GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS AIM TO ROAST MONSTERS ON THANKSGIVING EVE
Rochester looks to end Cleveland’s franchise-best eight-game win streak
Nov 26, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (8-6-3-0) welcome the Cleveland Monsters (12-4-0-1) to Blue Cross Arena for a Thanksgiving Eve matchup. The Amerks play three games in four days, with their lone off-day coming Thursday.
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Wednesday marks the midway point of the season series between the Amerks and Monsters, as it will be their fourth of eight encounters across the 2024-25 AHL campaign. Rochester has won each of the three prior games, outscoring Cleveland 15-7 over that span, including a 6-1 rout in the only other get-together in Rochester over a month ago.
LAST TIME OUT
Brendan Warren saved the Amerks from being shutout Saturday night, scoring with 11 seconds remaining in a 5-1 loss to Utica. Rochester claimed three out of a possible six points last week, going 1-1-1-0. Rochester has dropped six of its last seven games, but has earned points in seven of its last 10 outings (4-3-3-0). Felix Sandström made his seventh start of the season facing the Comets, stopping 11 shots before Michael Houser made 12 saves in relief.
Cleveland skates into Rochester on an eight-game win streak, matching their longest in franchise history. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ affiliate has won all their games since Nov. 8 and 10 of their last 11 overall with their last loss coming to the Amerks on Nov. 6, when Rochester went to Cleveland and took a 4-2 decision. During their current streak, the Monsters have outscored the opposition 33-18, but have had five of their eight wins decided by one goal. In their most recent game, both Trey Fix-Wolansky and Luca Del Bel Belluz scored twice, while David Jiricek scored the game-winning-goal in overtime to push the Monsters past the Milwaukee Admirals by a 6-5 final.
RETURN OF ROSÉN
Amerks leading scorer Isak Rosén is expected back in the lineup Wednesday after the third-year pro was reassigned from the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday afternoon. Rosen, 21, missed three games with Rochester while with the Sabres on the team’s west coast trip. The Solna, Sweden, native made his season debut with the Sabres Saturday, skating in 10 shifts against San Jose.
With the Amerks, Rosen leads the team in scoring with 13 points (4+9). On Nov. 8, Rosen collected two goals and an assist against Hartford. On a night where the Amerks won their 2,500th game as a franchise, Rosén also hit a milestone, reaching 100 points as an Amerk. In 147 games wearing the red, white, and blue, Rosén has scored 38 goals while gathering 62 assists. In three games against Cleveland this season, Rosén is tied with Brett Murray and Zachary Metsa for the team lead in points with four (all three players have 1+3 against the Monsters). In 19 career games against the Monsters, Rosén has totaled 17 points (5+12).
WAR DOG
Brendan Warren scored his third goal of the season Saturday against Utica. The Carleton, Michigan, native already has six points (3+3) through his 12 games played this season. Warren has posted six points in three of his four prior seasons in Rochester, with the lone exception being 2022-23, where the former Arizona Coyotes draft pick posted a career-high seven points (3+4).
Warren matched his point total from last year in 21 fewer games and has gone no more than two consecutive games without a point to start the 2024-25 season. Warren also finished with four shots on goal Saturday, his most since Feb. 18, 2023.
DEADLY DUO
Trey Fix-Wolansky has been a thorn in the side of Rochester since entering the AHL in the 2019-20 season, but the Amerks have a new threat to concern themselves with in the form of veteran forward Rocco Grimaldi. The duo of Monsters forwards has combined for 40 points (15+25) and are each in the top five of AHL scoring. Grimaldi leads all Eastern Conference forwards with six goals and 21 points, while Fix-Wolansky is second in the conference with nine goals and 19 points.
Fix-Wolansky leads the season series with five points (2+3) against Rochester this season. All-time, the 2018 Blue Jackets’ draft pick has scored 14 goals in 24 games against the Amerks, including a hat trick back on Jan. 22, 2022.
Both Grimaldi and Fix-Wolansky have proven themselves to be prolific goal scorers in the AHL, with each forward having over 25 goals the past two seasons. Grimaldi skated in every game for AHL-Chicago last season, posting a career high-36 goals that ranked third in the league.