Coming off their first-ever sweep in Colorado, Andrew Lord’s Ontario Reign have now landed in the Lone Star State for a weekend series against the Texas Stars.
A quick look back at the week for both teams: Ontario is riding high after picking up a pair of victories on the mountain and now finds themselves atop the Pacific Division. Granted, the Eagles have three games in hand on the Reign, but it’s still a nice visual on the AHL website.
Meanwhile, the Stars are likely welcoming a return to Texas following a rough California road trip that recently ended in a sweep at the hands of Coachella Valley.
With schedules set up for a heavy dose of intra-division play, pairing up squads from the Pacific and Central typically feels a bit unique. Truth is, the Stars have been a thorn in the side of LA’s top minor league affiliate for quite some time. Back in 2018, Texas eliminated Ontario from the Calder Cup Playoffs and the frustration with their green and black clad opposition has never really subsided.
Last season, the two teams split a four-game series, with each side holding a 1-1 record at home and one the road. Now, history may be repeating itself, as they’ve already split a pair of games in Ontario about a month ago.
Their most recent contest was a strong one for a pair of young Kings prospects — highlighted by rookie Kenny Connors earning second-star honors after potting two goals in a 6-3 win. Angus Booth and Jared Wright also chipped in with two assists each in that one.
Furthermore, Martin Chromiak, who has been on a heater as of late, opened the scoring in that game. With eight points in his last seven games, the 23-year-old winger is coming off a game in Colorado where he notched three primary assists in Ontario’s dramatic come-from-behind victory on Wednesday.
We’re not expecting much in the way of lineup changes for tonight from Lord, sans forward Koehn Ziemmer may draw back in, and goaltender Erik Portillo is likely to get his first career start vs. the Stars.
Given the Kings struggles of late, evaluating future talent options that may be available to the organization is well under way. Players in the AHL are under a closer microscope. Thus, for those knocking on the NHL’s doorstep, it’s go time.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Stars
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Alexandrov – Gawdin – Guttman
Chromiak – Connors – Wright
Hughes – Pinelli – Jamsen
Ziemmer – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Rego
Dvorak – Bolduc
Kirsanov – Booth
Portillo (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Brown, Isogai and (D) Salin
Recalled to LA: Lee and Ward
Injured: Burroughs, Millar
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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