The IceCaps (12-11-1) close out an eight-game homestand with games tonight and Saturday (both with 7:30 p.m. start times) against the Springfield Thunderbirds (9-8-5) , the farm team of the Florida Panthers.
St. John’s has already played twice in Springfield this fall, losing both contests to the Thunderbirds, once in overtime, so this weekend will close out the four-game season series between the two teams.
Beginning next Wednesday, when they take the Binghamton Senators, the IceCaps will play nine straight games on the road, separated by the team’s annual Christmas break. After that, St. John’s next game at Mile One won’t be until Jan. 13.
Notes
Defenceman Mark Barberio and centre Charles Hudon, sent down by the Montreal Canadiens this week, practised with the IceCaps Thursday, but one has to wonder how long they will remain here. There was no announcement from the parent Canadiens as of late Thursday, but don’t be surprised if a defenceman — and perhaps another player — are soon recalled from St. John’s. Montreal, which beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 Thursday night, has only 20 healthy players — the game-day minimum — on its roster after learning rearguard Greg Pateryn will be sidelined eight weeks with a fractured ankle. Centres Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais are out the same amount of time with knee injuries … Veteran forward Paul Thompson leads the Thunderbirds in scoring with 15 points, but was recalled by Florida earlier this week, leaving former IceCaps Chase Balisy and defenceman Brent Regner, who each have 10 points, as the top scorers on the roster … One of Springfield’s strong points this season has been the veteran goaltending tandem of Mike McKenna and Reto Berra. The latter shares the league lead in shutouts with three on the season … Springfield AHL teams visiting St. John’s over the years have had three different nicknames — Indians (1991-94), Falcons (1994-2016) and now, the Thunderbirds.
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