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AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Game 41 Preview: Colorado at Tucson

January 31, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game #41 - Colorado (22-14-3-1) at Tucson (28-11-1-0)

7 PM MST, Tucson Arena, Tucson, AZ

LISTEN LIVE Fox Sports 1450, iHeart Radio app

WATCH LIVE AHL TV

Referees: Mathieu Minitti (#30), Reid Anderson (#49)

Linesmen: Julien Fournier (#56), Brent Hooks (#20)

40 games down, 28 to go.

Any way you spin it, the "first half" is over and the All-Star break is in the rear-view mirror.

We would say that now is when it starts to get fun, but it's all been fun up until this point, hasn't it?

Tonight the Roadrunners resume game action against the Colorado Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the seventh meeting of the season between the two sides.

Three Things

1) Last weekend wasn't a highlight of the Roadrunners season but don't fall victim to the team's own success thus far this year. There were no "I don't know's" or "We're unsure" of what went wrong, it was openly stated the team didn't generate enough offense. The team still ranks third in the entire league with its 3.58 goals-per-game average, which is pretty great, and aside from one piece, the team has their whole lineup in tact. Credit to Bakersfield last weekend, because it's hard to envision the team being held to two goals or less in two straight games once again.

2) Colorado is a good team, one that's especially given Tucson fits over the two sides inaugural 14 meetings dating back to the start of last season. Over the course of six head-to-head bouts already this campaign you've noticed us reference their outstanding defensive corps, one stacked with NHL-level talent, including many that have already spent quite a bit of time there. While that hasn't changed, an item that does stand out considering their impressive talent is that they allow the fifth most shots on goal per game in the league. A little surprising, this is also welcomed news for Tucson, who has struggled to put pucks on net as of late. Additionally, with goaltender Adam Werner missing time due to an upper-body injury, it's likely we see former Roadrunner Hunter Miska in between the pipes tonight at the away end.

3) With Adin Hill getting the start for the parent club last night, it would make sense to see Ivan Prosvetov tonight. Tyler Parks rejoined the team on Thursday from the team's ECHL affiliate, the Rapid City Rush, and will be the second half of the tandem after earning his first AHL start and win earlier this month.

What's The Word?

Roadrunners forward Brayden Burke on his All-Star Classic experience...

"It was good. Obviously with it being my first time it was really nice to meet a couple different guys from around the league that I hadn't met before. It was a nice showcase for everyone and a good experience."

Roadrunners forward Brayden Burke on Colorado and resuming live action...

"This is a good team coming in. How we went into break wasn't how we wanted to, so we need to come out with a really good effort tonight if we want to get the two points."

Roadrunners forward Brayden Burke on what needs to happen to create more offense tonight as opposed to last weekend...

"We need to keep working hard. The games are going to start to get tighter as we get closer to playoff time, so it's going to be tougher to score. We're going to need some guys to step up and hopefully we'll get contributions from all four lines. Hopefully the guys that have been scoring can just keep scoring and we'll find a way to get it done."

Number to Know

3. Speaking of guys that have been scoring, Andy Miele, Brayden Burke and Michael Bunting all have better than six points through six meetings against Colorado this season. In terms of guys to look to tonight, keep those three in mind.

Catch tonight's active LIVE on AHLTV or join Roadrunners play-by-play voice Adrian Denny on Fox Sports 1450 AM and iHeart Radio as he calls the game from the Roadrunners' flagship radio station, where coverage begins at 6:45 PM.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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