Predators' AHL Affiliate Advances to Central Division Final in Calder Cup Playoffs

The Milwaukee Admirals completed their Central Division semifinal comeback against against the Texas Stars Sunday, winning the series 3-2 and advancing to the Central Division Final in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Milwaukee’s 5-3 win in the deciding Game 5 marked the first time in team history that the Admirals have overcome a 0-2 series deficit to come back and win, improving head coach Karl Taylor’s record in elimination games to 11-3 since he took over in 2018-19.

Zachary L’Heureux , a first-round draft pick for the Predators (No. 27 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, scored two goals in Milwaukee's series-clinching victory. The pair of goals, both of which came within the first minute of the first period, increased L'Heureux's total in the series to five, which is the most among all AHL players during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

L'Heureux's first AHL season got off to a rather slow start, but a second-half surge saw him record 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in his final 43 regular-season games. He led the Admirals with nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in their first-round series against the Stars to give him 45 points in his last 48 games.

Fedor Svechkov , Nashville's other first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2021, added a goal and an assist in the Game 5 victory. Juuso Pärssinen , who was reassigned to Milwaukee on May 4 after playing in Game 6 of the Predators' first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, also added an assist in Sunday's game to give him six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in the four games he played for the Admirals since his return.

L'Heureux (9 points), Pärssinen (6 points) and Svechkov (4 points) are leading the postseason scoring charge for the Admirals, who will advance to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins in the best-of-five Central Division Final. The Admirals finished the regular season as the Central Division Champions, accumulating a 47-22-2-1 record and 97 points, while the Griffins finished second with 86 points and a 37-23-8-4 record.

Milwaukee had a 4-3-1 record against Grand Rapids during the regular season with a 3-1 mark on home ice and a 1-2-1 record on the road. Joakim Kemell , Nashville's first-round pick (No. 17 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, led the Admirals in scoring against Grand Rapids this season with five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in eight games, including the OT winner on March 30. Kemell has two points through five playoff games with the Admirals, including an assist in Sunday's Game 5 victory.

Milwaukee will have home ice advantage for the first two games of the best-of five series against Grand Rapids, which is set to begin May 15.