GAME PREVIEW presented by Rodriguez & Associates

The Condors look for back-to-back wins on the road as they wrap up the weekend in Texas.

LOOKING BACK

Despite giving up the opening goal of the game, Bakersfield went on to score four unanswered in a 4-1 victory over the Stars a night ago. Seth Griffith scored the eventual game winner to make it a 2-1 game early in the second period and Matt Tomkins stopped 22 of 23 for his 17th win of the season.

STOPPING PUCKS 

Tomkins is now sixth in the AHL in save percentage at .914. He is 4-1-1 in his last six decisions and has stopped 108 of his last 115 shots faced (.939 sv%).

HAMMER TIME

With an assist last night, James Hamblin continued his strong second half of the season. Since January 1, he has 25 points (15g-10a) in 27 games.

GRIFF BEING GRIFF

Griffith had a goal and assist last night to run his season-best point streak to five games (1g-6a). He is fifth in league scoring with 55 points (16g-39a).

DEEP IN THE HEART

Former division rivals, the Condors have had success against the Stars in recent meetings, going 7-1-1 in the last nine matchups and 11-2-4 over the last 17.

FOUR SCORE

When the Condors score at least four goals in a game, the team is 22-1-3. Overall, the team is tied for third in offense at 3.38 goals per game. Six of the top nine highest scoring teams in the AHL reside in the Pacific Division.

DJ POU

Sam Poulin had a goal and assist last night. Since February 1, the Quebec native has 10 points (4g-6a) in 15 games and is +8.

KILLING IT 

A key to the win last night was the team’s penalty kill going a perfect 6/6 on the evening. Bakersfield is 14th on the PK this season at 81.7%. Texas is the least penalized team in the league at just over nine minutes per game.

CALVIN’S CREASE 

Calvin Pickard will get the start tonight for Bakersfield off a 27/30 performance in an overtime loss to Tucson last Friday. Pickard is 1-1-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .903 save percentage in three starts with the Condors this season. His first professional start came in Texas as a member of the then Lake Erie Monsters when he stopped 25/29 in an 8-4 win on April 1, 2012.

BROWNIE’S BACK

Josh Brown will return to the lineup after missing four games due to injury. The veteran d-man has 12 points (2g-10a) in 48 games this season and is +8.

GET TO THE THIRD 

The Condors are 28-3-8 when holding at least a share of the lead after two periods.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

Bakersfield finds itself right in the thick of the Pacific Division playoff race with 14 games left in the regular season. The team sits fourth, two points out of third and six points out of second. A magic number of 18 separates the Condors from the postseason, which shrinks based off Condors points gained and Tucson points lost. The Roadrunners host San Jose tonight and tomorrow. Seven teams will qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs from the Pacific Division with the one seed earning a first-round bye. Click here for the playoff primer.

TWO STEP

Curtis McKenzie scored his seventh goal of the season and 499th career AHL point a night ago to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. Remi Poirier, who has played the third most minutes in the AHL, got the start and stopped 15 of 17 shots in the loss. The Stars are 7-8-2 against the Pacific Division this season and still have a six-game west coast swing coming later this month.

UP NEXT

The Condors are in San Diego on Friday to take on the Gulls at 7 p.m. Bakersfield’s next home game is Saturday, March 21 for Star Wars Night against Calgary (click here for tickets)