Ontario Reign: Four Takeaways From 5-4 Win Over Henderson

Goal Breakdown

First period:

ONT: Carl Grundstrom (1), ASST:  Samuel Fagemo (18), TJ Tynan (54)

ONT: Jacob Doty (6), ASST: Samuel Helenius (9), Cole Krygier (10)

ONT: Brandt Clarke (9), ASST: Alex Turcotte (18)

HSK: SH Jett Jones (2), ASST: Daniel D’Amato (8)

ONT: Hayden Hodgson (6), ASST: Carl Grundstrom (1)

Second period: 

HSK: Grigori Denisenko (19), ASST: None

HSK: PP Ryan Dzingel (4), ASST: Dysin Mayo (18), Matthieu Cataford (2)

HSK: Byron Froese (12), ASST: None

Third period: 

ONT: Andre Lee (8), ASST: Samuel Helenius (10), Wyatte Wylie (11)

Stats:

Goals: 

ONT: 5

HSK: 4

Shots: 

ONT: 24

HSK: 30

Power plays: 

ONT: 0/3

HSK: 1/5

Here are the four takeaways from Saturday’s 5-4 victory

Carl Grundstrom starts his conditioning assignment

Carl Grundstrom returned to Ontario for the first game of his conditioning assignment. It was his first game in the AHL since March 7th, 2020. Grundstrom scored on his first shot of the game, which was a soft shot from the left circle that squeaked by Henderson’s netminder, Isaiah Saville, to put the Reign up 1-0.

Grundstrom also added a primary assist on Hayden Hodgson’s goal, which put the Reign up 4-1 at the 8:47 mark of the first period. Head coach Marco Sturm used the six-foot forward on the second power-play unit and penalty kill, as well. All in all, Grundstrom had a solid game on the forecheck and used his speed on the rush down the wing. Getting in some games with the Reign will help him get ready for the playoffs, where the Kings can use him on the fourth line. After all, he’s had some solid performances in the playoffs, particularly in game four in LA’s first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers in 2022.

I guess you can say he had a Swede performance, right?

Sixty minutes is greater than ten minutes

In the first ten minutes, the Reign dictated play and pace and scored four goals on their first six shots on goal. After that, the Silver Knights took control for most of the remaining 50 minutes, which saw them score a short-handed goal in the first period and three goals in the middle frame. The Reign have played great hockey over the last month, however, eight of their last nine wins have been decided by one goal with four of those wins needing to be decided in overtime or a shootout. That’s great, but last night’s game shouldn’t have come down to the wire. Performances like yesterday won’t be acceptable with the playoffs approaching with a possible back-to-back scenario (in the same building) in the first round. Playing a sixty-minute game in these final three games and not letting up when up multiple goals should be the focus.

Andre Lee nets the game-winning goal

Andre Lee has scored four goals in his return and all have come at the right time. The Reign recorded only three shots on goal in the final period, one found the back of the net. The shot that found the back of the net was on a shot from the blue line by Wyatte Wylie which got re-directed twice and rolled by the right pad of Jesper Vikman , who replaced Saville in net in the first period. The first re-direct came by Samuel Helenius, then Lee got the second re-direct that got by Vikman. It was Lee’s first game-winning goal of the season as he continues to provide secondary scoring. That third line of him, Helenius, and Jacob Doty have provided a spark on the forecheck and scoresheet as of late and have gained Sturm’s trust. The trio combined for four points.

Erik Portillo starts both games of the back-to-back

After Friday’s game, Sturm said the goalie rotation will change as he wants a number-one goalie heading into the playoffs. When asked a follow-up question if he has an idea of who that goalie could be, he mentioned Erik Portillo by name with the hope that he can grab that spot but also said anything can change or happen. To get him ready for possibly being the number-one goalie in the playoffs, Sturm said he would start last night’s game and was true to his word. Portillo made 26 saves on 30 shots. With the win, Portillo recorded his 23rd victory, which ties the record for wins by a rookie goalie in the Reign’s AHL history (Cal Petersen in 2017-18)

The Reign were outshot 20-9 in the final 40 minutes and he was needed to make big saves. The first goal he let up in the second period is one he probably would like to have back as it squeaked through. The rest of the period is hard to blame him because the Reign were badly outplayed and had a couple of turnovers that led to goals. Other than that, I thought he had a decent game and came up big multiple times in the third period, especially on the penalty kill late in the game, to keep the Reign ahead on the scoreboard. Moments like that are what you want from your goalie in the playoffs. Timely saves when needed.

NOTES:

*With the victory, the Ontario Reign clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.

*Erik Portillo started back-to-back games for the first time since December 20th and 21st when the Reign traveled to Abbotsford to play the Canuck.

*Brandt Clarke recorded his ninth goal of the season. It was his 10th point in seven games against Henderson this year. He’s up to 42 points in 47 games. He leads all qualified rookie defensemen with 0.89 points per game. Right behind him is Anaheim Ducks prospect Olen Zellweger with 0.84.

*Hayden Hodgson recorded his 3rd point in his last five games.

*Jacob Doty recorded his sixth goal of the year.

*Grigori Denisenko recorded his eighth point against the Reign this season.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign return to California but will still be on the road. They will be in Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Wednesday, April 10th. The game starts at 6:30 PM PT and can be seen on AHLTV.