Third Time's The Charm(?) - Atlanta Firebirds

[PFellah]

March 2020: In It To Win It


The Birds start March in a really good position. They're on top of the standings, they even have a little cushion, everyone's healthy... it's just a matter of guiding this ship into port.

3/1 vs Columbus (31-25-6) – 3-0 W.
Erik Karlsson scores in the first minute of play, and that turned out to be all that was required. Blake Wheeler and and empty-netter by David Backes added to the fun.
GOALS: ATL – Karlsson 19, Wheeler 24, Backes 6. CBJ – NONE.

Last call on trades! Chicago picks up Jake Muzzin AND Michael Del Zotto from the Kings to bolster their defense, while Boston grabs D Niklas Hjalmarsson and RW Kris Versteeg (I briefly looked at him before the Nyquist deal came to pass) from the Panthers. I also noticed during my "one last look" that Detroit actually put Anthony Mantha on the trade block, which might have made a difference in my negotiations with them, but whatever... Nyquist is fine.

In the wake of that, Boston puts Gustav Olofsson on waivers, and since I'm down a body, I put a claim in on and get him. Spare body.


3/3 vs Toronto (35-22-7) – 2-0 L.
Sloppy game for the Firebirds against the surging Leafs; lots of bad passes and turnovers. For two periods, the Birds are able to wallpaper over their mistakes, but in the third, Auston Matthews comes through with a pair of goals. Frederik Andersen stops 29 shots.
GOALS: ATL – NONE. TOR – Matthews 12, Matthews 13.

3/5 vs New York Rangers (25-33-7) – 2-1 W.
Good bounce-back game to reach 90 points on the year as the Firebirds score two first-period goals and mostly lock things down from there. Grubauer stops 38 of 39 shots.
GOALS: ATL – Cogliano 9, Wheeler 25. NYR – Williams 12.

3/8 vs Winnipeg (37-21-8) – 2-1 W.
Two goals in a little more than a minute was enough. David Perron scores with 2:41 left in the first, and then newcomer Mikkel Boedker scores the eventual game-winner with 1:33 left. This time, the defense is stout, allowing only 22 shots.
GOALS: ATL – Perron 13, Boedker 5. WPG – Morrisey 3.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mikkel Boedker

There's a responsibility when you're coming into a payoff run from the outside. The front office makes the moves, but you're the one that's gotta lace up the skates and prove they made the right move. So it was nice to put one in the net, and show I can contribute here.

3/10 at Pittsburgh (39-20-8) – 7-1 L.
Mikkel Boedker gest the scoring started; kind of exciting to see him involved in back-to-back games. And then the spanking begins. Ugh.
GOALS: ATL – Boedker 6. PIT – Aston-Reese 7, Kessel 26, Malkin 31, Sprong 17, Kessel 27, Bellemare 8, Crosby 27.

3/11 vs Dallas (39-23-5) – 5-1 L.
Uh oh. Back-to-back subpar efforts. Again an early lead goes to waste; this time, it gets away from us with four goals in the 2nd period. Grubauer actually gets pulled from this one after the first three goals. We’ve still got some cushion for the division lead, but Buffalo is closing on us (92-90 in points) so we need to get back on the right track soon.
GOALS: ATL – Nyquist 26. DAL – Gourde 16, Silfverberg 16, Gourde 17, Shore 14, Silfverberg 17.

Quote: Originally Posted by Blake Wheeler

When you take losses like that, you have to find that sweet spot between complacency and self-doubt. You want to be a little mad, you don't want to sit back and say "oh, we're in the playoffs, no big deal" but you also don't want to over-react and start to second-guess the very things that got you to this point in the first place. It's about finding that even keel in the middle.

3/14 at Detroit (14-42-12) – 4-0 W.
I suppose the one team that’s already mathematically eliminated is probably a good matchup for getting back on track, and the Firebirds make the most of it. Another shutout for the good guys.
GOALS: ATL – Gaudreau 22, Cogliano 10, Kesler 17, Lowry 3. DET – NONE.

3/16 at Ottawa (30-33-6) – 5-3 L.
Ugh. Atlanta jumps out to a 2-0 lead. Good so far. But then they give back both goals in the first and three more in the second. Blake Wheeler gets a 3rd-period goal to make it sorta close, but it’s another loss. J. Nordstrom leads the Sens with a pair of goals. At least Jesper Fast didn’t add insult to injury and score?
GOALS: ATL – Mueller 3, Perron 14, Wheeler 26. OTT – Ceci 6, Nordstrom 10, Brown 9, Smith 9, Nordstrom 11.

3/17 at Florida (25-35-10) – 3-2 W.
Florida is one of the big deadline sellers, so they are probably a little worse than their record indicates. They end up being surprisingly feisty, but we’re able to put three up on Luongo and hold the Panthers off. Mike Hoffman scores his 30th in the Panthers' losing effort.
GOALS – ATL – Backes 7, Wheeler 27, Djoos 8. FLA – Hoffman 30, Yandle 8.

3/20 at San Jose (28-34-9) – 5-0 W.
When we’re good, we’re REALLY good. This time, it’s laying 39 shots and 5 goals on the Sharks, while only allowing 21 shots at the other end.
GOALS: ATL – Kesler 18, Perron 15, Wheeler 28, Hayes 27, Wheeler 29. SJ – NONE.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: It’s just a signpost on the way to bigger things, but the Anaheim Ducks become the first team to clinch a playoff spot – they have 98 points and team #8 (Chicago) has 81 with most teams having 8 games to play.


3/23 at New Jersey (42-24-6) – 5-2 W.
A milestone victory on multiple fronts, as the Firebirds go over 100 points, and clinch a playoff spot. (#8 Montreal is at 82 points with 10 to play, so any more points should clinch it.) The Firebirds survive a furious onslaught of 42 shots, and pull away from a 2-2 tie in the third. Johnny Gaudreau scores off a turnover with seconds left in the 2nd period, and then David Perron and Adam Lowry add insurance.
GOALS: ATL – Hayes 28, Wheeler 30, Gaudreau 23, Perron 16, Lowry 4. NJ – Hischier 12, Grabner 11.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kevin Hayes

It's a great feeling, but those of us who were here last year know that it's also just the first hurdle. We'll have a beer or two tonight to celebrate, and then get back to work tomorrow.

3/25 vs New York Islanders (24-41-9) – 6-2 W.
Atlanta takes a victory lap for making the playoffs with a smooth win over the Islanders. Blake Wheeler scores his 30th; three goals scored by defensemen not named Erik Karlsson is also exciting.
GOALS: ATL – Mueller 4, Nyquist 27, Wheeler 31, Djoos 9, Djoos 10, Boedker 7. NYI – Tavares 38, Pulock 9.

Quote: Originally Posted by Christian Djoos

There's no question that having EK here has helped elevate my game. In terms of knowledge of the game, it's like having another coach out there on the ice. But also, he's just a guy that sets the tone, plays at full motor all the time. It's a challenge to match that because you don't want to come into a locker room after a game knowing you didn't go as hard as he did.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: Caps (100 points) and Predators (98) also punch their ticket to the playoffs.

