Who’s ready to get Wild in Iowa this weekend?
Riding an 11-game point streak, coach Andrew Lord and the Reign are making a rare out-of-division appearance in a Midwest building this weekend. Friday brings the first of two games against the Minnesota Wild’s top AHL affiliate, who play out of the Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
Back in January, the clubs met up at Toyota Arena in Ontario, with the home team earning 3-0 and 4-3 victories.
Entering this evening’s opener of a back-to-back set, the Reign remain atop the Pacific Division and sit second overall in the Western Conference. They’re riding an 11-game points streak, featuring eight wins over that stretch.
Tonight in Iowa begins a crucial six-game road trip for Lord & Co., one that finds them aiming to build some separation in the standings. It also marks their final long road swing of the season. Following these first two games, they’ll travel to Henderson for one night, then have two more scheduled in Tucson. Overall, that appears rather favorable on paper, with each opponent sitting well below them in the standings.
That said, overlooking Iowa would be a mistake. While the Wild sit at the bottom of the Central Division, they’ve caught fire lately, winning seven of their last nine.
Lord echoed that sentiment after Wednesday’s victory: “We have to be really focused. They’re hot right now. We have to be ready for the next game.”
Kings prospect Kenny Connors has been a key piece for Ontario all season, and last time out, he delivered in a big way. With two goals — highlighted by a spectacular one-blade finish — Connors led the Reign to a 3-1 victory over Abbotsford.
Connors has also made his mark in the season series against Iowa, opening the scoring in that aforementioned 4-3 win by Ontario back in January. Not to be outdone, Martin Chromiak has recorded three goals in the two previous games against the Wild — including a pair in the series opener.
However that game may be best remembered for goaltender Erik Portillo’s return from injury, as he stopped all 19 shots faced and recorded a shutout after a 53-day absence.
Tonight, he’ll look to replicate that performance as he’s expected to get the start once again for Ontario. Portillo enters coming off back-to-back losses for the first time since Oct. 17–19. It’s been nearly two years since he last dropped three straight; coming during the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, when Ontario was swept by Coachella Valley.
Finally, look for forward Jan Jenik to make his Reign debut tonight. The 25-year-old forward was recently acquired from the Ottawa Senators.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Wild
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Brown – Gawdin – Guttman
Alexandrov – Pinelli – Ziemmer
Lee – Connors – Chromiak
Hughes – Jenik – Doty
Kirsanov – Booth
Novikov – Millar
Hicketts – Dvorak
Portillo (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Isogai and (D) Salin
Injured: Burroughs, Jamsen
Recalled to NHL: Wright
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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