On 'Purina Dog Day,' Admirals made life 'ruff' for the Wild; winning 7-2

MILWAUKEE -- There were no bones about this one, as the Admirals made life ruff on the Iowa Wild in a 7-2 win in front of nearly 500 dogs for Purina Dog Day afternoon on Sunday, March 25 at Panther Arena.

The win was important for the Admirals as it pulled them within three points of the fourth and final playoff spot. Milwaukee currently has 73 points, trailing Iowa at 75 and Rockford, who occupies the fourth spot, with 76. The Admirals have nine games remaining in the season, including three more match-ups with the Wild.

Bobby Butler scored just 16 seconds into the game and that was followed by another from Mark McNeill at the 1:31 mark to spark an offensive outburst that resulted in a season nigh seven goals. It was the first time Milwaukee had posted a seven-spot since a 7-3 win over Texas on April 2, 2017.

Freddy Gaudreau scored twice in the third period, the only Admirals player with more than one tally, while Trevor Smith had a goal and two assists to finish with a three-point night. In addition, Butler (1g-1a), Emil Pettersson (2a), and Jimmy Oligny (2a) all finished with multi-point efforts, while Oligny and Jack Dougherty both ended the game +3.

While the offense took the headlines in the game, Anders Lindback put forth another impressive effort, stopping 26 shots for his 29th win of the season. It was also the ninth consecutive game that the Galve, Sweden native has allowed two or fewer goals.

The Admirals are now off for the next four days before returning to the ice on Friday, March 30th when they play host to the Texas Stars at Panther Arena.