AHL POWER RANKINGS: Rochester & Syracuse in hot pursuit of Charlotte
Each week, EP Rinkside serves up the weekly AHL Power Rankings, a look at the top Calder Cup contenders across the 31-team circuit and their player development picture.
The Rochester Americans and Syracuse Crunch are trying to fight each other off while they also continue their pursuit of the AHL-leading Charlotte Checkers. The Amerks and Crunch make upcoming visits to Charlotte that could put the Checkers’ months-long lead in danger.
AHL TOP 10
1. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (CAROLINA HURRICANES)
While their Eastern Conference competition has been put through the grind of the late-season AHL schedule, the Checkers had already paid those dues earlier in the season and are able to rest. And while some of the rest of the Charlotte offense has quieted slightly, additional scoring has come from second-year forward Nick Schilkey. The Ohio State product had an uneven rookie season, but his offensive skill is starting to show late in his second pro season. He has 7-6-13 in his past 12 games and delivered two of those goals in a 4-0 road victory to gain a road split in their two-game series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That has moved him up to 15-17-32 in 49 games for the Checkers, who have won five of their past six games. However, a formidable test awaits them this weekend when the Amerks invade Charlotte for back-to-back weekend games. After the Amerks leave town, the Crunch visit twice next week.
Last Week: #1 – 14th week in a row
2. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (BUFFALO SABRES)
The Amerks blitzed through their weekend competition, hammering the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at home before blowing out the Binghamton Devils in a home-and-home series that finished with a 6-1 home win this past Sunday. Rochester’s Victor Olofsson–Rasmus Asplund–Danny O’Regan line thrived, and Scott Wedgewood was reliable as always in net. With three more regulation wins this week, the Amerks would move past Charlotte for the AHL lead.
Last Week: #4 – (▲+2)
3. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING)
The mysterious demotion of top goaltending prospect Connor Ingram to the ECHL aside, the Crunch mostly continue to handle their business as they move through a March schedule featuring 16 games in 30 days. They faltered late in a loss on the road to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which prevented them from a perfect week. Several players have ongoing point streaks or recently had them ended, including Carter Verhaeghe, the AHL’s second-leading scorer. With Ingram’s return date (if any) unknown, it will be up to Eddie Pasquale to take on a heavy workload. The Crunch have a manageable week against non-playoff competition that starts with a road date against the Laval Rocket followed by home dates with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Binghamton.
Last Week: #3 – 2nd week in a row
4. CHICAGO WOLVES (VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS)
You can be sure that the Wolves are unhappy about an open-ice hit on AHL leading scorer Daniel Carr that put him out of the line-up. San Antonio Rampage forward Jordan Nolan issued the hit and received a two-game suspension. Carr missed all three games this past weekend, but they swept their three-game weekend. Included in that sweep were home victories against the Iowa Wild and Milwaukee Admirals, giving the Wolves eight consecutive wins at Allstate Arena. With Carr out, the Wolves will need balanced scoring, and they had that in those three games. They will stay at home this coming weekend when the Cleveland Monsters and Rampage come to town.
This is a line-up that at one point had Carr, Brandon Pirri, and Tomas Hyka as elite offensive talents dominating opponents. Pirri is with the Golden Knights to stay, Hyka has been out of the line-up for the past month, and now Carr is sidelined. But the Wolves keep getting the job done and sit atop the Western Conference at 79 points.
Last Week: #6 – (▲+2)
5. BAKERSFIELD CONDORS (EDMONTON OILERS)
These Condors have the sort of attack that can overwhelm even high-quality opponents. That is something that the San Jose Barracuda know all too well. In a pair of visits to San Jose last week, the Condors crushed the Barracuda by a combined 15-5 score. That performance came against a Barracuda team that is second in the Pacific Division. Bakersfield has a seven-point lead on first place in the Pacific Division and has moved to within four points of the Wolves for the Western Conference lead. They have home dates with the San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign this week. After Saturday’s game, they will only play once in the following 12 days. And once they finish with the Gulls this week, they have three consecutive games against the Reign, who are last in the AHL, so there is ample opportunity to blow open this division race even further.
Last Week: #5 – 2nd week in a row
6. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS (NY ISLANDERS)
After the pasting that Rochester delivered, the Sound Tigers rebounded with a shootout win against the Toronto Marlies. Goaltender Christopher Gibson and sniper Michael Dal Colle remain with the Islanders. The Sound Tigers visit the Hershey Bears on Saturday night before starting an eight-game homestand the next afternoon when the Springfield Thunderbirds visit. The schedule lines up well for the Sound Tigers, whose .768 home point percentage leads the AHL.
