Let’s call this the pre-pregamer, if you will.
Before the postseason officially begins tomorrow night, there are a few storylines on both sides:
-The Devils added another forward on Tuesday: 2015 3rd rounder Blake Speers has joined the team after finishing his season with Sault Ste. Marie. He made three appearances in New Jersey early in the season, going scoreless before returning to the Greyhounds. If you recall, he was on the roster last season during the playoffs as an amateur tryout, but did not see any action.
SSM teammate Colton White joined him earlier this afternoon.
-Also on Tuesday, the Marlies released their postseason roster. You may recognize a couple of names on the list…
…and one of those familiar names was profiled in today’s Times Union.
At least two Marlies regulars, Kasperi Kapanen and Nikita Soshnikov, are currently up with the Maple Leafs as they take on the Caps in Round 1. That series would finish by Tuesday at the latest, so depending on the result, you may or may not see anyone come down from the Leafs till the “if necessary” portion of the series.
-As for the rest of the AHL? Here’s your other first round matchups:
East:
N1 Syracuse vs. N4 St. John’s–series begins Friday in NFLD
A1 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton vs. A4 Providence–series begins Friday in RI
A2 Lehigh Valley vs. A3 Hershey–series begins Friday in Allentown
West:
C1 Chicago vs. C4 Charlotte–series begins Thursday in NC
C2 Grand Rapids vs. C3 Milwaukee–series begins Friday in MI
P1 San Jose vs. P4 Stockton–series begins Friday in SJ
P2 San Diego vs. P3 Ontario–series begins Friday in SD
Pregamer will be out an hour earlier than usual, at 3 PM on Thursday. This will be the only pregamer for the series. First recap will be on Sunday, time to be determined (as someone who has sat through multiple playoff OTs on a few occasions, you need to prepare for the worst I guess).
Thoughts Inside The Box 