the calendar turns to May for Day 11 of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.

After splitting the first two games back in Cleveland, the Crunch and Monsters head to Syracuse to resume their North Division semifinal series tonight (7 ET, ).

Game 3 will also stream free on FloHockey’s social channels and on FloHockey 24/7, which is available on Amazon Prime (U.S.), Bell Fibe (Canada), Fubo and the FloHockey app.

Since falling behind 3-0 early in Game 1, the Crunch have outscored the Monsters 6-1 over the last five periods of the series. They scored four times in the opening frame of Game 2 en route to a 4-1 victory on Sunday.

“It’s a mindset,” Syracuse head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard said. “The season is a preparation for the playoffs. As much emotion as we had, I thought we stayed composed.”

Cleveland outshot the Crunch 24-8 over the final two periods of Game 2 but could only get one puck past Brandon Halverson, who finished with 32 saves. Halverson has stopped 41 of 42 shots (.976) since coming on in relief in Game 1.

“We gave them a couple of opportunities, and they took advantage of every single one,” Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber said after Game 2.

But he also stressed that come playoff time, each game is “mutually exclusive.”

“It’s a 1-1 series,” Vogelhuber said. “We won the first one, they won the second one. Hopefully the final 40 minutes gives our group...confidence in the way we can play.”

Vogelhuber also got an extended look at goaltending prospect Evan Gardner, who came on Sunday in relief of Ivan Fedotov after the fourth Crunch goal.

Gardner, 20, was a second-round pick by Columbus in the 2024 NHL Draft and joined the Monsters after finishing his season with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades. He handled all 10 shots that he saw from Syracuse.

As Toronto tries to get back into their North Division semifinal in Game 2 at Laval tonight (7 ET, ), they will have to do so without defenseman Matt Benning.

Laval won the opener on Wednesday night, 3-1.

The Marlies announced that Benning will miss the series with an upper-body injury. Benning, a veteran of 465 NHL games, had three goals and 13 assists in 34 regular-season games with the Marlies this season. Rookie Chas Sharpe has taken Benning’s spot in the lineup.

In addition to Benning, forward Matthew Barbolini is also out of this series with an upper-body injury. He had 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 62 regular-season contests.

On the Laval side, head coach Pascal Vincent had a key member of the Rocket back in his lineup for Game 1, as center Laurent Dauphin returned after missing the final 12 games of the regular season. Dauphin had 59 points in 53 games this year, and was second in the league scoring race behind Syracuse’s Jakob Pelletier before he was sidelined.

Laval’s first-round bye gave Dauphin (and the rest of the team’s roster) extra time for rest and recovery, and that paid off when Vincent drew up his Game 1 lineup. Dauphin anchored the top line with Samuel Blais on his left side and Alex Belzile flanking him on the right. It’s a trio that can match up with just about any line in the AHL.

And with Montreal still in action in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Dauphin’s return creates a little more roster depth in Laval should the Canadiens need to pluck a top player off the AHL roster.

The charter AHL cities of Providence and Springfield collide in the Atlantic Division semifinals, with Game 1 at Amica Mutual Pavilion tonight (7:05 ET, ).

The Bruins and Thunderbirds are meeting for the second consecutive postseason after Providence’s three-game series win in the first round last spring. That follows six playoff series between the Providence Reds and Springfield Indians/Kings, one between the Bruins and the Indians and three between the Bruins and Springfield Falcons.

The Bruins are coming off one of the best regular seasons in league history – their .764 points percentage (54-16-2-0) charts as the fourth-highest ever – while the Thunderbirds are fresh off a first-round upset of Charlotte that saw them rebound from an 8-1 loss in Game 1 to take the series in three games.

Springfield finished 38 points behind Providence in the standings but had moderate success in their 12-game regular season series, handing the Bruins five of their 16 regulation losses all year.

Ontario Reign head coach Andrew Lord pushed back on any idea that his team was not sufficiently hungry in a 3-0 Game 1 loss to Coachella Valley on Wednesday. It was Ontario’s first game since their regular-season finale April 18.

To be not sharp enough, not have enough flow and connectivity, and perhaps prone to penalty trouble? Sure, those could be fair criticisms. But Lord did feel that his team’s effort level was there.

“I think there’s plenty of hunger internally,” Lord said. “I think it’s foot races. I think it’s execution. I think it’s some sloppy penalties.”

Ontario hosts Game 2 of the teams’ Pacific Division semifinal tonight (10 ET, ) with an eye on getting back to the type of play that earned them their first division title in 10 years.

“They (the Firebirds) were extremely good, give them credit,” Lord said after Game 1. “I know we’ll be better. As much as we battle and do everything we can to stay sharp, it was obvious we weren’t quite ourselves after a long break, which is unfortunate.”

J.R. Avon scored twice for the Firebirds in Game 1, and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard notched his fourth goal and sixth point in the last three games.

Nikke Kokko made 23 saves for the shutout, sending the Reign to their sixth consecutive postseason loss going back to 2024.

Colorado and Henderson get their Pacific Division semifinal going tonight (10 ET, ) in the Nevada desert, where the Silver Knights have won nine straight games – including their two-game sweep of San Jose in the first round.

Good news came Henderson’s way in advance of Game 1 when Trevor Connelly and Braeden Bowman returned from Vegas. They had been recalled last week and were serving as extra forwards with the parent club during their Stanley Cup Playoff series with Utah. Connelly is a 2024 first-round pick who had an outstanding rookie season with 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 46 games. Bowman generated 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in only 20 regular-season games while also playing 54 games in the NHL with the Golden Knights.

Connelly and Bowman are just two of several offensive weapons the Eagles will need to find an answer for in this series. Raphael Lavoie scored three goals in the first round vs. San Jose, and now has 20 goals in his last 20 contests. Tanner Laczynski, Mitch McLain, Kai Uchacz and Ben Hemmerling were all 20-goal scorers in the regular season, and Dylan Coghlan tied for the AHL lead among defensemen with 14 goals.

The Silver Knights led the AHL in offense, averaging 3.65 goals per game in the regular season, and since Feb. 20 that number is up to 4.52 goals per game as Henderson has gone on a 22-3-1-3 tear.

Colorado rolled past San Diego in the first round, posting 3-0 and 6-1 wins.

“Our group really bought into the defensive side,” Eagles head coach Mark Letestu said. “Details and structure and defending, they just become more magnified as you go. We’re going to have to find a new level.”