Last Week: #2 – (▼-4)
7. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (DETROIT RED WINGS)
While the Griffins have feasted at home this season, they have been decidedly average on the road. They rank 2nd in home point percentage and 18th on the road. A six-game road trip starts on Saturday night. That road trip will also be a compact one, squeezed into 11 days. Sniper Chris Terry broke through last week with three goals in three games after he had gone without one in his previous eight games. The power play, a season-long issue, continues to have problems. It went 2-for-16 in three games last week. Rookie talent Filip Zadina is still with Detroit.
Last Week: #7 – 2nd week in a row
8. TORONTO MARLIES (TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS)
The Marlies did what they had to do in Laval, sweeping the Rocket in a pair of games. The loss to the Sound Tigers followed, and then the Marlies allowed three third-period goals to the visiting Belleville Senators on Monday afternoon in a 5-3 home loss. They have a five-point lead for third place in the North Division, but increasingly it is looking like they will not own home-ice advantage in the first round. They needed that last season in an opening-round series that went the distance before they proceeded to win the Calder Cup. A difficult 3-in-3 swing through Pennsylvania is ahead of them this weekend, starting Friday night at Hershey. After that weekend schedule, they go to Bridgeport next week. That five-point lead gives them some breathing room, but they are not in a position to stumble very long.
Last Week: #8 – 3rd week in a row
9. IOWA WILD (MINNESOTA WILD)
The Wild ended a six-game road trip with a weekend split in two games. After two home games, they will have another trip to the West Coast next week. Cal O’Reilly has 2-8-10 in his past four games, and they also finally got Matt Read back from recall with Minnesota. Iowa is comfortably in position to qualify for the postseason and become the first Minnesota AHL affiliate to do so since 2013. Still on the to-do list is to track down a top-two spot in the Central Division and earn themselves home-ice advantage in the first round. Regardless, it has been an impressive reversal this season for a team that had struggled through several poor seasons.
Last Week: #9 – 2nd week in a row
10. PROVIDENCE BRUINS (BOSTON BRUINS)
The P-Bruins squandered an opportunity for a weekend three-game sweep with a 3-1 home loss to the Thunderbirds this past Sunday afternoon. They had defeated the Hershey Bears in back-to-game home games to start the weekend. The three-game set finished off a run of five consecutive 3-in-3 weekends for the P-Bruins. They have key trips to Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this weekend. A trip north to Laval comes next week before the P-Bruins come back home. Forward Paul Carey has been on a tear lately with six tallies in his past five contests. Boston recalled forward Trent Frederic and returned forward Lee Stempniak to Providence.
Last Week: #12 (▲+2)
UNDER CONSIDERATION
11. HERSHEY BEARS (WASHINGTON CAPITALS)
Although the Bears lost two of three games on the road, they did manage to pick up four of six points. They have three home games in four nights this week, starting with a visit from the Thunderbirds on Wednesday. Although lately they have stumbled somewhat, a 16-0-0-1 streak will give a team some breathing room. They are six points clear of the Atlantic Division playoff line. Devante Smith-Pelly posted a hat trick in a road win at Hartford that concluded their weekend.
Last Week: #14 (▲+3)
12. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (OTTAWA SENATORS)
The Senators got into a chippy game this past Friday night with the Cleveland Monsters. They left Cleveland having lost a pair of games there, rested up, and then took Monday’s decision at Toronto. Now they have two home dates with the Rocket this weekend, crucial games that they need to clamp down further on fourth place in the North Division. They have a two-point lead for the position to start the week, but they do yield games in hand to hard-charging competition behind them. The Sens also face a punishing schedule later this month. Rookie Drake Batherson’s excellent rookie season continued with a pair of goals at Toronto.
Last Week: #10 – (▼-2)
13. TEXAS STARS (DALLAS STARS)
Texas swept San Antonio in a key home-and-home series that may end up finishing off their in-state rival. That put them three points in the lead for fourth place in the Central Division. However, they have three teams within four points of them, including the Manitoba Moose. They go to Winnipeg this week to take on the Moose in a two-game series. A clean sweep for Texas would probably put the Moose out of contention as well. After that, the Stars visit the Rockford IceHogs, who are part of that three-team group in pursuit of Texas. Captain Justin Dowling signed a new two-year contract with Dallas.
Last Week: #16 (▲+3)
14. SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (SAN JOSE SHARKS)
Fortunately for the Barracuda, they do not see the Condors this week.
Last Week: #13 (▼-1)
15. SAN DIEGO GULLS (ANAHEIM DUCKS)
Three home losses in four nights have slowed the Gulls and probably ended their chance of chasing down the Condors. They were shut out in back-to-back games by the Colorado Eagles. They go to Bakersfield this weekend and then move on for a pair of games at Manitoba as they get a taste of affiliates of Canadian NHL clubs. A first-round date with San Jose is looking likely; they are 5-2 in their season series with the Barracuda.
