The Milwaukee Admirals kept their season alive on Wednesday night with a 5-3 victory over the Texas Stars to make it a 2-1 series in favour of Texas. It was a feisty affair on both sides, with over 50 PIMs handed out, and the Admirals Head Coach shocked more than a few people by starting veteran Troy Groesnick over young star Yaroslav Askarov. We have three stars, two takeaways and one big question!
Three Stars
After just one assist in the first two games of the series, Admirals rookie Zach L’Heureux arrived in a big way, with a four point night for Milwaukee (1G, 3A). Even more impressive, all three of his assists were primary ones, and he would end up assisting on the game winner by Roland McKeown. L’Heureux now leads the Admirals in playoff scoring with five points through three games.
Juuso Parssinen also had a breakout game, with three assists after going pointless in his first game of the series. In just one game, he’s already matched his career high in playoff points (set in 2022, Parssinen had three points in nine playoff games for the Admirals), and after not playing in Game 1 of the series, it looks like Parssinen is showing the Milwaukee Head Coach that he deserves to stay in the line-up for a must-win Game 4.
Defenceman Marc Del Gaizo made an impact on seemingly every shift. In addition to opening and closing the scoring for the Admirals in this game, his two goals were the only even strength goals scored by the Admirals last night. Del Gaizo had 8 goals in 60 regular season games for Milwaukee. In just three so far this playoff series, he’s 25% of the way to that. An impressive offensive showing for the young defenceman.
Two Takeaways
Holy Special Teams, Batman!
There were eight goals scored in this game, and only three of them were at even strength. Both teams scored two power play goals, and Milwaukee added a short hander by Roland McKeown that would end up being the game winner for the Admirals. Milwaukee had failed to score on the power play in their first two games of the series, but are now sitting at 11th in the postseason with an 80% success rate (2/10). Texas continues to fly, as they now have 5 power play goals on only 14 attempts, and they sit third in the AHL on PP effenciency (they were the best PP team in the AHL during the regular season).
On the other side, the Admirals have allowed 3 power play goals on only nine kills; not a great success rate. The Stars have fared a little better, with 3PPG allowed on 14 kills, however they went 2/7 in this game alone, meaning they had previously allowed only one PPG on their first seven kills. As this series progresses, it seems like special teams are going to continue to be a big part of both teams’ game plans.
Golden Goose
It was a tough decision to make. Do you start your young star goalie who has struggled in the first two games, or do you sit him for an experienced veteran with less sparkling (but still acceptable) regular season stats? You run the risk of damaging your young goalie’s confidence, but this is a must-win game. Lose, and your season is over. The Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach, Karl Taylor, made the call. It paid off, as Groesnick made 28 of 31 saves to extend the Admirals’ season, and on the other end, Milwaukee finally broke through Poirier, scoring five goals on 19 shots and forcing him out of the game after only 35 minutes.
Askarov is a hugely talented young goalie, and he’ll bounce back. Taylor made the right call, and now the Admirals have the chance to force a Game 5 if they can win at home on Friday night. Which brings me to…
One Question
Who Starts On Friday Night?
Does Troy Groesnick get the call on Friday? He played well on Wednesday night, but well enough to sit Askarov for a second straight game? And what happens after that? Of the 47 regular season wins for the Admirals, Askarov won 30 of them. He can be a difference maker for Milwaukee, will he get a chance to shake off the poor start in this series? We’ll find out on Friday night.
What’s Next
The Milwaukee Admirals take on the Texas Stars in Game 4 of their best of 5 series. With Texas up 2-1, this is a must-win game for the Admirals. It starts at 7pm CT on Friday May 10.
