Heat, Condors Begin Weekend Home-And-Home Saturday in Bakersfield
Published on February 19, 2022 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
Saturday, February 19, 2022
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Stockton Heat (27-8-3-1; 1st Pacific) at Bakersfield Condors (20-11-4-3; 3rd Pacific)
LOCATION: Mechanics Bank Arena | Bakersfield, California
TIME: 7:00 p.m. PST
TUNE IN: Today's game can be streamed on AHLTV, and the radio call is available on Fox Sports Radio 1280 or online via Spreaker.
HEAT INDEX
The Stockton Heat look to keep rolling against divisional foe Bakersfield, entering a home-and-home weekend with the Condors with a 3-0-0-0 record on the year in the Battle of Highway 99. The Heat defeated second-place Ontario in their last contest, a 6-5 shootout win on Saturday at Stockton Arena, have won five of the last six and have earned at least a point in six of the last seven games.
CLOSE CALLS
The Heat have had to earn their keep against the Condors so far this season, a hard-fought series despite the lopsided record. The first tilt against Bakersfield was a 4-2 Heat win in which Stockton potted an empty-netter in the final minute, then the Heat won the second meeting in overtime and the third in a shootout. Stockton is 13-2-3-1 in one-goal games this season and 3-1-0-0 on the year in games decided by two scores.
POINTS IN BULK
Justin Kirkland is hitting his stride on the offensive end, the winger tallying nine points and five goals in Stockton's last nine games. Kirkland became the seventh Heat skater to reach 20 points on the season with his multi-point effort on Saturday against Ontario, now 10 points off of his career-high scoring output of 30 points set in the 2018-19 season with Milwaukee.
RAISE UP
After a snakebitten start to his sophomore season, Emilio Pettersen has goals in back-to-back games and four points in Stockton's last six. The Norwegian forward, who opened the scoring last Friday against Ontario and put the Heat ahead in the third period of Saturday's barnburner, is a plus-4 in the Heat's last seven tilts and has potted all of his goals this season in the last two months of action.
PLIGHT OF THE CONDORS
Stockton has found success at Bakersfield of late, going 5-1-0-1 on Condors ice since the start of the 2019-20 with points in three consecutive contests at Bakersfield. Despite the dominant record, the games have been close with the Heat outscoring the Condors by a 29-23 clip.
AT HOME ON THE ROAD
Stockton owns the best road record in the Pacific Division, 12-5-0-1 through 18 contests away from the Port City. The Heat have outscored opponents 66-51 on opponents' ice just past the halfway point of the road schedule for the campaign and rank second in the AHL with a .694 point percentage behind only the Chicago Wolves (.704).
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