Lake Erie Monsters Start Western Conference Semi-Finals Tonight Against Grand Rapids

Cleveland, get ready for some more playoff hockey. Yes, the Lake Erie Monsters are in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, so that means they are that much closer to bringing a championship to Cleveland.

The opponent tonight for the Monsters is the Grand Rapids Griffins, who defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 3-0 in the first round. The Monsters disposed of the Rockford IceHogs in the same manner. So tonight is the battle of the last Central Division teams remaining in the Western Conference Playoffs. Grand Rapids bested the Monsters during the regular season, taking 7 of the 12 match-ups between the two teams. Only one can move on, as the other one will go home. Let’s take a look at three keys to a Monsters’ victory tonight.

1. The battle of the Second Period –It sounds crazy, I know. But, Grand Rapids outscored Milwaukee 6-0 in the Second Period. Compare that to the Monsters, who outscored Rockford 5-1 in the Second Period, and this might be one of the most important things to look out for this series.
2. Goaltending- Joonas Korpisalo for the Monsters and Tom McCollum for the Griffins is going to be a a fun match-up to watch. Both goalies have been efficient for their teams. During the playoffs, McCollum has an average of 1 goal allowed per game and Korpisalo has an average of  2 goals allowed per game. Whoever strikes first may be able to take the victory tonight.
3. Home-Ice Advantage- Like everything in life, there’s no place like home. That statement could hold true at the end of the series. The Monsters start off the series at The Quicken Loans Arena. These two games at home to start off the series could determine how this series plays out.

It’s going to be a fun time tonight at the Q starting at 7pm, as the Monsters experience Second Round action in the Calder Cup for the first time in franchise history.