3/26 vs Anaheim (47-22-6) – 3-2 W.
Pick your narrative. Preview of a potential Cup matchup? Battle for the Presidents’ Trophy? Battle of Backup Goalies? (Also true.) Revenge for the butt-whipping Atlanta administered early in the year? Well, whatever your angle, we get a good tight game that Atlanta hangs on to win. Kevin Hayes scores #29 and 30 on the year.
GOALS: ATL – Hayes 29, Hayes 30, Gaudreau 24. ANA – Manson 3, Ritchie 13.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: St. Louis, Winnipeg, and Pittsburgh clinch playoff spots, expanding the field to 7.


3/29 at Los Angeles (37-33-6) – 5-4 L.
The month ends with a two-game western swing. LA was a deadline seller so their record might not be a reflection of their current roster, but they come out like gangbusters with five first-period goals (four in the first 5:28), chasing Grubauer from the game. Atlanta gets one back in the first, and then three in the second to make it close, but the equalizer never happens.
GOALS: ATL – Hayes 31, Nyquist 28, Perron 17, Nyquist 29. LA – Zuccarello 22, Pearson 13, Nash 19, Carter 31, Zuccarello 23.

3/30 at Calgary (30-39-8) – 3-2 W.
The month ends with win #50 against Calgary’s backup netminder, T Parsons. Atlanta gets 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but Calgary comes back each time. But finally, in the early third, David Backes administers the blow the Flames can't answer.
GOALS: ATL – Karlsson 20, Djoos 11, Backes 8. CGY – Backlund 18, Backlund 19.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: Buffalo (99 points) and Tampa (98) become playoff teams 8 and 9, and Anaheim clinches the Pacific, but we’ll run down the full playoff picture in a separate post.

MONTHLY SUMMARY

STANDINGS REPORT

• MONTH: 10-5-0
• YEAR-TO-DATE: 50-21-6, 106 points
• DIVISION: 1st place with 106 points. TB is second at 99, Buffalo at 98. Clinched no worse than third and have a pretty good cushion for the division win. 7 points and a game-in-hand on Tampa, 8 points and even games played with Buffalo.
• CONFERENCE: 1st at 106 points, but Washington and Pittsburgh are right there. TOP 8: ATL 106, PIT 104, WSH 103, TB 99, BUF 98, NJ 95, TOR 92, MTL 89.
• PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY: 1st in the NHL at 106. In addition to the ones above, add the Ducks at 104, Predators 101, and Jets at 98 to the conversation.

TEAM LEADERS
(when Nyquist is one of the leaders, I'll make it a Top 6 since he did most of his damage for another team)

• POINTS: Karlsson 78, Wheeler 74, Gaudreau 74, Hayes 63, Nyquist 56, Perron 47
• GOALS: Wheeler 31, Hayes 31, Nyquist 29, Gaudreau 24, Karlsson 20, Kesler 18
• ASSISTS: Karlsson 58, Gaudreau 50, Wheeler 43, Hayes 32, Perron 30
• PLUS-MINUS:Karlsson 44, Djoos 44, Hayes 43, Wheeler 40, Gaudreau 39

ON THE FARM
Birmingham second in their division at 109 points (52-20-5), behind the Rochester Americans at 112. No real stars/league leaders, but scoring is spread around pretty well. Ben Harpur a bit of a surprise: 10 goals and 10 assists from a defensive defenseman!

[PFellah]

March 2020: Around The League


STANDINGS


We'll break this all down in its own post.

LEAGUE LEADERS


Steven Stamkos is the big mover here, staying a strong second in goals, and moving up the ladder in assists to claim the scoring lead. Grubauer still looking like a strong Vezina candidate, though Pittsburgh's Matt Murray has very similar credentials. (Bobrobsky may be held back from repeating by a lower number of games played -- he's only seen the ice 45 times, compared to 60-ish for the league leaders.)

CALDER WATCH


And there it is -- Kovalev leaps into the scoring lead for rookies, bolstering his Calder case. On the goalie side, Gillies and Demko seem like they're both relegated to backup duty at this point, but they still have enough starts to qualify for leaderboards. Poor Leo Lazarev -- officially he qualifies for the Calder conversation, but with a GAA of almost 5.00, he'll be lucky to have a job, much less any hardware.[/quote]

[PFellah]

Around The League: Playoff Picture

Big-picture: teams have either 4 or 5 games remaining, so the maximum point pickup any team could get at this point is 10, and for many teams, it's 8.

ELIMINATED
The wild-card bars are 89 in the east, 87 in the west, so anyone who can't make it to those are already done. Specifically, that's: MIN 76, OTT 71, NYR 71, SJ 70, CGY 68, FLA 63, NYI 58, DET 46. Vancouver is an anomaly -- they're eliminated as a wild-card but could still win a Top 3 spot in their division.

ATLANTIC
LEAD: ATL 106. TB at 99 and BUF at 98 are the only teams that can still challenge.
TOP 3: ATL 106, TB 99, BUF 98. TOR at 92 and MTL at 89 are mathematically alive, but they'd have to win out or close to it. BOS at 86 only alive as a wild-card.

METRO
LEAD: PIT leads WSH 104-103, both with 4 games left. New Jersey could still mathematically challenge, but they're close to out.
TOP 3: PIT 104, WSH 103, NJ 95. This is probably your top 3 except at the extremes -- NJ could catch the leaders if everything goes right, they could get caught for 3rd if everything goes wrong. In a "normal" scenario, these are probably your top 3. Columbus is the only team that could catch NJ; Carolina and Philly are wild-card only.

EASTERN WILD CARDS
TOR 92 and MTL 89 currently have the wild-card spots. CBJ 86, BOS 86, CAR 84, PHI 83 are still alive. (Philly on the cusp of elimination).

EASTERN #1 SEED
CURRENT: ATL 106, PIT 104, WSH 103, TB 99, BUF 98.

CENTRAL
LEAD: NSH 101. WPG 98, STL 97, DAL 93 could catch.
TOP 3: NSH 101. WPG 98, STL 97. Dallas at 93 could catch all three, Colorado at 89 can catch 2nd or 3rd but not the division title. Chicago is wild-card only.

PACIFIC
LEAD: Anaheim already clinched it at 104 points. Edmonton at 90 is next closest.
TOP 3: ANA 104, EDM 90, LA 84. Arizona at 83 could still catch Edmonton OR LA. Vegas and Vancouver could catch LA but that's it. (Vegas can catch Edmonton in points, but would lose tiebreak to Edmonton anyway).

WESTERN WILD CARDS
Dallas at 93 and Colorado at 89. Chicago 87, Arizona 83, and and Vegas at 80 are the only other competitors.

WESTERN #1 SEED
Anaheim leads Nashville 104-101. Winnipeg at 98 and St. Louis at 97 are still mathematic possibilities, but everything would have to go "right" across four other teams for one of those to claim it.

