Win and they’re in.
Playoff stakes are front and center tonight in Tucson, as Ontario will look to punch their ticket to the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
The scenario is simple: a win over the Roadrunners secures a Reign postseason berth for the sixth consecutive season.
There’s also a sense of symmetry in Game 64. Coach Andrew Lord can see his squad clinch against the very team they opened the season against — a game that slipped away in overtime.
Since that night in October, however, Tucson has struggled against Ontario; dropping five straight contests to the Reign.
While Lord’s group has largely had the upper hand in this matchup, they still come into tonight looking to snap out of a recent skid. Having lost five of their last seven games, including Wednesday’s defeat in Henderson, it’s time to see some more consistent play out of a Reign team looking to get back to their winning ways.
In an otherwise quiet night offensively, Franky Pinelli provided the lone goal on Wednesday and perhaps enters tonight with a little momentum. That tally gave him 30 points on the year, establishing a new career high. Further, his play since the All-Star break in early February mirrors that of Martin Chromiak last season. Both players endured slow starts before catching fire down the stretch.
That should be an encouraging sign, especially considering Chromiak is in the midst of a career year, as well. He’s currently tied with Nikita Alexandrov for the team lead with 46 points (22 G, 24 A).
Tonight marks the first of a back-to-back set in Tucson, and the Reign are expected to split their goaltending duties. The only question is who goes first? Kings prospect Erik Portillo got the start Wednesday, so it could be veteran Pheonix Copley who gets the nod tonight. If so, Copley will return to the crease looking for his sixth win in his last seven games — a stat the kids will definitely enjoy.
Otherwise, we’re expecting a pretty similar lineup for this one. Come tomorrow, though, forward Aatu Jamsen (selected by LA at the 2020 NHL Draft) could be ready to draw back in. There’s growing optimism on that front from what we’re hearing. At the time he went out with an injury on March 4, Jamsen had been heating up, recording six goals in his previous nine games played. Thus, getting him back into the lineup will be a welcome sight for Lord and the Ontario crew.
Finally, there was also lots of Reign talk on this week’s Future Considerations podcast – be sure to check it out:
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Roadrunners
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Lee – Gawdin – Chromiak
Alexandrov – Connors – Guttman
Brown – Pinelli – Ziemmer
Hughes – Jenik – Doty
Kirsanov – Booth
Dvorak – Millar
Hicketts – Salin
Portillo (starter, unconfirmed)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Isogai and (D) Novikov
Injured: Burroughs, Jamsen
Recalled to NHL: Wright
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...