PREVIEW - It's the final home game of the regular season tonight as our Halifax Mooseheads welcome divisional rival Charlottetown Islanders at the Scotiabank Centre for a Thursday evening matchup. If I have calculated correctly, a victory by the home team will allow the Mooseheads to clinch the Maritimes division title for the second year in a row. So far this season, Halifax has played well against the Islanders and they will be looking to end this six game home-stand on a high note. The Herd have gone 3-2-0-0 during the stretch in Moose Country with both losses coming against the team that they are probably going to go against in the playoffs; the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Charlottetown has not had a good season and will go into the post-season as the Eastern Conference's 8th place team. The Islanders are 3-5-2-0 in their last 10 games but winless in the past six. Though the Mooseheads had their 'fan appreciation' game on Sunday (it didn't feel like it really), the team will have a special pre-game ceremony tonight to say thank you to the 20-year-olds who are Lou-Felix Denis, Peter Reynolds and David Moravec.
Overall records
Islanders: 24-31-5-2 = 55 points (5th in Maritimes division, 15th overall)
Mooseheads: 40-16-7-1 = 88 points (1st in Maritimes division, 4th overall)
Top 3 scorers
HAL: Mathieu Cataford 84pts (39G & 45A), Markus Vidicek 81pts (41G & 40A), Peter Reynolds 62pts (27G & 35A)
CHA: Michael Horth 48pts (31G & 17A), Marcus Kearsey 46pts (7G & 39A), Cole Huckins 41pts (17G & 24A)
Head-to-head
This is the final matchup between these two teams. Halifax has a 5-2-0-1 record versus the Islanders so far this season while Charlottetown is 3-3-1-1 against the Mooseheads. Their last game was on February 10 with the Mooseheads getting a 7-0 blowout victory as Halifax got goals from seven different players.
Last games
Charlottetown is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Titan on Sunday. Kyle Powers scored both goals for the Islanders on the road while Carter Bickle stopped 29 of the Bathurst's 33 shots in the defeat.
Halifax is coming off a 3-1 home win over Moncton. Brady Schultz led the Mooseheads with 3 assists as they also got goals from three different players against the Wildcats on Sunday.
Not playing - Jordan Dumais and Braeden MacPhee out with injuries
Out of town
Wildcats vs. Eagles - 7:00 p.m.
Sea Dogs vs. Titan - 7:00 p.m.
Cataractes vs. Huskies - 8:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Tigres - 8:00 p.m.