PRESIDENT'S TROPHY
CURRENT: ATL 106, ANA 104, PIT 104, WSH 103, NSH 101, TB 99, BUF 98, WPG 98, STL 97, NJ 95. Obviously this is just a list of mathematical possibilties, the further down you go, the less likely it gets. Atlanta, Nashville, Buffalo, and New Jersey currently hold game-in-hand advantage.

[PFellah]

April 2020: Presidential Material



Let's set the scene. In the Atlantic, we have a pretty definite top three, and Atlanta is pretty close to clinching unless the wheels come off down the stretch. In the Metro, Pittsburgh and Washington are in a class by themselves, New Jersey is kinda-sorta locked into 3rd, but could get caught. In the Central, Nashville, Winnipeg, and St. Louis are all qualified for the playoffs, but they're close enough we could have any number of 1-2-3 finishes, and Dallas could reach up into the mix. In the Pacific, Anaheim has already clinched and Edmonton, LA, Arizona are the best choices for the remaining spots.

8 teams are eliminated already -- MIN 76, OTT 71, NYR 71, SJ 70, CGY 68, FLA 63, NYI 59, DET 46. Vancouver is an oddball, as it's eliminated as a wildcard team but could still get in within their division. (The same applies to Vegas to a lesser extent, but they're just barely mathematically alive for a wild-card too).

EASTERN CONFERENCE

• IN: ATL 106, PIT 104, WSH 103, TB 99, BUF 98
• BUBBLE (WC or Top 3 possible):NJ 95, TOR 92, MTL 89, CBJ 86
• WILD-CARD ONLY: BOS 86, CAR 84, PHI 83
• ELIMINATED: OTT 71, NYR 71, FLA 63, NYI 59

WESTERN CONFERENCE

• IN: ANA 104, NSH 101, WPG 98, STL 97
• BUBBLE (WC or Top 3 possible):DAL 93, EDM 90, COL 89, LA 84, ARI 83, VGK 80
• WILD-CARD ONLY: CHI 87
• DIVISION ONLY: VAN 77
• ELIMINATED: MIN 76, SJ 70, CGY 68, DET 46

And... Here. We. Go.

APRIL 1 – 9 CLINCHED, 8 ELIMINATED, 15 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS: vs Philadelphia (37-32-9). 3-2 W (SO)
Atlanta comes in looking to put the Atlantic out of reach; a win would actually do it since Tampa could only get to 107 and we have a large ROW tiebreak advantage on Buffalo. Philly comes in clinging to playoff life and they play like it. Both teams put up crazy shot totals – 49 for Atlanta; 38 for Philly. Wayne Simmonds scores with 2:09 left to keep the Flyers’ hopes alive and salvage at least one point. But Johnny Gaudreau buries a shootout goal to put win #51 in the books.
GOALS: ATL - Backes 9, Boedker 8, Gaudreau SO. PHI -- Myers 9, Simmonds 27.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan Kesler

I think the guys who were here last year and had the division slip through our fingers really wanted this. A year late, but it's nice to finally get it.

ATLANTIC (ATL 108y, TB 99x, BUF 98x, TOR 92): Atlanta locks up the Atlantic, as mentioned. Tampa can’t catch us at all (even before they lost), and Buffalo loses tiebreak. (Toronto could conceivably still catch Tampa or Buffalo, making one of them a wildcard).

METRO (PIT 104x, WSH 103x, NJ 95, CBJ 86): Nothing dramatic changes in the Metro, though Washington losing doesn’t help their chances to overtake Pittsburgh. Columbus has a very outside shot to catch NJ for third.

EAST WILD CARDS (TOR 92, MTL 91, BOS 86, CBJ 86, CAR 86): Montreal wins, formally eliminating Philly (overtime loss). Columbus, Boston, and Carolina still alive at 86.

CENTRAL (NSH 103x, WPG 98x, STL 97x, DAL 93, COL 91): St. Louis’ loss coupled with Nashville’s win means the Blues can’t win the division. Dallas at 93 and Colorado at 91 could still factor in the races for 2nd and 3rd.

PACIFIC (ANA 104y, EDM 92x, ARI 85, LA 84, VGK 82): Edmonton locks up a playoff spot, and probably the #2 seed while Arizona uses its game-in-hand to leapfrog Los Angeles into 3rd. Vancouver’s loss to Nashville eliminates them.

WEST WILD CARDS (DAL 93, COL 91, CHI 87, LA 84): Colorado’s win puts Vegas in the same spot Vancouver was just in; eliminated as a wildcard, but alive in the division.

NEW CLINCHED: Edmonton
NEW ELIMINATED: Philly and Vancouver.

APRIL 2 – 10 CLINCHED, 10 ELIMINATED, 12 STILL IN PLAY


FIREBIRDS: Not in action.

ATLANTIC (ATL 108y, BUF 100x, TB 99x): Buffalo's win and Toronto's loss finalize this as the top 3. It's down to who wins second and who wins 3rd

METRO (PIT 106x, WSH 103x, NJ 97x): New Jersey’s win puts them out of Columbus’ reach and into an automatic spot, finalizing another top 3. Pittsburgh’s win means Jersey can’t win the division, but they could still catch the Caps if everything went right.

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 92, MTL 91, BOS 86, CBJ 86, CAR 86): Columbus has a game in hand on Toronto, so they could pass either wild-card. Carolina could only tie, but if they did that, they’d have an edge in ROW.

CENTRAL (NSH 103x, WPG 100x, STL 97x, DAL 95x, COL 91): Dallas locks up a playoff spot, but it's a wild-card thing, not a division thing; I’ll cover it there.

PACIFIC (ANA 104y, EDM 92x, ARI 85, LA 84, VGK 82): Main change here is that the Kings lose, giving Arizona the lead AND game-in-hand.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 95x, COL 91, CHI 87). Dallas’ win means they Chicago and the #4 team in the Pacific (whether it’s LA or Arizona) can’t catch them, so they’re at least a wildcard. They could swap places with the Blues, but that wouldn’t change anything below them. LA’s loss also puts them in the same Vancouver-Vegas bucket of “eliminated from the wildcard, alive in the division”.

NEW CLINCHED: New Jersey clinches 3rd place in the Metro, Dallas clinches no worse than a wild card. Buffalo and Tampa clinch automatic Top 3 finishes with Toronto's loss.
ELIMINATED: NONE.

APRIL 3 – 12 CLINCHED, 10 ELIMINATED, 10 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS: vs Las Vegas (37-33-8) - 2-1 L
Pittsburgh’s 106 points meant this wasn’t going to be a clinching game for seeding, but it does represent a missed opportunity. Vegas’ Iiro Pakarinen scores both goals for the Golden Knights, allowing them to hang onto their slim hopes for another day.
GOALS: ATL - Gaudreau 25. VGK - Pakarinen 8, PAkarinen 9.

ATLANTIC (ATL108y, BUF 100x, TB 99x): Tampa loses again, and now Buffalo has two games in hand. Second place seems like theirs for the taking.

