The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
began on April 19, 2018, with the playoff format that was introduced in 2016. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played
best-of-five series in the division semifinals, with the playoffs continuing with
best-of-seven series for the division finals, conference finals, and
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...
finals.
A Division finals game between the
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey Le ...
and the
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...
became the longest game in AHL history by going 86:48 into overtime when Alex Krushelnyski of the Phantoms scored the winning 2–1 goal. The game started at 7:03 pm on May 9 and ended at 1:09 am on May 10. The Checkers had 95 shots on goal and
Alex Lyon would finish with 94 saves, while
Alex Nedeljkovic would finish with 51 saves on 53 shots. The previous record of 82:58 into overtime was set in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, also between the AHL affiliates of the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
and the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
.
The
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
won their first Calder Cup, beating the
Texas Stars
The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars. They play their homes games at the H-E-B Center.
History
In ...
four games to three in the finals.
Playoff seeds
After the
2017–18 AHL regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top four teams in each division ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available) qualify for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
were the first team to clinch a playoff spot and went on to claim the regular season title with four games remaining.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
#
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey Le ...
– 104 points (.684)
#
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...
– 99 points (.651)
#
Charlotte Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...
– 96 points (.632)
#
Providence Bruins
The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Hi ...
– 95 points (.625)
North Division
#
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
– 112 points (.737)
#
Syracuse Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...
– 100 points (.658)
#
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...
– 91 points (.599)
#
Utica Comets
The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey D ...
– 88 points (.579)
Western Conference
Central Division
#
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...
– 95 points (.625)
#
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...
– 93 points (.612)
#
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre.
The fran ...
– 92 points (.605)
#
Rockford IceHogs
The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...
– 88 points (.579)
Pacific Division
#
Tucson Roadrunners
The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team based in Tucson, Arizona. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Utah Mammoth. They play their home games at the Tucson Convention Cente ...
– 90 points (.662)
#
Texas Stars
The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars. They play their homes games at the H-E-B Center.
History
In ...
– 90 points (.592)
#
Ontario Reign
The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team based in Ontario, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Arena.
The fra ...
– 79 points (.581)
#
San Jose Barracuda
The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s San Jose Sharks. The team has played its home games at Tech CU Are ...
– 76 points (.559), 33
Bracket
Division semifinals
:
Note 1: ''Home team is listed first.''
:
Note 2: ''Higher-seeded team had the choice of games 1, 2, and 5 at home or games 3, 4, and 5 at home.''
Eastern Conference
(A1) Lehigh Valley Phantoms vs. (A4) Providence Bruins
(A2) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (A3) Charlotte Checkers
(N1) Toronto Marlies vs. (N4) Utica Comets
(N2) Syracuse Crunch vs. (N3) Rochester Americans
Western Conference
(C1) Chicago Wolves vs. (C4) Rockford IceHogs
(C2) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (C3) Manitoba Moose
(P1) Tucson Roadrunners vs. (P4) San Jose Barracuda
(P2) Texas Stars vs. (P3) Ontario Reign
Division finals
:
Note: ''Home team is listed first.''
Eastern Conference
(A1) Lehigh Valley Phantoms vs. (A3) Charlotte Checkers
(N1) Toronto Marlies vs. (N2) Syracuse Crunch
Western Conference
(C3) Manitoba Moose vs. (C4) Rockford IceHogs
(P1) Tucson Roadrunners vs. (P2) Texas Stars
Conference finals
:
Note: ''Home team is listed first.''
Eastern Conference
(N1) Toronto Marlies vs. (A1) Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Western Conference
(P2) Texas Stars vs. (C4) Rockford IceHogs
Calder Cup Finals
:
Note: ''Home team is listed first.''
(N1) Toronto Marlies vs. (P2) Texas Stars
Playoff statistical leaders
Leading skaters
These are the top ten skaters based on points. If there is a tie in points, goals take precedence over assists.
''GP = Games played; G =
Goal
A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to ...
s; A =
Assists; Pts =
Points
A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to:
Mathematics
* Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...
; +/– =
Plus–minus Plus–minus, ±, +/−, or variants may refer to:
* Plus–minus sign (±), a mathematical symbol which can mean either plus (+) or minus (−), or can indicate the uncertainty of a measurement or statistic
* Plus–minus (sports), a sport ...
; PIM =
Penalty minutes''
Leading goaltenders
This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...
and the top five goaltenders based on
save percentage
Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic.
In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...
with at least 240 minutes played. The table is initially sorted by goals against average, with the criterion for inclusion in bold.
''GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes)''
References
External links
AHL official site
{{AHL
Calder Cup playoffs
Calder Cup Playoffs