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AHL Second Round Previews

Last Word on Sports continues its coverage of the American Hockey Leauge Playoffs with second round previews as well as predictions for each of the series.  What are your round two predictions for your favorite AHL team?  Let us know in the comments section below.

AHL Second Round Previews

Ontario Reign vs. San Diego Gulls
The San Diego Gulls were the only team in the Pacific Division to post a winning record against the Reign. The Gulls won eight of the twelve meetings between the two clubs. The series will be a strange one: due to scheduling conflicts at both arenas, the second round match-up will follow a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 format.  Luckily the teams are just a two-hour bus ride away from each other.

The Reign were solid up and down the line-up in Round 1, and the team effort was a key to victory. Nic Dowd paced Ontario with two goals and two assists to lead the team in scoring, and 17 of Reign players recorded at least a point in the four-game series win. Adrian Kempe scored two goals in Game 3 and would like to figure into more offense against the Gulls. Kempe’s first and thus far only hat trick of his AHL career came against the Gulls and his play against a stout San Diego defense will count for a lot. Peter Budaj excelled in net for the Ontario Reign against the San Jose Barracuda in Round 1 with a 1.51 goals against average and .925 save percentage. In each of the three wins, Budaj allowed only a single goal. The Reign were able to dispatch the offense-challenged Barracuda quickly but will now face a much tougher task against their Southern California rivals.

Shea Theodore is back with the Gulls after being part of the Anaheim Ducks playoff run. His return was a jolt offensively and defensively for San Diego with a goal and three assists in only two games after the Ducks lost in Game 7. Journeyman forwards Mike Sgarbossa and Chris Mueller lead the Gulls with five points a piece. Most concerning for the Gulls is the status of starting goalie Anton Khudobin. Khudobin was part of a terrible collision with Gulls rearguard Brandon Montour in San Diego’s Game 4 victory and did not return to the game. Khodobin’s status for Game 1 is unknown, but it doesn’t look good.

If Kuhdobin is unable to go, Matt Hackett is the likely starter. Hackett is capable, but is a step back in talent and will make the difficult task of beating the Reign even harder.

Last Word on the Series: Reign in six games.

Lake Erie Monsters vs. Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids posted a 7-4-0-1 record in twelve regular season meetings against Lake Erie. Four of the seven Griffins’ wins came in either overtime or a shootout proving how close these two squads are. The first round wins for both teams came in three-game sweeps: The Griffins surprisingly dispatched the top-seeded Milwaukee Admirals and the Monsters quickly took care of the Rockford Ice Hogs. Both teams will enjoy the time to practice and better integrate new players into the line-up.

Tom McCollum was fantastic for the Griffins and allowed a single goal in the three wins against the powerful Admirals. McCollum’s .968 is good for third in the AHL postseason but will face a much tougher test against a Monsters team that scored in bunches in the first round. Anthony Mantha leads the Griffins in postseason scoring with four points, two goals and the assist coming in Game 3 to close out the series. Tyler Bertuzzi also has three goals, but much of Grand Rapids secondary scoring has dried up. Andy Miele, who lead the Griffins in the regular season, scoring but did not record a point in the first round will need to get himself going.

The restocked Monsters completed their first round sweep of Rockford in commanding fashion. Lake Erie scored five goals in every game, and only one skater who played in all three games didn’t record a point. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sonny Milano, and the newly signed Zach Werenski played well in their first tastes of professional playoff action, the three youngsters combined for five goals and five assists. Josh Anderson leads Lake Erie with five points, four of which were goals, in addition to eight penalty minutes. Joonas Korpisalo got all three wins in net for the Monsters allowing two goals per game with a tidy .924 save percentage. The stat lines are impressive, but the Monsters will have a much tougher opponent in the Grand Rapid Griffins. It will be a hard-fought series, but the overall talent depth the Monsters can roll out should be the difference and allow captain Ryan Craig to spray paint four more X’s on the boards.

Last Word on the Series: Monsters in six games.

