Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2012 17:15:26 GMT -6
Here's a breakdown of the last 32 games of the IceCaps' season.
Current standing: 3rd Atlantic (49P-42GP)
Season series: 3-2 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks, for all intents and purposes, SHOULD be higher in the standings, but they have played the fewest games in the AHL (a distinction shared with Milwaukee and Syracuse). The last time these two met on the Rock, it did not go well: The Sharks took both games.
Current Standing: 5th Atlantic (45P-45GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Remaining Games VS: 2 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Boston Bruins
The P-B's have had a dismal season. The last game was way back in October, won in OT by Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Don't expect many power plays, as only Syracuse and the IceCaps have fewer penalty minutes in the Eastern Conference. (The IceCaps and Rochester Americans are tied for second least penalized; the least would be Texas).
Current Standing: 5th East (42P-46GP)
Season Series: No games played.
Remaining Games VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Ottawa Senators
One year after winning the Calder Cup, the Sens AGAIN make the mistake of playing a journeyman goalie night after night, when Robin Lehner won AHL Playoff MVP for a reason!! Dead last in the East, they may have been invigorated by a 7-4 smashing of Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Current Standings: 1st North (51P-45GP)
Season Series: 4-3 (TOR)
Games Remaining VS: 1 (@ TOR)
NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs (DERP)
The IceCaps may have to take the road through Toronto to get to the Calder Cup. They've led the North Division pretty much since Day 1. The Marlies spread the wealth as they have seven players with more than 20 points, and they've got a trio of solid goalies, led by Ben Scrivens.
Current Standing: T-4th North (w/ Lake Erie Monsters) (43P-43GP)
Season Series: 3-1 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens
Amid rumors that they are moving to Laval for 2013-14, the Dogs' current campaign has been horrid. They are in a three way tie for dead last in the Western Conference with Lake Erie and Texas, but the good news for them is that the West is so close that anyone can make it. The goaltending is there, but Aaron Palushaj leads the team with a measly 28 points.
Current Standings: 4th, East (44P-42GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Games Remaining VS: 2 (both @ SYR)
NHL Affiliate: Anaheim Ducks
Okay, before I get into this, I don't know HOW the Ducks made the Crunch logo even worse than it was. Now ONTO the topic... This team has very few bright spots. Patrick Maroon's 45 points, Kyle Palmieri having another solid season, and a decent campaign by not-quite-rookie Iiro Tarkki (not a rookie due to age - he is 26). Other than that, it's been another long season in Upstate New York.
Current Standing: 1st East (58P-45GP)
Season Series: 2-0 (WBS)
Remaining Games VS: 2 (both @ WBS)
NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins
This is the one I'm most knowledgeable about, since I have season tickets. They are the lone team so far that's been able to keep up with the Caps (Hershey does too, but we'll get to that later), and beat them twice in a row in January. They've gotten good numbers from both Scotty Munroe and Brad Theissen. However, they've got some woes winning at home (8-9-4). The road to the Cup goes through Pennsylvania, whether it be the WBS Penguins or....
Current Standing: 2nd East (57P-44GP)
Season Series: Not played yet
Games Remaining VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Washington Capitals
...the Douchebags from Dauphin County! And the "douchebags" claim is backed up by a league high 1015 penalty minutes, light years ahead of everyone else. They boast the league's top two scorers: Keith Aucoin and Chris Bourque, neither of whom have an NHL future. Braden Holtby has been okay in goal, but playoff winning goalies aren't just "okay"...ask Holtby, who was a sieve in a first round loss to Charlotte last year.
Current Standings: 2nd, Atlantic (52P-47GP)
Season Series: 5-0 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: L.A. Kings
The nearest competition for the division title? More like "punching bag." The only thing that's kept the Monarchs in games with the IceCaps is goaltending, and even Jeff Zatkoff has faltered recently; he was pulled from a recent game after 3 goals on 11 shots. His stats are still ridiculous, but that and the most games played in the AHL will hurt the Monarchs down the stretch.
Current Standings: 3rd East (55P-45GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Remaining Games VS: 2 (both @ NFK)
NHL Affiliate: Tampa Bay Lightning
Before you ask, YES, THE EAST DIVISION'S TOP THREE TEAMS ARE SEPARATED BY THREE POINTS. Moving on.... the N-Ads are led by surprising rookie star Cory Conacher (who, like me, has type 1 diabetes), who leads them with 49 points. Dustin Tokarski has put up solid numbers as well, and only one regular is a minus. But in a competitive Eastern Conference, a Calder Cup is unlikely.
Current Standings: 4th Atlantic (47P-44GP)
Season Series: 3-3
Remaining Games VS: 2 (Both @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Quebec Nord- er, Phoenix Coyotes
No offense to Todd, but I still found PHX moving their farm team as foreshadowing.....Moving on. Their top three scorers....none has played over 40 games. Ouch. Goalies Curtis McElhinney and Justin Pogge have been average at best, and the team is in a DOGFIGHT for that eighth spot, which they have on tiebreaker with Connecticut (who is WINLESS in their last ten).
