GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS BEGIN DECEMBER AGAINST SOARING COMETS
After sweeping Syracuse, Rochester faces other intrastate rival
Dec 3, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
Following a home-and-home sweep of Syracuse, the Rochester Americans (10-7-3-0) start December looking to continue their winning ways as they welcome the equally streaking Utica Comets (5-10-1-2) to Blue Cross Arena Wednesday night.
It’s meeting five of 12 in the season series between Rochester and Utica, with the Amerks having gone 3-1-0-0 so far. The team’s lone loss to the Comets has also been their only home game against Utica, coming back on Nov. 23 when the New Jersey Devils’ affiliate skated out of Rochester with a 5-1 win.
December will start and end for the Amerks with games against Utica, with their final game of 2024 coming on the road at Adirondack Bank Center on Dec. 28.
LAST TIME OUT
Devon Levi followed his first professional shutout Friday with a shootout win Saturday, stopping 13 shots over 65 minutes, before slamming the door on all four Crunch shooters in the shootout. Viktor Neuchev tallied the lone conversion to win it for the Amerks, while Isak Rosén and Kale Clague found the back of the net over two minutes apart in the second period.
The weekend marked the first time this season that the Amerks have started the same goaltender on back-to-back days. Rochester also stacked consecutive wins together for the first time since Nov. 6-8, when the Amerks completed the back end of their season-high six-game win streak.
Elsewhere in the North Division, Utica shared the celebration with Rochester as the red-hot Comets, who after starting the season with 13 straight losses, have won five straight entering the month of December.
Utica picked up four out of a possible four points over this past weekend, dropping Springfield by a 3-2 final Friday, before goaltender Nico Daws stopped all 33 shots faced in Providence Saturday, registering his first shutout of the season while the Comets collected a 3-0 win.
The Comets are wrapping up a three-game road trip tonight in Rochester but return home for just one game Friday before starting a four-game set away from Utica this weekend.
THAT TIME OF YEAR
The 2024 calendar year will come to a close with the Amerks playing 11 games in the month of December. After splitting a 14-game November slate evenly between home and away contests, Rochester will spend the bulk of its nights outside the Flower City to wrap up the year, playing seven of 11games in the month away from home.
Rochester has gone 7-2-1-0 through 10 road games this season, making the team one of only eight in the AHL with seven or more wins. Three of the eight teams come from the North Division, with Laval and Cleveland each joining the Amerks. Following the game against Utica, the Amerks will venture to Charlotte to begin a season-long five-game road trip.
Rochester has finished its road slate of play with a record of .500 or better in six of its last seven seasons, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
COMETS CATCHING UP
After taking six weeks to get their first win of the season, the Comets have turned a corner under new interim head coach Ryan Parent, riding a five-game win streak into Rochester Wednesday night.
While still nine points back of playoff positioning, the Comets have outscored their opponents, 20-9 over their recent stretch. Utica has notched six power-play goals over its last five games, while going a perfect 9-for-9 on the penalty kill across the previous four contests.
Rookie defenseman Seamus Casey leads the team in points with 14 (2+12), ranking sixth in points across all AHL blueliners and third amongst rookie defensemen. Brian Halonen leads Utica with eight goals, including two against Rochester in the most recent meeting between the two teams back on Nov. 23. The fourth-year Comet has four points (3+1) in the season series against the Amerks, while riding a four-game point streak overall (3+3).
In goal, Nico Daws skates into the crease on a three-game win streak, including a 33-save shutout Saturday in Providence for his first shutout of the season and sixth during his time with Utica.