COMETS RENEW RIVALRY WITH MARLIES
Mar 29, 2019UTICA COMETS (31-29-6-2) vs. TORONTO MARLIES (35-22-7-4)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #TORvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets faceoff against the Toronto Marlies. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets outshot the Syracuse Crunch in decisive fashion on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the Comets dropped a 6-2 decision at the War Memorial. Reid Boucher and Tanner Kero scored for Utica. Michael Leighton made eight saves on 12 shots before being replaced by Marek Mazanec, who made nine saves on 11 shots.
Head-to-Head: This is the fifth of six meetings between the Comets and Marlies this season. The season series has been split, with each team winning two games. Toronto won the most recent contest 6-3 back on January 9. The Marlies have outscored the Comets 20-18 through four games.
Scouting The Marlies: Toronto comes in with a record of 35-22-7-4 and sits in third place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Rochester Americans 5-4 in overtime last Sunday. Jeremy Bracco leads the offense with 72 points, followed by Chris Mueller with 60 points. Michael Hutchinson is the top netminder with a record of 15-7-5, a 2.80 goals-against average, and .910 save percentage.
Like He Never Left: Reid Boucher picked up right where he left off before being injured. Boucher made his return to the lineup this past Saturday and tallied a goal and an assist in his return. He’ll look to make an impact again tonight as he has seven points (5-2-7) in four games against the Marlies. The forward has 57 points (28-29-57) in 49 games this season.
On A Roll: Tanner Kero continues to produce points. Kero has five points in his last five games (3-2-5) and is riding an 11-game point streak on home ice. He has also played well against Toronto this year, picking up six points (2-4-6) in four games. Overall, Kero has 54 points (24-30-54) in in 62 games this year.
Yes He Cam: Cam Darcy has taken a big leap offensively this season. Darcy has set a new career high in goals (9) and is closing in on new career highs in assists and points. In total, the forward has 21 points (9-12-21) in 60 games this year.
Killin’ It: The Comets penalty kill has been one of the few bright spots lately. Utica has only allowed three power play goals in their last five games, killing off 20 of their last 23 penalties. Additionally, they have killed off 16 of their last 17 penalties on home ice. Overall, the Comets’ penalty kill ranks 23rd in the league at 80.2%.
Next Game: The Comets hit the ice again tomorrow night for a road tilt against the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.