METRO (PIT 106x, WSH 105x, NJ 97x): Washington wins to put a little pressure on Pittsburgh. It doesn’t quite lock NJ into the #3 seed because NJ still has tiebreak on Washington. If EVERYTHING went right and they ended the season tied, NJ would pass them into second, but that’s a huge “if”.

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 92, MTL 91, BOS 88, CAR 87, CBJ 86): Boston wins to keep themselves in the mix for a wildcard. Carolina’s overtime loss means they can no longer catch Toronto, but could still catch Montreal. Columbus continues to store their games-in-hand.

CENTRAL (NSH 103x, WPG 100x, STL 99x, DAL 95x, COL 93x): Division still open, but Colorado’s win guarantees these five teams will all be in the playoffs in some form. On the other hand, St. Louis’ win pushes Colorado to the brink, divisionially speaking.

PACIFIC (ANA 104y, EDM 92x, ARI 87, LA 84, VGK 84): The Knights are still on life support for that #3 seed, but Arizona extends their lead a little (and keep a chance of catching #2 Edmonton alive).

WEST WILD-CARDS (DAL 95x, COL 93x): There’s your two wild-cards unless somebody catches St. Louis for the #3.

CLINCHED: Colorado clinches at least a wild-card.
ELIMINATED: Chicago

APRIL 4 – 13 CLINCHED, 11 ELIMINATED, 8 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS: Not in action.

ATLANTIC (ATL 108y, BUF 102x, TB 99x): Buffalo on the brink of locking up #2. It's not the divisional race, but Toronto locks up their wild-card spot with a win.

METRO: (PIT 108x, WSH 105x, NJ 99x): The Devils need six games to go their way to get home-ice in the first round. One down; five to go. Pittsburgh catches Atlanta for the East and the Presidents’ Trophy..

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 94x, MTL 91, CBJ 88, BOS 88, CAR 87): Toronto’s win locks up one of the two wild-card slots. Montreal continues to hold off three suitors for the other.

CENTRAL (NSH 130x, WPG 101x, STL 99x, DAL 95x, COL 93x): The oversimplified version is “anyone could move up or down one step, but harder to go much further than that”.

PACIFIC (ANA 106y, EDM 92x, ARI 87, LA 85, VGK 84): The Knights are still on life support for that #3 seed, but Arizona extends their lead a little (and keep a chance of catching #2 Edmonton alive).

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 95x, COL 93x). No change.

NEW CLINCHED: Toronto clinches one of the two wild-card spots.
NEW ELIMINATED: NONE

APRIL 5 – 14 CLINCHED, 11 ELIMINATED, 7 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS at Boston (39-31-10) -- 4-2 W
Elimination game for the B’s, Firebirds want to use their game-in-hand advantage on the Pens to push ahead, and there's a measure of revenge at stake for last year, since Boston upended the Firebirds' run at the Atlantic title last year. Atlanta draws first blood, but then in a wild sequence in the middle of the second, ex-Firebird Curtis Lazar ties the game, it’s almost immediately answered by Mikkel Boedker, and then Brad Marchand ties it a few minutes later after some nifty work behind the Atlanta net. But in the third, David Backes comes up with a turnover and feeds Nikolai Sbruev on a perfect one-timer in front of the net, and Andrew Cogliano finishes with a short-handed empty-netter to put Boston out of the playoffs.
GOALS: ATL - Gaudreau 26, Bodker 9, Sbruev 12, Cogliano 11. BOS - Lazar 8, Marchand 33.

Quote: Originally Posted by David Backes

I had a nice couple years here in Boston, but there's no room for sentiment when the playoffs come around. Maybe after the season, I might go golfing, buy 'em a beer or something. But for today, it's about getting those two points, and putting ourselves in the best position possible. And I'm sure they felt the same way.

ATLANTIC (ATL 110y, BUF 102x, TB 101x): Tampa finally breaks their slide, but Buffalo is still leading and has two games in hand on them.

METRO: (PIT 108y, WSH 105x, NJ 99x): The Caps lose, which a) clinches the Metro for the Pens, and b) keeps the window cracked open for New Jersey to move up to 2nd.

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 94x, MTL 93, CBJ 88): Somehow, Columbus still has three games to play so they’re still technically alive, but Montreal’s win (combined with other results) eliminates Carolina and Boston.

CENTRAL (NSH 104x, WPG 101x, STL 99x, DAL 95x): Predators and Jets have two games left each. St. Louis has the most room to move – they could catch Winnipeg for 2nd (better ROW) or Dallas could drop them to a wild-card. Colorado loses, ending any slim divisional hopes, but they’re still in as a wild-card.

PACIFIC (ANA 106y, EDM 94x, ARI 87, LA 85, VGK 84): Edmonton wins, locking themselves into the #2. Arizona, Los Angeles, and Vegas all have two games left, so it’s an equal sprint to the finish for that last spot.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 95x, COL 93x). (sound of crickets)

NEW CLINCHED: No new participants, but seeding firms up. PIT clinches the Metro, Edmonton locks in #2 in the Pacific.
NEW ELIMINATED: Boston and Carolina eliminated entirely. Colorado's division hopes disappear, but they're still in as a wild-card.

APRIL 6 – 14 CLINCHED, 13 ELIMINATED, 5 STILL IN PLAY


FIREBIRDS: Not in play.

ATLANTIC (ATL 110y, BUF 104x, TB 101x): Buffalo officially clinches the #2 seed, making Tampa the #3. The Atlantic is ready.

METRO (PIT 108y, WSH 105x, NJ 99x): Pittsburgh and New Jersey lose. Pittsburgh’s loss puts Atlanta in the driver’s seat in the East (and for the Presidents’ Trophy). New Jersey’s loss locks them into the #3 and the Caps into #2. Metro… also finished.

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 96x, MTL 93, CBJ 90): The single mass breaks into two races. Winnipeg wins and St. Louis loses, putting 2nd out of reach. So now it’s Nashville and Winnipeg for the division crown; St. Louis and Dallas figuring out who’s #3 and who’s a wild-card.

CENTRAL (NSH 104x, WPG 103x, STL 99x, DAL 95x): Chicago likely locks up the #2 seed in the Central, as Winnipeg can do no better than a tie, and St. Louis can’t even do that. The Jets and Blues are idle.

PACIFIC (ANA 108y, EDM 94x, ARI 87, LA 87, VGK 84): The Kings move into a tie with the Coyotes, but Arizona still has a game-in-hand. As does Vegas, who could still pass both of them if everything broke right.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 95x, COL 93x): .

NEW CLINCHED: Just seeding - Buffalo #2 in the Atlantic (TB #3); Washington #2 in the Metro (New Jersey #3).
NEW ELIMINATED: NONE

APRIL 7 – 14 CLINCHED, 13 ELIMINATED, 5 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS vs Carolina (42-34-5) -- 4-3 W
Although my tiebreak calculations suggest we already have the Presidents' Trophy wrapped up on tiebreakers, one point would wrap it up and put a bow on it. And sure enough, let the record reflect that the Atlanta Firebirds win the 2019-2020 Presidents’ Trophy. Adam Lowry scores with 5:02 left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie, and neither Pittsburgh nor Anaheim can overtake them any more.
GOALS: ATL - Kesler 19, Kesler 20, Wheeler 32, Lowry 5. CAR -- Skinner 34, Teravainen 20, Roy 1.

