Okay. Not our weekend.
In fact, last week I might have been a bit too optimistic. However, I do have to note the goaltending still looked good. However, the offensive woes struck deep with one goal performances against both Grand Rapids and Iowa.
We’re onto the next then. Shaping up for one of the toughest blows on the schedule: A home stint with the Marlies followed by a road series against Texas.
The Toronto Marlies are one of those teams that refuse to fall off. In a similar way to how the Chicago Wolves find success no matter who the affiliate is, the Marlies continue to win at a high level. Maple Leafs fans can rest well knowing there are good players waiting in the wings season after season.
21-year-old Nicholas Robertson leads the 5-2-2 Marlies in points with 11. Alex Steeves follows behind him with 10. The American-born linemates have produced a substantial amount of offense for Toronto and are in my opinion the reason for the success thus far. A decent amount of veterans round out the Marlies lineup, generating a buzz filled with leadership for the next generation, and a bolster to the points total.
Toronto has opted to rotate three goalies this season, not unusual to see in the AHL due to the tight schedules, but seeing the minutes split so evenly this season was somewhat surprising. The main threat, and most likely goaltender to go, is Dennis Hildeby. Posting a 1-1-1 record, with a 1.68 GAA and a .935 save percentage, the 22-year-old Swede has improved on his very limited numbers from last season and hopes to keep them constant. Being his first full season in the AHL, it’ll be easier to get into the swing of things with constant playing time in North America.
Looking at the Wednesday morning matchup, the best thing for Milwaukee to do is disrupt the goaltending early. Hildeby has not faced a lot of early pressure, and if the other two goaltenders in Martin Jones or Keith Pertulezzi get the nod their save percentages and goals against reflect a beneficial story for more pressure.
Mark Jankowski has stepped up in recent games with a veteran presence that raises everyone around him. Yet, the young guns are not following suit. After a rough two-game stint, this team needs to score quickly to get going. It’s moral motivation and capitalizing on a goaltending situation that hasn’t faced a ton of shots, with the added factor of playing at home, that should lead the Admirals to a win at home.
Kemell, Afanasyev, and Svechkov need to step up. The three young guns were big investments by the Preds and the motivation to prove it hasn’t seemed to hit yet. UMass alum Marc Del Gazio made his debut in Nashville this weekend. The need for young players in the bigs is there, yet the core can’t seem to establish themselves in Milwaukee to get the looks from the Preds. Those three need a big weekend to keep this team on track. It starts against Toronto.
Onto the Stars.
Lucky for Milwaukee, Texas took a tumble this weekend as well. Falling to 4-3-1-1, while still holding on to second in the Central Division. Unlucky for the Admirals, Texas plays at home. And Cedar Park can get ROWDY.
Despite the noise, Texas hasn’t been as hot as they were to start. They split with the Iowa Wild after dropping two to the Manitoba Moose the weekend before. Despite their failures in Moose hunting, Stars second round pick Logan Stankoven is making noise.
The 20 year-old from British Columbia has notched 13 points in 9 games during his first season in the AHL. While making his case for the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award early on, Stankoven has some help from UMASS alum and Stars standout Matthew Murray. Murray made big headlines last year in the show when he stood on his head in the NHL debut. He continues to make headlines in the AHL posing a 1.80 .GAA with a .938 save percentage for a 2-2-1 record.
Murray vs Askarov looks to be a great matchup. And if anyone can stop Logan Stankoven, it’s Yaroslav Askarov. The Preds second rounder looked tough despite the loss last week allowing three in to Iowa. Expecting the goaltender battle in the first game will come down to the better offense.
Coming off travel and a Wednesday matinee makes things a little tougher for Milwaukee. It makes it that much more vital to get the offense going against Toronto. Carrying momentum into Texas is the best method to victory. Troy Grosenick performed well against Grand Rapids and if he can bring it again in Texas, the focus falls again on the offense.
I’m not extremely worried about the offense. It takes time for young players to find their footing. No matter what league. What worries me is the effect in the standings a sweep in Texas can mean. Milwaukee hopes to not just emulate the success of last season, but improve it and make a deeper playoff run. Letting a team like Texas run away with the division early on is not a great course of action.
So, what’s the takeaway? Kick two horses when they’re down. Toronto and Texas are both coming off splits to teams they should have swept. Generate offense and keep them off their game. 3-4-0 is not a record to be proud of with the talent on this roster. Help these kids find their footing and beat two teams you know you can. a 2-1-0 week is a success. Anything else causes me to start worrying.
