AHL POWER RANKINGS: Checkers still dominant, Wolves in pursuit

Each week, EP Rinkside serves up the AHL Power Rankings, a look at the top Calder Cup contenders across the 31-team circuit and their player development picture.

The Charlotte Checkers continue to cruise toward an AHL regular-season title, but only five of the available 16 slots in the Calder Cup Playoffs have been claimed. Each of the AHL’s four divisions have ongoing playoff races. Its biggest traffic jam remains in the Central Division, where four teams chasing fourth place are separated three points. A fifth team, the Iowa Wild, has started to fall into that pack as five consecutive losses have added further spice to that battle. Six points separate the Central Division’s third- and seventh-place teams.

AHL TOP 10
1. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (CAROLINA HURRICANES)
Another month, another stout performance for the Checkers, who went 10-2-1-0 in March. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s excellent performance continued with his second CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month Award this season. He was 6-2-1 | 1.46 | .945 for the Checkers. The Checkers missed a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division title this past Saturday night at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 2-1 loss. They will have another opportunity to nail down the title when they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on back-to-back nights before a two-game weekend set against the Springfield Thunderbirds. The two-game series also will provide them an opportunity to all but officially Lehigh Valley’s playoff chances; the Phantoms eliminated the Checkers in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs last year. A point against the Phantoms on Tuesday or a Bridgeport loss of any type against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins would give the Checkers their first-ever division title.

Last Week: #1 – 17th week in a row

2. CHICAGO WOLVES (VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS)
Daniel Carr remains out of the line-up. So does Brooks Macek, who has missed six consecutive games. They have gone five games without Gage Quinney. Goaltender Max Lagacé is still on recall to the Golden Knights. Yet the Wolves continue to win. They took three of four games last week, have built a six-point advantage for the Western Conference lead, and are tied for third overall in the AHL. After visiting the Milwaukee Admirals, they will have the Colorado Eagles in for a pair of games this weekend. The Wolves are also within target of a third consecutive division title. With so much talent missing from the line-up, Curtis McKenzie has been excellent lately and put in four more goals to hit the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his five AHL seasons. Forward Cody Glass, the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is on his way to the Wolves from Portland of the WHL. Injury limited him to 38 regular-season games, but he piled up 15-54-69 and returned to play the Winterhawks’ final playoff game.
Last Week: #3 – (▲+1)

3. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (BUFFALO SABRES)
Rochester took five of six points this past week and will have some time off before a weekend home-and-home series against the Syracuse Crunch. The Amerks are taking points even with three defensemen on recall to the Sabres – Lawrence Pilut, Matt Tennyson, and Will Borgen. Forwards Victor Olofsson and Alexander Nylander also remain in Buffalo, though the Sabres did send Tage Thompson down to Rochester. Buffalo’s season ends this week, and that should finally allow the Rochester roster to stabilize going as the AHL regular-season schedule winds down. They have four of their final six games on the road before the first round arrives.
Last Week: #5 – (▲+2)

4. BAKERSFIELD CONDORS (EDMONTON OILERS)
Relatively speaking, the Condors cooled off slightly in March. Slightly. A team that put together a 17-game winning streak, the second-longest in AHL history, is 4-2-1-1 in the past eight games. But they are amassing enough points to continue holding down first place in the Pacific Division, although the San Jose Barracuda have reduced that lead to six points after defeating the Condors this past Saturday night. Still, the Condors have become the first Edmonton AHL affiliate to reach the postseason since 2015 and should receive further help after the Oilers finish their season this week. The Condors have a two-game stop in Winnipeg to face the Manitoba Moose this week before moving on for one game against the San Antonio Rampage.
Last Week: #6 – (▲+2)

5. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING)
The Crunch lost three in a row before closing out their weekend with a win. That gave them a 10-4-1-1 performance through a March run of 16 games in 30 days. Still, there are alarming storm clouds gathering. Tampa Bay recalled Syracuse number-one goaltender Eddie Pasquale on Monday morning with Lightning back-up Louis Domingue out day-to-day. That leaves the Crunch with recent NCAA signing Atte Tolvanen and ECHL recall Corbin Boes as their goaltending tandem going into a week in which they have to visit the Belleville Senators and then face the Rochester Americans in a home-and-home weekend series. The first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs is a best-of-five format, which means that teams need to hit the postseason in full stride. Even a brief stumble there can quickly put the season in danger – just ask the Toronto Marlies, whose run to the Calder Cup last year nearly did not get out of the first round.
Last Week: #2 – (▼-3)

6. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS (NY ISLANDERS)
Bridgeport is on an eight-game homestand, but the itinerary has been a challenging one. They split a pair of games with the Checkers and dropped a shootout decision to the Hershey Bears this past week. They finish this home period on Tuesday against the Penguins before a weekend home-and-home series with the Providence Bruins. With a six-point lead on second place in the Atlantic Division, a productive week should garner them home-ice advantage in the first round for a probable series against either the Bears or Bruins.
Last Week: #6 – 2nd week in a row

7. TORONTO MARLIES (TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS)
The Leafs grabbed Calle Rosen, a big blue-line loss for the Marlies with Vincent LoVerde already out of the line-up. Toronto picked up two more wins and will host the Bears later this week before going on the road for a pair of weekend games. Veteran Chris Mueller has been a force since returning from an injury that kept him out for more than a month. He has 13 tallies in his past 13 games, including a hat trick in a 3-0 victory against the Laval Rocket. Jeremy Bracco is tied for the AHL scoring lead and owns a nine-game point streak (4-10-14). The Michael Hutchinson–Kasimir Kaskisuo net tandem has solidified, and the Marlies are looking like a difficult break for either Rochester or Syracuse as a first-round opponent.
Last Week: #8 – (▲+1)

8. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (DETROIT RED WINGS)
After a 5-1 road trip, the Griffins stumbled badly this past weekend. They took three consecutive regulation defeats, including a pair on home ice where they have been dominant this season. Grand Rapids managed only five goals in those three losses. However, it must be noted that they have an extensive list of players on recall with the Red Wings and will be able to welcome back that group after Detroit’s season ends this week. Their season-long issue, the power play, continued its lack of production. It went 2-for-15 in those three weekend losses and remains stuck in a last-place tie with the Colorado Eagles at 14.4 percent.
Last Week: #7 – (▼-1)

9. HERSHEY BEARS (WASHINGTON CAPITALS)
Faced with a challenging weekend, the Bears did more than break even. They generated a third-period comeback at home against the P-Bruins before going on the road the following afternoon and pulling out a win at Bridgeport, something few teams have been able to do there this season. The Bears will start a three-game North Division swing this week, starting in Toronto. They visit the Belleville Senators and finish a 3-in-3 grind at Laval. Devante Smith-Pelly’s arrival from the Capitals at the end of February gave the Bears a major offensive weapon, and he has supplied 6-5-11 in 14 games since landing back in the AHL. They have climbed seven points up on the Atlantic Division playoff line, and it looks like postseason action will be back in Hershey this spring after an extremely rare one-year absence.

Last Week: #11 (▲+2)

10. SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (SAN JOSE SHARKS)
Three consecutive wins last week have the Barracuda in much safer territory than a week ago. They are now seven points clear of the playoff line in the Pacific Division after an impressive win at Bakersfield. The win featured three third-period goals against an opponent that has been a second-half menace for the Barracuda. Forward Dylan Gambrell returned on Monday from the Sharks while late-season additions Marcus Vela (New Hampshire) and Vladislav Kotkov (Chicoutimi) add further forward depth. They host the San Diego Gulls, a possible first-round opponent, on Tuesday night.
Last Week: #16 (▲+6)

