With only two games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Ontario Reign still have quite a bit to play for. And, of course, their longtime rivals from San Diego will play a central role in all of it.
Friday night vs. the Gulls begins a back-to-back set at home this weekend, with the Reign caught up in a tight race for the Pacific Division’s No. 2 seed. Entering play for their penultimate game of the season, Ontario and Abbottsford are deadlocked at 88 points — with the Canucks holding the all-important tiebreaker. Both teams are in action tonight and then will meet up in the season finale at Toyota Arena on Saturday, setting the stage for a potential showdown that could decide who claims that crucial second spot.
One of the many reasons it’s important for Ontario to secure two points tonight — against a weaker Gulls squad that’s already been eliminated from playoff contention — is seeding will play a key role in determining when and where the Reign play some of the playoff games.
For those who haven’t heard, it appears the Reign will play at least one game at Toyota Arean, and possible two, all because Disney On Ice has booked their Inland Empire home building next weekend. As we understanding things through various sources, if the Regin finish second, their first-round playoff series will begin Monday, April 21 at Toyota Arena. If they finish as the three-seed, Ontario will not play a game at their home building until Monday, Aprill 28.
Meanwhile, the Reign also have dates on hold at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, April 24 and Saturday, April 26. The goal is to get at least one first round game at Toyota Arean, but it will largely be determined by which team they draw as an opponent.
Remember, in the AHL, all first-round matchups are played as a best-of-three series. Then, they go to best-of-five for the next two rounds. Only the Conference Finals and Calder Cup Finals utilize a best-of-seven format.
As for the game itself tonight, we’ll have to see which goaltender coach Marco Sturm opts to go with. Kings prospect Carter George, coming off of a shutout in his AHL debut last weekend, is expected to get one of the two games this weekend. Will it be tonight or tomorrow?
Phoenix Copley was stellar in Wednesday’s home win over Colorado, turning aside 24 of the 26 shots he faced. Sturm may choose to ride the hot hand with Copley, or he could go with his 18-year-old rookie. After all, George delivered just about as strong a debut as you could hope for from a goaltender, stopping all 33 shots he faced against a high-powered offense. That night, he displayed poise well beyond his years and left a lasting impression with teammates, fans, and management alike.
Up front, two other Kings prospects — Koehn Ziemmer and Jared Wright — made their AHL debuts on Wednesday. As they suit up for their second pro games, they’re worth keeping an eye on because second outings can often be a bit more subdued than the adrenaline-charged debut.
Speaking of Wright, he and Otto Salin each picked up an assist on a goal by fellow Kings prospect Kaleb Lawrence. The first-year pro has carved out a solid role for himself as Ontario heads toward the playoffs, and he’s looking to keep making an impact while simultaneously boosting his stock in the organization.
There’s also Martin Chromiak, who once again found the scoresheet by netting the opening goal in Wednesday’s contest. After being scratched in seven of eight games during last year’s Calder Cup Playoffs, Chromiak is making it clear this time around—he’s leaving the coaching staff with no choice but to pencil him into the lineup — something Sturm essentially said during his postgame scrum.
Don’t forget about the big man. Andre Lee has quietly put up impressive numbers for Ontario, recording eight points in his last seven games—including points in his last three, with two in the most recent outing. After finishing last season as one of the best Reign forwards, Lee carried that momentum into the playoffs, emerging as one of the team’s top performers. If he heats up, he could be a game-changer.
Finally, here are few recent notes from twitter you may have missed:
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. GULLS
Should there be any key changes during warmups, alignment below will be updated.
Hudon – Gawdin – Chromiak
Lee – Studnicka – Fagemo
Singleton- Pinelli – Ziemmer
Wright – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Cecconi
Dvorak – Walsh
Booth – Salin
Copley
George
Other roster options include: (F) Element, Jamsen, Olson, Ward and (D) Millar, Rowe and (G) Ingham
Injured: (D) Krygier and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on FloHockey. An audio only feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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