The Moose are coming off an exhilarating weekend, earning back-to-back 2-1 wins on Friday and Sunday to clinch their first-round series with the Admirals. Moments later, however, the focus shifted to a daunting second-round matchup against the Western Conference-leading Griffins.
The season series was decidedly one-sided, though Manitoba was hardly alone in that regard as few teams found success against Grand Rapids this season. The Griffins suffered just 16 regulation losses in 72 games, including one to the Moose that marked their first road loss in regulation back in January.
From a health perspective, Manitoba head coach Mark Morrison indicated the team is happy to have some time between series, with several players dealing with the usual bumps and bruises at this stage of the season. All eyes will be on Jets prospect Elias Salomonsson after the defenceman delivered a hard neutral-zone check late in the last game, slid into the boards, and did not play for the final five minutes of the clincher. There is also uncertainty surrounding Nikita Chibrikov, who is with the team but has yet to be officially loaned due to an injury suffered during the NHL season. He could become available if he is cleared to play through the issue.
Black Aces:
Skating: Ethan Frisch (inj), Chase Yoder, Jaydon Dureau & Ben Zloty. Walker Duehr skated on his own about 45 minutes before practice began and didn’t skate with the main group.
Jets presence:
Come for a Moose skate but see some Jets as Mark Scheifele and Dylan DeMelo were on the ice this morning at hfac as they prepare for the World Championship as well as captain Adam Lowry and Colin Miller.
Skate news:
No surprise that Elias Salomonsson isn’t skating. No Kale Clague either. Will have to wait for an update after skate.
Jets prospect Kevin He (wearing 37) taking part.
In the absence of Salomonsson, his spot alongside Isaak Phillips is being filled during today’s drills by fellow Jets prospect Garrett Brown.
Player media:
To follow.
Coach media:
To follow.
Playoff Tickets:
We will be giving away a few tickets to the upcoming playoff games so stay tuned for that and if you’d like the friends and family deal check out this offer here.
Up next:
The Moose are scheduled to be off tomorrow but you can start your day with all the latest news and notes in the morning papers at 7 AM CT on illegalcurve.com.
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