5 THINGS: HEAT at HSK, 4.13.22

STOCKTON HEAT (42-12-4-2) at HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS (29-28-3-1)

7:00 p.m. PDT | Broadcast: AHLTV, Fox Sports 1280, Spreaker

Leading Scorers

Heat: 

Goals – Matthew Phillips (28)
Points – Matthew Phillips (62)

Silver Knights:

Goals – Pavel Dorofeyev (25)
Points – Pavel Dorofeyev (45)

Special Teams

Heat:

PP – 48-for-244, 19.7% (t-13th)/PK – 225-for-258, 87.2% (1st)

Silver Knights:

PP – 47-for-245, 19.2% (19th)/PK – 219-for-273, 80.2% (19th)

1. HEAT INDEX

Putting it all on red and counting on beating the house isn’t always advisable in Vegas, but that’s where the Heat find themselves at the start of a three-games-in-four-nights jaunt against the Henderson Silver Knights. The Heat come into the three-game series with a division-clinching Magic Number of eight points and look to make an impact in their first-ever visit to the Dollar Loan Center. The Heat come into the contest with a record of 12-3-1-1 since the start of March, best in the Pacific Division, while the Silver Knights limp into the series with a 6-10-1-0 record in that span.

2. THIS, THAT, THE OTHER

THIS… Jakob Pelletier looks to cash in on the strip, the rookie sitting one point shy of sole possession of Stockton’s all-time record for points in a rookie season of 57. He’s currently tied with Mark Jankowski’s mark set in 2016-17, and the Quebec native has three points and two goals in five tilts against the Silver Knights on the year.  THAT… Justin Kirkland just keeps scoring. The winger netted a pair of goals on Sunday against the Ontario Reign then lit the lamp once again in a shootout, bringing his season totals to 20 goals, 42 points, and 7-for-8 in the shootout. Kirkland’s breakout campaign has added to impressive scoring depth for the Heat, who boast an AHL-best 11 skaters with double-digit goal totals on the year.  THE OTHER… One point of contention for head coach Mitch Love following Sunday’s setback was the Heat getting passive late in the game against Ontario, becoming too easy to play against in the ‘hard areas’ – board battles and in front of the net. A fun test will be to see how Stockton responds, as coach points out the Silver Knights present the exact issues the Heat look to correct – a big, heavy, physical group that test opponents’ will to battle. Look for the Heat to respond, as they have all year.

3. PLAYERS TO WATCH

Heat – Jakob Pelletier

The Silver Knights are the fourth-most penalized team in the league, so the Heat could get some quality looks on the power play. Pelletier is second on the team with 14 power play points, including nine goals, and will look to snap a brief three-game stretch without finding the score sheet.

Silver Knights – Sven Baertschi

Baertschi leads the Silver Knights with three goals in the season set against the Heat, second on the club with five points in the five meetings. 

4. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH

• Jakob Pelletier is one point shy of sole possession of the Heat’s rookie season scoring record and two goals shy of tying Stockton’s single-season goal record, held by Matthew Phillips.
• Luke Philp is two goals shy of 50 in his AHL career.
• Matthew Phillips is six assists shy of Stockton’s single-season assist record of 40, held by Linden Vey.

5. QUOTABLE

“There’s no easy games in this league. Any team can beat any team on any given night, regardless of the standings. We’re turning our focus to a little mini series here against Henderson, and knowing what’s on the line in the Pacific Division for us, that’s a big motivator. We’re excited to get back to work.” – Justin Kirkland on the team’s mindset heading into Henderson