The Manchester Monarchs' magic number to win the fourth and final playoff spot in the AHL's Atlantic Division is 10 points.
Any points earned by the fourth-place Monarchs in their final six games of the regular season and any points lost by fifth-place Springfield in their final seven games reduce that magic number. The Monarchs and Springfield do not meet the rest of the way.
Tonight at 7:05 p.m. the Monarchs host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders), who are in a three-way battle with Hershey and Binghamton for the last playoff spot in the East Division.
The Monarchs have won five of their last six. Not with magic, but rather with a sense of quiet desperation.
Definitely not with "panic," said head coach Mark Morris.
"We've been on that edge for a long time and there's not a sense of panic," Morris said. "It's more of a realization of knowing there's not much leeway for us. We have to stay the course and we know a five-point lead is still not safe with six games to play."
Bridgeport is led by former Monarch wingers Jeff Tambellini and Tim Jackman.
"It's going to be a hard-fought affair," said Morris of facing another playoff hungry team.
The Monarchs hope to make their move on Springfield this week. Friday the Monarchs are at the Lowell Devils (New Jersey) and Saturday the Monarchs host the Worcester Sharks (San Jose). Both games are at 7:05 p.m. Both of those opponents are out of playoff contention.
Next week the Monarchs close their season with three games against the first-place Providence Bruins (Boston). The Monarchs would face Providence in the opening round of the Atlantic Division playoffs should Manchester advance to the postseason for the seventh straight year.
Last night the Los Angeles Kings signed free agent defenseman Davis Drewiske out of the University of Wisconsin. The 23-year-old was the leading scoring defenseman for the Badgers. He was signed to a multi-year contract. It was not clear last night if he would join the Monarchs for the playoff run.
