Condors’ season is on the line tonight after 2 losses to Stockton
The stakes are high for the Bakersfield Condors tonight.
Beat the Stockton Heat on home ice at Mechanics Bank Arena and their playoff season continues. Lose and it’s time to make those offseason plans.
“We’re excited at the challenge, the adversity, back against the wall … all the things this team has gone through is nothing new,” Condors coach Colin Chaulk said. “It’s not like we haven’t gone through it before.”
The Heat posted a 3-1 win over the Condors on Tuesday night in Stockton and eked out a 3-2 win on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in the American Hockey League Pacific Division best-of-five semifinal matchup.
For the most part it’s been a very even series. Stockton leads in shots 57 to 52. The Condors have gone 1-for-8 on power plays while killing all nine Heat power plays.
But the Condors have made more mistakes leading directly to Heat goals.
Among those: A bad line change on a power play that led to a shorthanded goal, a bad pass behind the net which led to a goal, and a failed clearing attempt that led to a goal. All were five-alarm shots from close range that Condors goaltender Stuart Skinner could not corral.
“Our puck management,” Chaulk said of the biggest issue in the first two games. “Just managing the puck and not giving them anything for free. Five of the six goals against came off of our sticks.”
The puck-management hiccups are something that cropped up out of the blue.
“We were really disciplined down the stretch, the last month of the season (when the Condors went 12-4),” Chaulk said. “We were really good in the first round against Abbotsford. I think our players … they don’t go out there and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to manage the puck well.’ They’re not doing it on purpose but we need to sharpen up in that area.
“Our first key is not give the other team anything for free. We have to make sure we’re confident, we’re cool but firm in making our decisions.”
Chaulk refuses to think of the situation as needing three wins.
“We’re looking for one ‘W.’ There is already enough pressure from within and personal pride, but we need to get one ‘W.’”
Chaulk and staff spent Thursday working on a plan they think will accomplish that goal.
“The coaching staff will deliver some information, display a level of confidence in the players and at the end of the day they’re on the ice, they’re feeling it, they’ve got to win their battles. They have to be confident. We’re not going to point fingers, we’re going to look for solutions.”
Stockton goaltender Dustin Wolf displayed the form in the first two games that earned him the AHL Outstanding Goaltender award as he has started the playoffs with a 1.50 goals-against average and .942 save percentage.
“We have to finish on our chances,” Chaulk said. “We’ve had some chances, some breakaways we haven’t converted and they have.”
The Condors have two things working in their favor tonight: a home crowd that will certainly be very loud, especially if things are going in the right direction, and the last change for players after stoppages.
“You’re looking for any advantage you can at this point,” Chaulk said. “I think it’s definitely not going to hurt you. The energy we had in the building against Abbotsford was great, I thought the fans were excellent and our players fed off it.
“From a tactical perspective we can make sure we have the right people on the ice at the right time.”
And then it is up to the players on the ice.