Heat Host San Diego After Long Road Swing Tonight at 7:00 p.m.
March 30, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
TONIGHT
The Stockton Heat return to the friendly confines of Stockton Arena tonight to faceoff against the San Diego Gulls in a midweek clash.
Stockton enters tonight's contest off the heels of a five-game road trip that saw the team go 2-3-0-0, but did end the trip on high note with an impressive win over the top team in the Pacific - the Ontario Reign.
San Diego comes to town as one of the hottest teams in the AHL, posting a record of 11-2-1-1 over their last 15 games. However, the Heat have taken four of a possible six points from the Gulls in the teams' three matchups during that stretch.
LAST TIME VS. SAN DIEGO
The last time these two teams shared an ice surface, it was the definition of a true barn-burner. Stockton jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the first period and would add a fourth early in the second off the stick of Hunter Shinkaruk.
However, the Gulls would come back to force overtime thanks to a tying goal just 14 seconds into the third period.
The overtime frame saw San Diego gather a whopping six shots on net, but goaltender Kent Simpson was up to the task and made a few highlight reel stops before Emile Poirier sent the fans in San Diego home unhappy when he buried a 2-on-1 chance after receiving a beautiful setup from Mason Raymond.
WHO TO WATCH
After the Flames called up Derek Grant and Hunter Shinkaruk earlier this week, Kenny Agostino was left as the main point producer for the Heat and will be leaned on heavily once again to be the team's top offensive player.
It is a role he's taken on a few times this season and has excelled in such an environment, as evidenced by his career numbers in goals (19) and points (47).
Agostino will also be reunited with Freddie Hamilton and Garnet Hathaway tonight, as the both Hamilton and Hathaway return to the Heat lineup after their respective stints in Calgary with the Flames.
The trio has been arguably Stockton's most productive line this season and can have games in which they score three or four goals by themselves and carry the team to a W.
Aligned at left wing on a line with those two is where Agostino has had the majority of his success this season, so having that line back together could mean big things for the Heat in tonight's game and beyond.
Look out for Agostino tonight, as he could very well find his name all over the scoresheet.
MASS CALL-UPS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY
With Grant, Shinkaruk, Poirier and Kulak all receiving the call from Calgary Monday, the Heat now have a few spots open for some their younger players to step up and fill the void left by those departing players.
Certainly getting Hamilton and Hathaway back will lessen the blow up front and players like Morgan Klimchuk and Turner Elson have played some of their best hockey of the season over the recent stretch, but it will take a team effort to replace those names missing from the lineup.
Defensively, Kenney Morrison and Pat Sieloff have responded well to their extended minutes on the blueline, but also watch for names like Ryan Culkin and Oliver Kylington to play a larger role, especially on the power play, as Shinkaruk and Kulak were both occupying blueline spots on the man advantage.
POWER PLAY SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS
Despite the Heat currently possessing the 12th-best power play in the AHL with a 17.3% conversion rate, they have gone without a goal on their last 15 opportunities with the man advantage.
Their last power-play goal came on March 19th against Bakersfield when Derek Grant netted his 26th goal of the year.
Many times a team's power play is the reason they win a game, but the opposite can be said for Stockton, as their power play has had multiple opportunities to bring them closer in games they lost by a goal or two.
Certainly the absences of some key members of their top units can be pointed to as a reason for their struggles. Players like Jakub Nakladal and Freddie Hamilton were regulars on the Heat power play, but were called up to Calgary to help the big club, while Aaron Johnson, the veteran quarterback of the power play, is out with a lower-body injury.
Losing Derek Grant and Hunter Shinkaruk to call-ups are two more blows to Stockton's power play, but Hamilton has been reassigned back to Stockton and will undoubtedly return to his spot on his off wing on the power play where he racked up seven goals on the man advantage.
PLAYOFF PRIMER
With the Heat in the thick of the playoff chase, we take a look at what tonight's game against the San Diego Gulls can do for both teams.
Starting the day the Heat are sixth in the Pacific with a .508 points-percentage while San Diego enters Wednesday ranked third in the Pacific at .600.
Starting with Stockton, if the Heat can pull the victory in regulation the team can get to .517, pushing them into a virtual tie with the Bakersfield Condors for fifth in the Pacific; however, Bakersfield would remain in front of Stockton, as the Heat do not hold the tie breaker (regulation & overtime wins) over the Condors. In the event the Heat pick up just one point the team will remain at .508 while a regulation loss would send the team back to .500.
As for San Diego, a win would get them to .607 while an extra-time loss would drop the team to .598. A loss would put the Gulls at .590.
Keep an eye on the AHL's Playoff Primer updated every morning with the latest standings and magic numbers.
INTERESTING FACT
Newest Stockton netminder Josh Robinson currently holds the ECHL record for most consecutive wins between the pipes, as he collected 22-straight wins as a member of the Missouri Mavericks this season. He eclipsed the previous record of 16-straight wins by Jeff Jakaitis of the South Carolina Stingrays, set during the 2014-15 season.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: March 30, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST (Doors at 6:00 p.m.)
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 6:45 p.m. PST
Giveaway: First 1,000 fans receive a Kevin Poulin oversized trading card
Leading Scorer: STOCKTON: F Kenny Agostino (56GP, 19-28-47)
SAN DIEGO: D Brandon Montour (60GP, 10-40-50)
For the live, in-game tweets, follow @AHLHeatPR. Stay tuned at the end of the game for the Chase Chevrolet Big Moment of the Game with your chance to win an autographed Tyler Wotherspoon puck.
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