The stakes don’t get much bigger than this. Entering tonight’s home game at Toyota Arena in Ontario, the Reign find themselves leading the AHL’s Pacific Division with 78 points. Meanwhile, second-place Colorado sits just four points back with 74.
With the Eagles in town this evening, it marks game seven of their eight meetings scheduled this season — and with only 16 contests remaining for Ontario before the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs get going, every point carries significant weight right now.
Although the clubs are separated by only four points in the standings, Ontario has had plenty of success against Colorado this season. The Reign hold three straight victories over the Eagles, including a two-game sweep in Colorado, and lead the season series 5-1.
Rookie coach Andrew Lord simply has the Reign playing red-hot hockey of late, guiding his squad to a seven-game winning streak. By contrast, the Eagles have cooled off a bit, going 4-4-2 over their past 10 games.
What makes this stretch for Ontario even more impressive is the fact they’ve been getting it done without three key players: leading scorer Nikita Alexandrov, one of their top rookies in Jared Wright, and rising prospect Aatu Jamsen.
All three will remain out tonight, as well, with Alexandrov and Jamsen needing more time to recover from their injuries, plus Wright is still up with the Kings. Alexandrov is said to be on track for a possible return as early as Friday, while Jamsen will likely need another week or so.
There are three players to keep an eye on heading into tonight’s game. Martin Chromiak continues to build on a career-best season. His 19th goal of the year Friday against Henderson set a new personal high, and the forward has also been productive of late with four points in his last five games (3G, 1A) and 21 points (8G, 13A) across his last 25 games.
Second, based upon morning skate activity, it appears Erik Portillo will get his second straight start tonight. This is interesting as Lord has been using his two netminders on a rather consistent 50-50 split up until now. This appears to signal it’s time to ramp up activity for the 25-year-old goalie and could be an early indication of who will be the team’s No. 1 guy come playoff time.
Finally, take note of the defense. Earlier this week, the Kings and Sabres made a swap (not a trade) of players. LA sent prospect Kaleb Lawrence to Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester. It’s a loan, LA still retains his rights moving forward. In return, the Reign received 6-foot-4 defenseman Nikita Novikov. He’s a left shot and will draw in tonight. More on these transactions explained here:
If Ontario can come away with a win tonight, the dream of finishing first in the Pacific Division becomes far more attainable.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Eagles
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Brown – Gawdin – Guttman
Lee – Connors – Chromiak
Isogai – Pinelli – Ziemmer
Mastrodonato – Hughes – Doty
Kirsanov – Booth
Bolduc – Millar
Novikov – Hicketts
Portillo (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) N/A and (D) Rego, Salin
Injured: Alexandrov, Burroughs, Dvorak, 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.
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