COMETS FIGHT FOR PLAYOFF LIVES
Apr 13, 2017UTICA COMETS (34-31-9) vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK (24-44-6)
Utica Memorial Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
Watch Live: AHL Live | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK, Desktop or Mobile
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Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets do battle with the Hartford Wolf Pack for the fourth time this season. Puck drop for the final home game of the regular season is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets fell to the Syracuse Crunch by a score of 7-2 on Wednesday night. Erik Condra opened the scoring just 1:20 into the game. Michael Carcone responded with 5:30 remaining in the first to tie the game at one. Matt Taormina retook the lead for the Crunch halfway through the second period. Cole Cassels made it 2-2 at the 16:33 mark of the second period. The Crunch scored three goals in seven minutes off the sticks of Tye McGinn, Michael Bournival and Cory Conacher to take a 5-2 lead halfway through the third period. Adam Erne scored an empty netter and Bournival added another goal to secure the win. Thatcher Demko finished with 24 saves and his record falls to 22-16-4.
Head-to-Head: The Comets lead the season series 2-1-0 but the Wolf Pack won the most recent meeting on February 3 by a score of 4-3. Darren Archibald and Curtis Valk are tied for the series lead in points with five apiece.
Scouting the Wolf Pack: The Wolf Pack sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with a .365 points percentage and are coming off a 6-2 defeat to the Albany Devils on Wednesday night. Taylor Beck and Nicklas Jensen lead the offense with 64 and 53 points, respectively. Magnus Hellberg is the leading goaltender with a 12-15-5 record, 2.95 goals against average and .903 save percentage.
The Streak Continues: The Comets sellout streak will live to see another season. With today’s home regular season finale, the streak will reach 93 games. The sellout streak dates back to April 10, 2015.
Career Achievement: Tonight’s contest marks Andrey Pedan’s 200th professional game. The defenseman has racked up 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in stints with Stockton, Bridgeport, Utica and Vancouver.
Ice Cold: After scoring a power play goal in three straight games, the Comets have now gone three consecutive games without a power play goal. The man advantage is 0-15 over that timespan and 15.5% overall on the year.
Do Or Die: The Comets need a win to stay alive in the North Division playoff race. The Comets will also need outside help in the form of a St. John’s loss to Toronto. The IceCaps hold fourth place with a .541 point percentage, while the Comets trail behind in fifth with a .520 point percentage.
Next Game: The Comets return to action tomorrow night against the Syracuse Crunch in game 12 of the Galaxy Cup series and the final game of the regular season. Puck drop from the War Memorial at OnCenter is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.