Atlantic Division Qualifying Series – Series “Q1”
A4-Providence Bruins vs. A5-Portland Pirates
| Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 15 | Portland at Providence, 7:05 ET |
| Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 16 | Portland at Providence, 7:05 ET |
| Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 18 | Portland at Providence, 7:05 ET (if necessary) |
| Regular Season Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Providence | Portland | |
| Record | 36-29-11-4 | 32-27-13-8 |
| Points | 87 | 85 |
| Home | 20-13-4-3 | 19-11-7-3 |
| Road | 16-16-7-1 | 13-16-6-5 |
| Goals for | 170 | 156 |
| Goals against | 170 | 160 |
| PP% (rank) | 15.3 (13) | 10.7 (28) |
| PK% (rank) | 84.7 (17) | 89.5 (2) |
| Calder Cup Playoff History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Providence | Portland | |
| Appearances | 10th | 9th |
| Record (games) | 47-42 | 38-35 |
| Record (series) | 10-8 | 7-7 |
| OT record | 10-6 | 4-7 |
| Calder Cup titles | 1 (1999) | 1 (1994) |
| Losing finalist | 0 | 1 (1996) |
| 2003-04 Regular Season Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Providence | Portland | |
| Record | 4-4-2-0 | 4-3-2-1 |
| at PRO | 4-1-0-0 | 1-3-0-1 |
| at POR | 0-3-2-0 | 3-0-2-0 |
| Goals | 20 | 22 |
| Power play | 8/44 (18.2%) | 6/38 (15.8%) |
| Scoring | Savage, 1+6=7 Herr, 3+3=6 Leahy, 2+2=4 |
Forbes, 1+7=8 Pudlick, 3+2=5 Sutherby, 1+4=5 |
| Goaltending | Thomas, 2-1-0, 1.70 Toivonen, 2-2-1, 2.37 |
Stana, 2-0-1, 1.62 Ouellet, 2-4-1, 2.32 |
| Results | Nov. 14 | POR 3 at PRO 4 |
| Nov. 28 | POR 3 at PRO 4 | |
| Dec. 20 | PRO 4 at POR 4 (OT) | |
| Dec. 27 | PRO 0 at POR 2 | |
| Jan. 18 | PRO 1 at POR 1 (OT) | |
| Feb. 7 | PRO 1 at POR 3 | |
| Mar. 7 | POR 2 at PRO 0 | |
| Mar. 21 | POR 0 at PRO 4 | |
| Apr. 3 | PRO 0 at POR 3 | |
| Apr. 7 | POR 1 at PRO 2 (OT) | |
SERIES NOTEBOOK:
Providence and Portland collide in the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1995, when the Bruins ended the Pirates’ title defense with a seven-game triumph… Portland, which hasn’t won a playoff series since 1998, is in the qualifying series for the second year in a row; the Pirates hosted Manitoba last year but fell in three games… Providence has lost nine of its last 11 playoff games, and has scored just six goals in five games over the last two postseasons… Pirates head coach Tim Army is a Providence native; he played and coached at Providence College, his grandfather George was a long-time trainer for the AHL’s Providence Reds, and his dad Tom is the supervisor of off-ice officials for the P-Bruins… The home team was 7-1-2-0 in the teams’ regular-season series.
