Category Archives: CT Whale
It was apparent from game 1 of the 2011-12 campaign which forward was going to lead the way offensively for the Connecticut Whale this season. Kris Newbury, 30, recorded his first hat-trick as a member of the Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale, on October 8 when the Whale lost 6-3 to the Adirondack Phantoms to open its season. The ninth-year pro registered points on eight of the first nine Whale goals this season, and by October 15 (game 4) Newbury a 4-4-8 stat-line; earning a six game NHL recall with the New York Rangers, who acquired him through trade at the 2010 trading deadline.
“(I am happy) to get off to a good start (this season)…It would be nice to help this team get some more wins,” Newbury said following a 5-4 shootout loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on October 15.
Now 53 games into the Whale’ season, Newbury leads the team in each scoring category with 19 goals, 29 assists (tied for first with rookie forward Jonathan Audy-Marchessault), and 48 points in only 42 games played (NHL recalls, multiple suspensions and an injury cost him some games). His 1.14 points-per-game also leads the team, as well as his 101 penalty-minutes (and 2.40 penalty-minutes per-game).
On 13 occasions this season, Newbury has collected multiple points in a game and a four-assist (0-4-4) performance against the Sound Tigers on December 16, 2011, is his best thus far. Newbury’s eight-game point-streak lasting from December 16 to January 2, 2012, is the longest streak that a Whale skater has had this season, and during that streak Newbury collected five goals and 12 assists (17 points). He also won AHL Player of the Week award in the midst of the impressive achievement.
For most of the season the Whale;s first-line has consisted of Newbury at center, Mats Zuccarello at one wing and either Audy-Marchessault or Andre Deveaux at the other. The first forward combination also serves as the top power-play unit; and Newbury has six power-play goals this year.
For the second straight week, the Northeast Division leading Connecticut Whale played a three-game weekend; winning twice at home and losing once on the road. The Whale’ record improved to 26-17-5-5 on the season, good for 62 points in 53 games. They sit atop the Northeast Division and are third-place in the Eastern Conference by three points. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are the trailing club with 59 points in 50 games.
Cam Talbot steps in
Chad Johnson (15-10-5) was originally penned to start two of three games this weekend, with his current hot-streak aiding the Whale back into the top spot of their division. But at the end of the first period during Friday’s home game against the Springfield Falcons, Johnson tweaked a muscle and was unable to play for the remainder of the game and weekend.
In relief, Cam Talbot stopped 17-of-19 Springfield shots to earn his 10th win of the season. The Whale recalled goaltender Jason Missiaen from the Greenville Road Warriors after Friday’s 6-3 win, and he would serve as Talbot’s back-up while Johnson healed.
On Saturday, Talbot turned away 34-of-35 shots-faced against the Worcester Sharks, leading the Whale to a 3-1 win in front of home crowd of 9,166.
“He (Talbot) had a great game tonight (Saturday),” Whale forward Andreas Thuresson said following Saturday’s win. “He’s played really well since Johnner (Johnson) had that little injury…he was great yesterday (Friday) and had an even better game tonight.”
Returning to the line-up for Saturday’s win was defenseman Wade Redden, and he praised Talbot’s efforts after the game.
In search of their third win in three days, the Connecticut Whale traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, today and faced-off against the Eastern Conference rival Bruins. Power-play struggles got the best of the Whale this afternoon, resulting in the team’s first regulation loss this month.
Providence scored the game’s opening goal at 5:47 of the first period on a goal by Carter Camper, his 12th of the season. Zach Hamill and Calle Ridderwall assisted on the goal. The Whale would answer back with a goal of its own at 7:13 of the period, when Andre Deveaux slapped a shot past Anton Khudobin (Bruins netminder) to tie the game at 1-1. Deveaux’s 16th tally of the season was assisted by linemates Mats Zuccarello and Kris Newbury.
The Whale received two late power-play chances during the period, but Providence’s penalty-killing units kept the Whale off the board.
Early in the second period, at 1:36, Camper scored his second goal of the game (13th of the season) on a rebound, with the assists once again going to Hamill and Ridderwall. Providence scored again at 5:43, when Jamie Arniel ripped a shot past Whale goalie Cam Talbot, giving the Bruins a 3-1 lead. Arniel’s fifth goal of the season was assisted by Craig Cunningham and Maxime Sauve.
