The Ontario Reign started the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs the way they finished Round 1: With authority. They defeat the Abbotsford Canucks 3-1 to take a 1-0 lead over the series on the back of goals from TJ Tynan, Alex Turcotte and Nikita Pavlychev.
Three Stars
I’ll stop naming Erik Portillo one of my three stars when he stops being this team’s MVP. He continued his excellent play last night, saving 23 of 24 shots and improving to 3-0 in these playoffs. He now has a .962 on the postseason, having allowed only three goals on 79 shots, and has the highest sv% of any goalie in the postseason with more than two games. Max Sasson’s goal was the first even strength goal Portillo has allowed in the playoffs so far.
In the preview for this series, I talked about the stars needing to show up. TJ Tynan has officially shown up, with a goal and an assist in this game. He now has three points in three playoff games, tying Tyler Madden for the team lead. There’s still a ways to go before he reaches his usual Tynan-like level of points, but it’s a very promising start.
Nikita Pavlychev scored his first career AHL playoff goal last night, and did it as part of a line that caused problems for the Canucks all night long. He led all skaters in shots taken with four (tied with Vasily Podkolzin of the Canucks), and hit anything that stood still for more than half a second. Usually hits means you don’t have the puck, but Pavlychev decided to do both last night.
Two Takeaways
Bash Brothers
Nikita Pavlychev was on a line with Jacob Doty and Hayden Hodgson last night, and that line was A Problem in a good way (if you are a Reign fan. If you are a Canucks fan, they likely were a problem in a bad way). Of the three of them, only Doty managed to stay out of the box, but the Reign PK stood tall. Though Pavlychev was the most impactful of the three on the scoresheet, Hodgson was a pain in the butt of every Canuck on the ice, and Doty forechecked like it was his day job. Checking lines are going out of fashion in hockey, but this was a good example of one that, when deployed properly, is infuriating to try and play against, and also creates more time and space for the skilled lines to work their offensive magic.
Stars In Their Eyes
Speaking of the skill lines, the top line finally broke through. Samuel Fagemo still can’t buy a goal (he had another three shots tonight, plus an assist and at least one goalpost), but Tynan had a goal and an assist, Alex Turcotte had the game winning goal, and that top line combined for six shots on goal. If the Reign is going to continue marching forward, that line needs to keep taking big steps. I predict a big jump ahead for the Reign’s top line in Game 2 of this series.
One Question
What The Heck Is Wrong With The Power Play?
The Reign had the second best power play in the regular season. Last night, they went 0 for 4 with the extra man, haven’t scored a power play goal since Game 1 vs Bakersfield, and are 2 for 11 on the power play in the postseason. They’re using all the same personnel, give or take, so what gives? Partially it’s that the Canucks penalty kill has been strong, killing off 13 of 15 attempts, but the Canucks are also the most penalised team in the playoffs, so eventually something has to give, and the Reign have to break through. Will it be in Game 2 of this series?
What’s Next?
The Ontario Reign return to action in Ontario on Sunday for Game 2 of their best of 5 series against the Abbotsford Canucks. Game 2 begins at 3pm PT. The Reign are currently up 1-0 in the series.
