Heat Meet Up with Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena Tonight
Arena: Citizens Business Bank Arena
Date: November 23, 2016
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 6:45 p.m. PST
2016-17 LEADING SCORER: STOCKTON: F Mark Jankowski (12GP, 3-9-12)
ONTARIO: F T.J. Hensick (12GP, 5-6-11)
TONIGHT
The Heat face their second game of a four-game road trip against the Ontario Reign at Citizens Business Bank Arena. Stockton went 2-4-0 against the Reign last season in Ontario but won their first meeting of eight back in Stockton last Friday.
LAST TIME VS. ONTARIO
Just days ago we watched as David Rittich’s shutout streak ended at 74:50 thanks to a goal from Justin Auger, but the Heat came back and tied things up with 4.6 seconds left in the first thanks to bar down snipe by Brandon Bollig. The score would remain that way until overtime.
Matt Bailey hit Morgan Klimchuk with a beautiful pass to go in on Jack Campbell all alone only to be stopped by the pad. However, Bailey followed it up for his first career game winning goal as a pro.
WHO TO WATCH
Send in the reinforcements!
After playing four games for the Flames during his call-up, Linden Vey is back with the Heat and should be in the lineup tonight in Ontario, giving the Heat one of their biggest and best offensive weapons who was just finding his groove prior to his call-up.
In fact, Vey left the team while on a four-game point streak, a stretch he still find himself on, having put up 3 goals and adding 5 assists. That certainly can be attributed to chemistry found with Matt Frattin and Andrew Mangiapane. If you recall, the trio combined for 16 points in Vey’s last two games on November 4 and 5.
One of the other things that could help the Heat with Vey returning to the lineup is on the power play. While Vey only has two power-play assists this year, he had been an integral “quarterback” of the power play that has stumbled recently, only scoring one goal in their last 15 chances.
RITTICH BACKSTOPPING THE HEAT
David Rittich had a great week and is racking up the accolades. He picked up his third straight win tying him for the longest such streak with Joni Ortio and Kevin Poulin who did that last season.
His shutout over the Condors was the second of his AHL career and season tying him for most in Heat history with both Jon Gillies and Poulin. He’s allowed just one goal in his last three starts and now ranks 2nd in the AHL with a 1.60 GAA, 3rd with a .939 SV% and tied 3rd with 2 shutouts.
HEAT RANK AMONG BEST IN GOALS FOR AND AGAINST
Despite only four goals scored in their last two games, the Heat still rank tied-second in the AHL averaging 3.75 goals per game and rank third in the AHL allowing just 2.42 goals per game.
In 12 games this season, Stockton has scored 45 goals and allowed just 29 in that span.
PK HITTING THEIR STRIDE
After ranking as low as 23rd in the AHL on the penalty kill mere weeks ago, the Heat have figured things out and now rank tied for fifth in the AHL killing 87.5% of penalties.
Stockton has now gone five-straight without surrendering a power-play tally and have killed off their last 26 of 27 penalties.
INTERESTING FACT
David Rittich had not given up a goal in 106:12, just 16 minutes away from tying the longest in Heat history (Kevin Poulin 122:12 from Feb. 9 through 14).