Hershey Bears vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
There isn’t a more even match-up in the second round. The Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins faced off twelve times during the 2015-16 season, posting identical 6-5-1 records in the 2015-16 series. The penalty kills are also close, with the Bears at 95.8% and the Penguins at 90%.

The Bears faced a tough series in the first round. Facing elimination in Game 4 after falling behind 2-1 in the series, Justin Peters shutout the Pirates to tie the series and force Game 5. The Bears jumped out to a two-goal lead and held on for a Game 5 2-1 win.

The Penguins, on the other hand, were surprising 3-0 series winners against the Providence Bruins. The Baby Pens enter the second round as a battle-tested squad: all three of their victories against Providence came in overtime. Reinforcements for WBS have come in the form of two prospects, Jake Guentzel and Daniel Sprong. Guentzel arrived from the NCAA ranks late in the year, and his adjustment to the AHL has been as rapid and is currently tied for the AHL scoring lead with three goals and four assists. Sprong has scored three goals so far this offseason after his season with the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL ended and thus far looks to be a fantastic second round find in the 2015 draft. Casey DeSmith has stolen the crease in what was supposed to be a timeshare with Tristan Jarry. It will be interesting to see if DeSmith can keep up the .930 save percentage he posted in round one, stopping 120 of 129 shots in just three games.

For Hershey, Jakub Vrana has fully recovered from the injuries that shortened his AHL debut season and recorded five points in five games to lead the Bears. Chris Bourque, the AHL’s leading scorer in the regular season and center Travis Boyd, both have one goal and two assists, respectively this postseason. After those three forwards, a large chunk of point production has come from the Hershey blueline. Aaron Ness, a veteran of 350 AHL games, has four assists and rookie defender Tyler Lewington has two goals and an assist as well. Looking at the Bears goaltending, Justin Peters was handed the starting job for the Bears after Dan Ellis surrendered six goals in Game 1 of the first round. Peters is at the very top of his game, allowing less than a goal per game and a dazzling .966 save percentage. While Peters struggled in the regular season against the Pens, he could be the difference maker if he can continue his high level of play in the second round.

Last Word on The Series: Bears in seven games.

Toronto Marlies vs. Albany Devils
The Marlies are 4-2 against the Devils in six matches during the regular season, including two overtime wins and two shutouts. Both of the Devils victories came via 3-2 scores, one at home and one on the road. The Albany Devils are likely the last team the Marlies would want to face. Both teams boast a high level of NHL and AHL experience, young talent and solid goaltending.

Scott Wedgewood has been on top of his game with 1.93 goals against average, and .922 save percentage in four playoff games. Damon Severson has returned from his season with the parent club and provided a skilled puck-moving defender and had five assists thus far to show for it. Up front, the younger Devils are taking the lead. Reid Boucher has three goals and three assists so far for the Devils and 2015 first round selection Pavel Zacha and rookie sensation Joseph Blandisi both tallied three points in the first round as well. Blake Pietila only played one game for Albany but played like a man possessed, scoring two goals and adding two assists in the final win against the Utica Comets. If the quartet of youngsters maintains this level of play, Albany could steal a game or two and make it a series.

Toronto had a Game 3 for the ages, after falling behind 4-1 to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled goalie Antoine Bibeau after 31 minutes of action and put in Garrett Sparks. Sparks shut the door the rest of the way and the Marlies stormed back to win the game 6-4 and end the series with a sweep. Entering the second round, the Marlies face a bit of a goalie controversy. Garett Sparks leads the AHL with a perfect 100% save percentage and one shutout, but head coach Sheldon Keefe was noncommittal on when asked by MarliesTV to name a starting goalie. What is not debatable is the seven points Connor Carrick has posted in four playoff games for the Marlies, including a hat trick in series-clinching Game 3 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Andreas Johnson is fresh from a Swedish Elite League championship and is available to the Marlies but not a certainty to start the series. Toronto’s version of the Triplets, Zach Hyman, William Nylander, and Kasperi Kapanen, each has two points in three games as well.

Last Word on the Series: Marlies in five games.

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