Quote: Originally Posted by Connor Murphy

It's pretty amazing. If you'd told me two years ago when Atlanta took me in the expansion draft that this team would go this far this quickly, I probably would've asked what you'd been drinking. But here we are. Pretty crazy stuff.

ATLANTIC (ATL 112z, BUF 104x, TB 102x): Tampa plays game 82. They’re done. Atlanta and Buffalo play against each other in the season finale in a game that could’ve been consequential, but is now just for pride.

METRO (PIT 108y, WSH 105x, NJ 99x): Caps lose again to end their season. Doesn’t affect their standings position, but they're really backing into the playoffs, aren't they?

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 96x, MTL 93, CBJ 90): Montreal lost, keeping the door open for Columbus a little while longer.

CENTRAL (NSH 106y, WPG 103x, STL 101x): Nashville and St.Louis win, and we finally have clarity. Nashville locks up the division, Winnipeg #2, St. Louis #3 (regular season finished), and Dallas a wild-card.

PACIFIC (ANA 108y, EDM 94x, ARI 98, LA 87, VGK 85): Arizona wins and Vegas goes down in overtime, but since the Knights have tiebreak on Arizona, they’re not dead just yet. Anaheim just needs a point to lock up home-ice in the West.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 95x, COL 93x): "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

NEW CLINCHED: Just seeding in the Central.
NEW ELIMINATED: NONE, though Vegas in particular is hanging on by a hair.

APRIL 8 – 14 CLINCHED, 13 ELIMINATED, 5 STILL IN PLAY

FIREBIRDS: Not in play.

ATLANTIC (ATL 112z, BUF 104x, TB 102x)

METRO (PIT 110y, WSH 105x, NJ 101x): Devils have one game to play, but it won't change anything.

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 98x, MTL 93x): Columbus loses, locking Montreal into the #8 seed. They’ll be the Firebirds’ first-round opponent, with the Pens drawing the Maple Leafs.

CENTRAL (NSH 106y, WPG 103x, STL 101x)

PACIFIC (ANA 108y, EDM 94x, ARI 98, LA 89): The Kings tie Arizona, and they hold the tiebreak. So if Arizona loses, LA, gets the #3 seed, If they get a single point, they’re safe. Vegas lost, so they’re finally out, despite hanging on a lot longer than I would've thought.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 97x, COL 93x). Dallas wins, locking in the order.

NEW CLINCHED: Montreal locks up the last wild card. Last-day drama will all be out west -- who takes the #3 seed in the Pacific, and whether Nashville or Anaheim will have home-ice.
NEW ELIMINATED: Columbus, Las Vegas

APRIL 9 – LAST DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON

FIREBIRDS vs Buffalo (46-23-12) - 5-3 L
A game that could’ve mattered turns out to be schedule-filler, but Buffalo extracts a measure of revenge for the beating the Firebirds put on them back in February. Casey Mittelstadt breaks open a 2-2 tie early in the third, and then the Sabres score twice down the stretch to pull away. Johnny Gaudreau adds a goal in the last minute to make it look a little better, but it’s Buffalo’s day to shine.
GOALS: ATL - Hayes 32, Gaudreau 27, Gaudreau 28. BUF - Eichel 34, Okposo 24, Mittelstadt 14, Ristolainen 12, Reinhart 22.

ATLANTIC (ATL 112z, BUF 106x, TB 102x)

METRO (PIT 110y, WSH 105x, NJ 101x)

EAST WILD-CARDS (TOR 98x, MTL 93x)

CENTRAL (NSH 108z, WPG 103x, STL 101x): Despite Anaheim leading most of the year, Nashville actually overtakes the Ducks down the stretch for home-ice in the West.

PACIFIC (ANA 108y, EDM 94x, ARI 91x): Arizona finishes with a win, giving them the #3 over Los Angeles.

WEST WILD-CARD (DAL 97x, COL 93x)

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUPS

• Atlanta Firebirds vs. Montreal Canadiens
• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Buffalo Sabres vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils
• Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars
• Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues
• Edmonton Oilers vs. Arizona Coyotes

MONTHLY SUMMARY

STANDINGS REPORT
MONTH: 3-2-0
YEAR-TO-DATE: 53-23-6, 112 points
DIVISION: Won Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference, and Presidents' Trophy.

TEAM LEADERS

POINTS: Karlsson 83, Gaudreau 81, Wheeler 79, Hayes 66, Nyquist 58, Perron 48
GOALS: Wheeler 32, Hayes 32, Nyquist 29, Gaudreau 28, Kesler 20, Karlsson 20
ASSISTS: Karlsson 63, Gaudreau 53, Wheeler 47, Hayes 34, Perron 31
PLUS-MINUS: Hayes 46, Doos 46, Karlsson 45, Wheeler 42, Gaudreau 42


ON THE FARM
I forgot to look in detail, but at one point when getting ready for a game, I looked and saw that I had 50 wins and Birmingham was doing better with 55. On the other hand, I also remember seeing that the Rochester Americans were a few points ahead of them.

[PFellah]

April 2020: Around The League


STANDINGS


LEAGUE LEADERS


Steve Stamkos makes it official, sneaking past Cap-Man and Robin to claim the scoring title with 105 points. Looking at notable Firebirds, it feels like Karlsson has a pretty good Norris resume, and Grubauer should be right in the conversation for the Vezina.

CALDER WATCH


#1 overall pick Viktor Kovalev overcomes a slow start to win the rookie scoring title. Will that be enough for a Calder Trophy? Should John Gillies get some consideration up in Calgary? He played the vast majority of his team's games, but he wasn't particularly near the leaderboards, stats-wise. Those are probably your two favorites. Thatcher Demko had sexier stats, but almost half the number of games as Gillies.

[PFellah]

Stanley Cup Round 1 - Atlanta Firebirds (53-23-6) vs. Montreal Canadiens (43-32-7)



The Firebirds come in carrying some heavy expectations -- in addition to winning the Presidents' Trophy and everything that carries with it, they also have last year's first-round exit to put behind them. They'll be facing a Montreal team that looks beatable on paper, but they do have one of the top goalies in the game in Carey Price.

Up front, the Canadiens don't have quite the same scoring depth -- only 2 20-goal scorers on the roster (Jonathan Drouin 25, Brendan Gallagher 23). The Habs' top line of super-rookie Viktor Kovalev, Jonathan Drouin, and Jordan Eberle can probably run even with Atlanta's Gaudreau-Hayes-Wheeler line, but 2-4 depth probably favors the regular-season champions.

On the other hand... defense. Montreal probably has a deeper and better overall crew of defensemen, and that's even before we get to the big news -- Erik Karlsson is day to day with an undlsclosed injury. If Karlsson is out for any significant length of time, that could be a trajectory-altering injury.