After having another power-play washed-off by the Bruins penalty-killers, the Whale finally struck power-play luck in the game when Deveaux scored his 17th goal of the season (and second of the game) to cut the Bruins lead to 3-2. Deveaux’s goal came at 17:17 of the second period, with the assists going to Newbury and Tim Erixon.
It is always difficult for an injured player to watch his club from the sideline, no matter the duration of his injury. When his team is winning games and having a successful stretch of games, it become even more difficult to sit-out; but at the same time it will give him something to work towards, obviously wanting to be part of his clubs’ success.
“It makes you want to come back sooner and be part of it,” 34-year-old defenseman Wade Redden said following the Connecticut Whale’s 3-1 win over the Worcester Sharks on Saturday, which marked Redden’s return to the line-up after injuring his knee in a game against the Providence Bruins on December 17, 2011.
Redden’s injury forced him to miss two months of action, over which the Whale played 23 games and went 9-6-2-2. The 15-year pro watched the Whale as they went winless in January, and then he watched them follow that up with a 6-0-1 start to February.
In his return on Saturday, Redden recorded an assist on Andreas Thuresson’s game-tying goal at 8:52 of the third period, and was an even-rating in the Whale’s seventh victory in eight games this month.
“It was a good win for us,” he said. “It was a fun win to get with the boys…the intensity was great and the crowd (9,166) was into it…we’ve played some good hockey since the All-Star Break.”
The experience that Redden brings to the Whale is never overlooked by the rest of the team. Originally the second overall pick of the 1995 NHL entry draft by the New York Islanders, Redden never played for his draft club in Long Island (after being traded a year later), but the Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, native, played in 994 regular season NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers before being demoted to the AHL in September of 2010.
Redden has played in over 100 NHL playoff games, and was a member of the 2006-07 Senators team that lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Last season, Redden appeared in 70 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale, and scored eight goals and 42 points. Redden was credited with an assist in developing current Rangers’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh into a solid two-way player. McDonagh spent 38 games in a Wolf Pack uniform, paired with Redden, last season before receiving his season-long recall to the NHL with the Rangers. When the 22-year-old defenseman met with the New York media for the first time, he explained that Redden and Assistant Coach J.J Daigneault worked closely with him over the three months that he spent with the team.
This afternoon (4:05pm ET) the Connecticut Whale travels to Providence, Rhode Island, to wrap-up their three-game weekend with a game against the Bruins. It will be the sixth meeting of the year between the Eastern Conference rivals, and the season-series is tilted in the Whale’s direction, three wins to two. The previous two games, however, have gone to the Bruins.
Pregame notes
.the Whale continued their strong play in February with a 3-1 win over the Worcester Sharks last night. Third period goals by Andreas Thuresson, Kris Newbury and Casey Wellman, along with an impressive 34 save performance by goaltender Cam Talbot resulted in the win (his 11th of the season).
.with its victory yesterday, the Whale maintained its five-point hold over the Northeast Division and third-place spot in the Eastern Conference. Connecticut’s season record entering play today is 26-16-5-5 (62 points), and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers are second in the division with 57 points. Providence is fifth in the Atlantic Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-23-3-3 (54 points).
.Providence is also playing its final game of a three-game weekend, and they are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons last night. Kirk MacDonald was the Bruins only goal scorer in the game, and Anton Khudobin allowed three goals on 27 shots in the loss.
.Connecticut’s power-play has struggled in recent games (1-for-8 this weekend), but they still own the ninth-best unit in the league at 19.7-percent (conversion rate). The Whale penalty-killing is also the ninth-best in the league at 83.7-percent. Providence’s power-play is the worst in the AHL with a 12.7-percent conversion rate, but their penalty-killing is eight in the league at 83.8-percent.
.returning to the line-up last night was veteran defenseman Wade Redden, with Brendan Bell joining the list of scratches with an undisclosed injury. Francois Bouchard (broken-wrist; out indefinitely), Chad Johnson (undisclosed injury; likely out for another week) and Sean Avery (healthy) were also scratched from the line-up.
