It would have been perfectly understandable if the Manitoba Moose had made it Remi Poirier slowly, he had given him something uncomfortable to think about before the start of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
First, these teams found themselves facing a scheduling dilemma, as the Moose were in Cedar Park in a series game last weekend to close the season, and they knew they would meet in the Central Division First Round. series. In all, that meant five games in nine nights on the Texas ice.
Poirier made sure there wouldn't be a fifth game, however, by ending the streak last night with a 41-point shutout. It was a stark contrast last Friday, when Moose hit Poirier eight times on 35 shots in an 8-3 victory. It was a rough end to the 22-year-old's first full season as an AHL regular; he ended up going 17-16-4 with a 3.19 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
Poirier and the Stars should have gotten together sooner, and they did. Texas advanced to Game 1 on Tuesday with a 6-3 win as Poirier made 21 of 24 shots. In Game 2, Moose came out firing, sending 14 first-period shots at Poirier.
He shut them down, and the Stars scored two power play goals Fredrik Karlströmand now they will meet the Milwaukee Admirals in the Central Division Semifinals.
“We know last weekend wasn't fun,” Poirier told texasstars.com after finishing in Manitoba. “But it's a new season. I think it was fun for me. Gain confidence after last weekend. I think that's a well-earned game.”
If this Dustin WolfLast stint in the AHL, he made sure it got off to a great start.
Recalled by the Calgary Flames since March 12, Wolff returned to the Wranglers for the final weekend of the regular season, then turned in an impressive performance Wednesday in the opener of their playoff series in Tucson. Against a Roadrunners roster with deep forwards, Wolf stopped all 46 shots he faced in his fifth career AHL playoff shutout in a 2-0 victory.
Wolff's outstanding career is anticipated, but certainly not taken lightly.
“That's probably the best I've ever seen Dustin play,” Wranglers head coach Trent Cull told calgarywranglers.com after Game 1. “It's almost hard to believe some of the things he did out there.
“I thought there was a lot of competition, a lot of fight… I'm very happy with the performance of a lot of the guys.”
Wolf has always struggled, and he has done so during his five weeks with the Flames. He made ten starts and won his last four. And while the Wranglers are the seventh seed in the Pacific, theirs is a roster with plenty of postseason experience, including a sectional final against Coachella Valley last season and a trip to the conference finals when it played in Stockton in 2022.
Wolff welcomed the opportunity to go after the Calder Cup again – and perhaps end his AHL career on a high note.
“It felt good to be back here,” the third-year coach said on the team's website. “These are the playoffs, the best time of the year.”
― with files from Patrick Williams
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