Between the pipes, Grubauer is having the better year this year -- Price missed some time due to injury -- but a lot of GMs would say Price is the better goalie overall, and certainly has more playoff experience.

As something of a human-interest thing, it'll be interesting to see this year's Calder front-runner (Viktor Kovalev) go up against the guy who won it last year (Nikolai Sbruev). Beginnings of a Crosby-Ovechkin thing or is that too presumptuous?

GAME 1 (4/11, ATLANTA)
As you might expect from a game with two top goaltenders, Game 1 comes with a very defensive “feeling each other out” flavor – lots of big hits, not a lot of open ice to work with. Both teams do get chances here and there (David Perron clanging one off the post being the most frustrating near miss), but the scoreless tie endures through regulation. In overtime, it looks like bad news for the Firebirds, as Johnny Gaudreau takes a slashing penalty, but in a dramatic turn, Atlanta forces a faceoff in Montreal’s end, and Christian Djoos buries a short-handed slapper off the faceoff to send the home crowd home happy. 1-0 W (OT).

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 31 (11-6-6-8)
MTL 35 (8-10-12-5)

SCORING
1-0 – OT, 5:03 – Djoos 1 (Lowry)

THREE STARS
* - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 35 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - G Carey Price (MTL) – 30 saves, 0.92 GAA
*** - D Christian Djoos (ATL) – game-winning goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Christian Djoos

Getting the goal was nice, but in some ways, I'm actually more pleased that we were able to hold them scoreless for 60-plus minutes. With EK out, all of us defensemen knew we were all going to have to step up our games, and I think that's a pretty good response.

DOWN ON THE FARM (4/12)
Birmingham faces off against the Belleville Senators and ride a 4-0 first period to a 7-3 spanking in the series opener. Mitchell Stephens scores a pair; Belleville only musters 25 shots.

Oh crap. We get the news we don't want to hear -- Erik Karlsson is out until May 6 with a separated shoulder. So we’re going to have to get through at least the first round and maybe the first two without our best defenseman. Andrew Cogliano is also out for a couple days with a sprained ankle. To fill the Karlsson hole, we decide to call Tony DeAngelo up from the minors.

GAME 2 (4/13, ATLANTA), ATL LEADS SERIES 1-0
Are you kidding me? Second verse, same as the first – another 1-0 overtime game! Only this time it’s two overtimes and it’s the Canadiens pulling out the victory, with Jonathan Drouin scoring 2:44 into the second extra period. Both teams registered 29 shots; Carey Price was just a little better tonight. 1-0 L (2 OT).

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 29 (4-7-12-6)
MTL 29 (9-10-5-5)

SCORING
0-1 – OT2, 2:44 – Drouin 1 (Kovalev, Eberle)

THREE STARS
* - G Carey Price (MTL) – 29 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 28 saves, 0.73 GAA
*** - C Jonathan Drouin (MTL) – game-winning goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Kevin Hayes

That's how it is in this league. Some days a hot goalie can just stand on his head and take it out of your hands. You just gotta tip your cap to him and move on to the next one.

DOWN ON THE FARM (4/14)
This game’s a little closer than the opener, but Birmingham takes care of business again. Dominik Simon and Ville Meskanen (roster-filler) each score twice in the winning effort. Again, the Bandits hold shot advantage again, 31-19.

GAME 3 (4/15, MONTREAL), SEIRES TIED 1-1
The series shifts to Montreal, and we have to get some offense at some point, don’t we? Well, one team does, anyway. Montreal gets goals from Matt Dumba and an empty netter from Andrew Shaw. The Firebirds? Not so much: 22 shots and nothing to show for it. 2-0 L.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 22 (8-7-7)
MTL 38 (8-17-13)

SCORING
0-1 – 1st, 11:47 – Dumba 1 (Petry, Scherbak)
0-2 – 3rd, 19:16 – Shaw 1 (Lehkonen, Petry)

THREE STARS
* - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 36 saves, 1.00 GAA
** - G Carey Price (MTL) – 22 saves, 0.00 GAA
*** - D Matt Dumba (MTL) – game-winning goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan Kesler

I know that's the easy story to write, that Karlsson drives their offense and they can't score without him. But nobody in this room is using that as an excuse. Our offense hasn't quite clicked, but we'll make the adjustments. And if we somehow don't, we'll deserve to go home, but I think we will.

DOWN ON THE FARM (4/16)
The series heads to Belleville, with the Bandits having three chances to close this one out. The Senators fight this one tooth and nail, but Beau Bennett scores with 16 seconds left in regulation to close out the three-game sweep.

GAME 4 (4/19, MONTREAL), MTL LEADS SERIES, 2-1
This is certainly not the series start the Firebirds wanted, but it’s still a salvageable series at this point. For two periods, it’s more of the same. Scoreless first. Montreal takes a 2-1 lead in the second. But then in the third, the Atlanta offense finally arrives, thanks in part to sloppy defensive play by Les Habs. A delay fo game minor and a boarding major on Dean Schlemko lead to three power-play goals for the Firebirds. David Backes and Derek Grant trade goals later in the game to provide the final margin. 5-3 W.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 32 (8-11-13)
MTL 31 (7-14-10)

SCORING
0-1 – 2nd, 0:54 – Scherbak 1 (Grant, Petry)
1-1 – 2nd, 17:58 – Boedker 1 (Yakupov, Dotchin)
1-2 – 2nd, 19:05 – Danault 1 (Gallagher)
2-2 – 3rd, 2:53 – Nyquist 1 (Kesler, Sbruev)
3-2 – 3rd, 4:33 – Wheeler 1 (Hayes, Sbruev)
4-2 – 3rd, 6:33 – Wheeler 2 (DeAngelo, Gaudreau)
5-2 – 3rd, 15:57 – Backes 1 (Sbruev)
5-3 – 3rd, 16:28 – Grant 1 (Ferland, Scherbak)

THREE STARS (for once, not the goalies!)
* - RW Blake Wheeler (ATL) – 2 goals
** - C Derek Grant (MTL) – 1 goal, 1 assist
*** - RW Nate Scherbak (MTL) – 1 goal, 1 assist

Quote: Originally Posted by Blake Wheeler

No question it feels good to finally score a few. Grubby's had a great year, but we can't expect him to bail us out every night. We're a team that's capable of lighting the lamp, and it was good to remind ourselves of that. Now we just need to go out there and do it again.

