Fresh from ending their four-game losing streak, the Tucson Roadrunners return home for their final 20 regular-season games seeking to secure hosting duties in the playoffs.
The Roadrunners (30-18-2-2) open up a two-game series with the Calgary Wranglers (28-18-4-2) on Tuesday at home.
“Twenty games left. Let’s get it on,” Tucson left wing Travis Barron told Roadrunners’ communications staff after the team’s win in Henderson, Nevada, on Saturday night.
The Roadrunners, currently in third place in the Pacific Division, are looking to try and secure hosting playoff games for the first time since May 2018.
“It’s fun. It’s why you play the game,” Tucson forward Colin Theisen said. “It’s a good challenge ahead of us to get that home ice advantage in the playoffs and that’s what we’re striving for.”
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In the AHL, the seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division make the playoffs. The divison champion receives a bye and seeds 2 through 7 face off in the first round.
Earlier this season, Tucson Roadrunners' center Nathan Smith tries to reach over Coachella Valley forward Kole Lind in pursuit of a puck in the defensive zone in the third period of their AHL game at Tucson Arena on Oct. 21.
The second, third and fourth seeds host the entirety of the first-round matchups, which are best-of-three series. Last season, the Roadrunners returned to the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018 but didn’t get to host any postseason games after falling two games to one at the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Tucson did play one playoff game in 2021 but that year, after a COVID-19 shortened season, every Pacific Division team saw at least one play-in-style game; Tucson lost at a neutral site in Southern California — that postseason coming a year after the 2020 the Calder Cup Playoffs was canceled due to the pandemic.
At 64 points, Tucson is nine points out of first and five points away from second after needing that win Saturday to stop not only that four-game skid but also tick upward after dropping seven of eight. Tucson does, however, have two games in hand compared to the second-place Colorado Eagles and one game in hand against division-leading Coachella Valley.
The Ontario Reign, Wranglers and Abbotsford Canucks are tied for fourth with 62 points apiece, so the Tucson and Calgary series is a potential playoff preview as third place plays sixth in the first round.
The Calgary series starts a stretch where the Roadrunners have six of seven at home, only leaving the friendly confines of Tucson Arena to play at first-place Coachella Valley on Friday.
Tucson also plays the eighth place Henderson again next week before getting the Texas Stars, the third place team in the Central Division, in that seven-game mostly home stretch.
This season, Tucson is 1-1-0-0 against Calgary, which was in first place in January before a recent slump.
The Roadrunners are 3-2-0-1 against Coachella Valley so far this campaign.
Tucson swept the two-game series deep in the heart of Texas to open the season against the Stars, who knocked Tucson out of the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs.
The Roadrunners are 3-1-1-1 against the Silver Knights after taking three points in Henderson over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Roadrunners rebounded with a 5-2 win over Henderson after a shootout loss the night before. Tucson did get a point in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Silver Knights on Friday.
Until Saturday, the Roadrunners had been 1-5-1-1 since the All-Star Break.
Led by right wing Aku Räty (three assists) and forward Jan Jenik (two goals), Tucson rallied from a 2-0 deficit to score five unanswered goals Saturday.
“It’s awesome, to come in here and get the two points, that’s what we came to do,” Tucson defenseman Peter DiLiberatore said. “To do that and take the series, it feels good and coming off that slump it’s definitely good to get that win under our belt and just push forward.”
It’s the eighth time this year Tucson erased a two-goal deficit.
“It’s our eighth time, I didn’t know that but I knew it was a lot,” Barron said. “That’s the type of team we are, we never count ourselves out and that’s really important going down the stretch here.”
Slap shots
Tuesday’s game features half-priced tickets and Wednesday’s tilt is kids free night. Fans 12 and under are free with a paying adult.
Tucson goalie Matthew Villalta’s (23-13-2-2) 23rd win on Saturday broke the Roadrunners’ single-season record of 22 set by Hunter Miska in 2017-18.
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta stops a breakaway attempt by the Henderson Silver Knights during the Roadrunners' eventual 4-3 shootout loss in Henderson, Nevada, on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunner)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Josh Doan scored the opening goal of the Roadrunners' 4-3 shootout loss at the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, March 1, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Josh Doan buries a slick shootout goal goal during the' 4-3 shootout loss at the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, March 1, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners defenseman Max Szuber scores a goal during the' 4-3 shootout loss at the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, March 1, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Aku Raty scores a goal during the' 4-3 shootout loss at the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, March 1, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
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