UNDER CONSIDERATION
11. PROVIDENCE BRUINS (BOSTON BRUINS)
Considering the P-Bruins had to run a challenging gauntlet on the road last week, they managed to survive. They took a road win at Syracuse sandwiched by losses at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey. A 3-in-3 weekend, a Providence specialty in the second half of the season, is up next. They are five points ahead of a playoff spot but are facing a potential first-round date with Charlotte. They also have a pair of teams lurking behind them that still need to be put away before Providence can begin to make postseason plans.
Last Week: #11 – 2nd week in a row

12. IOWA WILD (MINNESOTA WILD)
If the Wild are not careful, they could end up missing the Calder Cup Playoffs completely. Once comfortably in playoff position and even challenging for home-ice advantage in the first round, the Wild have lost five in a row and have both the Texas Stars and Milwaukee Admirals only three points behind them. Now they have a two-game home series against the desperate Tucson Roadrunners starting Tuesday night followed by a trip to Milwaukee this weekend. Iowa is allowing 4.6 goals per game during this slide.
Last Week: #9 – (▼-3)

IN CONTENTION
13. CLEVELAND MONSTERS (COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS)
Points. The Monsters need to keep stockpiling them the same way, any way, that they have through a seven-game point streak (5-0-1-1). With back-to-back road games against depleted Laval, they can build on that streak. After departing Laval, they go to Belleville for a game that could decide who takes the North Division’s fourth playoff spot this season. Zac Dalpe, the CCM/AHL Player of the Week and Player of the Month, has been an absolute force for Cleveland since his return from injury. So has time-tested goaltender Brad Thiessen, who has stepped into the number-one job with J-F Bérubé out of action. Captain Nathan Gerbe and Sonny Milano are out as well. The schedule will not let up on the Monsters, who also have a season-ending pair of home games against the Checkers.
Last Week: #14 (▲+1)

14. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (OTTAWA SENATORS)
Belleville has four consecutive home games up next, but it is going to be an early taste of playoff-caliber opposition. They have the Crunch, Bears, and Monsters in a span of four nights. They took care of business against the Hartford Wolf Pack in a light week. A big haul from Ottawa is on tap for the B-Sens, and it cannot come quickly enough for them as they try to push back Cleveland.
Last Week: #15 (▲+1)

15. TEXAS STARS (DALLAS STARS)
Three wins in the row have the Stars in relatively good position going into the home stretch of the season. Their week included taking back-to-back games at Iowa, putting them three points out of third place in the Central Division. They could put the Rockford IceHogs behind them for this weekend in a two-game series on Texas ice. Goaltender Landon Bow remains on recall with Dallas, but Texas has received an influx of CHL and NCAA prospects in the past two weeks.
Last Week: #20 (▲+5)

16. MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS (NASHVILLE PREDATORS)
With an eight-game point streak (6-0-1-1), the Admirals have taken control in the Central Division race. Troy Grosenick is back after a quick recall to Nashville and looking like very much like he did two years ago with the Barracuda when he won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender.

Last Week: #21 (▲+5)

17. SAN DIEGO GULLS (ANAHEIM DUCKS)
Three losses last week on home ice have left the Gulls in a difficult position. They are only three points into playoff territory in the Pacific Division and face a difficult closing schedule. That being said, they are in a very similar position to Grand Rapids with several top players on NHL recall. When those players return from Anaheim, some of them after extended stints there, the Gulls should be in much better shape for the postseason. But they have to hammer down that playoff spot first.
Last Week: #12 – (▼-5)

18. MANITOBA MOOSE (WINNIPEG JETS)
Leaving a point in San Antonio in an overtime loss could come back to bite the Moose. They go into a two-game series in Winnipeg against the Condors two points out of a playoff spot in the Central Division. After hosting the Condors, they have a weekend two-game series with the Stockton Heat. They need these points badly, especially with two season-closing road games against the Wolves.
Last Week: #13 – (▼-5)

