The idea that it takes an entire roster to contribute in the Calder Cup Playoffs is not just lip service, and Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra has the lineup changes to prove it.
After splitting a pair of road games with the Firebirds, the Canucks managed to grind out a 3-1 win in Game 3 back on home ice. Defenseman Joe Arntsen and forwards Dino Kambeitz and Jonathan Lekkerimäki entered the Abbotsford lineup for Game 3; Jett Woo, Danila Klimovich and Aatu Räty all missed the contest.
“We have great depth,” goaltender Artūrs Šilovs said after the win. “Everybody is battling for a spot. A lot of guys deserve it, too. That’s a great thing that you see [when] somebody gets injured, guys can step up.”
“The overall game that we played was very much like we’ve done all year,” Malhotra said. “It was by committee. We had contributions up and down the lineup. Throughout different momentum swings in the game, we had people able to control play for us. [The lineup changes] gave our group a little bit of a new look and some energy.”
As for the status of Räty, Woo and defenseman Christian Wolanin, who has missed the past four games?
“It’s playoff time,” Malhotra quipped. “They’re day-to-day.”
This one isn’t over yet, and the Charlotte Checkers know it.
Despite outshooting the Bruins, 40-19, in Game 3 on Wednesday, the Checkers walked away with nothing. Michael DiPietro, who won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender this season, frustrated the Checkers on 38 of those 40 shots in a 3-2 loss that kept Providence’s season alive.
Charlotte had to get by without defenseman Matt Kiersted, who left Wednesday’s contest with an undisclosed injury in the third period. Against a hard-nosed, grinding opponent like Providence, that will put a strain on any defense corps. Kiersted’s status for Game 4 has not been disclosed.
What the Checkers do not want to do is to let this series drag out. A best-of-five series can turn quickly. All it takes is a hot goaltender like DiPietro to produce another night like Wednesday. A loss tonight would put Charlotte in a must-win situation on Sunday.
“We have to take care of ourselves…and make sure we’re right with the recovery part of it,” Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said after Game 3. “Continue to get better, because, again, that’s a good hockey team, and they were never going to go away easy. We want to make sure we get better, learn from this game, and move on.”
Bit by bit, the Griffins will have to work to get themselves out of a jam against the Texas Stars. That begins tonight at H-E-B Center after Texas grabbed back-to-back wins at Van Andel Arena to put the Griffins’ season in jeopardy.
“Seed a little doubt,” Griffins assistant coach Brian Lashoff said Thursday.
Win tonight and that leaves the Stars with something to think about with a quick turnaround for Saturday’s Game 4. Game 5 would be Monday. Three games. Four nights. All on the road. It’s an opportunity to change the narrative quickly.
Dominik Shine, who contributed a pair of assists in the 4-2 loss in Game 2, stressed the importance of not dwelling on their past two losses. He also pointed out that while the Griffins are in a hole, it’s not a particularly deep one because of the best-of-five format.
“A seven-game series is long,” Shine said. “Those are hard to come back from. But five games, it’s just two [wins], and you’re right back in it.”
Tonight the Hershey Bears have their season on the line – as well as their bid for a third consecutive Calder Cup title. A team has not won the Calder Cup in three consecutive years since the Springfield Indians did so in 1960-62.
The Phantoms have left the Bears frustrated, taking a 2-1 series lead into tonight’s contest at PPL Center. One key area to watch is the Hershey power play. Not only have the Bears gone just 1-for-16 this series, they also have allowed three shorthanded goals. After Game 3, head coach Todd Nelson vowed that there will be adjustments made.
“Our power play is going to be shaken up a bit,” Nelson said following Game 3. “It’s going to be a different look, for sure.”
When the call came for Cal Petersen, he responded.
Phantoms starter Parker Gahagen left Game 3 midway through the second period with his team behind, 2-1. In stepped Petersen, who shut down Hershey on all 15 shots that he faced. It was his first appearance of the Calder Cup Playoffs and provided a big moment for Petersen, who had a tough season in which he finished 13-15-3 with a 3.14 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. Head coach Ian Laperriere had opted to go with Gahagen from the start of the postseason.
With an energized home crowd, Petersen gave Phantoms fans something to cheer about in Game 3.
“It was great,” Petersen said. “I think we’ve done a good job of getting it rocking in here. It’s such an awesome building, and the fans are passionate, so we’re trying to give them something to rally around.”
Admirals head coach Karl Taylor maintained much the same demeanor following a 6-2 win in Game 3 that he did in a 6-1 defeat one game earlier.
Taylor means it when he has stressed finding that emotional equilibrium. If he did not show much panic after a pair of losses put his team’s season at risk, winning one game also did not elicit a particularly different reaction, either.
“I thought we looked like a team that needed to win a game,” Taylor said. “The guys played well, but they played with confidence and also a lot of moxie. Good win for us, but that’s one win.
“You’re always trying to create doubt. The other team is trying to create doubt in us, and we’re trying to give them a little bit of doubt. You’re trying to get them to think about the negative stuff, trying to get them to think about the what-ifs. We’re going to enjoy the win, (but) we’re going to focus on the next opportunity.”
Taylor also adjusted his Game 3 lineup. With defenseman Jake Livingstone out on a one-game suspension, Turner Ottenbreit stepped in on the blue line. Up front, Chase De Leo took Jesse Ylonen’s place.
― with files from Patrick Williams
