Tonight the Providence Bruins kick off the second month of the season with a home-and-home against the Manchester Monarchs. They head into tonight's game in Providence on a two-game winning streak thanks to the P-Bruins Top Star of the Month for October, Niklas Svedberg. The P-Bruins also will debut a new captain tonight, a position which has been vacant since the great super star Trent Whitfield retired in the off-season.
And the New Captain is...
Unfortunately it's not Bobby Robins. But I will probably claim that he is anyway.
According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Coach Butch Cassidy announced today that the new P-Bruins captain is Mike Moore. The 28-year-old defenseman is in his first season with the Bruins organization and has previously captained two AHL teams - the Worcester Sharks and Milwaukee Admirals. Divver also noted that Moore has been a captain in "every level" including in his hometown of Calgary and in his time with Princeton.
Before Providence, Moore has been a captain at every level: Calgary Buffaloes midgets, Princeton, Worcester & Milwaukee of AHL
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) November 1, 2013
Moore played in the BCHL with the South Surrey Eagles before going to the NCAA. He then spent four years with Princeton, recording 14 goals, 38 assists, and 52 points along with 154 penalty minutes in 121 games over those four years.
He was undrafted, a signed with the San Jose Sharks after his senior year. He spent the next five seasons with the AHL affiliate in Worcester. He has 253 games played with Worcester, with 14 goals, 58 assists, 72 points, and 365 PIM. He has appeared in only six NHL games in that time with San Jose in 2010-11. He recorded one goal and seven PIM.
Moore spent last season with the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators affiliate). He recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points and 42 PIM in 50 games. He signed as an unrestricted free agent on a two-way contract with the Boston Bruins this summer. The contract is one year in length ($105,000 at the AHL level, $550,00 at the NHL).
Thus far this season with Providence, Moore most notably was the first teammate to come to the defense of Kevan Miller after he was hit high and concussed by noted human garbage Patrice Cormier in the opening weekend of the season against the St. John's Ice Caps (Winnipeg Jets affilaite). Moore has a total of zero points (of the players playing tonight, only he and Tommy Cross - and Niklas Svedberg - share this distinction of no points on the season) and 11 PIM this season with Providence. Gotta love that veteran leadership though.
Top Star of the Month
Niklas Svedberg was awarded Top Star for October awards for Providence. This is an internal organizational honor rather than a league-wide one, and is based on the stat sheets. The stat sheets show what we know on the ice to be true of Svedberg, though, and that is the fact that he is awesome and allows the team to win games.
Svedberg has no regulation losses this season. He is 4-0-0-2. According to the P-Bruins facebook, here are other worthy stats:
He was the 2nd Star for 3 Games in October. He compiled a record of 4-0-2 with a Goals Against Average of 2.55 and Save Percentage of .927.
It is also important to note that the AHL is having a vote on best goalie mask, and it is your obligation and duty as a Bruins fan to go vote for Svedberg's! Vote here.
Farewell to Another P-Bruin
Ryan Spooner got called up yesterday to the surprise of many. We all watched the game and saw his awesome assist on his first NHL point and if he never returns to the AHL again, then good because he belongs in the NHL. He played very well, although I think he has a lot more skills to show Boston fans unfamiliar with his play as he adjusts to the better checking and defense at the NHL level to counter his own speed and skills. But damn, isn't he awesome?
Who will fill the gaping void left in Providence (and in the heart of Jared Knight, presumably) with the top center gone? Carter Camper will move up to first line center tonight, centering team scoring leader Nick Johnson (6 goals, 2 assists in 8 games) and Seth Griffith (3 goals, 2 assists in 5 games). Camper is still without a goal on the season, but has four assists.
Home-and-Home Versus Manchester
Tonight is the first leg of a home-and-home versus the Manchester Monarchs. I'll be covering the game tonight in Providence and again tomorrow night in Manchester.
Manchester is 6-1-1-2 which is good for first in the Atlantic division and second in the Eastern Conference.
Providence is 4-2-0-2, putting them second in the Atlantic but all the way down at ninth in the East.
In the previous two meetings this season, Manchester has won both games in a shootout. The first game, Providence's home-opener and a 3-2 shootout loss, saw Manchester overcome a two-goal deficit in the third period and win in the skills competition. Conversely, Providence showed great resilience and fight in their second meeting with Manchester, in which they overcame several third period deficits to salvage one point before losing in a shootout.
If either games go to a shootout, Providence is screwed without Spooner, who has 2 of the team's 3 total shootout goals in 14 attempts (David Warfsofsky has the third, which was the game-winner against Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate the Springfield Falcons last Friday).
Some other stats for tonight's game:
- Manchester is 4-0-0-2 on the road; Providence is 2-1-0-1 at home
- Manchester has a goal differential of +7; Providence is -1
- Power Play: Manchester's PP is 5-for-41 overall (12.2%, 25th) and 2-for-28 (7.1%) on the road; Providence is 5-for-25 (20.0%, 10th) overall and 3-for-14 (21.4%) at home.
- Penalty Kill: Manchester is 6-for-55 (89.1%, 4th) overall and 3-for-36 (91.7%) on the road; Providence is 8-for-25 (68%, 30th) overall and 5-for-17 (70.6%) at home.
Team Leaders
Scoring leaders for Manchester
- Tyler Toffoli - 7 goals, 5 assists, 12 points
- Linden Vey - 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points
- Jordan Weal - 1 goal, 8 assists, 9 points
- Brandon Kozun - 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points
- Tanner Pearson - 5 goals, 2 assists, 7 points
Active Scoring leaders for Providence
- Nick Johnson - 6 goals, 2 assists, 8 points
- Matt Fraser - 5 goals, 1 assist, 6 points
- Seth Griffith - 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points
- Joe Morrow - 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points
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Three tied with 4 points
- Justin Florek - 2 goals, 2 assists
- Carter Camper - 4 assists
- Alexander Khokhlachev - 4 assists
Goaltending matchup
Niklas Svedberg will start tonight for Providence in his seventh start of the season. Martin Jones will presumably start for Manchester. He has played in nine of the team's ten games. Looking at the numbers, and seeing them both play two games against one another this year (plus a great deal last year), they are pretty evenly matched up with Jones is lucky and Svedberg isn't 100% superhuman.
Jones is 6-1-2; Svedberg is 4-0-2. Jones has a save percentage of .929 versus Svedberg's .927. Jones has a 2.13 goals against average to Svedberg's 2.55. Jones has one shutout, Svedberg has yet to post a shutout this season. Svedberg has let in a total of 16 goals on 218 shots; Jones has let in 20 goals on 280 shots.
Providence Line up
After missing last weekend with an injury, Alexander Fallstrom will return to the lineup. Zach Trotman will continue to miss games with a hand injury that may keep him out a while as it is currently in a cast.
The healthy scratches will be Chris Casto, Rob Flick, and Tyler Randell. After serving a one-game suspension, Bobby Robins will return to the lineup.
With Tortman injured, that gives room for Tommy Cross to work his way back into the lineup. The defenseman tonight along with Cross will be Warsofsky, Miller, Moore, Morrow, and Ben Youds.
The forward lines will be:
Johnson - Camper - Griffith
Fraser - Khokhlachev - Craig Cunningham
Florek - Fallstrom - Knight
Anthony Camara - Matt Lindblad - Robins
Go P-Bruins!