East Division Qualifying Series – Series “Q2”
E4-Binghamton Senators vs. E5-Norfolk Admirals
| Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 14 | Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05 ET |
| Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 16 | Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05 ET |
| Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 17 | Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05 ET (if necessary) |
| Regular Season Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Binghamton | Norfolk | |
| Record | 34-34-9-3 | 35-36-4-5 |
| Points | 80 | 79 |
| Home | 21-13-3-3 | 22-15-1-2 |
| Road | 13-21-6-0 | 13-21-3-3 |
| Goals for | 210 | 172 |
| Goals against | 216 | 187 |
| PP% (rank) | 15.3 (14) | 12.5 (23) |
| PK% (rank) | 85.1 (15) | 88.7 (4) |
| Calder Cup Playoff History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Binghamton | Norfolk | |
| Appearances | 2nd | 4th |
| Record (games) | 8-6 | 10-12 |
| Record (series) | 2-1 | 2-3 |
| OT record | 2-0 | 3-3 |
| Calder Cup titles | 0 | 0 |
| Losing finalist | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-04 Regular Season Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Binghamton | Norfolk | |
| Record | 3-5-0-0 | 5-3-0-0 |
| at BNG | 2-2-0-0 | 2-2-0-0 |
| at NOR | 1-3-0-0 | 3-1-0-0 |
| Goals | 17 | 26 |
| Power play | 3/31 (9.7%) | 6/32 (18.8%) |
| Scoring | Hamel, 3+4=7 *Stephens, 4+3=7 Vauclair, 1+3=4 *includes stats w/HER | Baines, 2+5=7 Laing, 3+3=6 Radulov, 2+4=6 |
| Goaltending | Thompson, 2-1-0, 3.01 Emery, 1-4-0, 3.02 |
Anderson, 4-1-0, 1.40 Leighton, 1-2-0, 2.34 |
| Results | Nov. 5 | NOR 3 st BNG 5 |
| Jan. 2 | NOR 4 at BNG 0 | |
| Jan. 17 | NOR 3 at BNG 6 | |
| Feb. 27 | BNG 1 at NOR 6 | |
| Feb. 28 | BNG 1 at NOR 3 | |
| Apr. 2 | BNG 3 at NOR 1 | |
| Apr. 3 | BNG 1 at NOR 3 | |
| Apr. 9 | NOR 3 at BNG 0 | |
SERIES NOTEBOOK:
After meeting three times in the final 10 days of the regular season, Binghamton and Norfolk get together in the East Division qualifying series… In 2003, the Admirals were eliminated by eventual-champion Houston, while the Senators bowed out to runner-up Hamilton… Binghamton was 6-1 on home ice in the 2003 playoffs… Norfolk averaged 2.15 goals per game in the regular season (25th in the league), but 3.25 in eight meetings with the Sens… Craig Anderson and Michael Leighton each recorded a shutout against Binghamton this season… The Sens’ John Paddock is the all-time winningest coach in Calder Cup Playoff history with a record of 80-57 (.584)… Paddock and assistant Mike Busniuk have a combined 11 career Calder Cups, and teamed behind the bench to lead Hartford to the 2000 title.
North Division Qualifying Series – Series “Q3”
N4-Cleveland Barons vs. N5-Toronto Roadrunners
| Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 15 | Toronto at Cleveland, 7:00 ET |
| Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 17 | Toronto at Cleveland, 7:00 ET |
| Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 18 | Toronto at Cleveland, 4:00 ET (if necessary) |
| All games at Ice Land USA – Strongsville, Ohio | |
| Regular Season Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | Toronto | |
| Record | 37-28-8-7 | 35-34-8-3 |
| Points | 89 | 81 |
| Home | 18-16-2-4 | 20-14-5-1 |
| Road | 19-12-6-3 | 15-20-3-2 |
| Goals for | 235 | 219 |
| Goals against | 220 | 224 |
| PP% (rank) | 16.7 (4) | 14.8 (16) |
| PK% (rank) | 80.2 (28) | 82.1 (24) |
| Calder Cup Playoff History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | Toronto | |
| Appearances | 1st | 1st |
| 2003-04 Regular Season Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | Toronto | |
| Record | 3-3-1-1 | 4-3-1-0 |
| at CLE | 1-2-0-1 | 3-1-0-0 |
| at TOR | 2-1-1-0 | 1-2-1-0 |
| Goals | 24 | 25 |
| Power play | 8/31 (25.8%) | 5/28 (17.9%) |
| Scoring | Zalesak, 4+5=9 Stevenson, 3+2=5 Hansen, 2+3=5 | Bishai, 5+3=8 Rita, 1+6=7 Wright, 1+6=7 |
| Goaltending | Schaefer, 2-0-0, 1.50 Kotyk, 1-2-1, 3.23 |
Morrison, 2-1-1, 2.34 *Moss, 2-4-0, 3.74 *includes stats w/MTB |
| Results | Nov. 7 | TOR 5 at CLE 4 (OT) |
| Nov. 15 | TOR 3 at CLE 2 | |
| Nov. 21 | CLE 4 at TOR 4 (OT) | |
| Dec. 21 | CLE 3 at TOR 2 | |
| Jan. 27 | TOR 4 at CLE 2 | |
| Feb. 19 | CLE 1 at TOR 4 | |
| Mar. 26 | TOR 2 at CLE 5 | |
| Apr. 2 | CLE 3 at TOR 1 | |
SERIES NOTEBOOK:
Cleveland and Toronto are both making their Calder Cup Playoff debuts in this series… The original Barons franchise won an AHL-record nine Calder Cups, the first in 1939 and the last in 1964… Both head coaches have AHL playoff experience: Cleveland’s Roy Sommer took Kentucky to three straight postseasons (1999-2001), while Toronto’s Geoff Ward led Hamilton to last year’s Calder Cup Final… Sommer won a Calder Cup while playing for Maine in 1984… Barons forward Miroslav Zalesak finished third in the AHL in scoring with 75 points… Roadrunner Mike Bishai scored five of his 11 goals this season against Cleveland… Toronto is trying to become the seventh team in AHL history to win the Calder Cup in its first season in the league.
