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Tucson Roadrunners

Game 55 Preview: Tucson at Chicago

March 5, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game #55 - Tucson (33-18-1-2) at Chicago (26-25-5-2)

6 PM MST, Allstate Arena, Chicago, CA

LISTEN LIVE Fox Sports 1450, iHeart Radio app

WATCH LIVE AHL TV

Referees: Dan Kelly (#45), Guillaume Labonte (#35)

Linesmen: Riley Bowles (#86), Jonathan Sladek (#60)

A Thursday night matchup against a non-division opponent, how important could it be?

Well, when only six points separate being division champs and not making the playoffs at all, very.

Tucson is the lone Pacific team in action tonight and with this evening being their 55th game, they'll now be equal with Ontario in that category which is the most among the seven-team group. That means there are impending nights in which Tucson will be idle and other teams will be making up games, thus making this evening's points as imperative as they come.

Three Things

1) There's two sides to every coin, right? The "heads" side of the coin for Tucson as of late has been that they've had exceptional starts to their last two games. They had perhaps one of the best ten minute sequences in Ontario and then needed both of the goals they got in the first five minutes to earn their win in Bakersfield. The "tails" side is that the starts don't equal wins, as exemplified against the Reign and if they hadn't gotten the first five minutes they did against the Condors, they may not have gotten that win either. It would be great to see Tucson get off to a hot start once again tonight, however, as we've seen as of late, it doesn't guarantee anything.

2) Currently sitting just one point outside of a Central Division playoff spot, this is a hungry Chicago team coming into tonight. In a way similar to Tucson, the San Antonio Rampage, the team directly in front Chicago in the standings, is inactive tonight, thus meaning they could take control of their spot, at least for a day. That aside, the Roadrunners haven't seen the Wolves since October and while things change for a lot of teams, it doesn't seem that much, style-wise, has changed for the Wolves. They have the second fewest goals scored in the league, however, we know they don't allow much either. Tonight's going to be a tight game where goals will be at a premium.

3) Tonight presents an interesting situation in terms of the Roadrunners goaltending, one where the team benefits greatly from having two able-bodied netminders that can win games on any given night. This Thursday-Saturday set is the final series on the team's regular season schedule that isn't the two-night, back-to-back type. What does that mean? Back-to-backs typically feature one goalie playing one night and the other one the next. Not to say that this series will be any different, however, with Adin Hill looking lights out in his two starts last week, is it possible that the team goes back to him tonight after playing Sunday in Bakersfield, their most recent game?

What's The Word?

Roadrunners defenseman Robbie Russo on the team's effort in Bakersfield on Sunday, only allowing two goals...

"That's what I've liked the most about our team's play lately. We competed for a full 60 minutes and it was a great defensive effort. It's good to come in here with a win now, the best city in the world."

Roadrunners defenseman Robbie Russo on his chemistry with Vili Saarijarvi, whom he was teammates with in Grand Rapids and now pairs with here as Roadrunners...

"He plays the left side, as a right-handed defenseman, so that's a plus. He moves the puck well and he likes to play fast, which I enjoy."

Roadrunners defenseman Robbie Russo on what the team is expecting against Chicago...

"They're a bit of a veteran team that's battling for a playoff spot, so it should be a good few games. It would be nice to go on a bit of a run here and I think we can do that."

Number to Know

1. Chicago is the only team in the American Hockey League that's shut out the Roadrunners this season and hand-in-hand, they only allowed one goal to Tucson during their previous two-game set. The Wolves are a strong defensive team, however, the Tucson offense has come alive as of late. Which side will the matchup favor?

We're Doing It Live

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, beginning at 5:45 PM.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 5, 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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