LOVELAND, C.O. – The Silver Knights look to battle back after their 5-1 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday evening. Puck drop for tonight’s rematch is set for 6 p.m. PT. 

PRESSURE, PRODUCTION, POWER-PLAY   

The Silver Knights’ dropped contest to the Eagles marks their first back-to-back loss of the season. In response, Henderson’s leadership group is looking to address what went wrong yesterday and come out swinging in tonight’s matchup. 

“It’s a little adversity for us, absolutely,” said defenseman Jake Bischoff after practice this morning. “I think it’s all about how we respond. We know how we need to play to be successful out there. I think it’s just getting to our game early in games, and to do that for a full 60 minutes in a game.” 

First on the list: the power play. Henderson’s power-play is currently 3 for their last 31, ranking 15th in the AHL. They went 0-for-3 on the man advantage both in Tuesday’s game and on Saturday against Abbotsford. But Bischoff remains confident that the team can turn that unit around. 

“I think success on the power play kind of comes from simplifying it,” he added. “Move the puck around, find an open guy, and then get pucks to the net. I think on a good power play, you get a lot of greasy goals, a lot of rebounds. And I think at times you can definitely make it too hard on yourself by being too cute, making passes that aren’t there. You need to take what the team gives you and go from there.” 

PUCK POSSESSION 

In contrast, the Eagles capitalized on three of their five power-play opportunities in Tuesday’s game, with the Silver Knights’ penalty-killing unit dropping from 12th to 24th in the AHL. For Head Coach Ryan Craig, success on special teams and 5 on 5 starts with better puck battles. 

“We haven’t generated enough offensively, but it started with our puck support…just winning our one-on-one battles,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “Are we going to play behind them, or are they going to play behind us? Too many times, the puck was up behind us, and it allowed them to play in their offensive zone and get to their forecheck.” 

 “If you don’t clear the puck, it usually ends up in the back of the net. We’ve got to get heavier on our clears and make some adjustments. But overall we had a chance to clear the puck, and when you give [the opposing team] second chances opportunities, they usually end up in the back of the net.” 

BEHIND ENEMY LINES 

• Forward Ivan Ivan scored his first professional goal with the Colorado Eagles during Tuesday’s game. He also collected an assist on the first goal of the game, scored by former Knight Brad Hunt. He joins the Eagles after three seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, scoring 90 points (33G, 57A) in 64 games played in his final year with the team. 
• Forward Callahan Burke has scored five points this season, all assists, with three of them coming in Tuesday’s game against the Silver Knights. This is Burke’s fourth season with Colorado. Last year, he scored 39 points (16G, 23A) in 70 games, as well as 4 points in 7 games during the Calder Cup playoffs. 

FURTHER NOTES

• Forward Gage Quinney is day-to-day 
• Forward Jakub Brabenec is day-to-day 
• Forward Jakub Demek is day-to-day 
• Goaltender Jesper Vikman is week-to-week