GAME 5 (4/21, ATLANTA), SERIES TIED 2-2
The series comes back to Atlanta, with the Firebirds feeling a little better about things. Injury-wise, Andrew Cogliano’s ankle is playable, but now David Perron is out for evaluation. We’re back to low-scoring affairs, but this time it’s Atlanta in the driver’s seat, leading the way with 41 shots on net. Mikkel Boedker puts a puck past Carey Price 5:50 into the game, and Ryan Kesler extends the lead in the early going of the third. Johnny Hockey adds an empty netter to seal the deal with 44 ticks left, and Atlanta is in a position to clinch the series. 3-0 W.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 41(15-10-16)
MTL 26 (6-9-11)

SCORING
1-0 – 1st,5:50 – Boedker 2 (Cogliano, Backes)
2-0 – 3rd, 0:29 – Kesler 1 (Yakupov, Mueller)
3-0 – 3nd, 19:16 – Gaudreau 1 (Nyquist, DeAngelo)

THREE STARS
* - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 26 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - G Carey Price (MTL) – 38 saves, 2.01 GAA
*** RW Mikkel Boedker (ATL) – 1 goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan Kesler

I think Bodie's been great for us. I think when the trade first happened, maybe there were some guys that felt like they wanted to see how things played out with the current roster, or that dealing for picks was an odd choice given where we were in the standings. And that's nothing against Bodie. But he's been getting better game-by-game, and he's even giving us an extra dimension on the penalty kill that we didn't have before.

Injuries starting to pile up a little. Perron will be out until the 30th, and now Adam Lowry is out for evaluation too.

GAME 6 (4/23, MONTREAL) – ATLANTA LEADS SERIES 3-2

Montreal comes out gunning and builds up a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Eberle and Shaw. Ryan Kesler cuts the lead in half late in the first, and it looks like we’re in for another tight game. And the second period is scoreless, ratcheting the tension up a notch. But then in the 3rd, Montreal pulls away – Viktor Kovalev provides breathing room at 6:37 of the third, and Phillip Danault adds the cherry on top as the game winds down. This one’s going 7. 4-1 L.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 34 (11-17-6)
MTL 31 (12-9-10)

SCORING
0-1 – 1st,2:48 – Eberle 1 (Kovalev, Drouin)
0-2 – 1st, 14:11 – Shaw 2 (Petry, Lehkonen)
1-2 – 1st, 14:43 – Kesler 2 (Pelech, Nyquist)
1-3 – 3rd, 06:37 – Kovalev 1 (Eberle, Drouin)
1-4 – 3rd, 15:43 – Danault 2 (Gallagher, Weber)

THREE STARS
* - G Carey Price (MTL) – 33 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - RW Viktor Kovalev (MTL) – 1 goal, 1 assist
*** - RW Jordan Eberle (MTL) – 1 goal, 1 assist

Quote: Originally Posted by Connor Murphy

I'm not going to say you don't think about it at all... yeah we let a 3-2 lead get away last year, and now we're going to a game 7 again. But if you do think about it, you use it as motivation. You recognize that you don't want to feel that way again this time, so you've got to dig deeper and make sure that doesn't happen.

DOWN ON THE FARM (4/22)
We're still working on Round 1, but for our minor-leaguers, Round 2 starts tonight in Rochester. The Bandits face a big test against the best-in-hockey Rochester Americans. But at least in the opener, they make it look fairly easy rolling out to a 3-0 lead and holding on to win 3-1. Taylor Leier, Darren Turgeon, and Beau Bennett are the goal scorers.

GAME 7 (4/23, ATLANTA) – SERIES TIED 3-3
Adam Lowry is playable with an elbow injury so this is as good as it’s going to get. Game 7… here we go. Things get a little uncomfortable early as Jonathan Drouin puts a shot past Grubauer four minutes into the game. Price has mostly been a wall… can we get it back? Tonight the answer was yes. Four minute later, Tony DeAngelo parks a slapper from the high slot in the back of the net to tie, and two minutes later. Mikkel Boedker puts a perfect pass on Andrew Cogliano’s stick near the opposite post. Coggsy buries it, and just like that, the home team leads 2-1. Johnny Gaudreau adds a goal early in the second, and then the Firebirds sit back and play stifling defense the rest of the way. Nicky Sbruev adds an empty netter, and it’s on to Round 2. 4-1 W.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 31 (6-15-10)
MTL 16 (7-4-5)

SCORING
0-1 – 1st, 4:08 – Drouin 2 (Eberle, Dumba)
1-1 – 1st, 8:34 – DeAngelo 1 (Kesler, Nyquist)
2-1 – 1st, 10:38 – Cogliano 1 (Boedker, Djoos)
3-1 – 2nd, 2:14 – Gaudreau 2 (Djoos)
4-1 – 3rd, 19:14 – Sbruev 1 (Wheeler)

THREE STARS
* - LW Andrew Cogliano (ATL) – 1 goal
** - D Christian Djoos (ATL) – 2 assists
*** - LW Nikolai Sbruev – 1 goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Tony DeAngelo

It's hard not to get a little overloaded by all of it. You spend the year in the minors and then get dropped right into a tight series, and then to score a goal in a game 7? Pretty crazy.

ATL WINS SERIES 4-3

Round 1: Around the League


I suppose the biggest news here is that #8 Colorado upset Nashville, the top seed in the West. New Jersey also pulled a mild 3-vs-2 upset of the Caps, though as we remarked last time, the Caps kind of backed into the playoffs. The other thing that’s at least a little interesting – no four-game sweeps.

In terms of stats, Anaheim’s Artemi Panarin is your leading scorer so far with 4 goals and 6 assists, though Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine leads in goals with 6. Grubauer leads all (starting) goalies in both save percentage and goals against through the first round.

ROUND TWO MATCHUPS

• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils
• Atlanta Firebirds vs. Buffalo Sabres
• Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
• Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

[SeattleBattleCat]

Great series win, Habs pushed you right to the finish but the quality rose to the top.

Tough break losing Eriksson, on the bright side if you get through the next round, you'll get him back for the Conference Final.

Let's go Firebirds, bring home Stanley!

[PFellah]

Stanley Cup Round 2 - Atlanta Firebirds (53-23-6) vs. Buffalo Sabres (47-23-12)



On paper, I like our chances in this series. Buffalo has good Top 5 (Nylander at 79 is a little low for a Top 6 wing) and their top defense pair of Rasumus Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen is probably on par with Karlsson and Murphy. And they do have the defending Vezina winner, Sergei Bobrovsky, in net. But when you get to the bottom-six forwards and the rest of the defensemen, they barely look like a playoff team. They’ve even got the Shambling Undead Remains of Jason Spezza playing LW on their 4th line. Any team that made it this far is a threat, but I think we should be able to handle these guys.
Injury-wise, Erik Karlsson is the big name – he’ll miss the first several games with a shoulder injury. Buffalo’s Jake McCabe is out for the playoffs with a broken leg, and that’s about it.

Also, in a bit of "I don't know where else to put it" synergy, it's kinda funny that our parent clubs and minor-league affiliates (Birmingham vs. Rochester) are both facing each other at the same time.

