The Manitoba Moose and Milwaukee Admirals clash in a deciding Game 3 in their Central Division First Round series. The Moose staved off elimination with a 2-1 victory over the Admirals on Friday. The Moose hold a 3-1 record all-time in elimination games against Milwaukee in Winnipeg. Today’s winner faces the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Central Division Semifinal.

Tickets are available for tonight’s game at moosehockey.com/tickets. Coverage of today’s matchup gets going at 1:30 p.m. CT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. CT.

This Bus is Rollin’

David Gustafsson scored with 43 seconds left to play in Game 2 of Manitoba’s Central Division First Round series against the Milwaukee Admirals to force a third and deciding game on Sunday afternoon. The Tingsryd, Sweden native has recorded two points (1G, 1A) in his seven career Calder Cup Playoff games as a Moose. He also features two goals in 11 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected the centre in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Gustafsson finished sixth on the Moose with 32 regular season points (10G, 22A) in 48 games, setting new career highs in assists and points and plus/minus with a team-leading plus-12 rating.

Some More Firsts

Three more Moose notched playoff milestones on Friday night, with Elias Salomonsson and Domenic DiVincentiis playing their first Calder Cup playoff games, while Salomonsson and Brayden Yager recorded their first Calder Cup Playoff assists. DiVincentiis, a native of Bolton, Ont. made 19 stops in the 2-1 victory, earning his first victory in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He has previous experience in the post-season professionally, posting a 3.00 goals against average and .885 save percentage in two games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL in 2024-25. Salomonsson previously played 33 SHL playoff games with Skellefteå AIK, tallying eight points (2G, 6A). Yager appeared in his second pro playoff game after previously playing 56 WHL playoff games, racking 64 points (28G, 36A) in his junior post-season career.

Shut. It. Down.

Manitoba’s penalty kill was critical to their victory on Friday night, successfully denying all four Admirals’ opportunities. Three of Milwaukee’s man-advantages came in the game’s third period with the score tied 1-1. Milwaukee owned the league’s third-ranked power play during the regular season, clicking at 23.5 percent, but the Moose held them scoreless through their first five opportunities of the playoffs. Manitoba’s penalty kill worked at 82.4 percent during the regular season, good for a share of 11th-best in the AHL.

All on the Line

The Moose played to a 6-2-1-1 record in their Sunday home games during the regular season, capturing 14 points in the standings. In 12 games on Sundays during the season, Kale Clague paced the Moose with 11 points (5G, 6A), with Parker Ford at nine points (1G, 8A) and Mason Shaw at eight points (8A) right on his tail. Domenic DiVincentiis started seven of those games, posting a 4-2-1 record. 

Who’s Trending?

Parker Ford leads the Moose into today’s game with two goals in the post-season. The forward has nine Calder Cup Playoff games on his resume, tallying three goals along the way. Ford has 19 shots in those games, marking a 15.8 career shooting percentage in the playoffs. Ford posted 26 points (8G, 18A) in 52 regular season games.