[GDT] Heat vs Rampage - April 17th @ 6pm MST & April 18th @ 6:30pm MST

[Drury18]

Abbotsford Heat (40-25-5-3) vs San Antonio Rampage (Florida Panthers) (30-35-3-6)

Thursday April 17th @ 6pm MST
Friday April 18th @ 6:30pm MST



Lots of new/returning faces on the Heat roster now!

Notes:

• Final 2 games in a 8 game series
• Heat lead the season series 5-1, outscoring the Rampage 18-14
• Heat will know their playoff opponent on Saturday night. Playoffs will start Friday April 25th in Abbotsford.
• Ben Street and Max Reinhart are both 3 points away from tying the single season franchise points record (currently 61 points by Krys Kolanos in 2011-12)

Standings:

• Heat can finish no higher than 4th place and no lower than 6th place in the Western Conference.
• 2nd in the West Division (9 points ahead of the Barons, 11 ahead of the Checkers)
• 6th in the Western Conference (6 points behind 4th place Wolves, 1 point behind the 5th place Admirals
• 4th in the AHL on the PP - 22.2% (No change from last week)
• 27th in the AHL on the PK - 79.3% (Down one from last week)

Roster Notes

• ADD: Eric Roy (signed to ATO, #39), Emile Poirier (assigned from QMJHL, #24), Keegan Kanzig (assigned from WHL, #38), Chad Billins (assigned from NHL), Chris Breen (assigned from NHL), Markus Granlund (assigned from NHL), Trevor Gillies (off of IR)
• DEL: Oliver Roy (assigned to Alaska), Allan MacPherson (released from ATO)
• NOT RETURNED FROM FLAMES: Joey MacDonald, Tyler Wotherspoon (LTIR - Out for Season)
• Poirier may make professional debut on Thursday
• Kanzig will remain in Abbotsford during this roadtrip
• Granlund and Gillies expected to return to the lineup during roadtrip
  

Point Streaks and Notables:

• Reinhart - 3g, 9a in 9 games
• Smith - 3g, 10a in 12 games
• Street - 6g, 7a in 11 games
• Baertschi - 8g, 10a in 14 games
• Olson - 6g in 6 games
• Jones - 2g, 3a in 3 games
• Granlund - 7g, 9a in last 12 games

Injuries:

• Michael Ferland (Knee) – Out for Season
• Tyler Wotherspoon (Shoulder) - Out for Season
• Patrick Sieloff (Infection) – Out for Season

Preview from Abbotsford Heat Website: http://www.abbotsfordheat.com/news/?article_id=859

Listen Live : http://www.teamradio.ca/abbotsford-heat.aspx

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AHLHeatInGame

[Scornfire]

Does the AHL not provide live streaming for playoff games? Can't find any option for post season coverage on the AHL Live site

[EVERLAST]

very interested in watching Heat playoff games as well.

[Drury18]

They should have playoff games on AHL Live. They did last year.

They may not be posting the packages for the playoffs until April 19th (last day of the regular season) or until all of the matchups have been set. If I remember right from last year, you could purchase a package for a specific playoff matchup, so they would need to know those before posting.

I'd check back on the AHL Live page on Monday and they should have something up.

[Scornfire]

Thanks Drury, I'll have to do that. And my bad for posting that question in the game day thread, slippery fingers haha.

Heat roster is looking absolutely deadly, can't wait~

[Party Elephant]

Glad to see Granlund back from that injury!

[EYE_Overstand]

The 3 players with season ending surgeries we have are big parts of the heat/ big club going forward... At least we got a taste of what t-spoon could do... And the high praise that Conroy Had for Ferland.

[Drury18]

@brandon_astle: Emile Poirier will not dress tonight. Looks like tomorrow is a strong possibility for his @TheAHL debut. Klimchuk will sit tonight as well.

@brandon_astle: #AHLHeat officially get their Rookie of the Year back in Granlund. Took morning skate and looks like he's in. Last AHL game was Feb. 23

[Roof-Daddy]

Finally Granny's back.

Few games to shake the rust off, and then hopefully picks up where he left off.

[Drury18]

Coaches Comment:

- On the move: No comment on the move. Not the time to talk about it. Something they can't control. He doesn't even have a contract for next year so he doesn't know what's going on with the move and it's not his control. His control is the playoff run. He feels it hasn't affected the team. Doesn't feel this will be a rallying point for team to go long in the playoffs, they will go long because they are a good team, not because it's sentimental.

- On game plan for final 3 games: Try to play 2 out of the 3 games with the playoff roster. One game will be a kids game to rest some playoff guys. Tonight's game will be a playoff lineup game. Friday might be the kid's game. Saturday will be a playoff tune-up game.

- On Poirier: Expects him to get his feet wet in the AHL. Had a good year in Major Junior, and hopes to put him in and do the same as Klimchuk. Teach him the game, the pace.

- On Granlund: Doesn't have full clearance for him to play, hopes to play tonight. Will see how he gets through the game tonight. If he plays tonight and okay, then he will sit tomorrow and play Sunday. Doesn't want to push him to play too early due to injury. He's a benefit just being with the team right now, doesn't have to play.

- On Playoff Seeding: It is what it is. They aren't focused on where they are sitting and who they might play. It makes no difference to him. He would prefer to focus on playing the system and being healthy going in.

- On San Antonio: They have nothing left to play for, but have good players on the team. They could do some damage to Abbotsford and beat Texas 5 out of 7 times, so not a team to take lightly. This is there last 2 games of the season and they are expecting their best.

[Drury18]

Scratches: Lamb, Davies, Klimchuk, Miller, Eddy, Poirier, Kanzig, Roy, Gordan, Hathaway, Culkin, Tolkinen, Ferland, Sieloff, Valcourt, Arsene and Kremyr

Starters:

Ortio
SOB-Smith
Street-Locke-Jones


Lines:

Street-Locke-Jones
Reinhart-Granlund-Olson
Hanowski-Knight-Baertschi
Jooris-Bancks-Gillies

SOB-Smith
Billins-Kulak
Breen-Davies

Ortio
Carr

[flames_fan13]

Had lines here but missed some of the players. So just look at the post above.

[Drury18]

Not going to lie, I think I love that 3rd line.

[Drury18]

And away we go!

[Drury18]

Gillies missed the last 21 games with a hand injury. I sort of wondered what he had. Sort of suspected a concussion.

[Drury18]

Street, Bancks and Billins all appear to be wearing A's tonight.

Heat lead the shots 3-1 early on.

[JurassicTunga12]

Thanks for the heads up in the other thread that this game was starting, Drury.

Go Heat!

[Drury18]

Trevor Gillies going off for holding.

Rampage will go to their first PP of the game. Rampage have been good on the PP against the Heat.

[Drury18]

Rampage PP over. 9 seconds.

Street got hooked and now the Rampage are in the box.

4 on 4 hockey.

[Drury18]

Whoa! And Josh Jooris with a huge bodycheck. Kid can hit!

There is high 5's on the bench for that one.