GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS AND MARLIES BEGIN HOME-AND-HOME SERIES
Amerks aim for first win on home ice in 2024-25
Oct 17, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
Following a 4-1 win in Utica last Saturday, the Rochester Americans (1-1-0-0) briefly return home Friday night to host the Toronto Marlies (2-0-0-0) at Blue Cross Arena.
Rochester will match its North Division foe twice in under 24 hours, with the two teams heading to Toronto immediately after Friday’s game for a rematch Saturday afternoon.
Friday marks the first of six meetings against the Marlies this season, with the Amerks showing a 4-1-0-1 record through half a dozen games against Toronto last season.
“They’re a really skilled, dangerous group on the power play,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “They’re strong off the rush. If you don't manage the puck or you're not putting pucks behind them in certain areas, they're going to hurt you. This will be a good test for our group.”
MARLIES BY THE NUMBERS
The 2023-24 regular season ended with Rochester and Toronto having four of their six games take place in a 33-day span. Scoring first has carried weight in previous season series against Toronto, with the team that scores first winning 28 of the last 42 matchups.
While Rochester skated away with the season series win, the two sides were narrowly apart in goals scored, with the Amerks owning a 19-18 advantage. Three of last season’s six meetings were decided past regulation.
Additionally, the Amerks host two different Canadian teams to start a season at home for the first time in over 20 years, dating back to the 2003-04 season when Rochester hosted the Hamilton Bulldogs on Oct. 10 (2-1 win), followed by the Toronto Roadrunners Oct. 17 (1-0 win).
ROSEN ROLLING
Third-year pro Isak Rosen started his season with a three-point weekend (1+2), including a goal and an assist in the team’s win against the Comets Saturday. Collectively, the Stockholm, Sweden native has amassed 90 points (35+55) in his 135-game tenure with Rochester.
Last season, Rosen registered five points (2+3) across the season series with Toronto, including a game-winning-goal scored on March 15. Since Feb. 24 of last season, the former Buffalo first round draft pick has posted points in 18 of his last 24 games, going consecutive games without a point only once.
“To be honest, I don't really know,” said Rosen when asked about his success against the Marlies. “They're a skilled team, so things can open up if you if you're ready for it. I don't know why I was scoring points against them, but I think you need to be ready for them because they're real skilled. If you are, you can catch them in transition.”
RETURNING TO ROOTS
Like Rosen, fellow Amerks forward Graham Slaggert has also just started his third year as a pro, though the South Bend, Indiana native’s career started north of the border, where Slaggert played the entire 2022-23 season in a Marlies jersey. There, the Notre Dame graduate scored six goals as part of a 10-point campaign.
“I think I’ve changed a ton,” said Slaggert earlier in the week when asked about how he’s different now versus his rookie season. “I think it’s about learning what I have to do at this level to be successful and kind of grow into the player I need to be in order to keep moving up the lineup and getting more ice time.”
Slaggert began his time with the Amerks last season and eclipsed his previous point totals with the Marlies in 17 fewer games, earning six goals and six assists over 46 games.
SHOOTING GALLERY
The Marlies began the 2024-25 season with 19 returning skaters from the year prior. In 2023-24, Toronto led the Eastern Conference in goals scored (249) and trailed only Coachella Valley for most goals across the AHL.
Toronto’s offense is headlined by three of their top four goal scorers from a year ago being back in blue. Logan Shaw, the team’s captain, led Toronto in goals (30), while Alex Steeves (27) and Joseph Blandisi (25) finished second and fourth respectively, though Blandisi led Toronto in overall scoring with 59 points.
Adding to the team’s scoring prowess this season is former Amerk Alex Nylander, who played 165 games with the red, white, and blue from 2016-19. The eighth-year pro has over 100 NHL games under his belt to go with 96 AHL goals across 332 games. 19 of Nylander’s NHL appearances came with the Buffalo Sabres.
SANDSTROM FOR TWO
Leone confirmed following Friday’s morning skate that goaltender Felix Sandström will make his second start as an Amerk against Toronto Friday evening. The 27-year-old made 28 saves, including multiple breakaway saves last Friday against Belleville.
“When he's poised and composed, he's seeing the puck really well,” said Leone. “I think his ability to read plays is really good and I think he's getting more comfortable with the really good week of practice we had. His game last Friday was really good, so hopefully he can build off of that and obviously we trust him and he's going tonight.”
Sandström is expected to make his 90th AHL appearance in goal, but only his second against Toronto. His lone matchup with the Marlies came Jan. 7, 2023, where he made 24 saves to help Lehigh Valley earn a standings point.