AHL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Western Conference
The Calder Cup playoff kicks off early in the Western Conference, with the California-based Gulls and Barracuda squaring off in two back-to-back games in San Jose on Wednesday and Thursday.
EP Rinkside takes a look at all four Western Conference series.
CHICAGO WOLVES (1) VS GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (4)
These old rivals will have another crack at each other. Considering that the Vegas Golden Knights still only have had two NHL Draft classes, they have already started to amass a considerable amount of talent with the Wolves. Mix in a strong veteran base, up-and-coming head coach Rocky Thompson, and this is an elite team that showed an impressive resilience amid several major personnel losses this season. Last season the Wolves flamed out spectacularly in a first-round sweep to the Rockford IceHogs. Avoid pitfalls like that, and this team has every ability to challenge for the Calder Cup out of the Western Conference.
WOLVES
The continued absence of injured forwards Daniel Carr and Brooks Macek is a major issue, without a doubt. Fortunately for the Wolves, they have been able to remake themselves into a team able to impose a puck-stifling game on opponents, and they have ample scoring depth through their line-up even with Carr and Macek out. Curtis McKenzie is one of the best leaders in the AHL and excelled last season in captaining the Texas Stars to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final. T.J. Tynan is a dominant playmaker and led the AHL with 59 assists. Their young blue line led by rookies Dylan Coghlan, Nic Hague, and Zach Whitecloud has been excellent. Oskar Dansk and Max Lagacé have been a strong tandem for the Wolves, whose 2.62 goals-allowed per game placed the team third in the AHL.
GRIFFINS
Sound the alarm bells for the Griffins, who stumbled, tripped, and fell into the Calder Cup Playoffs through the final two weeks of the regular season. Their season-closing nine-game losing streak nearly closed their season altogether. A portion of that slump could be attributed to several late season recalls to the Detroit Red Wings, but opponents blasted the Griffins by a 16-4 margin and handed them three lopsided defeats even after those players had returned to Grand Rapids. With the Manitoba Moose storming through the second half, the Griffins very well could have missed the postseason had the regular season lasted another week. On paper, the Griffins should be a Calder Cup contender. But as with many elements of their game, namely special-teams play, the Griffins fell short of that potential. Star forward Chris Terry will need to heat back up to his typical elite standard after managing only five goals in his final 25 games. Filip Zadina, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, only picked up one goal in his final 16 games. Although he is only 19 years old, his progress will be under plenty of scrutiny this postseason. That said, Grand Rapids still has seven holdovers from the 2017 Calder Cup championship team. The Harri Säteri–Patrik Rybar goaltending pairing has the potential to be excellent.
Prediction: Wolves in 4
MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS (2) VS IOWA WILD (3)
Iowa nearly skidded out of a playoff spot after a strong run deep into March. Milwaukee needed a strong push to move from the fringe of the Central Division playoff race and into first-round home-ice advantage.
ADMIRALS
A 14-game point streak (11-0-2-1) went a long way toward carrying Milwaukee into the Calder Cup Playoffs. The point streak was the third-longest in the AHL this season, and the Admirals have not lost in regulation since March 9th. Goaltender Troy Grosenick, a backbone for the team all season, played well down the stretch. But he exited their second-to-last game of the season and did not play this past Sunday in the season finale. Tom McCollum is a reliable alternative. Milwaukee allowed 28 or fewer shots in eight of the 14 games during the streak. Forward Eeli Tolvanen has been a major contributor, especially in the stretch drive. However, Milwaukee will not have overtime points to feast on in the postseason. Their 32 regulation/overtime wins tied them with Cleveland and Grand Rapids for the second-fewest among any playoff team; overall, their 36 victories were the fewest of any non-Pacific Division club.
WILD
Were it not for the late arrivals of Minnesota Wild forwards Ryan Donato, Jordan Greenway, and Luke Kunin, Iowa might not even be in the postseason. They helped Iowa to stop a late-season free fall that rivaled that of Grand Rapids and also nearly forced the Wild out of the AHL postseason. But reaching the AHL postseason for the first time since 2013 is a key development for the Minnesota organization. Iowa feasted on the power play even before those three offensive talents arrived. The power play finished second in the AHL. They will have to count on a strong goaltending performance, starting with veteran Andrew Hammond.
