Monarchs games tonight at Providence and tomorrow in Verizon Wireless Arena may shape up to look more like exhibition games, but don't expect them to be cordial. Both games are at 7:05 p.m.
Manchester and the Providence Bruins meet in a best-of-seven Atlantic Division semifinal playoff series starting next Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. in Providence. No matter what the outcome of these two final regular-season games, nothing supposedly will change between the teams.
Fact. The Monarchs do not like the Bruins and ditto back at you.
In this case the Bruins are the haves. They locked up home-ice all the way through the upcoming AHL playoffs after earning the most points in the league. Their playoff berth was never in doubt. Providence's coach Scott Gordon is the league's coach of the year and forward Pascal Pelletier is the league's goal scoring leader. Providence has torched the league despite losing bright prospects, forwards David Krejci, Petteri Nokelainen and Vladimir Sobotka to Boston for a good part of the season.
Manchester's playoff status was in doubt the whole way -- the have nots. Although the Monarchs have the league-leading power play, they struggled at the other end with the worst penalty kill.
And while the Monarchs have Teddy Purcell, the top scoring rookie in the league, recently they lost to injury the second-leading scoring rookie Brian Boyle.
Weeks earlier the Monarchs lost third-leading scorer, all-star Gabe Gauthier to injury. And their top defenseman, Peter Harrold just this week returned from Los Angeles to lead one of the youngest blueline corps in franchise history.
Yesterday the Kings signed Miami-Ohio goaltender Jeff Zatcoff. He was Los Angeles' third round (34th overall) pick in 2006. The rookie Zatcoff will practice with the Monarchs for the first time this morning. He will fill the number three, insurance goaltender role for the playoffs here behind rookies Jon Bernier and Jon Quick.
With the best-of-seven playoffs on the horizon Manchester is the deepest underdog it has ever been at this point.
The two remaining games do not make this a best-of-nine, but those games could help lift Manchester's playoff expectations.
