After Saturday night's 4-1 loss at Stockton, the Alaska Aces do not play another hockey game for 11 days.
The rare, extended hiatus will afford the ECHL club ample practice time.
They could use it.
Count on the Aces setting aside generous portions of those sessions to bone up on their special teams, which proved dismal Saturday and have been among the consistent lowlights in their 1-5-0 start.
The Aces, coming off their first victory of the season, Friday's 6-4 comeback job at Stockton, on Saturday failed to convert on a pair of extended two-man advantages inside the opening 16 minutes. They took the collar on eight power plays in all, and Stockton (2-3-0) scored two power-play goals on six opportunities.
For the season, Alaska has mustered just two power-play goals on 30 opportunities. Opposing power plays have pierced it for six goals on 24 chances.
Alaska did unleash 50 shots on former Aces goaltender Shane Owen, who had a cup of coffee -- an espresso, given his brief stay -- with it in the 2011-12 season. But Owen, who last season was the All-Central Hockey League goalie, fed them 49 grande-sized saves. The Aces were like a football team that moves the ball well until it hits the red zone and then cannot close the deal.
Niklas Lundstrom made 24 saves for the Aces. He has struggled early in his first season in North America -- he checks in at 1-4-0 with a 4.16 goals-against average and .850 save percentage.
Despite their difficulties scoring goals -- and that included failure on more than three minutes of combined two-man advantages in the first period -- the Aces trailed just 2-1 midway through the second period. To that point, Stockton's Brad Stebner and Ryan Hayes had sandwiched goals around one from Aces rookie Greg Wolfe, who scored for the second straight game.
But Aces alternate captain Brendan Connolly was hit with a major penalty for charging Hayes. With Ryan Tesink soon joining Connolly in the penalty box, Stockton's Tyler Shattock hammered a 5-on-3 one-timer for a 3-1 Thunder lead. Hayes added a third-period goal.
Connolly, who assisted on Wolfe's goal for his fourth helper in six games, has yet to score a goal in that span. That matches his longest drought last season, when he helped the Aces to the franchise's third Kelly Cup.
The Aces played without alternate captain Chris Francis. The center sat out with a lower-body injury.
Alaska next plays Nov. 5, when it entertains the Bakersfield Condors in the opener of an unusual four-game series.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr
Aces 1 0 0 -- 1
Stockton 2 1 1 -- 4
First Period – 1, Stockton, Stebner 1 (MacLellan, Leduc), 4:06 (pp); 2, Aces, Wolfe 2 (Connolly, Baldwin), 10:43; 3, Stockton, Hayes 2 (Constant, Sutter), 16:34 (pp). Penalties – Ring-Jarvi, Aces (tripping), 2:17; Boutin, Stockton (slashing), 3:40; Phillips, Stockton (slashing), 4:20; Pereira, Stockton (interference), 11:43; Hunt, Stockton (holding), 12:01; Constant, Stockton (tripping), 13:47; Archambault, Aces (hooking), 15:59.
Second Period – 4, Stockton, Shattock 2 (Sivak, Maxwell), 12:50 (pp). Penalties – Soudek, Stockton (cross-checking), 1:20; Syvret, Aces (high-sticking), 7:01; Connolly, Aces, major (charging), 8:08; Constant, Stockton, major (fighting), 11:23; Tesink, Aces, minor-major (high-sticking, fighting), 11:23.
Third Period – 5, Stockton, Hayes 3 (Hunt, Henry), 11:17. Penalties – Cameron, Aces (high-sticking), 1:47; Maxwell, Stockton (cross-checking), 5:49; Constant, Stockton (cross-checking), 16:00.
Shots on goal – Aces 16-14-20—50. Stockton 9-14-5—28.
Power-play Opportunities – Aces 0 of 8. Stockton 2 of 6.
Goalies – Aces, Lundstrom, 1-4-0 (28 shots-24 saves). Stockton, Owen, 2-1-0 (50-49).
A – 5,356 (9,373). T – 2:28.
Referee – Dan Dreger. Linesmen – Brett Martin, Tanner Nua.