.Talbot will likely start today, with Jason Missiaen serving as the back-up.
Looking to continue its February hot-streak, the Connecticut Whale hosted the Worcester Sharks tonight in the third meeting between the clubs this season. Another big third period performance led the Whale to another win.
After a physical, but scoreless, opening period, the game’s first goal was recorded by Worcester at 6:59 of the second frame. The goal was scored by Sharks winger Jimmy Bonneau, his second of the season, after the puck bounced off of goaltender Cam Talbot and into the Whale’ cage. Matt Irwin and Marek Viedensky were credited with assists on the goal that gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead.
An impressive four-minute penalty-kill by the Whale during the second half of period 2 kept the game at a 1-0 score entering the third period. Despite tossing 19 shots at Sharks’ goalie Tyson Sexsmith in the second frame, the Whale couldn’t find any holes in the 5-11, 195-pound, netminder.
On a day full of AHL hockey action, the Connecticut Whale will face-off against the Worcester Sharks when they host them at 7pm (ET) tonight, at the XL Center in Hartford. It will be the third tilt between Connecticut and Worcester in 2011-12, and both teams have won once in the season-series.
Pregame notes
.the Whale continues to roll along in February, after defeating the Springfield Falcons 6-3 last night and extending their record to 6-0-1 this month. Multi-goal performances by Andre Deveaux and Ryan Bourque, along with three-assist performances by Kris Newbury and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault surged the Whale to victory. Cam Talbot stopped 17-of-19 shots faced in 40 minutes of work to earn his 10th win of the season, and first win since December 31, 2011.
.with its win, the Whale extended their Northeast Division lead, as their 25-16-5-5 (60 points) record has them at five points ahead of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Connecticut is also third in the Eastern Conference. Worcester is third in the Atlantic Division with 55 points (23-16-4-5), as well as eighth in the Eastern Conference.
.the Sharks lost their most recent game, 4-3 to the Portland Pirates on Wednesday. Matt Irwin had two assists in the game, and Harri Sateri stopped 23-of-27 shots against, but it wasn’t enough to earn a win.
.Connecticut’s power-play entering action tonight is ninth-best in the league with a 20-percent conversion rate, and their penalty-killing is 10th in the league at 83.5-percent. Worcester’s power-play is 10th in the league at 19-percent, and their penalty-killing is seventh in the league at 84.1-percent.
.Yesterday’s Whale scratches included Wade Redden (lower-body; close to returning), Francois Bouchard (broken-wrist, out indefinitely) and Sean Avery (healthy). Forward Chris McKelvie and defenseman Pavel Valentenko both returned to the Whale line-up with spots open at their positions. Expect to see the same offensive and defensive line-ups for tonight’s contest.
.Talbot is expected to start tonight, with Chad Johnson likely out for the weekend with an undisclosed injury. Goaltender Jason Missiaen will join the Whale for the remainder of the weekend, likely serving as a back-up. (more…)
To begin its three-game weekend, the Connecticut Whale hosted I-91 rival Springfield Falcons tonight at the XL Center in Hartford. The intended result was another big victory over their rival, and a huge third period would provide the Whale with two points.
Only 3:26 into the opening period the Whale received a 1-0 lead on a goal by Andre Deveaux, his 14th of the season. Deveaux received a pass from line-mate Kris Newbury, and slapped a shot past Falcons goalie Paul Dainton for the lead. Mats Zuccarello also assisted on the goal.
Springfield answered with the tying goal at 12:51 on a power-play, when rookie Cam Atkinson shoved a rebound past Whale goalie Chad Johnson for his 28th goal of the season. Tomas Kubalik and Martin St. Pierre assisted on the goal.
Then at 13:43, Connecticut responded on a goal by Zuccarello—his 11th of the year—giving them a 2-1 lead. Newbury was credited with his second assist of the period on the score. The Whale was 0-for-3 on the power-play during the period, and Springfield was 1-for-2.
At the beginning of period 2, goaltender Cam Talbot replaced Johnson between the pipes for an unknown reason. Johnson would return to the Whale bench mid-way through the period, but would remain a spectator.
