Week 28 Primer

Devils Quick Hits:

-Albany begins the final week of the regular season with a 34-28-5-6 record, good for 79 points.  They sit in 4th place in the Northeast Division, 4 points behind third place Springfield, and 10th in the Eastern Conference, trailing 8th place Portland and 9th place Springfield by the same margin.  The magic number to clinch a playoff spot stands at 11, with an elimination number of 3.

4/15, Game #74 vs. Syracuse

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Syracuse leads 6-1.

Standings:

Syracuse: 41-23-9-0, 2nd place in Northeast Division, 5th in Eastern Conference

Crunch Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Jonathan Marchessault, 64 points (23 G, 41 A); Yanni Gourde, 55 points (27 G, 28 A); Mike Angelidis, 38 points (20 G, 18 A)

Kristers Gudlevskis, 13-3-2, 2.68 GAA; Adam Wilcox, 0-1-0, 3.12 GAA

Notes:

-The Crunch have dropped 6 of their last 7 games, dropping them behind Hartford for the Northeast Division lead.  After coming to the Capital Region on Wednesday, they finish the season with a pair of home games against Adirondack and Bridgeport.

-Syracuse has been hit  by the injury bug, as they are missing captain Mike Angelidis and assistant captain Joey Mormina (coincidentally both former River Rats) due to assorted ailments.

-With the NHL regular season ending, Jonathan Marchessault and Slater Koekkoek have returned from Tampa Bay, while AHL All Star Vladislav Namestnikov remains with the Lightning.

Listen: AHL Live, ESPN Radio Syracuse

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @SyracuseCrunch

4/17, Game #75 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Albany leads 2-1.

Standings:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 43-23-3-4, 93 points, 2nd place in East Division, 4th in Eastern Conference

Penguins Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Tom Kostopoulos, 44 points (16 G, 28 A); Andrew Ebbett, 43 points (17 G, 26 A); 2 tied with 41

Matt Murray, 25-9-3, 1.51 GAA; Jeff Zatkoff, 16-14-4, 2.45 GAA

Notes:

-With a win over Lehigh Valley last Wednesday, the Pens locked up their 13th consecutive playoff appearance.  They stand 3 points behind Hershey for the division lead with 3 games remaining.

-After hosting Albany on Friday, they host Norfolk on Saturday and visit Lehigh Valley on Sunday to close out the regular season.

-Rookie goaltender Matt Murray has had an amazing season.  He was recently named to both the AHL’s First All Star Team and the All-Rookie Team.  He currently has 12 shutouts, one short of the AHL record set in 2003-04 by Jason LaBarbera.

Listen: AHL Live, WILK 103.1 FM

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @nafsnep, @WBSPenguins, @WBSGameDay

4/18, Game #76 vs. Hartford

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 5:00 PM.

Season Series: Hartford leads 6-3.

Standings:

Hartford: 41-23-5-4, 91 points, 1st place in Northeast Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference

Wolfpack Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Chris Bourque, 63 points (28 G, 35 A); Oscar Lindberg, 53 points (26 G, 27 A); Danny Kristo, 44 points (22 G, 22 A)

Mackenzie Skapski, 15-8-3, 2.40 GAA; Yann Danis, 16-12-4, 2.46 GAA

Notes:

-The Wolfpack climbed into the top spot in the Northeast Division thanks to a slumping Crunch team and winning six out of their last seven, including their last 5 straight.

-Hartford finishes with a 3 in 3 weekend, hosting Bridgeport in their home finale on Friday before traveling to Albany on Saturday and Bridgeport on Sunday.

-Forward Chris Bourque, fifth in the league in scoring and leading all Hartford scorers, was named to the AHL’s First All Star Team last week.

Listen: AHL Live, Fox Sports 1410 Hartford

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @WolfpackAHL