After climbing into first place last month, it’s been a mixed run of results for coach Andrew Lord and the Ontario Reign of late. Following a seven-game winning streak, the team has now dropped three consecutive games. However, it’s not as bad as it sounds. All three losses occurred in overtime or a shootout, allowing Ontario to earn a point in each outing and extend their current point streak to 10 games.
Furthermore, it marks the first time all season this group has dropped three straight games — a point of pride that has helped define the Reign since Lord took over behind the bench last summer.
Tonight, they’ll aim to snap their skid before it gathers any more steam, while welcoming the last-place Abbotsford Canucks to Toyota Arena. While this may appear to be a favorable matchup on paper, Ontario knows better than to take Abbotsford lightly. About a month ago, the Reign dropped two games to the Canucks before coming out victorious in their third try. Tying it all together, though, it was that last game that ultimately sparked the aforementioned seven-game winning streak and current 10-game point streak.
First-year pro Otto Salin delivered the game-winner in that contest. And he’s projected to get another opportunity tonight, with sophomore Jakub Dvorak expected to sit out.
We have two brief updated to pass along, as well. Jan Jenik’s debut with the Ontario Reign will have to wait. The forward was acquired in a March 12 trade with the Senators involving Samuel Bolduc. Additionally, Aatu Jamsen isn’t likely to draw back in just yet. He’s yet to officially resume skating following his injury a few weeks ago.
Based on how the Reign aligned at practice yesterday, Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer should be getting a promotion to the second line. He’s projected to skate alongside Nikita Alexandrov and Franky Pinelli. The 21-year-old rookie is coming off a two-goal performance against Coachella Valley and appears to be earning greater responsibility for his recent play. Ziemmer has six goals in his last 11 games and has been a consistent presence on the forecheck.
Look for veteran goaltender Pheonix Copley to get the nod in net tonight, riding momentum from three wins in his last four starts. Perhaps a little redemption is also in order, as his most recent outing against Abbotsford saw Copley surrender five goals on 27 shots.
This will be the last Reign home game of March, with upcoming road games in Iowa, Henderson, and Tucson.
Possible Player Additions
While not directly impacting the Reign-Canucks game tonight, there is still an important story bubbling below the surface. Ontario’s parent club in Los Angeles is currently believed to be working on signing several college free agents. These types of signings often begin their pro careers in the AHL. As such, we’ve pulled together a potential list of likely candidates and took a deep dive on the subject here over the weekend:
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Canucks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Brown – Gawdin – Guttman
Alexandrov – Pinelli – Ziemmer
Lee – Connors – Chromiak
Isogai – Hughes – Doty
Kirsanov – Booth
Novikov – Millar
Hicketts – Salin
Copley (starter)
Portillo
Likely scratches: (F) Jenik, Mastrodonato and (D) Salin
Injured: Burroughs, Jamsen
Recalled to NHL: Wright
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...