Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Keys to the Game, If Playoffs Started Today, PIMPG Leaders and More

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Kansas City Mavericks for the ninth time this season. Their 10th and final matchup will be on Saturday. Here are the stats from the eight head-to-head games thus far:

• Allen's record against KC is 1-7-0-0 
• Allen has scored first in one of the eight games.
• Allen has been outscored 38-15
• Allen has been outshot 313-181
• Allen is 4-28 (14.3%) on the power play
• KC is 9-37 (24.3%) on the power play
• Allen has taken 50 penalties for 141 minutes
• KC has taken 36 penalties for 98 penalty minutes 

- I write a lot about the need for Allen to get a good start and not play from behind. These stats show why that is so important. Records when leading or trailing after the first or second period: 

       ALLEN

• 5-2-3-2:  leading after 1st period
• 10-1-2-1: leading after the 2nd period
• 2-20-2-0:  trailing after the 1st period
• 2-25-2-1:  trailing after the 2nd period

       KANSAS CITY

• 20-0-0-0: leading after the 1st period
• 22-1-2-0: leading after the 2nd period
• 0-8-3-0: trailing after the 1st period
• 2-10-2-1: trailing after the 2nd period 

 

- A reminder about scoring the first goal tonight. Allen has the worst record in the ECHL when its scores first. The Americans are the only team with a points percentage below .500 when scoring first. Allen's record is 7-9-4-2 (.455). Kansas City, on the other hand, has the second best record in the ECHL when it scores first. The Mavericks record is 24-3-1-1 (.862). It will likely be a long night for the Americans if they surrender the first goal tonight. They have done it seven times this season against Kansas City and lost all seven games.

 

- Kansas City's Daniel Amesbury has been suspended for the game tonight. He received a game misconduct penalty in the game on Wednesday for aggressor in a fight he tried to start with J.C. Brassard. He received a one game suspension for his actions and will sit out the game tonight. Amesbury leads the league in major penalties (9) despite playing in only 24 games. He is averaging 5.29 penalty minutes per game. The highest in the ECHL for players with over 20 games played. 

- Here are the leading scorers for both teams in the head-to-head games:

       ALLEN

• Brayden Watts - 8 points (4G, 4A) in eight games
• J.C. Brassard - 5 points (1G, 4A) in six games
• Kyle Crnkovic - 3 points (2G, 1A) in eight games
• Mark Duarte - 3 points (1G, 2A) in eight games 

      KANSAS CITY

• Cade Borchardt - 13 points (6G, 7A) in eight games
• Max Andreev - 13 points (3G, 10A) in seven games
• Damien Giroux - 12 points (5G, 7A) in eight games
• Cam Morrison - 9 points (5G, 4A) in 8 games 

 

- Allen has the current longest winless streak in the ECHL at eight games. It is tied for the fourth longest winless streak all season. If the Americans lose tonight they will be tied for the second longest winless streak this season. The top spot is a long way off. From November 20 to December 18 Utah didn't win a game. The Grizzlies has a 14 game winless streak.

 

- One referee will work the game tonight. Chazz Knoche (33) who worked the game on Wednesday. will work the game tonight. On Wednesday he called a total of 12 penalties, seven on Allen and five on Kansas City. The penalties resulted in eight power play opportunities. Kansas City was 0-5 and Allen was 0-3. He also called a game misconduct penalty on Daniel Amesbury for which the league suspended Amesbury for the game tonight.  

KEYS TO THE GAME

Coach Ferguson

"Tonight we need to be relentless without the puck, trying to get it back. We call it being on the hunt. This includes on the forecheck as well as the backcheck,"

"Our power play needs to get going again and get its mojo back. We switched up the units last game, and saw some positive strides."

"We can't trade chances with them as they are a highly potent offensive team. We need to control the middle of the ice defensively and manage the puck offensively. No silly turnovers."

 

Maurice Fitzgerald

I asked Maurice, color analyst on the Americans home broadcasts, to share his keys for the remaining two games against Kansas City. Here are Maurice's keys:

"Allen must play a solid 60 minutes at both ends of the ice. Defense needs to execute faster breakouts and forwards need to work hard to be available for the passes."

"The defense needs to maintain better gaps and not stand there watching the puck. They need to challenge the puck carrier and get a body on them. We have seen the defense giving up too much time and space and then sweep checking the puck." 

"Scoring needs to come from more than one line or one player. Everyone needs to be contributing."

"The Americans need to capitalize on the power play which has been squandered far to often lately." (FYI, the Allen power play is 1-10 the last three games against Kansas City) ."

