Every so often, even good teams have an off night. Perhaps that was the case for coach Andrew Lord’s Ontario Reign on Sunday, as they were shut out for just the second time this season.
Tonight won’t be any easier for Ontario, though, as they open a back-to-back set against the first place Colorado Eagles in Loveland.
While the two teams are separated by just one point in the Pacific Division standings, there are a few additional notes of importance heading into puck drop. First, after sitting out last game, forward Cole Guttman traveled with the team and is expected to be in the lineup for tonight’s contest.
Second, since becoming an AHL affiliate more than a decade ago, the Reign have never swept back-to-back games in Colorado. Thus, in addition to chasing down that top spot in the division, Lord & Co. are also aiming to make a little bit of history in the process.
As nearly any coach would say, the Reign are focused on tonight’s game, not what’s on the schedule for tomorrow. Still, leaving town with four points instead of a split would be a nice feather in the cap of this year’s squad.
Looking back at the 2025-26 season series to date, these two teams have already played some tightly contested matchups. The first pair of meetings were deja vu, with Ontario edging out 3-2 wins in both games. That second victory came in the opening game of a previous back-to-back in Colorado. Then, following the historical pattern, Ontario was overwhelmed the following night, falling 6-1 — in what was likely their worst performance of the season.
Ontario heads into the current series with both of their top goaltenders available. Could that possibly be the boost they need to take two straight games from their mountain top hosts?
Look for Kings prospect Erik Portillo to get the first crack at Colorado. He’s expected to take the net tonight, while aiming to bounce back after a lackluster outing in his last appearance (when he allowed four goals on 29 shots).
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Eagles
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Alexandrov – Gawdin – Chromiak
Guttman – Connors – Wright
Jamsen – Pinelli – Ziemmer
Hughes – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Salin
Dvorak – Bolduc
Kirsanov – Booth
Copley (starter)
Portillo
Likely scratches: (F) Brown, Isogai and (D) Rego
Recalled to LA: Lee and Ward
Injured: Burroughs, Millar
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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