Ontario Reign: Series preview against the Abbotsford Canucks

The Ontario Reign hit the road for their final two games before the Christmas holiday break as they take on the Abbotsford Canucks.

Tale of the tape:

Goals for:

ONT: 79

ABB: 84

Goals against:

ONT: 65

ABB: 74

Goals against average:

ONT: 2.44

ABB: 2.92

Save percentage:

ONT: .911

ABB: .903

Power play: 

ONT: 20.0%

ABB: 14.3%

Penalty kill: 

ONT: 84.9%

ABB: 85.6%

Road record:

ONT: 9-2-0-0

Home record:

ABB: 7-4-1-0

Points:

ONT: 33

ABB: 30

Division standings:

ONT: Second

ABB: Fourth

Leading scorers:

ONT: Brandt Clarke – 5 goals, 21 assists, 26 points

ABB: Arshdeep Bains – 3 goals, 19 assists, 22 points

Two things to watch for in Ontario’s two-game series against Abbotsford

Goaltending

Ontario enters this two-game series with a slight edge in this department. Both teams will feature one rookie between the pipes; Nikita Tolopilo for the Canucks and Erik Portillo for the Reign. Tolopilo enters this series sharing the net with Arturs Silovs. As for the Reign, Portillo will share the net with Jacob Ingham, who was called up to the Reign after David Rittich was called up to the LA Kings due to an injury to Pheonix Copley. Portillo has played well in his rookie season by recording a 2.15 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

The Canucks enter this series with a team save percentage of .903, while the Reign enter with a .911 team save percentage. Ontario has gotten good play from their netminder throughout the season, while the Canucks have had a hard time keeping the puck out of the net. Goaltending may play a factor in these two games. I expect each goalie from both sides to play a game in this one. Reign head coach Marco Sturm hinted we could see Ingham get a game in this series after Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win over Colorado.

Contributions throughout the lineup

Here’s how each team lined up in their previous games:

First, the Ontario Reign:

Tonight's @ontarioreign warmup line rushes –

Hudon – Tynan – Chromiak
Ward – Thomas – Fagemo
Madden – Pinelli – Hodgson
Lee – Helenius – Doty

Connauton – Clarke
Inamoto – Wylie
Krygier – Santini

Portillo
Ingham

— Jared Shafran (@ShafReign) December 17, 2023

Now, the Abbotsford Canaucks:

Linueps are in! pic.twitter.com/zVabCaFLPG

— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) December 17, 2023

While the Canucks have only scored five more goals than the Reign all season, they’re pretty even in the forward group. They’re led by forward Arshdeep Bains, who has 22 points in 22 games. Ontario is led by dynamic defenseman Brandt Clarke and veteran forward TJ Tynan, who have 26 points in 25 games each. Both teams like to roll all four lines and six defensemen. While the big names have been vital to each team’s success, don’t forget their depth, who may play a factor in this series.

Special teams

Special teams can always make a difference in a game. Ontario’s power play is heating up, but their penalty kill has taken a slight dip in the standings. Entering Saturday, the Reign’s penalty kill ranked sixth in the AHL and is now ranked 10th. As for Abbotsford, their power play ranks 27th in the league at 14.3%. That’s odd to see considering the Canucks have the players to make their power play dangerous. As for their penalty kill, it’s ranked 5th at 85.6%. Special teams could decide one, if not both games.

*Game one of the series starts tonight at 7 PM and can be seen on AHLTV.

Featured image credit: Ontario Reign