Coming off a split weekend in Colorado against the Eagles, coach Andrew Lord’s Ontario Reign will look to finish their three-game road trip on a high note as they head to Bakersfield to take on the Condors.
Goaltending depth has taken a hit for the Reign, with Pheonix Copley recalled to the Kings following Darcy Kuemper’s injury. Unfortunately, Erik Portillo also remains sidelined, so Ontario will be forced to move forward without either of their top two netminders.
The circumstances send Mattias Sholl on a coast-to-coast trip, with the netminder slated to dress as the backup tonight. Isaiah Saville, meanwhile, will take the crease for the second straight game.
From our report yesterday:
After a strong stretch of play, Saville stumbled last Saturday in Colorado, allowing six goals on 33 shots. The condensed schedule now gives him a timely opportunity to rebound without the usual week-plus layoff.
In front of Saville, Kings prospect Kirill Kirsanov is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing all three games last week while on paternity leave. Prior to that, he had appeared in all 21 games and has been as reliable as they come on the blue line. He’ll no doubt be a welcome sight on the Reign bench for assistant coach Chris Hajt, who handles defensive assignments.
Previously this season, Ontario has already picked up a pair of wins over Bakersfield in a home-and-home series. Jared Wright led the way with two goals across the two games, while fellow rookie Kenny Connors added a tally and Andre Lee recorded two assists.
That third line has been rolling since before Thanksgiving, and it seems inevitable that one of the three will earn a call-up to Los Angeles at some point this season. For the time being, however, their attention stays on continuing their strong play a couple of hours north on the I-5.
In some news to bank for the future, forward Jacob Doty has returned to the ice after an extended absence. He’s been skating the past few days, including participating in Monday’s team practice. While not quite ready to return just yet, it’s a good step in the right direction.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Condors
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Alexandrov – Gawdin – Guttman
Chromiak – Pinelli – Ward
Lee – Connors – Wright
Isogai – Jamsen – Ziemmer
Hicketts – Bolduc
Booth – Burroughs
Kirsanov – Dvorak
Saville (starter)
Sholl
Likely scratches: (F) Brown, Hughes and (D) Millar, Salin
Injured: Doty, Lawrence (month-to-month), Parker-Jones, Portillo
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...