West Division Qualifying Series – Series “Q4”
W4-Houston Aeros vs. W5-Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
| Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 15 | Cincinnati at Houston, 7:05 CT |
| Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 17 | Cincinnati at Houston, 7:05 CT |
| Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 18 | Cincinnati at Houston, 5:05 CT (if necessary) |
| Regular Season Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | Toronto | |
| Record | 28-34-14-4 | 29-37-13-1 |
| Points | 74 | 72 |
| Home | 18-12-8-2 | 17-14-8-1 |
| Road | 10-22-6-2 | 12-23-5-0 |
| Goals for | 197 | 188 |
| Goals against | 220 | 211 |
| PP% (rank) | 12.1 (25) | 12.1 (26) |
| PK% (rank) | 84.6 (18) | 88.6 (5) |
| Calder Cup Playoff History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Houston | Cincinnati | |
| Appearances | 3rd | 4th |
| Record (games) | 23-14 | 2-8 |
| Record (series) | 6-1 | 0-3 |
| OT record | 4-5 | 0-3 |
| Calder Cup titles | 1 (2003) | 0 |
| Losing finalist | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-04 Regular Season Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Houston | Cincinnati | |
| Record | 2-3-3-0 | 3-2-3-0 |
| at HOU | 1-1-2-0 | 1-1-2-0 |
| at CIN | 1-2-1-0 | 2-1-1-0 |
| Goals | 17 | 22 |
| Power play | 3/47 (6.4%) | 4/29 (13.8%) |
| Scoring | Cavanaugh, 2+4=6 Tibbetts, 0+5=5 Hoggan, 3+1=4 | Hankinson, 3+4=7 Parenteau, 3+3=6 Kunitz, 2+4=6 |
| Goaltending | Cloutier, 0-0-2, 2.02 Holmqvist, 1-2-0, 2.68 | Bryzgalov, 3-2-3, 2.06 |
| Results | Dec. 5 | CIN 1 at HOU 3 |
| Dec. 19 | HOU 2 at CIN 4 | |
| Dec. 20 | HOU 2 at CIN 1 | |
| Jan. 2 | HOU 2 at CIN 2 (OT) | |
| Jan. 27 | CIN 3 at HOU 1 | |
| Apr. 1 | CIN 4 at HOU 4 (OT) | |
| Apr. 2 | CIN 3 at HOU 3 (OT) | |
| Apr. 9 | HOU 0 at CIN 4 | |
SERIES NOTEBOOK:
Houston is trying to become the first repeat Calder Cup champion since Springfield in 1990-91, while Cincinnati is looking for the franchise’s first-ever playoff series victory… The Aeros captured the AHL title in 2003, winning Game 7’s on the road in each of the last two rounds… Cincinnati’s last postseason appearance was in 2002, when the Ducks took Chicago to the limit in the best-of-three qualifying round… Cincinnati goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov led the AHL in minutes played (3,748) in the regular season and was responsible for 27 of the Mighty Ducks’ 29 victories… Mark Cullen recorded 38 points in 53 games for Houston this season… Aeros president Tom Garrity served as senior vice president (1999-2001) and later as president (2001-03) in Cincinnati.