"If Allen doesn't score with the extra man, they can build momentum to score immediately following the power play. With sustained pressure in the offensive zone, they have a greater chance of capitalizing on a tired penalty kill unit unable to get a change, if the Americans can keep them out there longer."   

- The only thing I would add to coach Ferguson and Maurice's keys is get off to a good start, right from the opening puck drop and don't play from behind. The stats above show playing from behind will not end well for the Americans.

 

LINEUP TONIGHT

- There will be a different backup goalie for the next two games. Coach Ferguson has signed Garrett Johnson from the Watertown Wolves of the (FPHL) Federal League. That is the pro league below the SPHL. The FPHL is the league Steve Martinson is coaching in this season (Athens Rock Lobsters). In limited duty in Watertown, Johnson had a 1.82 GAA and .952 save percentage. Don't look for him to play this weekend, but a better choice if Richardson should get hurt than a local EBUG. Here is the lineup for tonight:

Forwards

#92 Watts-#26 Asuchak-#16 Crnkovic

#84 Gorman-#8 Duarte-#91 Matikka

#14 Guy-#89 Polino-#24 Blaisdell

#11 Nault-#17 Jacobs-#9 Isaacson

 

Defense

#5 Wilson-#23 Brassard

#21 Van Unen-#82 Fraser

#3 Powell-#2 Warmuth

 

Goalie

#33 Richardson

#1 Johnson (backup)

OTHER COMMENTS

- I am sure most of you watched Canada beat USA 3-2 in overtime last night in the 4 Nations Faceoff. Hard to believe you could leave the best player on the planet all alone in the slot with that much space. McDavid won a faceoff, took a shot, circled back to the slot and buried the game winner. With 13 Americans and 11 Canadians on the Allen Americans roster you know a lot of money changed hands last night. 

- There is about 25% remaining in the ECHL regular season and crunch time has arrived as teams still holdout hope of making the playoffs or qualifying for home ice advantage in the first round. In the Mountain Division three teams (Tahoe, Tulsa, Wichita) are tied for second place with 62 points. Idaho is in fifth place with 48 points put has a game in hand over Wichita and Tulsa and two over Tahoe. Every series is critical. There are 13 games on the ECHL schedule with all eight Mountain Division teams in action:

• Allen at Kansas City
• Wichita at Idaho
• Rapid City at Utah
• Tulsa at Wheeling
• Tahoe at Florida

Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/02/echl-today-feb-21 

 

- If the playoffs started today here are the 13 teams that would miss the playoffs. Included is where each team placed in their division last season. Remember, fourth place and above makes the playoffs.

• Reading - 7th
• Maine - 3rd
• Adirondack- 1st
• Atlanta - 7th
• Savannah - 6th
• Greenville - 1st
• Bloomington - New franchise
  
• Cincinnati - 6th
• Kalamazoo - 4th
• Idaho - 2nd
  
• Rapid City - 6th
• Utah - 5th
• Allen - 3rd

There is quite a mix when you look at the 13 teams not making the playoffs this season if the playoffs started to day. Six of the 13 teams made the playoffs last season. Adirondack and Greenville have gone from 1st place last season to last place this season. Six teams missed the playoffs in both seasons. 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about average penalty minutes per game (PIMPG). Nick Isaacson leads Allen this season with an average of 2.17 minutes per game. Here are Allen's leaders the past seven seasons. Some tough and memorable guys on this list.

• 4.52 - Jonny Walker (2023-24)
• 4.52 - Mikael Robidoux (2022-23)
• 2.60 - Darian Skeoch (2021-22)
• 2.08 - Zane Franklin (2020-21)
• 2.33 - Cole Fraser (2019-20)
• 7.42 - Curt Gogal (2018-19)
• 3.82 - Bryan Moore (2017-18)
• 4.64 - Derek Mathers (2016-17
  

ECHL leaders in average penalty minutes per game (PIMPG), minimum 20 games played:

 

5.29 - Daniel Amesbury, KC

4.95 - Yanick Turcotte, FW

4.44 - Nico Blachman, IA

3.88 - Justin Nachbaur, SC

 

 

- All time PIMPG records are from the 1990’s. Top five range from 10.9 to 9.7 minutes per game..

 

 

- ECHL PIMPG leaders the last five seasons:

 

5.74 - Mark Liwiski, NOR (2023-24)

6.16 - Nico Blachman, ALN, SAV, NOR (2022-23)

6.14 - Mikael Robidoux, KC (2021-22)

4.96 - Arvin Atwal, FLA (2020-21)

5.10 - Yanick Turcotte, WOR (2019-20)\