While the first round was nothing short of amazing for the NHL, the AHL is also in the middle of the best time of the year: playoffs.
If you haven’t been able to check in on how things are going, I’ve got you covered.
First, over in the West, the No. 1 seeded Texas Stars were the first team to advance to the second round of playoffs after sweeping the No. 8 seeded Oklahoma City Barons, three games to none (AHL first round is best-of-five games). The Stars were the first team of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth.
The No. 3 seeded Toronto Marlies also took the brooms out in their series against the No. 6 seeded Milwaukee Admirals with a 2-0 win last night, punching their ticket to the second round.
The No. 2 seeded Chicago Wolves defeated the No. 7 seeded Rochester Americans last night, 4-0, taking a 2-1 series lead.
The No. 4 seeded and defending Calder Cup Champion Grand Rapids Griffins hold a 2-1 game lead over the No. 5 seeded Abbotsford Heat. The Griffins will have a chance to move on to the second round tonight when they host Abbotsford at 7 p.m. EST.
In the East, the No. 1 seeded Manchester Monarchs will face elimination tonight as they take on the No. 8 seeded Norfolk Admirals at 7:30 p.m. EST in Norfolk.
The No. 2 seeded Springfield Falcons and the No. 7 seeded Providence Bruins will need a game five to decide who will move on. The two teams will face off on Saturday in Springfield at 7 p.m. EST.
The No. 3 seeded Binghamton Senators are down 2-1 to the No. 6 seeded Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Senators and Penguins will faceoff for game four tonight at 7:05 p.m. EST as the Penguins look to advance.
The last series in the East is the No. 4 seeded St. John’s IceCaps and the No. 5 seeded Albany Devils. The IceCaps are currently in the lead 2-1 with a potential advancing game four tonight at 6 p.m. EST.
The first round has seen its share of overtime action already. Of the six series, only two, the Toronto and Milwaukee and the St. Johns and Albany, series have not had an OT game. Perhaps the most exciting of the OT games has come from the Binghamton and Wilkes-Barries series, as all three game have needed an overtime decider. Will we see another overtime tonight?
Each team is likely moving their games to twitch streams in an effort to capture more fans. So, be on the lookout there as well.
