REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario at Henderson, 1/15

WHO: Ontario Reign (17-6-3-1) at Henderson Silver Knights (16-9-2-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #28
WHEN: Saturday, January 15 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Orleans Arena – Paradise, NV
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @ontarioreign

 

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign face the Henderson Silver Knights at the Orleans Arena Saturday night to conclude a two-game, home-and-home weekend series. Ontario and Henderson occupy the second and third spots in the AHL’s Pacific Division standings with the Reign holding second place (38) points and the Silver Knights sitting in third (35 points). Tonight’s contest is the fourth 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 before the Reign claimed Friday’s meeting, 5-2.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign are the highest scoring team in the AHL, averaging 3.85 goals per game, while Henderson is sixth on defense, allowing just 2.64 goals per contest. Ontario’s hottest skater as of late is forward TJ Tynan. The reigning AHL MVP has picked up eight points in his last three games (1-7=8) to take over the team’s scoring lead for the season with 33 points and was named the first star of Friday’s win. His year-long point total now ranks second in the league.

LAST TIME OUT: The Ontario Reign used a complete team effort to earn a 5-2 win over the Henderson Silver Knights in front of their home fans at Toyota Arena on Friday night. Forward TJ Tynan had two assists in the victory, while Christian Kasastul scored his first career AHL goal and Marcus McIvor notched the first AHL point while playing in his first game for the Reign. Goaltender Matthew Villalta turned aside 25 shots to pick up his 11th win of the season in between the pipes. Ontario also got goals from Tyler Madden and Gabriel Vilardi on the power play, in addition to even-strength strikes by captain Brett Sutter and Aidan Dudas.

POWER PLAY PROWESS: Ontario has done much of its offensive damage on the power play this season, which has been at its best recently. The Reign have scored man-advantage goals in each of their last four games, as well as in six of their last eight. During that eight-game stretch, Ontario has converted on 10 out of their 30 opportunities with an extra man for a scorching 33% rate. Overall, the Reign have been successful on 25.7% of their power play chances this season which is the second-highest mark in the league. They also lead the AHL in home power play percentage at 26.7%.

STREAKING SPENCE: Rookie defender Jordan Spence posted a power play assist for the fourth consecutive game during Friday’s win for Ontario. The Sydney, Australia native has turned his game up to the next level as of late, posting seven points in his last six games (1-6=7) including his first pro goal last Saturday night. Most recently, Spence led the Reign with six shots on goal Friday night against Henderson. The rookie is tied for third in scoring among active AHL rookie defenders with 15 points in 24 games on a goal and 14 assists and first with a +10 rating. Eight 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: Prior to Friday’s loss, Henderson was the hottest team in the Pacific Division and had earned points in eight of their last nine games dating back to Dec. 14, a run that propelled them into third place. Pavel Dorofeyev leads the team on offense, posting 25 points in 28 games with 13 goals and 12 assists. Dorofeyev’s 13 goals have been equaled by Ben Jones, who has posted 18 points in 26 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 leads the team with a 0.931 save percentage but was recalled by Vegas prior to Friday’s game. Dylan Ferguson has appeared in six games with a 2.39 goals-against average.

GABE THE GREAT: Forward Gabriel Vilardi has six points in his last three games on two goals and four assists to increase his AHL season total to 15 points in 15 games (7-8=14). He has found recent success on a line with Quinton Byfield and Tyler Madden, leading to an increased offensive production for Ontario. After posting a pair of assists in each of last week’s contests, Vilardi stayed hot Friday night with a power play goal in the team’s win over Henderson.

BYFIELD AT HIS BEST: Forward Quinton Byfield was on the scoresheet for the fourth consecutive game Friday, earning the primary assist on Tyler Madden’s power play goal just 4:12 into the first period. The 19-year-old had his three-game goal scoring streak snapped, but he finished second on the team with four shots on goal in the Reign win. A native of Newmarket, Ont., Byfield has played in nine AHL games this season after suffering an injury during the preseason with the LA Kings. In 2020-21, his first pro season, Byfield totaled 20 points in 32 games for Ontario with eight goals and 12 assists.

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