Last Week: #15 – 2nd week in a row
16. UTICA COMETS (VANCOUVER CANUCKS)
A bad week for the Comets turned much worse this past Saturday at Laval. Four unanswered goals from the Rocket turned a 3-1 Comets lead into a 5-3 loss. They have three games in four nights this week, and a big week is critical for remaining in realistic playoff contention.
Last Week: #11 (▼-5)
IN CONTENTION
17. LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (PHILADELPHIA FLYERS)
Trading wins will not get the Phantoms very far, and they had to settle for splitting two games against the Checkers. They have three home games ahead of them as they start the week five points out of a playoff spot. They are 3-6-0-1 in their past 10 games and have left themselves with minimal margin for error. Three months ago, few, if any, observers would have predicted that the Flyers might have a better shot at the postseason than the Phantoms do at this point.
Last Week: #18 (▲+1)
18. COLORADO EAGLES (COLORADO AVALANCHE)
What had been a four-point hole for the Eagles to reach the playoff line is now a seven-point lead. They are rolling and a good week could almost certainly lock down a playoff spot for them. However, they do have to go to San Jose for back-to-back games this weekend.
Last Week: #19 (▲+1)
19. CLEVELAND MONSTERS (COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS)
Sweeping Belleville kept Cleveland in the North Division race, but the Monsters have plenty of work to do and still trail the Sens by four points. A trip into their old Western Conference confines is up next, starting Wednesday at Milwaukee.
Last Week: #24 (▲+5)
20. MANITOBA MOOSE (WINNIPEG JETS)
The Moose pulled off a weekend sweep of Rockford in their two-game series. Next is the critical series with Texas, especially with the Gulls going into Winnipeg after that. Manitoba does not have much room for error, but their improbable second-half surge after a poor first half has been impressive.
Last Week: #21 (▲+1)
21. WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS (PITTSBURGH PENGUINS)
Impressive as their comeback win against the Crunch may have been, it will not add up to much without a sustained run going forward. They have three games this week and are six points out of a playoff spot. That has their 16-season playoff streak in danger, but they do have games in hand to try to extend that to a 17th season.
Last Week: #20 (▼-1)
22. ROCKFORD ICEHOGS (CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS)
Being swept in Winnipeg kept the IceHogs stuck in a glut of Central Division competition and left the Moose right behind them in that race. They have a three-game weekend, and it is a difficult one.
Last Week: #17 (▼-5)
23. MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS (NASHVILLE PREDATORS)
Somehow even though they have only two wins in their past 10 games, the Admirals are hanging around fourth place in the Central Division. Thanks to four overtime losses in that 10-game span, they are still within three points of fourth-place Texas. They stay at home for two games this week.
Last Week: #23 – 2nd week in a row
HANGING ON
24. SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS (FLORIDA PANTHERS)
Going 5-3-1-1 has made it interesting for the Thunderbirds and put them on the very outer fringe of the Atlantic Division playoff race. They are seven points below the playoff line as they go on the road for three games, however.
Last Week: #26 (▲+2)
25. SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (ST. LOUIS BLUES)
After a poor 10-game trip, the Rampage needed a dominant run to start March. They have not gotten that.
Last Week: #22 (▼-3)
26. TUCSON ROADRUNNERS (ARIZONA COYOTES)
Thanks to two wins in their past 15 games, the Roadrunners have seen their promising season nearly wrecked. After the Reign swept them in Tucson, the Roadrunners have a seven-game losing streak.
Last Week: #25 (▼-1)
OUT OF CONTENTION
27. LAVAL ROCKET (MONTREAL CANADIENS)
The Rocket are in spoiler mode now, and they got a start on it with the comeback win against the Comets.
Last Week: #27 – 2nd week in a row
28. STOCKTON HEAT (CALGARY FLAMES)
The Heat knocked off San Diego and Bakersfield in back-to-back games. Impressive, but the math still works against Stockton.
Last Week: #28 – 2nd week in a row
29. HARTFORD WOLF PACK (NEW YORK RANGERS)
The Wolf Pack managed to go on the road and take a pair of weekend wins.
Last Week: #29 – 2nd week in a row
30. BINGHAMTON DEVILS (NEW JERSEY DEVILS)
New Jersey has picked apart the AHL roster, and Binghamton has lost six in a row.
Last Week: #30 – 2nd week in a row
31. ONTARIO REIGN (LOS ANGELES KINGS)
Cal Petersen continues to give the Reign a chance with games they have no business even being in let alone winning.
Last Week: #31 – 4th week in a row