However, the IceCaps did have a little luxury on their day off on Sunday knowing that no matter what happened elsewhere, they would still end the day in possession of fourth place.
St. John’s finally found its way back into what would be a post-season position with a pair of weekend wins over the Rochester Americans at Mile One Centre.
The IceCaps opened what will be an eight-game homestand with a 3-1 victory Friday followed up by a 2-0 shutout Saturday.
Rookie netminder Charlie Lindgren got both wins.
Heading into Monday, St. John’s (31-25-8) is in fourth place in the division, a single point in front of the Utica Comets, and for the first time in a while, also leads the Comets in points percentage (.547 to .549), which is what the AHL uses to order its standings.
Utica lost 4-1 to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday, but bounced back for a 5-2 win over the Providence Bruins Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to overake the IceCaps.
What’s more, the IceCaps are only a point behind the Toronto Marlies, who suffered an 8-4 loss to the Binghamton Senators Saturday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, where the Senators scored seven unanswered goals in the third period.
And St. John’s is only two points back of the second-place Albany Devils, who were blanked 3-0 by Springfield on Sunday. In fact, only six points separate the first-place Syracuse Crunch, Albany, Toronto, St. John’s and Utica, with all having played 64 games.
No matter how you look at it, IceCaps are in a playoff position
Scoreboard and standings watching have become part of the daily ritual for the St. John’s IceCaps, who find themselves involved in an incredibly tight five-team race in the American Hockey League’s North Division, where are only four teams make the playoffs.
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