ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Game Preview: Cincinnati Vs. Toledo

Published on March 27, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


DATE: Sunday, March 27, 2011

TIME: 4:00pm

SITE: Huntington Center - Toledo, OH

RADIO: None

WEBCAST: CyclonesHockey.com (American One)

NHL AFFILIATES

Cincinnati Cyclones: Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators

Toledo Walleye: Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks

NEXT HOME GAME

Friday, April 1 vs. Kalamazoo Wings - 7:30pm

City Barbeque Fan Appreciation Night - $1 John Morrell Hotdogs / $1 Donatos Pizza / $1 Soda / $.50 Popcorn

TODAY'S MATCHUP: After suffering their most lopsided loss of the season last night, the Cyclones now need a win today to preserve their lead in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They'll also look to avoid a sweep as they visit the Toledo Walleye for the final time in the 2010-11 regular season. This year, the "Fish" have gone 9-4-1 against Cincinnati, outscoring the 'Clones by a combined total of 42-29. While Toledo has earned most of the wins in the season series, Jarrod Skalde's team has gone 3-3 at the Huntington Center this year.

SCOUTING THE WALLEYE: Nick Vitucci's club has pulled within just two points of Cincinnati for the eighth and final playoff spot - and still have a game in hand. The Walleye are unbeaten in regulation over their last four games, going 3-0-1 in that stretch. They're finding ways to put the puck on the net with authority, averaging an ECHL second-most 34.2 shots per game. For the second night in a row, Andy Bombach was the offensive leader - posting another three-point night (1 goal, 2 assists). It total against Cincinnati this year, Bombach has amassed 15 points in 12 meetings. His 67 total tallies pace all ECHL rookies and place him eighth overall. Goaltender Thomas McCollum has started in 17 consecutive contests for the Walleye and has yet to lose against the 'Clones - going 5-0-0 with a 1.20 goals-against average.

About Last Night vs. Toledo: Seven different players scored for the Walleye and Thomas McCollum earned an 18-save shutout as they defeated the Cyclones by a 7-0 final score in front of 5,428 at U.S. Bank Arena. It was just the third time this season that Cincinnati had been shutout.

Magic Number Tracker: As it stands now, the Cyclones "Magic Number" to clinch a Kelly Cup playoff spot sits at 7. That number will shrink by two for each Cincinnati win and each Toledo loss.

An Eye on the East: As of today, here is a quick snapshot of how the Eastern Conference playoff race shapes up:

5 - Florida 76 points

6 - South Carolina 75 points

7 - Elmira 73 points

8 - Cincinnati 72 points

9 - Toledo 70 points

10 - Gwinnett 67 points

Keep 'Em at 3: When Cincinnati has kept its opponent at three goals or less, they've been extremely tough to beat. The 'Clones have accomplished that feat more than 57 percent of their games, going 28-5-6 in such situations.

Road Killers: Cincinnati's penalty-kill has continued to improve as the season winds down. After a solid road trip, the 'Clones PK unit has extinguished 80.7 percent of the power plays faced on the road - that's good for 10th in the ECHL. Over its last seven games, Cincinnati has an 84.9% kill rate.

No Shots For You: The Cyclones have been consistently keeping their opponents from racking up many offensive chances. In fact, this year Cincinnati has allowed an ECHL third-fewest shots on net (29.12) per game. Over the last 14 games, a Cyclones opponent has only broken the 30-shot plateau four times.

SEASON SERIES (15 Meetings - 1 Remaining)

Oct. 29 Cincinnati 2 at Toledo 3 Final

Nov. 10 Toledo 1 at Cincinnati 2 Final OT

Nov. 12 Cincinnati 2 at Toledo 0 Final

Nov. 14 Cincinnati 2 at Toledo 1 Final

Dec. 5 Cincinnati 3 at Toledo 2 Final

Dec. 10 Toledo 5 at Cincinnati 2 Final

Dec. 28 Toledo 2 at Cincinnati 0 Final

Jan. 1 Cincinnati 2 at Toledo 6 Final

Jan. 23 Cincinnati 2 at Toledo 4 Final

Feb. 16 Toledo 3 at Cincinnati 2 Final SOL OT

Feb. 18 Toledo 1 at Cincinnati 5 Final

Mar. 5 Toledo 5 at Cincinnati 2 Final

Mar. 25 Toledo 3 at Cincinnati 2 Final

Mar. 26 Toledo 7 at Cincinnati 0 Final

Mar. 27 Cincinnati at Toledo 4:00 pm EDT

Check out the Cincinnati Cyclones Statistics

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