The Hershey Bears are currently in a holding pattern for the Calder Cup Playoffs. As a result of the team taking a bye from the first round of the postseason, the Bears must wait for the first round to conclude before knowing anything about their future schedule. As it stands, the third ranked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will take on sixth place Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the fourth place Charlotte Checkers host the fifth place Hartford Wolf Pack.
The first-round schedule is set to get underway on Tuesday, April 23rd and conclude no later than Sunday, April 28. Most likely, barring any oddities, the Bears will get underway somewhere around May 1. The biggest wild card is not when, but where the playoffs will begin for the Bears. That question will be answered by the Charlotte Checkers and the other matchups. Due to travel regulations regarding distance in the AHL, Hershey would be forced to play the first two games of their five-game second round series.
If Wilkes-Barre and Charlotte advance as the favored teams, it’d result in a rematch from last year’s second round between the Bears and the Checkers. As they did a year ago, Hershey would be destined to play Games One and Two at Bojangles Coliseum before returning to Giant Center for Games Three, Four, and Five if needed. In any other scenario, the Bears would get the first two games at home followed by two on the road. Hershey would have the decisive game, if necessary, on home ice.
As a result of Hershey’s first place finish, they’ll get the lower seeded opponent to advance from the first round. Despite the looming possibility of having to play in Charlotte, there’s still the possibility that Hershey could dodge a rematch. If the Lehigh Valley Phantoms were to upset Wilkes-Barre, Hershey would be guaranteed a matchup with them as the lowest seeded team. That would be regardless of what happens with Charlotte and Hartford in that scenario.
It’s likely that, internally, the Bears have been briefed on what the schedule will be in every possible scenario. As thorough as the AHL is on covering the run to the playoffs, the skilled folks in the league offices have no doubt worked out scenarios for what Hershey is in for. Regardless, the Bears will be waiting just under two weeks from their final regular season game to be back in action.
The Bears will be waiting and watching their NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, closely during this time. The Capitals will be playing their first round series against the New York Rangers while the Bears are idle. If the Caps are swept, they’d be done on April 28. Should they continue on, Game 5 is on May 1, Game 6 is on May 3, and Game 7 is on May 5. If the Caps are eliminated, there are five eligible players to return to the Bears. That list includes Hendrix Lapierre, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Dylan McIlrath, Lucas Johansen, and Vincent Iorio. Iorio was injured in Game One of Washington’s series but was listed as “questionable” to return.
There’s a lot of waiting to be done in the meantime. Head coach Todd Nelson mentioned a mixture of rest, hard practices, and some scrimmaging to keep the players ready. Nelson had his team ready to go after a similarly lengthy period of time a season ago. A lot will happen before the Bears drop the puck on the postseason, but it figures to be another exciting spring in the Sweetest Place on Earth.
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