The Silver Knights wrapped up a successful five-game road swing over the weekend, going 2-2-1 against the San Diego Gulls, Stockton Heat, and Colorado Eagles. Henderson sits third in the Pacific Division standings as we approach the quarter-mark of the season. Let’s take a glance at the Road Ahead.
- The road ahead for Henderson is just as it sounds, a lot of time on the road. Following this weekend’s pair against the Iowa Wild at the Orleans Arena, the Silver Knights will play the following five contests on the road with visits to Bakersfield, Rockford, and Tucson. When all is said and done, the Silver Knights will have played two home games during a span of 41 days spanning November 6 and December 17.
- The upcoming weekend matchups against the Iowa Wild will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs, and the Silver Knights first opponent outside the Pacific Division. Henderson has already had two “inaugural contests” this season, falling in overtime to the Abbotsford Canucks on October 22 and dropping a 3-2 shootout decision against the Stockton Heat on November 12, both on the road. Dating back to last season, when every first meeting for the Silver Knights was a first-ever occasion, the Silver Knights are 6-0-2 when facing an opponent for the first time.
- The Iowa Wild have won four of five, having their winning streak snapped on Sunday against the Tucson Roadrunners. They sit atop the Central Division and have been dominant at home while carrying a 3-3-0 record on the road. The Wild have surrendered three or more goals in four of six road games this season.
- The Silver Knights are 4-2-1 over their last seven games, with their success largely driven by some of the newcomers. While Paul Cotter, Ben Jones, Sven Baertschi, and Daniil Miromanov have all seen NHL ice time with the VGK in recent games, the Silver Knights have supplemented the lineup with several players on professional tryout agreements, including Colt Conrad and Matt Boudens. Conrad has answered the call with five points in nine games, including goals in back-to-back games against Stockton and Colorado during the recent road trip. Boudens, the captain of the Fort Wayne Komets, posted two assists in his HSK debut, the first two points of the 28 year-old’s AHL career.
- Daniel D’Amato pitched in during the recent road trip as well, called up from the OHL’s Erie Otters and posting a three-game points streak that was punctuated by his first professional goal on Saturday in Colorado.
- The road ahead may be a trip down Memory Lane to some extent for defenseman Ian McCoshen with the Iowa Wild and Rockford IceHogs on the schedule. McCoshen played 56 games with the IceHogs during the 2019-20 season, and he appeared in 11 games last season for Iowa. Presuming he does not miss game action in the coming weeks, McCoshen is lined up to play his 200th career AHL game on December 10 in Rockford.
- With all the road hockey to come, the Silver Knights will look to get their power play on track. On home ice, the Silver Knights have been solid with the man advantage, ranking fourth in the AHL at 30.3 percent. On the road, the Silver Knights rank last on the power play and have gone just 1-for-26 with the man advantage, that goal coming from Paul Cotter on a 5-on-3. Of their upcoming road opponents, Bakersfield ranks 28th in the league on the PK at home (75.0 percent). Rockford ranks 13th and Tucson is 22nd.
- After a few acrobatic outings in Loveland, Logan Thompson looks to have hit his stride of late. In his last four outings, Thompson is 2-1-1 with a save percentage of .948 while facing 132 shots.
- Head to Lifeguard Arena on Saturday for the HSK Authentics’ first Silver Saturday, where you will have the opportunity to purchase autographed, game-worn Silver Knights jerseys worn for the Nevada Day game that was played on October 29.