The Reign finished 1-for-30 on the power play over the regular season’s final five games, but ended that bad streak with a flourish, going 2-for-7. P.J. Atherton’s third-period goal was basically a power-play goal too. It fell five seconds after a minor penalty to Daryl Marcoux had ended, the puck stayed in the offensive zone, and Marcoux was scarcely entering the play (which was on the opposite end of the ice) when Atherton shot and scored.

• Atherton finished with a goal, an assist, was plus-1 and put five shots on Stockton’s goalies. Germain took two shots, both went in, and he finished plus-1. Jon Rheault had a goal and an assist, and Todd Jackson, Geoff Walker, Bud Holloway, Dan Knapp and David Walker had one assist apiece.

• Darren McMillan, one of three players (along with Kraus and Starling) to play all 73 regular-season games for the Reign, was a pregame scratch.

• The biggest applause of the night might have gone to Chris Curran, who was shelved for the duration of the playoffs in the Reign’s regular-season finale. He took in the game from the upper level, in crutches, and received a warm third-period ovation.

• Not so warm: A 5-on-5 scuffle as the final horn sounded that wasn’t precipitated by any specific play, just a hard-fought game. No penalties were awarded, but they could have.

• Colten Teubert and Denny Johnston, both of whom delivered a number of hard checks throughout the game, seemed to agitate Stockton the most (which is their job). Teubert, who stands 6-foot-4, threw a punishing hip check at 5-foot-8 blueliner Robby Bina late in the first period right in front of the Thunder bench that brought the partisan crowd to its feet.