Unlike the struggles with their parent club in Los Angeles, coach Andrew Lord and the Reign are rolling as they head into the final stretch. With 17 games remaining on their regular season slate, Ontario sits atop the AHL’s Pacific Division and are riding a six-game winning streak.
Following a shootout victory over the Silver Knights on Friday night at Toyota Arena, the two clubs will square off again this afternoon in Henderson. Today’s matinee serves as the back-half of a home-and-home weekend set, where the Reign will look to replicate their effort from the previous contest.
Despite being short-handed, Lord & Co. continued their season-long trend of finding ways to win in that game, outshooting the Silver Knights 34-33 en route to a 4-3 shootout victory.
Today, they’ll happily welcome some reinforcements, as well. Kings prospect Kenny Connors is set to return to the lineup after last appearing for the Reign on Feb. 22. Where he’ll slot in will sort itself out closer to game time, as one of his usual linemates (Jared Wright) won’t be available.
Further, the Reign remain without point leader Nikita Alexandrov and the red-hot 23-year-old Aatu Jamsen, as both continue to recover from injuries.
The expectation remains unchanged for Lord’s squad, though — particularly considering the depth this roster possesses. Andre Lee and Martin Chromiak each found the back of the net in Friday night’s win and continue their career seasons. Meanwhile, Angus Booth — perhaps emboldened by scoring his first career NHL goal last Monday — has recorded three primary assists in his past two games with the Reign.
Following Colorado being shut out by Abbotsford on Saturday, Ontario now has a prime opportunity to create some separation atop the standings before their highly anticipated matchup with the second-place Eagles on Wednesday.
In goal today, Erik Portillo is expected to get the nod. He’ll look to continue his dominant stretch, where he’s won 14 of his last 16 decisions (dating back to Oct. 26).
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Silver Knights
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Lee – Gawdin – Guttman
Isogai – Connors – Chromiak
Pinelli – Brown – Hughes
Ziemmer – Lawrence – Doty
Kirsanov – Booth
Bolduc – Millar
Hicketts – Rego
Portillo (starter)
Coplley
Likely scratches: (F) Alexandrov, Jamsen, Mastrodonato and (D) Dvorak, Salin
Injured: Burroughs
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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