Current Standings: 4th Northeast (45P-44GP)
Season Series: 1-0 (SPF)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Falcons have no pun-.....no, I'm not about to make a bad pun. Because they actually do! Alex Giroux is having an off year, but still has 30 points, and Martin St. Pierre is 14th in league scoring, which isn't too bad. -looks at goalies- YOWZA!! Every goalie has a GAA over 2.00 and a save percentage under .910 (well, Manny Legace's IS .910). That's not going to help their playoff push.
THE BEST OF THE WEST
Some teams you may need to familiarize yourselves with for the Caps' playoff run.
NHL AFFILIATE: Edmonton Oilers
It's been UTTER DOMINATION for the Oklahoma City Barons. Both David LeNeveu and Yann Danis have GAAs under 2.15 and save percentage over .920, and yet their leading scorer has...35 points. Wow. That's a testament to defensive hockey.
NHL AFFILIATE: Carolina Hurricanes
These guys know how to pull off an upset, having knocked off the regular season champions in the second round last year (W-B/Scranton; the Checkers scored 4 third period goals after trailing 3-0 with 15 minutes to go). Trading Jonathan Matsumoto (to San Antonio), a clutch AHLer, hurts, but they're still among the AHL's offensive machines, using players like Chris Terry, Jerome Samson, and Zach Boychuk. Mike Murphy has played well in goal.
NHL AFFILIATE: Minnesota Wild
The road to a second straight conference championship will not be easy, with Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Abbotsford all contending big time. Matt Hackett's numbers are solid again, but will he have the consistency in the playoffs? If not, the Aeros will go nowhere.
NHL AFFILIATE: Florida Panthers
They're sleepers, but other than Bridgeport - unbeaten in their last 11 to take the Northeast Division lead from Connecticut - are the hottest team in the league, having won 7 straight. Acquiring AHL superstar and top 10 scorer Jonathan Matsumoto and solid goaltending from Dov Grumet-Morris (second in the league in GAA and tied for second in save percentage) show that the Rampage mean business.
Took me OVER NINE THOUSAAAAND!! Characters. Hope you enjoy this, and GO ICECAPS!!
Current standing: 3rd Atlantic (49P-42GP)
Season series: 3-2 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: San Jose Sharks
The Sharks, for all intents and purposes, SHOULD be higher in the standings, but they have played the fewest games in the AHL (a distinction shared with Milwaukee and Syracuse). The last time these two met on the Rock, it did not go well: The Sharks took both games.
Current Standing: 5th Atlantic (45P-45GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Remaining Games VS: 2 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Boston Bruins
The P-B's have had a dismal season. The last game was way back in October, won in OT by Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Don't expect many power plays, as only Syracuse and the IceCaps have fewer penalty minutes in the Eastern Conference. (The IceCaps and Rochester Americans are tied for second least penalized; the least would be Texas).
Current Standing: 5th East (42P-46GP)
Season Series: No games played.
Remaining Games VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Ottawa Senators
One year after winning the Calder Cup, the Sens AGAIN make the mistake of playing a journeyman goalie night after night, when Robin Lehner won AHL Playoff MVP for a reason!! Dead last in the East, they may have been invigorated by a 7-4 smashing of Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Current Standings: 1st North (51P-45GP)
Season Series: 4-3 (TOR)
Games Remaining VS: 1 (@ TOR)
NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs (DERP)
The IceCaps may have to take the road through Toronto to get to the Calder Cup. They've led the North Division pretty much since Day 1. The Marlies spread the wealth as they have seven players with more than 20 points, and they've got a trio of solid goalies, led by Ben Scrivens.
Current Standing: T-4th North (w/ Lake Erie Monsters) (43P-43GP)
Season Series: 3-1 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens
Amid rumors that they are moving to Laval for 2013-14, the Dogs' current campaign has been horrid. They are in a three way tie for dead last in the Western Conference with Lake Erie and Texas, but the good news for them is that the West is so close that anyone can make it. The goaltending is there, but Aaron Palushaj leads the team with a measly 28 points.
Current Standings: 4th, East (44P-42GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Games Remaining VS: 2 (both @ SYR)
NHL Affiliate: Anaheim Ducks
Okay, before I get into this, I don't know HOW the Ducks made the Crunch logo even worse than it was. Now ONTO the topic... This team has very few bright spots. Patrick Maroon's 45 points, Kyle Palmieri having another solid season, and a decent campaign by not-quite-rookie Iiro Tarkki (not a rookie due to age - he is 26). Other than that, it's been another long season in Upstate New York.