The Falcons fired away at Talbot early in the period, and scored the game-tying goal at 4:13. Cody Bass scored the goal, his third of the season, with assists going to Kubalik and Brent Regner. Then at 13:43, the Falcons caught Connecticut on a line change, and Dane Byers finished a Kubalik feed on a 2-on-1, giving his club a 3-2 lead. Byers’ 11th of the season was assisted by Kubalik and Greg Amadio.
Connecticut swarmed the Falcons net late in the second period in an attempt to score a late, game-tying goal. And at 18:21, rookie forward Ryan Bourque ripped a shot past Dainton for his fourth goal of the year, tying the game at 3-3. Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Casey Wellman were credited with the assists, and the teams entered period 3 with a tied game.
After a four-day break, the Connecticut Whale returns to action tomorrow night when they host the I-91 rival Springfield Falcons at 7pm (ET). Friday’s game will be the 10th this season between the Northeast Division rivals, and thus far the Whale has won six of the nine contests, including a 3-2 overtime win last weekend.
Pregame notes
.Connecticut last played on Sunday, when they visited the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and lost in overtime, 2-1. The loss was Connecticut’s first of the month, giving them a 5-0-1 record two weeks into February. Despite Chad Johnson’s fantastic 40-save effort in goal, the Whale only mustered a single goal in the game—provided by Kelsey Tessier—resulting in the loss.
.the Whale is still in first-place in the Northeast Division, three points ahead of Bridgeport. Connecticut’s record of 24-16-5-5 is good enough for 58 points, and third in the Eastern Conference. Springfield is fourth in the division with 50 points (23-23-2-2), and they also sit in 12th place within the Eastern Conference.
.Springfield won its last tilt, 5-1 over the Manchester Monarchs. Paul Dainton stopped 24 shots in the win, while Cam Atkinson, Alexandre Giroux and Wade MacLeod added a goal and an assist each.
.the Whale’ power-play is the ninth-best in the AHL with a 20-percent conversion rate. Connecticut’s penalty-killing is eighth in the league at 83.7-percent. Springfield’s man-advantage is 19th in the league (16.9-percent) and its penalty-killing is 20th in the league (80.9-percent).
.one forward, and possibly one defenseman, will be added to the Whale line-up tomorrow, with both Wojtek Wolski and Jeff Woywitka returning to the NHL’s New York Rangers. Chris McKelvie will likely rejoin the line-up after spending the past few weeks as a healthy-scratch. One of Wade Redden (lower-body) or Pavel Valentenko (upper-body) could return from their injuries to take the final defensive spot in the line-up. Francois Bouchard will remain a scratch with his broken-wrist, and Sean Avery is expected to be a healthy-scratch. The Whale hasn’t made a recall from Greenville, and as of right now there is no indication that they will.
.Johnson could make his seventh straight start in goal for the Whale tomorrow, and it expected that he will play two of the three games this weekend. Cam Talbot is the second option.
Connecticut Whale: Chad Johnson leading team with excellent play in goal; Wolski, Woywitka called-up
One issue that the Connecticut Whale has faced this season is an inconsistency in goaltending performances by team netminders Chad Johnson and Cam Talbot. After a near perfect start to the season in October (6-1-2), followed by a strong p
erformance in November (6-5-0), the Whale and its goaltending began to falter in December (6-6-0); and then, of course, arrived January in which the team earned no wins at all (0-6-5).
When it appeared the wheels were coming off of the Whale’s 2011-12 season, having dropped their first-place lead in the Northeast Division and from third in the Eastern Conference to 10th, third-year pro Johnson strapped on the pads and prepared for success following the 2012 AHL All-Star Break at the end of January.
Entering February, Johnson hoisted a record of 10-9-5 with a 2.64 GAA and .910 SVPC in 26 appearances.
Johnson, 25, has started in each game this month; winning five of the starts, to this point, and losing once in overtime. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks alum, has not allowed more than two goals in a game this month, and has a remarkable 1.50 GAA and .953 SVPC.
In October when Johnson won the AHL Goaltender of the Month Award, he went 3-0-2 with a 1.69 GAA and .942 SVPC and one shutout.
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