If the Lake Erie Monsters hope to keep their dream of a berth in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs alive, they will have to start this week with a pair of wins over one of the AHL’s best – the Milwaukee Admirals. With a 42-16-3-5 record, to go along with 92 points to date, the Admirals hold down the second place spot in the AHL standings. The Monsters host Milwaukee for a 7:00 p.m. start on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and travel to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on Friday for a home-and-home with the leader of the West Division.

The Monsters, currently on a two-game skid, sit 10 points behind the North Division’s fourth place team, the Toronto Marlies. Holding down the fourth spot in the North Division is of high importance, as only the top four teams can earn a spot in the Western Conference’s playoff seeding. But even the Marlies aren’t guaranteed a spot: Because the West Division has eight teams and the North boasts seven, if the fifth place team in the West Division has more points than the fourth place team of the North Division, then five teams will represent the West in the Western Conference playoffs.

After their set with the Admirals, the Monsters return to The Q on Saturday to play host to the San Antonio Rampage at 7:30 p.m. and play their last Sunday game in the regular season when the Grand Rapids Griffins come to town for a 5:00 p.m. contest.