Current Standing: 1st East (58P-45GP)
Season Series: 2-0 (WBS)
Remaining Games VS: 2 (both @ WBS)
NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins
This is the one I'm most knowledgeable about, since I have season tickets. They are the lone team so far that's been able to keep up with the Caps (Hershey does too, but we'll get to that later), and beat them twice in a row in January. They've gotten good numbers from both Scotty Munroe and Brad Theissen. However, they've got some woes winning at home (8-9-4). The road to the Cup goes through Pennsylvania, whether it be the WBS Penguins or....
Current Standing: 2nd East (57P-44GP)
Season Series: Not played yet
Games Remaining VS: 4 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Washington Capitals
...the Douchebags from Dauphin County! And the "douchebags" claim is backed up by a league high 1015 penalty minutes, light years ahead of everyone else. They boast the league's top two scorers: Keith Aucoin and Chris Bourque, neither of whom have an NHL future. Braden Holtby has been okay in goal, but playoff winning goalies aren't just "okay"...ask Holtby, who was a sieve in a first round loss to Charlotte last year.
Current Standings: 2nd, Atlantic (52P-47GP)
Season Series: 5-0 (STJ)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: L.A. Kings
The nearest competition for the division title? More like "punching bag." The only thing that's kept the Monarchs in games with the IceCaps is goaltending, and even Jeff Zatkoff has faltered recently; he was pulled from a recent game after 3 goals on 11 shots. His stats are still ridiculous, but that and the most games played in the AHL will hurt the Monarchs down the stretch.
Current Standings: 3rd East (55P-45GP)
Season Series: 1-1
Remaining Games VS: 2 (both @ NFK)
NHL Affiliate: Tampa Bay Lightning
Before you ask, YES, THE EAST DIVISION'S TOP THREE TEAMS ARE SEPARATED BY THREE POINTS. Moving on.... the N-Ads are led by surprising rookie star Cory Conacher (who, like me, has type 1 diabetes), who leads them with 49 points. Dustin Tokarski has put up solid numbers as well, and only one regular is a minus. But in a competitive Eastern Conference, a Calder Cup is unlikely.
Current Standings: 4th Atlantic (47P-44GP)
Season Series: 3-3
Remaining Games VS: 2 (Both @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Quebec Nord- er, Phoenix Coyotes
No offense to Todd, but I still found PHX moving their farm team as foreshadowing.....Moving on. Their top three scorers....none has played over 40 games. Ouch. Goalies Curtis McElhinney and Justin Pogge have been average at best, and the team is in a DOGFIGHT for that eighth spot, which they have on tiebreaker with Connecticut (who is WINLESS in their last ten).
Current Standings: 4th Northeast (45P-44GP)
Season Series: 1-0 (SPF)
Remaining Games VS: 3 (2 @ STJ)
NHL Affiliate: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Falcons have no pun-.....no, I'm not about to make a bad pun. Because they actually do! Alex Giroux is having an off year, but still has 30 points, and Martin St. Pierre is 14th in league scoring, which isn't too bad. -looks at goalies- YOWZA!! Every goalie has a GAA over 2.00 and a save percentage under .910 (well, Manny Legace's IS .910). That's not going to help their playoff push.
THE BEST OF THE WEST
Some teams you may need to familiarize yourselves with for the Caps' playoff run.
NHL AFFILIATE: Edmonton Oilers
It's been UTTER DOMINATION for the Oklahoma City Barons. Both David LeNeveu and Yann Danis have GAAs under 2.15 and save percentage over .920, and yet their leading scorer has...35 points. Wow. That's a testament to defensive hockey.
NHL AFFILIATE: Carolina Hurricanes
These guys know how to pull off an upset, having knocked off the regular season champions in the second round last year (W-B/Scranton; the Checkers scored 4 third period goals after trailing 3-0 with 15 minutes to go). Trading Jonathan Matsumoto (to San Antonio), a clutch AHLer, hurts, but they're still among the AHL's offensive machines, using players like Chris Terry, Jerome Samson, and Zach Boychuk. Mike Murphy has played well in goal.
NHL AFFILIATE: Minnesota Wild
The road to a second straight conference championship will not be easy, with Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Abbotsford all contending big time. Matt Hackett's numbers are solid again, but will he have the consistency in the playoffs? If not, the Aeros will go nowhere.
NHL AFFILIATE: Florida Panthers
They're sleepers, but other than Bridgeport - unbeaten in their last 11 to take the Northeast Division lead from Connecticut - are the hottest team in the league, having won 7 straight. Acquiring AHL superstar and top 10 scorer Jonathan Matsumoto and solid goaltending from Dov Grumet-Morris (second in the league in GAA and tied for second in save percentage) show that the Rampage mean business.
Took me OVER NINE THOUSAAAAND!! Characters. Hope you enjoy this, and GO ICECAPS!!
