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Previewing The Calder Cup Final |
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The Calder Cup Finals begin tonight in Hershey. The series will follow the 2-3-2 format with games starting at 7pm eastern with the exception of Game 5.
For those interested in watching the games the AHL has graciously decided to stream the games for free on their website.
So what can Jacket/Monster fans expect to see tonight out of Hershey? Well to start Hershey will not be an easy opponent. They won the Atlantic Division with 98 points and are fresh off of crushing the 114 point Toronto Marlies in the Conference Finals.
Washington’s affiliate is led by top scorers Carter Camper who has 15 points in 17 games these playoffs and Jakub Vrana who has 13 in 17. They sit second and fifth among playoff scorers respectively. Of the two Vrana is the player to keep an eye on. He was the 13th overall pick by the Capitals in 2014. This season he dealt with injuries but was fantastic when he played putting up 16 goals and 18 assists in 36 games during the regular season. He is a player that has to be shut down if the Monsters are to have a chance.
Other forwards to keep an eye on are Chris Bourque and Riley Barber. Bourque was the top scorer in the AHL this season with 80 points. His 30 goals ranked second as did his 50 assists. Compared to his regular season he's had a down playoffs with just 10 points in 17 games. If he gets hot he could give the Monsters fits. Barber has also struggled these playoffs. He has just three points in 13 games after finishing second on the team with 55 points in 74 games. He's another player the Monsters cannot afford to take lightly as he could breakout at any point this series.
On the backend the Bears have a veteran of six AHL seasons in Aaron Ness. He currently leads their d-core with nine points these playoffs. A big piece of the Bears blue line is Madison Bowey. Bowey was a second round pick by the Caps in 2013. As a 21 year old he led the team in defencemen scoring with 29 points in 70 games in the regular season. Bowey is a rookie in the AHL but has big game experience playing in the Memorial Cup last season with the Kelowna Rockets.
In net, much like Ontario Reign, the Bears have a veteran goaltender. Justin Peters may not have the experience of Peter Budaj but he does have 80 career NHL games and 258 AHL games under his belt. Peters has been fantastic in the playoffs sporting a .929 save percentage over 16 games. That ranks second in the playoffs among goalies with at least five games, behind Anton Forsberg and his .955 sv%. For all the fire power these teams have this series might just come down to what goalie can steal a game at the right time.
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