Moose sunk by Admirals, 4-3 in a shootout

The Moose took on the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL Nashville) in game 2 of their back-to-back, after winning 3-2 Saturday night. Thus far, the Moose have won every game against Milwaukee this season, each by a 3-2 margin. They looked to keep that streak alive Sunday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd at the MTS Centre.

Key Plays of the Game

1. After penalties to Harrison and Melchiori gave the Admirals a 5-on-3, Nashville second round pick, Pontos Aberg blasted a one-timer from the left circle and beat Eric Comrie, giving the Admirals a 1-0 lead about 5 minutes in.
2. With the Milwaukee defender pinching, John Albert and Josh Morrissey took off 2-on-1; Albert drew the defender over to him and made a nice backhand pass to Morrissey, who tapped it past Juuse Saros for his first goal of the season. The goal tied things up with about 7 minutes left in the first.
3. Early in the second, Austen Brassard fed a nice pass into the slot for Ryan Olsen, who slid the puck past Saros to put the Moose up 2-1.
4. With just 10 seconds left in the second, Comrie gave up a rebound and left himself out of position – the puck came right out to the Admirals’ leading scorer – Freddy Gaudreau (no relation to the Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau), who deposited the puck into the empty net, tying the game at 2.
5. With the Moose on the PP halfway through the third, a giveaway in the offensive zone led to a short-handed two-on-one; with no back-check pressure, Victor Bartley had plenty of time to feed a waiting Adam Payerl, who found twine beyond a helpless Eric Comrie, putting the Admirals up 3-2.
6. With 2:26 left to play, and the Moose’s odds starting to look grim, Jay Harrison floated a harmless wrister on net, which appeared to be deflected in the slot by Matt Halischuk, tying the game at 3.
7. With 20 seconds left in regulation, Josh Morrissey attacked the zone with some speed, and fired a shot through a defender’s legs, catching the right post. Regulation play ended with the score tied at 3.
8. Two minutes into overtime, Nic Petan was holding the puck behind the net when his defender fell; Petan wrapped the puck around and fed Chase de Leo, who just missed tapping it in for the victory.
9. With under 10 seconds left in OT, Joel Armia came threateningly over the blueline, backed up the defender, and fed a backhand pass to Patrice Cormier, who was denied by Juuse Saros.
10. The shootout went 5 rounds, until former Atlanta Thrashers draft pick, Vinny Saponari, ended the game with a backhand deke.

Scoring Summary Link

Today’s Top Moose

Nic Petan – While he didn’t register any points on the night, Petan seemed to do everything well. He showed tremendous determination in winning puck battles against bigger players (generously listed at 5’9, that would include any other player). With his speed and skill, he was one of the few Moose players who was consistently able to enter the zone with control of the puck. He was good on the powerplay, able to create space with his quick hands, and make plays with incredibly precise passes. He meshed well with anyone who had the opportunity to play with him, particularly Joel Armia, and also Josh Morrissey when they were matched up together on the PP.

Josh Morrissey – He scored the Moose’s first goal by jumping up in the play smartly, and also made a tremendous play in the defensive zone, breaking up a short-handed two-on-one. With Brenden Kichton missing today’s game, he got an opportunity to play on the #1 PP unit, and he looked very comfortable quarterbacking along with Nic Petan.

Chase de Leo and Joel Armia – de Leo showed a lot of jump tonight, creating a few dangerous chances with his feet, and also moving the puck well, particularly on the PP. Armia was also dangerous at different points in the game, using his size and hands to threaten defenders off the rush, and create chances both for himself and his teammates.

Injury Notes

J.C Lipon missed his second game of the year (and second straight). He’s expected to be out for another week or two.

Brenden Kichton also missed the game, but is only considered day-to-day.

Post-Game Audio

Coach Keith McCambridge.