19. COLORADO EAGLES (COLORADO AVALANCHE)
The Eagles’ four remaining games are the fewest of any team in the league, and they also face the toughest strength-of-schedule slate in the AHL. It will not be an easy road. They go on the road for two games against the Wolves and finish next weekend against the Barracuda. They surrender two games in hand to Tucson, but taking six of the remaining eight points available would put the Roadrunners in a difficult situation.
Last Week: #15 (▼-4)

20. TUCSON ROADRUNNERS (ARIZONA COYOTES)
The three points taken against the Eagles kept Tucson in the Pacific Division race for another week and holding an eight-game point streak (6-1-0-1). After their two games in Iowa, they go back to the West Coast to visit the lowly Ontario Reign. Three points out of a playoff spot, they may not be able to spare any points this week because next week (at Bakersfield and two home dates against the Gulls) looks quite daunting.
Last Week: #23 (▲+3)

21. WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS (PITTSBURGH PENGUINS)
Just when it seems that the Penguins might be on track for a playoff spot, they have a clunker game. A 4-1 home loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds stopped their winning streak at three games. Up next is a difficult test at Bridgeport. A home game against the Binghamton Devils will start the weekend before they go on the road for a pair of road games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, one of the teams that they are trying to fight off for a playoff spot. Extending the team’s playoff streak to a 17th season is going to be a heavy lift.
Last Week: #17 – (▼-4)

HANGING ON
22. ROCKFORD ICEHOGS (CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS)
Four losses in five games, including 22 goals-against, have the IceHogs in trouble. After hosting the Rampage on Tuesday night, they have a four-game road trip that features the two-game stop at Texas. Last season the Stars eliminated Rockford in the Western Conference final, and this weekend’s showdown could very well decide Rockford’s season again.
Last Week: #19 (▼-3)

23. LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (PHILADELPHIA FLYERS)
Six points out in the Atlantic Division, the Phantoms may have to run the table in their final seven games to claim a playoff spot. The march starts with their two games at Charlotte, but they could be facing playoff elimination as soon as this weekend.
Last Week: #19 (▼-4)

OUT OF CONTENTION
24. UTICA COMETS (VANCOUVER CANUCKS)
Another poor week has all but finished off the Comets. They have dropped 14 of their past 16 (2-12-2-0) as their season has fallen apart over the past five weeks.
Last Week: #24 – 2nd week in a row

25. SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS (FLORIDA PANTHERS)
It has been in the works for weeks, but official playoff elimination should come later this week for the Thunderbirds. They go to Charlotte for a pair of games after hosting the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Last Week: #24 (▼-1)

26. STOCKTON HEAT (CALGARY FLAMES)
The Heat have taken four consecutive wins and have gone 9-4-0-1 over the past six weeks, but they left themselves nearly no margin for error.
Last Week: #28 (▲+2)

27. LAVAL ROCKET (MONTREAL CANADIENS)
The Rocket have dropped three in a row as they wind down the season.
Last Week: #26 (▼-1)

28. HARTFORD WOLF PACK (NEW YORK RANGERS)
Once a perennially successful franchise, Hartford will miss the postseason for the sixth time in the past seven years.
Last Week: #27 (▼-1)

29. SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (ST. LOUIS BLUES)
San Antonio managed to stop a 10-game losing streak (0-9-0-1) that was tied for the longest in the AHL this season. They have a depleted line-up thanks to injury and suspension issues. With three games still to go against Texas, the Rampage could thwart their in-state rival’s playoff bid.
Last Week: #29 – 2nd week in a row

30. BINGHAMTON DEVILS (NEW JERSEY DEVILS)
Binghamton finally broke a 10-game losing streak (0-9-1-0) and won back-to-back games last week.
Last Week: #31 (▲+1)

31. ONTARIO REIGN (LOS ANGELES KINGS)
Back to the bottom for the Reign.
Last Week: #30 (▼-1)