Is the third time the charm for the Rivermen?

PEORIA , Ill  – The Peoria Rivermen are making their third appearance in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs since joining the league five seasons ago. Each previous appearance, their first-round opponent has been the Houston Aeros. Each previous appearance, it has been the Houston Aeros that have moved on. Will the third time be the charm for the Rivermen?
 
Defense
Four Rivermen blueliners have played in the NHL this season, and two stayed. About defensemen, it has been said that you only hear about them if they are not doing their job. As such, you don’t hear a lot about these fellows.
 
Nathan Oystrick, a 15-30-45 man who sees time on the power play unit, and Mark Cundari, 10-20-30, are the scoring threats.
 
Player to watch: With one goal and ten assists in 77 games, Dean Arsene doesn’t have very impressive numbers for a team captain. However, opponents had better have their chin-straps on tight as his booming checks leave players scraping themselves off the glass.
 
Offense
At one point this season, if you wanted to see the best offensive players Peoria had, you needed to buy an NHL ticket. Eight forwards spent time in St. Louis this season and three of them have stayed.
 
TJ Hensick leads the team with 69 points and 48 assists. Graham Mink leads the team with 24 goals.
 
This is a team that has averaged 20 shots on goal in the past two games…in the second period. They can bring the offensive pressure and, oh, when they do, there are fireworks. Other teams commented that Peoria was playing “playoff hockey” in December. Then the NHL came calling. That gang is now, essentially, back together. The final three games of the regular season were simply electric.
 
Players to watch: Here it would be Mink. He got into a lot of penalty trouble this year. It is hard to score from the penalty box. His recent turn-around in that area has also triggered more success in lighting the lamp. Watch him in front of the net.
 
Also fun to watch is Adam Cracknell. The AHL has an 80-game season while the NHL plays 82 regular season games. Between the two teams, Cracknell has 85 regular season games. Often overlooked, he’s the kind of player that can be a “surprise” to those who haven’t watched closely.
 
Goaltending
Back in December, Jake Allen was a rookie sensation and Ben Bishop’s star had lost some luster. A lot has changed since then. Allen, the All-Star starter has found wins much harder to come by now that teams have realized he has a weakness. Bishop picked up extra minutes and his level of play in February, keeping the Rivermen in the hunt. Bishop has been sidelined for the past few weeks, however, and Peoria has had to lean on Allen, whose play has been good enough to get them into the post-season. If Bishop is ready, expect him to get the majority of minutes.
 
Player to watch: Whoever is in the crease. Can Allen regain the elite status to carry the Rivermen (or at least be ‘good enough’)? Can Bishop shake off the rust (if he plays)?
 
Special Teams – Power Play
“Just Average” is how anyone would describe the Peoria power play just looking at the season ending statistics, but they are anything but. This is a squad that was at or near the top of the league in its category until the Blues came calling for players. These guys work the puck and, when the other team makes a mistake you can usually tell by the flashing red light.
 
Player to watch: Hensick is the guy you’ll see on point. When he was withthe Blues for extended stays, this unit suffered greatly. Watch as this group keeps the puck in the zone and wears down the opposing penalty kill unit.
 
Special Teams – Penalty Kill
Peoria has one of the better Penalty Kill units (84.8%) in the AHL and with good reason. They’ve gotten a lot of practice. The Rivermen had the 3^rd most minor penalties in the league, averaging almost six minors per game. In fact, this has been, perhaps, the biggest Achilles Heal for Peoria – not always so much in goals allowed but in momentum lost.
 
Player to watch: Dave Spina surprises people with speed, whether in the neutral zone or behind the net. He led the Rivermen in shorthanded goals with three and his offensive threat disrupts opposing teams power play momentum.
 
Weaknesses
The Rivermen must stay out of the penalty box. Penalties kill offensive momentum. This has been a problem for Peoria all season long and the playoffs are no place for dumb penalties.
 
A lot of question marks remain about the goaltending situation. Will Bishop return? Will he be playoff ready? Can Allen get back to All-Star form?
 
Strengths
Special teams play is a big part of the Rivermen success story and is key to success in the playoffs.
 
The intensity Peoria has brought to the last week of the regular season gave teams fits. The final two games of the season, they limited opposing teams to an average of five shots in the second period while taking twenty. That relieves a lot of pressure on the Rivermen goalie while creating headaches and fatigue for opponents.
 
Peoria Rivermen
42-30-8
3^rd Place, West Division
6^th Place , Western Conference
 
Home Ice: Carver Arena, Peoria Civic Center
NHL Affiliate: St. Louis Blues
Head Coach: Jared Bednar (1^st Year)
 
Prediction
Peoria steals the first game of the series and wins it in five games.
 
Contact Shaun.Bill@prohockeynews.com Photos by Chris.Loudermilk@prohockeynews.com