Prediction: Iowa in 5
BAKERSFIELD CONDORS (1) VS COLORADO EAGLES (4)
An excellent regular season is one thing. Now the Condors have to show that they can translate that standard into the Calder Cup Playoffs, where merely escaping the Pacific Division will be a significant achievement. A late-season fight with the San Jose Barracuda to lock down the Pacific Division title put the Condors into a playoff mode early and prevented them from cruising into the postseason. With the parent Edmonton Oilers in flux, a big playoff performance could elevate several players’ stock in Bakersfield.
CONDORS
Only Charlotte and Syracuse join the Condors as teams that finished in the top-five in both goals and goals-against. Bakersfield’s 3.56 goals per game led the AHL, and they finished four at 2.68 goals-against per game. Goaltender Shane Starrett has emerged as an excellent find for the Edmonton organization, and he could parlay this season into an NHL job this fall. Rookie Tyler Benson has been everything that Edmonton could have hoped for from a 32nd overall pick. In Benson and fellow rookie Cooper Marody, the Condors have two outstanding set-up men. Add strong veteran scoring around them, a quality blue line, and you have the Condors. They love to flood pucks to the opposing net and can overwhelm opponents when they get on a roll. They also take games over in the second period – their 108 second-period goals topped the AHL.
EAGLES
For as explosive as the Bakersfield offense can be, it will have to find a way to overcome Eagles goaltender Pavel Francouz. The 28-year-old Czech has big-game experience. He won a Czech Extraliga championship in 2015 and was the most valuable player in the postseason that year. Internationally, he has competed for the Czech Republic at the Olympic and IIHF World Championship levels. Last season he took Chelyabinsk on a strong playoff run in the KHL and earned a contract from the Colorado Avalanche. He immediately gave the Eagles a top number-one goaltender and has been a major part of their success. Colorado will need to keep the puck away from the Condors, something that they struggled to do against opponents this season. Colorado’s 33.6 shots-against per game ranked 30th in the AHL. Their power play also must improve after finishing last in the league, especially with the Condors having finished seventh on the man-advantage. Although the Eagles’ penalty kill was sixth-best in the AHL, their 308 times shorthanded led all Pacific Division teams. A parade to the penalty box is just asking for trouble against the Condors.
Prediction: Bakersfield in 4
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (2) VS SAN DIEGO GULLS (3)
Much like Hershey in the Atlantic Division, San Diego is not a typical third seed. Both the Gulls and Barracuda went through playoff jostling until the final weekend of the regular season. San Jose fought with Bakersfield for the Pacific Division title while San Diego had to push aside Colorado and the Tucson Roadrunners to claim third place in the Pacific Division.
BARRACUDA
The postseason is San Jose’s opportunity to wash away what was a challenging half. Their 7-2-0-0 run to finish the season put them in contention for the Pacific Division title and sent them into the postseason on a more positive note after a difficult February and March. Forwards Alexander True and since-recalled Dylan Gambrell were the only Barracuda skaters to notch 20 goals yet San Jose tied for sixth in scoring at 3.34 goals per game. Forward Ivan Chekhovich has impressed in his second season as a late-season promotion from Baie-Comeau of the QMJHL. Defenseman Nick DeSimone quietly had an excellent season (14-32-46 in 65 games). Head coach Roy Sommer is still chasing his first Calder Cup as a head coach in his 21st season working for the San Jose Sharks at the AHL level.
GULLS
Thanks to several additions after the Anaheim Ducks’ regular season ended, San Diego is loaded for the postseason. San Diego has a group of forwards capable of challenging Charlotte for the AHL’s best, and their offense finished second in the AHL at 3.51 goals per game even though Anaheim constantly shuffled the San Diego roster. Rookie forwards Max Jones and Sam Steel will have their first taste of the AHL postseason. Troy Terry’s broken leg is a major loss, however. San Diego could prove to be a major headache for the Pacific Division this spring if this roster comes together.
Prediction: San Diego in 5