REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario vs. Henderson, 1/14

WHO: Ontario Reign (16-6-3-1) vs. Henderson Silver Knights (16-8-2-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #27
WHEN: Friday, January 14 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO: Mixlr – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @ontarioreign

 

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign open a two-game, home-and-home series with the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday night at Toyota Arena. Ontario and Henderson are separated by just one point in the AHL’s Pacific Division standings with the Reign holding second place with 36 points and the Silver Knights occupying third with 35 points. Tonight’s contest is the third meeting of eight between the two teams during 2021-22. Ontario won the first battle 5-2 on the road Nov. 3, while Henderson was victorious on Dec. 31 by a score of 4-1.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign are the second-highest scoring team in the AHL with an average of 3.81 goals per game, while Henderson is fifth on defense, allowing just 2.56 goals per contest. Ontario’s hottest skater as of late is forward TJ Tynan. The reigning AHL MVP posted six points in two games last weekend (1-5=6) to take over the team’s scoring lead for the season (31 points). His year-long point total now ranks second in the league.

LAST TIME OUT: The Ontario Reign played into overtime for the fifth time in their last six games, but surrendered a goal just 24 seconds into the extra frame and fell to the Stockton Heat by a final score of 5-4 on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena. Forwards Quinton Byfield and Tyler Madden led the way offensively for Ontario, each registering a goal and an assist in the contest, while TJ Tynan and Gabriel Vilardi both picked up two assists. Reign goaltender Lukas Parik stopped 38 Heat shots in his first AHL start.

FABULOUS FAGEMO: Forward Samuel Fagemo made his NHL debut with the LA Kings on Thursday night, logging 11:54 of ice time and one shot on goal during a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fagemo became the fourth member of the 2021-22 Reign roster to play in his first NHL game with the Kings. The Göteborg, Sweden native had scored in three straight contests for Ontario and was second on the team with 10 goals this season at the time of his recall.

SPENCE TURNS HEADS: Rookie defender Jordan Spence posted a power play assist in Sunday’s game for the Reign and has now registered points in three straight contests, including his first pro goal Saturday night. Spence is now tied for second in scoring among active AHL rookie defenders with 14 points in 23 games on a goal and 13 assists and first with a +10 rating. His point total is also tied for seventh on the team among active skaters. Seven of his helpers have come while the Reign have been on the man-advantage, which is second-most on the team.

SCOUTING THE SILVER KNIGHTS: Henderson is the hottest team in the Pacific Division and has earned points in eight of their last nine games dating back to Dec. 14, a run that has propelled them into third place in the standings. Most recently, they defeated the top team in the table, the Stockton Heat, by a score of 5-2 on Wednesday. Pavel Dorofeyev leads the team on offense, posting 24 points in 27 games with 12 goals and 12 assists. Dorofeyev’s 12 goals have been equaled by Ben Jones, who has posted 17 points in 25 games. The team’s active leading scorer on defense is Daniil Miromanov, who has 20 points with three goals and 17 helpers. Last year’s AHL Goaltender of the Year Logan Thompson has played in 20 contests and is back with the team after a recent recall by Vegas. He holds a 2.50 goals-against average and a 0.931 save percentage.

GABE THE GREAT: Forward Gabriel Vilardi has five points in his last three games, including four helpers, to increase his season total to 14 points in 14 games (6-8=14). He has found recent success on a line with Quinton Byfield and Tyler Madden, leading to an increase in offensive production for Ontario. Most recently, Vilardi had two assists for the second straight contest in Sunday’s overtime loss after a pair of helpers in Saturday night’s overtime win.

BYFIELD AT HIS BEST: Forward Quinton Byfield scored for the third straight game Sunday, striking from the top of the goal crease off a feed by Gabriel Vilardi to tie the game at 2-2 late in the first period. The 19-year-old knocked also home a rebound in front of the net during the second period of Ontario’s win over San Diego on Saturday and finished that contest with a team-high five shots on goal. The Newmarket, Ont. native has played in eight AHL games this season after suffering an injury during the preseason with the LA Kings. In his first pro season during 2020-21, Byfield totaled 20 points in 32 games for the Reign on eight goals and 12 assists.