The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights invade the Middletown Sports Complex tonight to play the Titans for eighth and final time during the regular season series between the two teams. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 PM. It will be half price hump day with all tickets being slashed in half.
Titans vs. Knights Overview
As stated above, this will be the eighth and final time that these two teams meet during the regular season. The Titans have won six of the seven contests by a combined score of 32 -21. The lone lost to the Knights was the last time these teams played back on February 26 when WBS won at home by a score of 4 – 3.
Knights veterans Tyrone Bronte (3 goals and 5 assists) and Lincoln Hatten (1 goal and 7 assists) each have eight points against the Titans. Bronte, Nikita Asylaev and Johnny Kaljian each have scored three goals against New Jersey. The Knights are 3 for 11 (27%) on the power play, and their goaltenders have a combined 4.55 goals against average and .876 save percentage.
Kyle Jeffers (2 goals and 5 assists) and Mitch Machlitt (3 goals and 4 assists) each have seven points against the Knights while Matt Cameron has scored the most goals (five). The Titans are 5 for16 (31%) on the power play and the team’s goaltenders have a combined 2.99 goals against average and .906 save percentage with no shutouts.
Knights Overview
The Knights are currently in third place in the East Division with a 26-21-4-1 record for 57 points (18 points behind the division leading Titans). WBS has won seven of their ten games (including six in a row), and they are coming off a 9 – 6 road win against the Maine Nordiques (the Knights swept Maine last weekend). The Knights have scored 163 goals (thirteenth in the league) while they have allowed 176 (eighteenth in the league). WBS has the best power play unit in the league having converted on 29.1% of their chances with the man advantage while they are last in the league on the penalty kill having prevented the opposition from converting on 62.9% on their chances.
WBS is led by Hatten in almost every category: points (60: 26 goals and 34 assists); goals (26); game winning goals (six) and penalty minutes (119). Bronte has a team best +22.
The Knights goaltenders have a combine 3.26 goals against average and .902 save percentage with one shutout (Zach Stejskal).
Titans Overview
The Titans are in the first place in the East Division with a 37 – 13 – 0 – 1 record for 75 points. They have won five of their last ten games, and they are coming off a 2 – 1 road win against the Jamestown Rebels (the Titans split with Jamestown last weekend). They have scored 235 goals (most in the league) and have allowed 170 (sixteenth in the league). The Titans are second in league on the power play having converted on 28.2% of their chances while they have prevented the opposition from scoring on the penalty kill 82.6% of the time (tenth best in the league).
Machlitt leads the team in total points with sixty (23 goals and 37 assists). Machlitt also is tied with Jeffers with the most goals (23). Michael Outzen has a team best five game winning goals. Cade Penney has a team high +/- with +30 while Brody Medeiros has the most penalty minutes on the team with ninety-three.
The Titans goaltenders have a combined 3.26 goals against average and .902 save percentage and one shutout (Patrick Pugliese).