The Ontario Reign drop their second game against the Abbotsford Canucks in as many days, extending their losing streak to nine games.
Goal Breakdown
First period:
No Goals
Second period:
ABB: Matt Alfaro (2) ASST: Marc Gatcomb (4), Aatu Raty (13
ABB: Linus Karlsson (20) ASST: Arshdeep Bains (24), Quinn Schiemann (4)
ONT: Lias Andersson (24) ASST: Helge Grans (5), TJ Tynan (61)
ABB: Arshdeep Bains (9) ASST: Matt Alfaro (5), Brady Keeper (4)
Third period:
ABB: Matt Alfaro (3) ASST: Marc Gatcomb (5), Aatu Raty (14)
ABB: Jett Woo (4) UNASSISTED
ONT: Lias Andersson (25) ASST: TJ Tynan (62), Jacob Moverare (15)
Stats
Goals:
ABB: 5
ONT: 2
Shots:
ABB: 24
ONT: 44
Power-plays:
ABB: 1/4
ONT: 0/3
Here are the three takeaways from Saturday’s 5-2 loss:
Goaltending problems continue
The Canucks reads of Cal Petersen on Friday were near surgical, with his stick side being exposed as weak and peppered with shots. Though the team played harder and significantly better, they didn’t find the goaltending they needed. They hammered their opponents with 44 shots on net, conceding only 24 themselves. The problem is that Petersen’s five goals allowed were too much for the Reign to come back from.
Of the nine losses the Reign are currently facing down, Petersen has been between the pipes for eight of them. He has allowed four or more goals in five of those games and made less than 20 saves in three of them. No one who is a fan of the LA Kings or the Ontario Reign wants to give up on Cal Petersen, but the faith has to be waning. As Coach Marco Sturm told LA Kings Insider (HERE), “We’d like to score more but we can’t allow five goals against. That’s our mistake and that’s what we have to get better at”.
Lias Andersson has the tips
It’s nice to see Lias Andersson being the one who gets on the scoreboard in Ontario. He had the most shots – six – of the entire Ontario Roster and potted the team’s two goals. He’s shown that he can be a leader when necessary and playing top-line minutes for Ontario has probably been pretty good for him and his development. When Andersson was in New York after his draft, a lot of people had written him off and to see him playing so well really warms your heart.
:23 second clip for a # 23 goal… weird pic.twitter.com/psagjRUk9o
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) March 19, 2023
Most specifically what Lias Andersson does a lot is not give up on plays. His first goal of the night is a great example of that, as he barrels into the zone, starts a cycle, and blasts the puck into the back of the Vancouver net. Honestly, Lias Andersson probably does not have a spot on the LA Kings roster at this point in the season and he may not be able to crack it again. However, the 24-year-old has a lot of potential and could find himself on an NHL roster fairly quickly if he keeps up his play.
Magical Math
We’ve reached the point of the season where it becomes necessary to discuss points and playoff positioning. The AHL, as a body, has expanded its playoff format to include a best-of-3 first round before the divisional semifinals begin. This is good for Ontario because it’s going to be how they get into the playoffs at this point. Per the AHL Playoff Primer – a nifty little bit of info, by the by – Ontario’s magic number clinching a playoff spot is 16. That means the Reign need to win 8 more games to solidify themselves a place in the postseason.
This can be done. The Reign have the roster to get back into the playoffs, they have strong offensive upsides, and they know how to win. Something has to change on the ice for the team to start to turn it around, however. The team’s scoring is way down, but they still hold the 5th best powerplay in the league as well as the third-best penalty kill. With special teams clearly not being an issue, the Ontario Reign will need to find the gumption to start winning some of these battles at even strength.
UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign returns to action on March 21st for a two-game series against the Tucson Roadrunners. The game starts at 6:30 pm PT and can be seen on AHLTV.
Featured image credit: Abbotsford Canucks