Wranglers’ top line struggling

The line of Adam Miller, Alex Bourret and Mick Lawrence scored 184 points for the Wranglers in the regular season. But it hasn't produced much in the first two games of Las Vegas' ECHL first-round playoff series against Utah.

Assisted by Miller and Lawrence, Bourret scored early in the first period of Las Vegas' 6-4 win in Game 1 on Tuesday at the Orleans Arena. But the trio haven't been heard from since, getting shut out Wednesday in a lethargic 4-1 loss to the Grizzlies.

The rest of the best-of-5 series will take place at the E-Center in West Valley City, Utah, with Game 3 set for 6:05 p.m. today.

"I need to get my line going. This is a big game for my line to step up," said Miller, who finished fifth in the ECHL in points this season with 86. "Whoever wins is going to take control of the series and have a good chance at winning the whole series, so we've got to come out hungry.

"We're just focused on the first 10 minutes. We need to come out hard and let them know it's not going to be a cakewalk for them just because they've got the next three games at home."

Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said he was disappointed with the effort of his top line in the first two games, when the Wranglers went 1-for-14 on the power play.

"I didn't like their competitive level the last two games, and they know it. But they got us here, and I have no doubt they're going to respond," he said. "You can't win in the playoffs with two lines, and those guys understand that. They know how important it is to show up and compete."

Despite struggling this season on the road, where it went 11-19-6 and lost six of seven games at Utah, Las Vegas remains confident it can win the series.

"We know we've got the team in here to win on the road and we've got a team that's built for the playoffs," said left wing Ned Lukacevic, who was second on the team in scoring in the regular season but is scoreless in the postseason. "We're a scratch-and-claw kind of team, so a road game is suited for us. We're real excited for the challenge."

The Wranglers, who have outshot the Grizzlies 58-51, have shut down Ryan Kinasewich, Utah's leading scorer in the regular season and the ECHL's runner-up for Most Valuable Player honors. But six other players have scored for the Grizzlies, who led the league in power-play percentage (22.7) in the regular season and are 2-for-8 with the man advantage in the playoffs.

"We've got to win (today) to really put the pressure on them and put us in a good position," Las Vegas forward Ryan Weston said. "Everybody knows this is a real important game, and nobody wants this thing to be over.

"We really feel like we're coming together."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.