HOUSTON, Texas – Since sweeping the Peoria Rivermen in Round 1 of the Calder Cup playoffs 10 days ago, the Houston Aeros have been able to do nothing but rest, prepare, and practice. Meanwhile, their Round 2 opponent, the Milwaukee Admirals, finished off the Texas Stars in a game 6 double overtime on Monday and should be in that sweet spot of being rested but not rusty. But it remains to be seen if that edge will make enough difference for the division champion Admirals, who are short a few key players due to injuries and call-ups to Nashville, to get past a fully stocked, healthy Aeros squad. Here’s a look at the match-up, which begins tonight and Sunday in Milwaukee before moving to Houston on Tuesday: Offense With a skilled top line anchored by Patrick O’Sullivan and Jon DiSalvitore and a second line driven by sniper Robbie Earl and sophomore Chad Rau, the Aeros are deep and diverse up front. They also get a scoring boost from checking line players like Jed Ortmeyer, who is tied with O‘Sullivan for playoff points, along with Warren Peters and Colton Gillies. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has lost Linus Klasen potentially for the season due to concussions and has relied on Gabriel Bourque and Chris Mueller (9 and 8 points, respectively, in 6 playoff games) for the bulk of their scoring. And because the team is so stingy defensively, they haven’t had to score a lot to win. The bottom line is that the Admirals score by feasting on opponents’ mistakes and plugging away around the net, but the Aeros are deeper up front and bring a variety of offensive looks to the table that will be difficult for Milwaukee to completely wrap up. Outlook: Aeros’ edge.
Defense Houston enters the series with its full compliment of defensemen, including Jared Spurgeon, who spent most of the season with Minnesota. They’re also getting Marco Scandella back after breaking his finger late in the season, if they can fit him into the line-up. So far, coach Mike Yeo isn’t spilling the beans on line-up changes, but says there will be some. Still, Milwaukee has one of the stingiest defenses in the league, which comes both from their defensive unit as well as an offensive line-up that pays the price to keep shot counts low. Defense should remain a strong point for the Admirals and force the Aeros to earn their time in the offensive zone. Losing Teemu Laakso to a Nashville call-up hurts, but the Ads are getting Ryan Ellis, two-time OHL Defenseman of the Year, now that his season with Windsor has ended. Outlook: Draw Goaltending Milwaukee’s Jeremy Smith has patiently waited for his chance to shine, and with Chet Pickard not getting it done in the AHL and All-Star Mark Dekanich out with a lower body injury, Smith has made the most of his chance. Milwaukee has seen very little, if any, drop-off in goaltending since he took over the crease. Houston’s Matt Hackett became the default number one after Minnesota traded Anton Khudobin at the deadline, and has stepped up through some adversity to become a reliable presence in the net. Dekanich is set to be re-evaluated after the weekend, which means Smith is likely in goal for games 1 and 2 at home in Milwaukee. Outlook: If Dekanich stays sidelined, it’s a Draw. If he’s back and the Admirals have either goalie to choose from, Ads have the edge. Prediction: The Aeros have some rust to knock off tonight and don’t have the home ice advantage this time around, but their disciplined system and skilled depth will eventually win the series. Aeros in 6. Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com
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