The Manitoba Moose look to stave off elimination on Friday night, taking on the Milwaukee Admirals in the Central Division First Round. The Moose fell 4-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-three series against Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Manitoba closed the regular season with a 35-29-5-3 record. Milwaukee finished the campaign with a 32-33-4-3 record. 

Tickets are available for tonight’s game at moosehockey.com/tickets. Coverage of today’s matchup gets going at 6:30 p.m. CT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT.

Ford Gets it Going

Parker Ford got the Moose on the board in the third period on Wednesday evening, scoring the team’s first goal of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Wakefield, RI. native is now up to eight games of post-season experience across three campaigns, recording two points, both of which were goals. Ford has scored four points (2G, 2A) in his past two games dating back to the regular season, posting his first career three-point game (1G, 2A) on April 18 at Iowa. He has played in 181 games, regular and post-season, as a member of the Moose, recording 94 points  (44G, 50A). 

Heavy Dose

The Moose peppered Admirals netminder Matthew Murray on Wednesday night, outshooting Milwaukee 43-24 in Game 1 of their Central Division First Round matchup. Manitoba tallied 17 shots in the second period, adding 16 more in the final 20 minutes of the game, but could only solve Murray once on the night. Every forward, and all but one skater, recorded at least one shot on goal. All but five skaters registered multiple shots in the contest. David Gustafsson and Lucas Wahlin led the way with five apiece. Manitoba recorded 40 or more shots five times during the regular season, posting a 3-2-0-0 record. 

Debutants

Four Moose forwards make their Calder Cup Playoffs debuts on Wednesday evening, including rookies Colby Barlow, Brayden Yager, and Lucas Wahlin. Danny Zhilkin also played in his first professional playoff game. Barlow continued his hot streak, tallying his first playoff point with an assist, giving him five points (4G, 1A) over his past five games dating back to the regular season. Wahlin finished the game tied for the team lead in shots on goal with five, earning the nod as the game’s third star. 

All on the Line

The Moose enter Friday night’s game with their backs against the wall, facing elimination for the first time this season. They trail the best-of-three Central Division First Round series against Milwaukee 1-0, following a 4-1 defeat on Wednesday evening. This is the fourth time the Moose face elimination on home ice since returning to Winnipeg in 2015. Manitoba owns a 2-1 record in the previous three elimination games, which all came in 2022 against Milwaukee. The only skater between the two teams who participated in those matchups was Moose centre David Gustafsson. The Moose are also 1-1 in home games following a Game 1 loss in Winnipeg since 2015. Manitoba’s win came against Milwaukee in 2023. 

Who’s Trending?

Phil Di Giuseppe registered an assist in his first post-season game with the Moose on Wednesday. The veteran forward has 15 points (9G, 6A) in 37 games in the Calder Cup Playoffs, including 11 points (6G, 5A) on route to a Calder Cup championship with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2024-25. He played his 400th regular season AHL game on April 18.