COMETS BATTLE BRUINS TONIGHT
Dec 21, 2016UTICA COMETS (10-13-3-1) vs. PROVIDENCE BRUINS (14-7-4-3)
The Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
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Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Providence Bruins for the second time this season. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Comets dropped a 4-3 overtime loss to the Binghamton Senators on Saturday night. Curtis Valk, Jordan Subban, and Cole Cassels tallied goals for the Comets to put them up 3-0 late in the second period. Binghamton was able to strike back quickly, scoring two goals within a minute to end the middle stanza. Kyle Flanagan tied the game midway through the third and eventually forced overtime. Jack Rodewald picked up the win for Binghamton just 1:32 into overtime, beating Michael Garteig on a rebound. Garteig finished with 28 saves on the evening, and his record fell to 0-1-2.
Head-to-Head: Providence leads the season series 1-0-0-0, earning a 4-2 win at The AUD back on October 28th. Jordan Subban and Derek Hulak found the net for the Comets in the loss.
Scouting the Bruins: Providence, coming off a 3-1 victory over Syracuse, is currently 14-7-4-3 on the season with 35 points, good for 4th place in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins offensive attack is led by Wayne Simpson with 21 points, and rookie Peter Cehlarik with 17 points. The goaltenders are anchored by Zane McIntyre, who holds a 7-0-0 record with a 1.31 GAA and and .953 save percentage in nine appearances this season.
Home Cookin’: Tonight’s matchup opens up a five game homestand for the Comets to end 2016. The Comets are 6-6-1-0 at The AUD this season.
Keep on Rolling: The Comets power play continues to surge, having scored at least one goal on the man advantage in six out of the last seven games. The Comets power play currently sits 12th the AHL with a 20% conversion rate.
Man Down Excellence: The Comets penalty kill has been stellar thus far in the month of December. In that timeframe, the penalty kill unit has only surrendered three goals on 41 attempts. The team sits at 80.2% on the year, good for 20th in the AHL.
Navigating the Atlantic: The Comets are 3-3-0-0 against teams from the Atlantic Division so far this season. Their last victory over an Atlantic Division team came back on November 18th when the Comets defeated Springfield 5-4 in overtime.
Right Where They Left Off: After the team was shutout on Friday, Jordan Subban, Pascal Pelletier and Alexandre Grenier each collected a point on Saturday. Prior to the shutout, the trio combined for 15 points in five games.
Next Game: The Comets return to action next Wednesday night against the St. John’s IceCaps at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Puck drops at 7 p.m.