The Adirondack Thunder and Norfolk Admirals resume their series for Game 6 of the ECHL North Division Finals on Tuesday night. Here are several things to keep close tabs on.
After two days off, the Adirondack Thunder and Norfolk Admirals return to the ice on Tuesday night for Game 6 of the ECHL North Division Finals. Despite dropping the first two games, the Thunder have taken a 3-2 series lead in the series.
Pete MacArthur's squad took Game 3 in overtime, 2-1, before capturing a lopsided 5-2 win in Game 4. Most recently, the Thunder scored two goals in a 2:34 span in Game 5 to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the third period.
With the remainder of the Division Finals series wrapped up, the Adirondack Thunder will look to punch its ticket on Tuesday. However, the Admirals might have something to say about that but will need to win out.
Heading into Tuesday's Game 6, here are several things to keep close tabs on.
Home Woes
The road team has won all five games of this series thus far. Norfolk took the first two games at Cool Insuring Arena before Adirondack returned the favor on the Admirals' home ice. The Thunder will have to buck the trend and capture a win in front of the home crowd to wrap the series up.
First To Score
The Adirondack Thunder are a perfect 5-0 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs when scoring first. The Thunder fell behind in Games 1 and 2, dropping both. However, they opened the scoring in Games 3 and 4 en route to tying the series. Norfolk is 5-1 when scoring first, with its only blemish coming in Game 5 against Adirondack.
Ryan Smith's Impact
After a relatively quiet seven-game series against Maine in the first round, Adirondack forward Ryan Smith has been one of the hottest players in the Division Finals. The 27-year-old leads all skaters with six goals in this series. Smith has been critical in helping Adirondack take a 3-2 series lead, recording the game-winning goal in each of the last three games.
Goaltending Battle
This series has featured outstanding goaltending. Adirondack's Isaac Poulter rebounded from challenging outings in Games 1 and 2, stopping a combined 75 of 77 (0.974 SV%) in Games 3 and 5.
Likewise, Yaniv Perets has been excellent down the stretch—the Norfolk goaltender is fourth in the league with 221 saves. Perets has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his last three starts, turning aside a combined 89 of 95 (0.937 SV%). Unfortunately, he has just one win in those games.
Game 6 between Adirondack and Norfolk will get underway with a 7:00 p.m. EDT puck drop.
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