GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS GET REACQUAINTED WITH WOLF PACK TONIGHT
Jan 7, 2022TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (17-10-0-0) look to get back on the winning track tonight as they go up against the Hartford Wolf Pack (14-8-2-2) at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be the second of four meetings between the two teams this season and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV. The game will also be tape-delayed on CW Rochester and available for viewing starting at noon on Saturday, Jan. 8.
The Amerks boast a 7-3-0-0 record in their last 10 games after dropping a 2-1 decision to Syracuse on Wednesday night while Hartford enters the matchup showing a 3-5-0-2 mark in that same span.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
Tonight is just the 29th all-time meeting between Rochester and Hartford as well as the second in five days between the two teams after the Amerks prevailed with a 4-3 win in the previous get-together this past Sunday at XL Center. Arttu Ruotsalainen led the way with a three-point night as Rochester picked up its first win of the New Year and third straight over the Wolf Pack dating back to the 2019-20 season. In six of the teams’ last seven meetings, the visiting team has come away with the victory.
Dating back to the 2017-18 campaign, Rochester has earned wins in four of the last six contests against Hartford while also recording at least one point in eight of the previous nine exchanges, going 6-2-0-2 over that span.
WATCH: TONIGHT'S FACE-OFF FIRST LOOK
BALANCING ACT
With five players performing at or near a point-per-game pace, the Amerks have the AHL’s top-producing offense and are currently averaging just under four goals per game. With a league-best 102 goals this season, the Amerks are currently the only team to surpass the 100-goal mark so far in 2021-22.
The Amerks own three of the league’s top 12 point-getters in veteran forward Michael Mersch and rookie forwards JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn. Mersch enters the weekend leading the AHL in goals and ranking second in scoring while Peterka has the second-most points among all league rookies.
After making his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres last week and appearing in the team’s final two games of the 2021 calendar year, Peterka returned to the Amerks lineup this past weekend, notching five points on two goals and three assists. For his efforts, the rookie forward was named the AHL’s Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 2, 2022.
Peterka leads all AHL rookies with a team-high 19 assists and ranks second with 25 points in 26 games. He becomes the second Amerk this season to earn the weekly honors, joining goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
WATCH: SETH APPERT FOLLOWING MORNING SKATE
POWER UP
Now 27 games into the season, Rochester’s power-play has gone 25-for-96 with a 26.0% conversion rate that is currently tops in the AHL. The Amerks’ 25 goals on the man-advantage are most among all North Division teams and only one off the AHL lead behind only the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The Amerks have scored at least one power-play goal in 16 of their first 27 games this season and have registered multiple power-play tallies in six overall, including a season-high four goals in the 7-3 win over Hershey back on Nov. 26.
Rochester scored a power-play in seven straight games between Nov. 17 and Dec. 8, the longest such streak in the AHL this season.
WATCH: ETHAN PROW FOLLOWING MORNING SKATE
MERSCH LEADING BY EXAMPLE
With an assist last Saturday aftenoon in Springfield, Mersch, inched closer to becoming the first Amerk this season and just the second player in the AHL to reach the 30-point mark.
Mersch has totaled 16 points (9+7) and four multi-point efforts over his last 13 games dating back to Nov. 24. He’s been held scoreless just four times over that span to move into second in the AHL in scoring with 29 points (16+13) on the season, trailing only Chicago’s Andrew Poturalski for most in the league. The Amerks captain began that stretch with a five-game goal-scoring streak, the longest of his career and the longest in the AHL this season, while his five-game point marked his longest since posting a career-best seven-game point streak back in 2015.
With a league-leading 16 goals this season, Mersch has doubled his output from the previous season in three fewer games and is on pace to reach the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in eight years and the first time since the 2018-19 season as a member of the Texas Stars.
He’s also on pace to reach the 20-goal mark in the fewest amount of games since 2015-16 when he scored 20 in 35 games with the Ontario Reign. He finished that season with 24 goals in only 52 appearances while also appearing in 17 games with the Los Angeles Kings.
Mersch is well on his way to become the first Amerk to score 20 goals in the fastest amount of games since Luke Adam reached the mark in 31 games during the 2013-14 season.
Over Mersch’s last seven contests, he has produced 10 points on four goals and six assists as well as three straight multi-point outings dating back to Dec. 15. He’s also the lone Amerk to appear in all 27 games this season.
FANTASTIC FOUR
The Amerks currently own four of the AHL’s top scoring rookies in JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs and Brandon Biro, all of whom have combined for 83 points (25+58) through the first 27 games this season.
