In order to keep their fading playoff hopes alive, the Lake Erie Monsters play three must-win games in just as many days beginning Thursday. The team hosts the San Antonio Rampage Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena before hitting the road to face the Rochester Americans on Friday night and the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night.

The Rampage, at the tail end of a five-game road trip, play in Cleveland for the second and final time this season. So far this season, the Monsters are 1-1 against the Rampage, dropping a 6-2 contest on New Year’s Day in San Antonio and picking up a 5-1 win on January 21st at the AT&T Center. The Saturday, March 21st match between the teams at The Q was postponed after the first 20 minutes and will be rescheduled and resume at the start of the second period when the teams meet. The Monsters are 2-3-1-0 against the Rampage in franchise history.

On Friday, the Monsters travel to Rochester for the eighth and final meeting of the season between the clubs. So far this season, the Monsters are 3-2-0-1 against Rochester, with the Monsters winning a pair of games against the Americans on back-to-back games at The Q on Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th. Lake Erie’s all-time record against the Americans stands at 6-4-1-1.

The weekend for the Monsters wraps up against one of the team’s biggest rivals, the Syracuse Crunch. The team travels to the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter for the eighth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Monsters have played particularly well against the Crunch this season, posting a 5-2 record against the North Division’s fifth-place team. All-time, Lake Erie has compiled a record of 8-5-2 against Syracuse.

Presently, the Monsters sit nine points behind the North Division’s fourth-place team, the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies, holding down the fourth spot in the North, represent the final seed the North Division can send to the Calder Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference.

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Saturday is Hockey Night in Cleveland, presented by Labatt Blue
Hey Monsters fans, this Saturday and every Saturday night game at The Q is Hockey Night in Cleveland, presented by Labatt Blue. Look for details at participating retail locations about the Labatt Blue Zone seats at The Q. Labatt Blue, imported daily from Canada.

Stop by the following locations on home Saturday game days for your chance to win tickets to the Labatt Blue Zone and enjoy great specials on Labatt Blue:

Boneyard; Clevelander; Harry Buffalo E. 4th St.; Local Heroes; and Panini's E. 9th St.