“A couple of areas we can clean up, and we're excited for Thursday to bring this back to Wilkes-Barre,” Steve Ott
Can they rally again and keep this incredible run going? It’s the story of the Springfield Thunderbirds season and their playoff run. They were on the brink of elimination after their first game of the Calder Cup Playoffs, with an 8-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers, yet won back-to-back games to advance to the next round.
This role is nothing new for the Thunderbirds, a team that revels in the underdog role and keeps fighting until the final whistle. “They're a well-coached team. Their coach has them playing hard, and they've battled through a lot of adversity in the first couple of rounds to get into the playoffs. So they've been through it,” Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins forward Avery Hayes noted after Game Two. The Penguins have a 2-1 series lead, and the Thunderbirds once again hope to pull off a series upset, starting with a bounce-back in Game Four.
It won’t be easy, and the Penguins look like the team that’s figured them out. The Checkers and Providence Bruins were two of the best teams in the American Hockey League but had no answers for the new-look Thunderbirds. The Penguins have those answers, and it’s what makes Game Four a pivotal one for the Thunderbirds to adjust.
Thunderbirds Must Rally With Complete
Most of the Thunderbird scoring is coming from their top line. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Dillon Dube, and Chris Wagner have six goals and 14 assists in the playoffs, and they have the skill to go up against any line.
The problem is that it’s not enough at this point in the playoffs. The Thunderbirds are in the Atlantic Division Final and need more from their depth. This is particularly an issue with the Thunderbirds playing the Penguins, a team that can roll all four forward lines and is finding offense throughout their lineup.
Game Three provided a glimmer of hope as Juraj Pekarcik scored in the third period with a nifty move and a great play to the net. If he gets going, along with the rest of his line, the Thunderbirds will be in a good position for the rest of this series.
To Beat Murashov, They Must Get To The Dirty Areas
The Thunderbirds trailed Game Two 3-0 as they entered the third period. They scored three goals in the period, including two in the final three minutes, and did so by getting into the dirty areas. They found loose pucks and rebounds to get the puck past Sergei Murashov, a goaltender who doesn’t allow cheap goals.
The scouting report on Murashov, at least in the AHL, is going to his crease and playing his sightlines. It works two-fold as teams get good bounces and second chance shots while also taking advantage of the one glaring weakness he has, which is that he doesn’t cover up the puck. The Thunderbirds can fire the puck at him, and he’ll provide rebounds. The key is getting to them first.
The catch, of course, is that the Penguins know their goaltender well and play to his strengths and weaknesses. The defense has played well in front of him, cleaning up loose pucks and protecting the crease. It puts this chess match between the two teams at a stalemate since it’s the only way for the Thunderbirds to score, and the Penguins know what’s coming.
Ultimately, Springfield Must Play A Simple Game
The Thunderbirds were eager to impress in front of their home crowd in Game Three. Like many teams, they wanted to put on a show, and they came out firing. It backfired as the Penguins scored a shorthanded goal and then caught them napping on the rush to double their lead.
“One costly turnover and it ends up in your net. That's where they sting you, and that's where they're really good, is that transitional hockey and those areas we have to clean up,” head coach Steve Ott mentioned after Game Three. The Thunderbirds must cut down on mistakes, and the best way to do that is by getting the puck in deep and daring the Penguins to make a mistake.
The opposite happened in Game Three. It’s why the Thunderbirds have some work to do with their backs to the wall. “A couple of areas we can clean up, and we're excited for Thursday to bring this back to Wilkes-Barre,” Ott added after the latest game. There’s an odd confidence this team has, and it’s why they seem unfazed as they head into the upcoming game facing elimination.