AHL Tucson Roadrunners

Game 9 Preview: Chicago at Tucson

October 30, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Tucson Roadrunners News Release


Game #9 - Chicago (5-3-1-0) at Tucson (6-2-0-0)

7 PM MST, Tucson Arena - Tucson, AZ

LISTEN LIVE Fox Sports 1450, iHeart Radio app

WATCH LIVE AHL TV

The bounce back effort, the home stretch wrap-up, the October concluder.

However you draw it up, tonight's an important one for Tucson. Okay, maybe all things considered it's more important how they respond tonight than how they finish the month, but it'll be another test of resolve in the early season for the Roadrunners after dropping last night's contest.

Leadership admitted post-game that the team came out flat and got a little too into their previously existing five-game win streak, but now's as good of a time as ever to start another run tonight.

But it won't come easy.

Three Things

1) Chicago's now won four games in a row and held their opponent to three goals or less in seven of their eight games. Having entered at 4-3-1-0, the Wolves have a chance to leave the desert 6-3-1-0. In order for Tucson to make that 5-4-1-0, they'll have to generate more offense than the singular goal they got on the man advantage Tuesday.

2) Head Coach Jay Varady said after the series-opening loss that his team didn't have enough "pop" in the effort. So what exactly does that mean? While there's a couple different ways to interpret it and at this moment only Varady knows exactly what he meant from it, but our best deciphering of the statement was that over the course of the 60-minutes, there wasn't really any "big" moment for Tucson. There wasn't that big hit, there wasn't that big two-on-one chance, there were times where it felt kind of like the team was just going through the motions instead of creating. There were chances for odd-man rushes entering the zone but pucks wound up in guys skates or the rubber was stripped away before a big chance revealed itself.

3) In yesterday's preview we wondered if Erik Kallgren would get his shot this series. With Hill still absent for a personal matter and Prosvetov having played two games in four days, is tonight the night? Prosvetov has undoubtedly earned himself another start, allowing just three goals on 100 shots, but with two games in two different cities just three days from now in California, how do you manage his workload? Is it him again tonight with just one practice day and one travel day entering a weekend out west?

What's The Word?

Roadrunners forward Lane Pederson on the his synopsis of last night...

"We just didn't start on time. Our first period wasn't our identity or the way we need to play and then the rest of the game was a roller coaster."

Roadrunners forward Lane Pederson on fulfilling the request of more "pop" from HC Jay Varady following Tuesday's game...

"We need more of a readiness to get going right off the hop. These are big points and this is a good team in here but we feel like we can play with anybody in this league, we just have to be ready to go tonight."

Roadrunners forward Lane Pederson on how to handle the tough style of play presented by Chicago...

"We spent too much time on the perimeter last night. We need to get bodies and pucks to the net to test their goaltender. They do a pretty good job of clogging things up and they're good in transition."

Number to Know

6. The Roadrunners power play unit has scored in six of the team's eight games thus far this season. Efficient.

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 Tucson as he calls the game from the Roadrunners' flagship radio station, where coverage begins at 7:00 PM.

Check out the Tucson Roadrunners Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from October 30, 2019


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