PROVIDENCE — Tonight it’s the Toronto Marlies’ turn. They’ll try to do what the Springfield Thunderbirds couldn’t do: Stop Providence’s superb line of Kenny Agostino, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Peter Cehlarik.
Cehlarik (2-3-5), Agostino (1-4-5), and JFK (2-1-3) have been simply dominant through two games. I can’t imagine there is a better trio in the AHL right now.
“The thing that’s going on with that line that I find the most impressive — and obviously they are all skilled players who can make plays — is they track the crap out of pucks and hound it,” said coach Jay Leach.
“You’ve seen some lines in the past everywhere that just have more skill than everyone else. I’m not diminishing (the JFK line’s) skill, but the thing that they are doing so well is they just hound pucks. It’s fun to watch.”
For the P-Bruins, Colton Hargrove and Emil Johansson will make their season debuts tonight as Leach goes with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen.
“We’ve got a lot of guys; we’ve got to get them in,” Leach said.
It will be Johansson’s first game since he went down with a concussion on a high hit by Buffalo’s Hudson Fasching in the Prospects Challenge last month.
Here is tonight’s lineup:
Agostino-JFK-Cehlarik
It’s wait-and-see on the other lines. The rest of the forwards will be Fitzgerald, Senyshyn, Blidh, Cave, Gabrielle, Porter, Payerl, Hargrove
Lauzon-Cross
Breen-Grzelcyk
O’Gara-Zboril
Johansson
McIntyre in goal with Binnington as the backup.
Scratches: Szwarz (lower body), Clifton, Hennessy, Acolatse, Hickman