GAME 1 (4/26, ATLANTA)
Atlanta feels like they’re in control early in terms of shots and possession time, but the results aren’t coming on the scoreboard as Sergei Bobrovsky is stout in net. Kevin Hayes stakes the Firebirds to a 1-0 lead, but it feels like it should be more. And then early in the second, the lead disappears as Jack Eichel cashes in on a 5-on-3 power play. But minutes later, the floodgates open. Gustav Nyquist scores his second goal of the playoffs at even strength to retake the lead, and then on the power-play to give the Birds some cushion. From there, it’s off to the races as David Perron, Blake Wheeler, and Johnny Gaudreau all find the back of the net. 6-1 W.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 40 (9-16-15)
BUF 35 (5-12-18)

SCORING
1-0 – 1st, 12:47 – Hayes 1 (DeAngelo, Grubauer)
1-1 – 2nd, 2:12 – Eichel 4 (O’Reilly, Reinhart)
2-1 – 2nd, 7:07 – Nyquist 2 (Kesler, Perron)
3-1 – 2nd, 11:42 – Nyquist 3 (Mueller, Kesler)
4-1 – 2nd, 12:36 – Perron 1
5-1 – 3rd, 3:09 – Wheeler 3 (Gaudreau, Hayes)
6-1 – 3rd, 12:15 – Gaudreau 3 (Wheeler)

THREE STARS

* - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 34 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - RW Gustav Nyquist (ATL) – 2 goals
*** - RW Blake Wheeler (ATL) – 1 goal, 1 assist

Quote: Originally Posted by Blake Wheeler

I think we played as close as we've been to a complete game tonight. Obviously we put the puck in the net, but we also played pretty strong defense, kept most of their shots out on the perimeter. Other than maybe taking a few dumb penalties, we executed in all aspects of the game. If we bring this level of effort every night, I think we're pretty hard to beat.

DOWN ON THE FARM
Game 2 happened between updates and was a 5-4 overtime loss, so we pick this series up tied at 1, on Birmingham’s home ice. Rochester gets out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Oskar Sundqvist gets a goal in the 2nd to shave the lead down to 1, but no tying goal is forthcoming and Rochester adds an empty-netter to pull away for a 3-1 win.

GAME 2 (4/28, ATLANTA), ATL LEADS SERIES 1-0
Things get chippy early, as Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake Dotchin mix it up not once, but twice in the first 10 minutes. When the fighting gives way to hockey, Tony DeAngelo gets things off to a good start for the home team, scoring about halfway through the 1st period. Buffalo, however, finally finds their stride with two late-period goals by Ryan O’Reilly and Casey Mittelstadt. 2-1 at the first intermission… and that actually ends up being the score that stands up as the final. 2-1 L.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 35 (12-10-13)
BUF 31 (10-12-9)

SCORING
1-0 – 1st, 9:08 – DeAngelo 2 (Cogliano, Mueller)
1-1 – 1st, 17:54 – O’Reilly 2 (Nylander, Bailey)
1-2 – 1st, 19:40 – Mittelstadt 3 (Reinhart)

THREE STARS
* - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 29 saves, 2.00 GAA
** - G Sergei Bobrovsky (BUF) – 20 saves, 1.53 GAA
*** - G Jonathan Bernier (BUF) – 14 saves, 0.00 GAA

Quote: Originally Posted by Kevin Hayes

We've got to get more consistent on offense. We can't ask Grubby to everything for us, it's gotta be 20 guys all chipping in, every night.

DOWN ON THE FARM
Things are looking grim for the Bandits, as they go down meekly in a 4-0 loss and are now facing elimination. 4 goals on 25 shots for the Americans; Kinkaid stops 28 to get the shutout.

GAME 3 (4/30, BUFFALO), SERIES TIED 1-1
After a scoreless first period, Riley Sheahan and Alex Nylander score a minute apart in the second, and Seth Griffith adds a third goal late in the period. No scoring in the 3rd, cementing the shutout for Bobrovsky. 3-0 L.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 28 (9-13-6)
BUF 32 (10-9-13)

SCORING
0-1 – 2nd, 11:45 – Sheahan 2 (Griffith, Guhle)
0-2 – 2nd, 12:33 – Nylander 2 (O’Reilly, Mittelstadt)
0-3 – 2nd, 18:11 – Griffith 1 (Baptiste, Sheahan)

THREE STARS
* - G Sergei Bobrovsky (BUF) – 28 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - C Riley Sheahan (BUF) – 1 goal, 1 assist
*** - RW S Griffith (BUF) – 1 goal, 1 assist

Quote: Originally Posted by Johnny Gaudreau

I mean, you can fall back on cliches like we ran into a tough goalie or teams are tightening down in the playoffs, but you can say that about every team that's still playing at this time of year. At the end of the day we gotta do more on offense than 1 goal in two games.

DOWN ON THE FARM
Birmingham at least shows up to play this time, but can’t stave off elimination. The teams trade leads twice, but the Americans but the game and the series away in the third period with a 3-2 win.

GAME 4 (5/2, BUFFALO), BUF LEADS SERIES, 2-1
Gustav Nyquist scores a little over four minutes into the contest, raising hopes that maybe this is the night the offense shows up. But nope – Nyquist’s goal would be the only Atlanta tally of the contest. In the second period, Riley Sheahan ties things back up, and Griffith gets the game-winner in the third. 2-1 L.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 29 (8-11-10)
BUF 36 (9-13-14)

SCORING
1-0 – 1st, 3:45 – Nyquist 4 (Kesler, Gaudreau)
1-1 – 2nd, 14:23 – Sheahan 3 (Bogosian, Baptiste)
1-2 – 3rd, 7:27 – Griffith 2 (Antipin, Guhle)

THREE STARS
* - G Sergei Bobrovsky (BUF) – 28 saves, 1.00 GAA
** - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 34 saves, 2.04 GAA
*** - RW Seth Griffith (BUF) – game-winning goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan Kesler

Grubby's been giving us a chance every night, we've been playing pretty clean in our own end, but we've gotta find a way to generate some offense. It's time to put some pucks in the net or we're going home. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

GAME 5 (5/4, ATLANTA), BUF LEADS SERIES 3-1
Erik Karlsson will be in the lineup, but will that be enough to get this offense going and turn the tide? (Also, David Backes takes his place on the injured list – out for evaluation with an unknown injury). Early on, the answer is no – Nicholas Baptiste puts a puck past Grubauer and it’s otherwise quiet. Second period – no goals by either side… we’re running out of time here, boys. Third period, and it’s Kyle Okposo striking for an insurance goal two minutes in. The clock winds down, and yes, we are going out like that. 2-0 L, and eliminated in 5 games.

SHOTS ON GOAL
ATL 26 (10-7-9)
BUF 34 (9-15-10)

SCORING
0-1 – 1st, 13:34 – Baptiste 1 (Dahlin, Sheahan)
0-2 – 3rd, 1:46 – Okposo 1 (Mittelstadt, Nylander)

THREE STARS
* - G Sergei Bobrovsky BUF) – 26 saves, 0.00 GAA
** - G Philipp Grubauer (ATL) – 32 saves, 2.05 GAA
*** RW Nicholas Baptiste (BUF) – game-winning goal

Quote: Originally Posted by Erik Karlsson

Angry... disappointed... pick a negative emotion, and yeah, I'm probably feeling that. Missing a bunch of games and then getting healthy just in time to get run out of the playoffs... that's not the fantasy little kids are re-enacting out on the pond, right?

Buffalo Sabres win series, 4 games to 3

("Around the League" moves to a cleanup post since we're eliminated)