Week 26 Primer

Devils Quick Hits:

-Albany kicks off the month of April with a 31-25-5-6 record and 73 points.  They stand in 4th place in the Northeast Division (3 points behind 3rd place Springfield) and 10th in the Eastern Conference, 3 points behind Springfield for 9th & 7 points behind Portland for 8th.

-After appearing in Saturday’s win over Norfolk, Alexandre Carrier was reassigned to Orlando on Sunday.

-On Monday, Ben Johnson was recalled from Orlando after appearing in 12 games for the Solar Bears.  He scored twice and added six assists during his stay.

4/1, Game #68 vs. Manchester

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Manchester leads 1-0.

Standings:

Manchester: 43-16-6-2, 94 points, 1st place in Atlantic Division, 1st place in Eastern Conference

Monarchs Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Brian O’Neill, 71 points (22 G, 49 A); Jordan Weal, 62 points (18 G, 44 A); Colin Miller, 46 points (17 G, 29 A)

Jean-Francois Berube, 32-9-4, 2.19 GAA; Patrik Bartosak, 11-7-4, 2.14 GAA

Notes:

-Manchester, who leads the overall AHL standings by 3 points over Hershey, were the first team to punch their ticket to the Calder Cup playoffs when they clinched on Saturday.

-The Monarchs boast the top two scorers in the league in O’Neill and Weal, while both goaltenders (Bartosak and Berube) are in the top 10 for goals against average.

-This will be the last ever matchup between Manchester and Albany, as both Kings affiliates are switching leagues: the AHL version will be in the new Pacific Division as the Ontario Reign, while Manchester will be joining the ECHL.

Listen: AHL Live, manchestermonarchs.com

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @MonarchsHockey

4/3, Game #69 at Springfield

Where: Mass Mutual Center, Springfield, MA.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Springfield leads 4-3.

Standings:

Springfield: 34-27-8-0, 76 points, 3rd place in Northeast Division, 9th in Eastern Conference

Falcons Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

T.J. Tynan, 41 points (10 G, 31 A); Luke Adam, 40 points (15 G, 25 A); Austin Madaisky, 35 points (12 G, 23 A)

Anton Forsberg, 20-8-1, 2.01 GAA; Scott Munroe, 7-10-2, 2.59 GAA; Joonas Korpisalo, 0-25-0, 3.52 GAA

Notes:

-The Falcons are struggling to stay in the final playoff spot in the East, falling to 9th after a recent 0-3-1-0 skid.

-Springfield has seen six rookies make their professional debuts, including 2014 first rounder Sonny Milano and Finnish goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.

-After a 11 AM start in Bridgeport on Wednesday, Springfield returns home for a crucial two game homestand with Albany and 8th place Portland.

Listen: AHL Live, WHYN 560 AM

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @TheFalconsAHL, @KatyLovesHockey

4/4, Game #70 vs. Binghamton

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 5:00 PM.

Season Series: Tied at 1.

Standings:

Binghamton: 28-31-7-1, 64 points, 4th place in East Division, 13th in Eastern Conference

Senators Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Shane Prince, 54 points (23 G, 31 A); Chris Wideman, 51 points (16 G, 35 A); Cole Schneider, 47 points (23 G, 24 A)

Peter Mannino, 6-10-4, 3.84 GAA; Scott Greenham, 13-9-2, 2.63 GAA; Chris Driedger, 2-0-0, 3.00 GAA

Notes:

-Binghamton appears to be the next Eastern Conference team to be mathematically out of the running for a playoff spot, starting the week with a tragic number of 3.

-The Senators are riding a three game losing streak into this week’s schedule…they travel to Syracuse on Wednesday before hosting the Phantoms on Friday evening.

-Goaltender Peter Mannino, who did not even begin the year in the Southern Tier, has taken over the starting duties with Andrew Hammond being recalled to Ottawa in late January, going 5-7-2 in 14 starts.

Listen: AHL Live, US 96.9 FM

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @BSens_Hockey