Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
It seems like one test after another for the Manitoba Moose lately.
Go back to Mar. 11. The Moose hold third place in the Central Division, two points ahead of fourth-place Texas. In the middle, third means a bye to the semifinals, fourth means an unlikely first-round series.
Manitoba finished the season 8-10-0-2 in its last 20 games. They were swept by the Stars and had to face Milwaukee in the third of three last week.
After that, they lost Game 1 to the Admirals, 4-1. And Game 2 was tied late, putting the Moose one goal away from elimination.
But David GustafssonA 42.6 goal left in regulation gave them a chance – and nothing more – to try and save their season again in Game 3.
Even on Sunday, Buffalo did not stumble. Walker Duehr got them a first time goal, Samuel Fagemo they added another goal in the second half and went on to win 2-1 against the Admirals. He is a second-year goalkeeper Domenic DiVincentiisformer AHL All-Star inductee Thomas Milic After Game 1, 31 saves were posted.
Now it gets even more difficult.
Next on the list are the Grand Rapids Griffins, who compiled an incredible 29-1-1-1 record through the first three months of the regular season, set and challenged league records throughout the season, and have had two weeks to recover and sing.
Game 1 of the Central Division semifinal series is Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg.
The Griffins inflicted some of the Moose’s season-ending pain on a two-game trip to town on April 3-4, where they beat Manitoba 13-5 in two wins. And no matter what, in order to take the series the Moose will have to win at least once at Van Andel Arena, where they have dropped three of their four visits this season.
With the Winnipeg Jets season over, the Moose will receive the full attention of the parent team’s management, and it comes at a challenging time for the organization as well. After winning the President’s Medal last season as the NHL’s best regular season team, the Jets stumbled badly this winter, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for only the second time since 2017.
And that means a lot of pressure on the Jets heading into the offseason. Throughout the years, the franchise has relied heavily on developing top talent at the AHL level. Forward Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti again Mark Scheifele all came through the AHL as Winnipeg prospects. So are the defenders Josh Morrissey, Elias Solomonsson again Dylan Samberg. That’s right, the Olympic gold medalist, three-time Vezina Trophy winner and former AHL All-Star Connor Hellebuyck leads the way to the net.
So the Jets know what the AHL can mean to the NHL organization. Something that could ease that pain at the NHL level this season would be a strong postseason performance from the Moose, especially if prospects drive a large portion of that success. The Moose have a first round pick Colby Barlow (18th overall in 2023), Brad Lambert (30th in 2022) and Brayden Yager (14th in 2023) present in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The protector Garrett Brown2022 fourth-round pick who won his second national title at the University of Denver, and is the head coach’s choice. Mark Morrison on the blue line.
However, two more obstacles came Moose’s way this week, as Morrison revealed that Salomonsson and the forward. Nikita Chibrikov both will miss the playoffs following surgery.
A very difficult task lies ahead for Moose – albeit a straightforward one.
“We’re going to have to defend better than we’ve ever defended,” Morrison said. “We know what our game plan is.”
And as for the extra scrutiny of an NHL team giving Moose full attention, Morrison thinks it will bring out the best in his club.
“They even practice a lot because those guys are there,” he said.
“That’s what it’s all about, right? Proving yourself in high-pressure situations and playoffs.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
