Mavs looking to get foot in ECHL playoff door

The East Coast Hockey League has five Midwest based teams in action tonight, all against non-Midwest opponents. The most urgent of those games and the highlight of the March 29 Pro Report is the Missouri Mavericks who will faceoff against a Texas based nemesis looking for two valuable points as it works through the final regular season matches to earn a playoff position.

Following are all of the Pro matches involving Midwest based teams for tonight.

ECHL

Missouri at Allen

Last season, the Missouri Mavericks ran away with the East Coast Hockey League’s regular season crown. A year later the Kansas City crew is pushing hard down the stretch just to get a sniff of the playoffs.

The Mavs enter tonight’s key match in Texas against the two-time defending Kelly Cup champs looking to make up ground on the Alaska Aces who sit two points above them in the regular season standings in the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Mavs have a game in hand on the Aces, but won’t use it up tonight as the Alaska crew is also in action at Fort Wayne against the Komets.

While riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 3-2 edge against the Americans last Wednesday, the Mavs have been hot and cold through a 5-6 month of March.

The Mavs have just seven games remaining on its schedule including tonight and tomorrow on the road against the Americans who have dominated the season series to date, the visitors sporting a 3-7-1 record against the Americans heading into tonight.

Brampton at Cincinnati

The Cyclones are another team making a desperate push through the final games of the season trying to reach the Playoffs.

Currently fifth and out of the dance, the Cyclones sit just two points behind the fourth place South Carolina Stingrays and three behind third place Orlando Solar Bears in the wide open South Division with a game in hand on both teams.

Cincy has put together a 6-2 record through the month of March so far and including a 4-1 road trip to Idaho and Alaska.

This will be the first and only meeting between the Cyclones and Brampton as the Beast looks to unseat Adirondack for the top spot in the North Division.

Alaska at Fort Wayne

The host Komets and Aces will have something common tonight as they are trying to hold onto current positions.

The Komets have no shot at catching Toledo in the Central Division, but with seven games to go, the Komets are looking to hang on home ice advantage for the opening playoff round, currently four points ahead of third place Quad City with a couple of games in hand as well.

The Komets will be hosting the Aces for the first and only time tonight as the Aces look to protect its slim two point margin in the Mountain Division’s fourth and final playoff spot.

Kalamazoo at Florida

Positions are all but confirmed for both of these clubs as the Wings appear to be locked into fourth spot in the Central and the Everblades are close to locking up top spot in the South.

The Wings are riding a four-game winning streak as it kicks off its final road trip of the season with three games in four nights at Germain Arena. Included in that stretch is a 3-2 win against the same Everblades a week ago at the Wings Event Center, the only other meeting between these two teams this season.

Utah at Rapid City

The Rush is playing the role of spoiler in this one as it hosts and tries to impede the Grizzlies who currently sit sixth in the Mountain Division, three points behind the fourth-place Alaska Aces with just six games left to play.

The Rush meanwhile has just four games remaining on its schedule.

NHL

Chicago at Pittsburgh

The Hawks are comfortably in the playoffs and should wrap up top spot in the West Conference, but would like to get a good effort tonight to erase memories of a rough trip to the Sunshine State where it dropped a 7-0 decision to the Panthers and saw a 4-1 cushion evaporate and turn into a 5-4 overtime defeat against a desperate Tampa Bay squad.

This match brings together the Stanley Cup champs from the previous two seasons. They met at the beginning of March at the United Center with the Hawks prevailing 4-1 thanks to a hat trick off the stick of Patrick Kane.

St. Louis at Arizona

The Blues and Coyotes are wrapping up a home and away pair as the Blues wrapped up a three game homestand with a 4-1 win on Monday night.

The Blues are motivated to get the win as they currently sit in the second and final Wild Card position for the West Conference, but also just one point behind the Nashville Predators who are currently third in the Central Conference. The Blues earned a playoff series win against the Hawks last season, but would no doubt prefer a meeting with the second place Minnesota Wild in the opening round this season.

Blues are as hot as they’ve been in a while, picking up at least a point in each of its past six games. These meetings are the first and only two with the Coyotes this season.

AHL

Milwaukee at Grand Rapids

The Admirals will almost for sure play the Chicago Wolves in the opening round of the playoffs and tonight the team looks to move a bit closer to home ice advantage.

The Griffins meanwhile lead the Central Division and have already clinched a playoff spot, but would like to strengthen its grip on the division – entering with a three point gap on the Wolves as well as a couple of games in hand.

The key in this division which sees teams move up and down regularly is to get hot at the right time. It was right around this time a year ago that the Cleveland (then Lake Erie) Monsters began a streak that would take it all of the way to the Calder Cup.

Both teams have been playing well of late, the Griffs putting together a record of 8-2-0-2 through the month of March so far and the Ads right with them at 7-3-0-1.

The Griffins have a slim edge in the season series so far winning six of the 10 meetings against the Ads. The pair will wrap up their regular season series in Milwaukee on April 15, the final game of the regular season.

Federal

Port Huron at St. Clair Shores

With just two games remaining, the Prowlers not only need to win out, but are also banking on a bit of help as it tries to sneak into the fourth and final playoff position.

The Prowlers could really use a regulation time win to garner the full three points as it attempts to chase down the Berlin River Drivers who still have four games remaining.

The expansion St. Clair Shores Saints meanwhile has no playoff aspirations with an 11-32-3-1 record overall for 40 points.

Tonight’s game wraps up the 14-game season series between the Prowlers and Saints, the Prowlers holding a 9-4-1-0 record so far