IceCaps looking for some home improvement

The St. John’s IceCaps will look to continue a recent rebound as they open what will be their last major homestead tonight against the Rochester Americans.

The IceCaps could use defenceman Zach Redmond (2) as they begin an eight-game homestand against the Rochester Americans tonight at Mile One. Redmond has missed St. John's last three games because of an injury.

For some time, IceCaps have been straddling the playoff line in the American Hockey League’s North Division for some time — they currently are just outside the post-season border by 1/1000th of a percentage points — but have been looking more like a contender of late.
St. John’s (29-25-8) has gone 6-3-1 in its last 10 games, including a couple of wins over the Americans in Rochester. In that stretch, they scored seven more goals than they surrendered (31-24).
That’s an exact mirror of their previous 10 games, when they were 3-6-1 and gave up seven more goals than they scored (28-35).
The IceCaps, who will also take on the Amerks Saturday night at Mile One Centre, enter the weekend just behind the Utica Comets, holders of fourth place and the final playoff spot in the North, but also within hailing distance of the division-leading Syracuse Crunch, who are seven points in front of St. John’s.
If the IceCaps are to claim, and hold onto, a playoff berth, they will have to be much better at home. Ten of their remaining 14 games are at Mile One — eight in this homestead and two to finish the regular season against the Toronto Marlies — but St. John’s has been just a .500 team (12-12-4) on home ice.
Also seeing improvement — massive repairs, in fact — is the IceCaps’ power play. On Feb. 19, in a 5-3 loss to Syracuse, St. John’s scored all three of its goals with the man advantage. In the eight games since, the IceCaps’ power play had produced just one goal in 26 opportunities.
The return of top defenceman Zach Redmond would probably help in that regard. He’s missed the last three games, including a 3-2 win over Rochester a week ago, because of injury, but skated Thursday at Mile One.
That, by the way, was the IceCaps’ first time on Mile One ice since Feb. 25 when they beat the Albany Devils. After that, the facility was turned over for the Tim Hortons Brier curling championship. That event concluded Sunday and it took a few days to reconvert from curling ice to hockey ice.
The Americans, the farm team of the Buffalo Sabres, are last in the AHL North with a 24-34-2 record. They are led in scoring by veteran forward Cole Schneider (19-30-49 in 55 GP) and defenceman Mat Bodie (10-23-33 in 50 GP).
Big (6-4, 215) netminder Linus Ullmark has been a workhorse for the Amerks, appearing in 47 of the team’s 60 games. He’s been the goaltender of record in 22 of Rochester’s 24 victories.