Portland Pirates Fight For Playoff Spot

Portland Pirates Have Nine Games Left To Clinch Playoffs

Since we last checked in with the Portland Pirates progress to the playoffs, we find them clinging to the eighth and final spot. Their eighty points put them in a position to make the cut, since they have games in hand on the teams above them in the AHL standings.

Their 9-2 record during March has propelled them into playoff contention. Sixteen points separate the first place Manchester Monarchs from the eighth place Pirates. And the Pirates must face them three times before the season’s conclusion.

Of the remaining nine games, the Pirates only play one team (Springfield) who trail them in the standings. The fight for a playoff spot is contentious, to say the least.

Besides facing first place Manchester three times, with only one at home — they must also faceoff against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton twice, and Worcester twice. Both these teams are ahead of the Portland Pirates at this point.

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With the Pirates in contention for post-season play, chances are the parent Arizona Coyotes will not recall any players after giving Jordan Szwarz the call on March 23rd, while sending Justin Hodgman back to the Portland Pirates. Hodgman had a three day recall, while Brandan Shinnimin had a four day stint. That short of any recalls due to injuries to the Arizona Coyotes regular roster should do it for recalls this year. That may be a welcome sign for some of the Portland Pirates players making so many travel plans.

The Arizona Coyotes led the league in recalls from their AHL affiliate. This was due in part to injuries, but more frequently to assess the talent at the minor league level, helping GM Don Maloney determine if any of the young players were ready to make the jump to the NHL.

As we review the leading scorers we see that Alex Bolduc still leads the pack with 20 G, 26 A in 53 games. Mike Mckenna leads in goaltending with a 26-15-7 record, and a 2.15 GAA and a .93 SV %.

The Portland Pirates players who logged the most time with the Arizona Coyotes goes as follows:

Tobias Rieder – 67 games
Andrew Campbell – 29 games
Brandon Gormley – 26 games
Lucas Lessio – 26 games
Brendan Shinnimin – 12 games
Jordan Martinook – 8 games
Justin Hodgman – 5 games

With the parent Arizona Coyotes well out of the playoffs this year, we can always cheer on the Portland Pirates, the future Coyotes to victory. I will follow them if they make the playoffs, and report their progress.

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Still nothing new to report on where the Pirates will relocate to next season, since the Portland franchise signed an agreement to work with the Florida Panthers. The Coyotes may partner up with the San Antonio Rampage for a one year deal until they can work on getting a franchise in Arizona. That would be ideal, due to the short distance either a Tucson, Flagstaff, or Prescott Valley location could provide. Scouts and player development coaches would find it much more convenient for them.

Next: Portland Pirates March 2015 Update

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