With the playoffs just two games away, the number of Manitoba Moose players in the infirmary is getting smaller and smaller. That's good news for the Moose, who welcome the Cleveland Barons to the MTS Centre tonight and tomorrow for the final two games of the American Hockey League's regular season.
The Moose are currently tied with the St. John's Maple Leafs for second spot in the North Division. The Maple Leafs hold the tie-breaker based on the number of wins, so the Moose will need to pass their rivals in order to have a potential Game 7 of the opening round playoff matchup on home ice.
Stinger
Hulking blue-liner Johnathan Aitken said he should be available for the weekend games after leaving Wednesday's contest with a stinger.
Veteran spark-plug Jimmy Roy, out the past six games with a "lower body" injury, skated with his teammates throughout the road trip and is a possibility for the weekend games as well.
However, with Josh Green back in the lineup during the past four games after recovering from a nasty flu virus, one of Roy or Aitken would likely sit out because the Moose have one more veteran than they are allowed to dress under American Hockey League roster rules.
Jason King, who has been out since March 6, has not seen any progress in dealing with post-concussion syndrome. Moose head coach Randy Carlyle said he's not counting on having King back for the post-season.
King, who has 26 goals and 53 points in 59 games, has missed the past 19 games.
After splitting a pair of games with the Edmonton Road Runners, the Moose are hoping to get back on the winning track.
"Cleveland is a pressure team and they like to come at you," said Moose head coach Randy Carlyle. "They're a very aggressive hockey club that has had some success in the second half of the year."
The Moose are 4-0-1-1 versus the Barons this season, but that could serve as motivation for the visitors.
"They've always played us hard this year and they're a bit of a trapping team so obviously we're going to have our hands full with that," said Moose winger Jesse Schultz. "We've got a lot on the line. We want to stay sharp and this is a big test for us."
JUST SHORT: When the Moose fell 3-2 on Wednesday night to the Edmonton Road Runners, it left their road record at 22-12-2-4 for the season and one shy of the franchise record for road wins that was set during the 1998-99 IHL season (23-10-0-8).
DOGS HAVE DAY: The Hamilton Bulldogs made it official on Wednesday night, scoring a 4-3 win over the Syracuse Crunch to nail down the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
The Bulldogs, who were 12 points out of fourth before the AHL All-Star Classic in Manchester, N.H., have gone 11-2-1-1 during the past 15 games and provide stiff competition for the league-leading Rochester Americans in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
ANOTHER GOLDEN SIGNING: Days after Brent Seabrook and Colin Fraser signed with the Norfolk Admirals, another member of Canada's gold medal winning world junior team has signed an amateur contract offer to play in the AHL.
Braydon Coburn, the Atlanta Thrashers first round pick (eighth overall) in 2002, inked a deal with the Chicago Wolves after completing his season with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League.
Coburn is coming off a season that saw him post a career-high 44 points in 60 games.