Peterka has moved to within three points of the AHL rookie scoring lead following his five-point weekend which garnered him Player of the Week honors. He leads all first-year players with a team-high 19 assists while his 25 points are second-most. He and Quinn, taken just 26 picks apart from one another by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2020 NHL Draft, currently make up one of only four rookie duos across the entire AHL to rank inside the top four on their respective team in scoring.
Having returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing the last nine games, Quinn, Buffalo’s eighth overall pick in 2020, is tied for second among all AHL rookies in goals (11) and sits one point behind Peterka for third. Named the AHL Rookie of the Month for October, he is one of only seven AHL rookies this season to reach the 20-point mark and he, Peterka, Mersch and Sean Malone remain the only Amerks to accomplish the feat.
Currently on recall with Buffalo, Krebs has amassed 19 points on four goals and 15 assists in 18 games, tying for eighth among all AHL rookie skaters.
Biro, meanwhile, has 10 points (4+6) over his last 11 games dating back to Nov. 27. He also has three multi-point efforts in five games over that span.
SERIES NOTABLES
Rochester hasn’t hosted Hartford at The Blue Cross Arena in over two years since Nov. 22 2019, when the Amerks blanked the Wolf Pack, 4-0.
Rochester enters tonight having scored 31 goals in the opening period of play this season, which are tied for third-most in the AHL. Conversely, the Wolf Pack have only scored 19 times in the first 20 minutes of regulation, which are tied for third-fewest in the Eastern Conference.
Goaltender Aaron Dell has backstopped the Amerks to four straight wins through his first four starts with Rochester. Until now, the netminder has never began a season with a win in each of his first four starts at either the NHL or AHL level. He’s is on pace to match his career-best seven-game win streak he posted from March 20 to April 7, 2015 with Worcester. In each of his four appearances this season, he has made 30 or more saves, three of which he finished with 30.
Both Rochester (11-4-0-0) and Hartford (5-4-0-0) enter today with winning records this season when scoring the game’s first goal. The Amerks have scored 36 goals in the third period, which are most in the AHL this season, while Hartford is second with 33.
Hartford assistant coach Steve Smith served in the same capacity with the Buffalo Sabres for three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
Hartford Wolf Pack vs Rochester Americans: Head To Head Stats
Summary
|
Description |
Result |
|
| Head to Head Record 2021-22 Regular Season | Hartford 0-1-0-0 | Rochester 1-0-0-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2020-21 Regular Season | Hartford 0-0-0-0 | Rochester 0-0-0-0 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Hartford 5-5-0-1 | Rochester 6-3-0-2 |
| Hartford vs. Rochester Last 5 Years record at Hartford | Hartford 2-3-0-1 | Rochester 4-1-0-1 |
| Hartford vs. Rochester Last 5 Years record at Rochester | Hartford 3-2-0-0 | Rochester 2-2-0-1 |
| Previous Meetings This Season | Rochester 4 @ Hartford 3 (Jan 2 2022) Final |
How the 2 teams match up
|
Rochester |
Hartford |
|
| Team Record | 17-10-0-0 -- 34 points | 14-8-2-2 -- 32 points |
| Division Ranking | 2nd North | 3rd Atlantic |
| Conference Ranking | 3rd Eastern | 5th Eastern |
| League Ranking | 8th | 10th |
| Past 10 Games | 6-4-0-0 | 3-5-0-2 |
| Streak | 0-1-0-0 | 0-2-0-0 |
| Last Game | 2-1 L vs Syracuse (Jan 5 2022) Final | 4-3 L vs Rochester (Jan 2 2022) Final |
| Home Record | 8-4-0-0 | 9-4-0-1 |
| Away Record | 9-6-0-0 | 5-4-2-1 |
| GF | 102 | 84 |
| GA | 98 | 77 |
| PP (Overall) | (25/96) 26.0% | (18/92) 19.6% |
| PP (Home) | (12/46) 26.1% | (9/45) 20.0% |
| PP (Away) | (13/50) 26.0% | (9/47) 19.1% |
| PK (Overall) | (18/94) 80.9% | (17/88) 80.7% |
| PK (Home) | (8/49) 83.7% | (10/48) 79.2% |
| PK (Away) | (10/45) 77.8% | (7/40) 82.5% |
| PP vs. Opp. | (0/1) 0% | (0/1) 0% |
| PK vs. Opp. | (0/1) 100% | (0/1) 100% |
| Leading Rookie | Peterka (6-19-25) | Jones (4-13-17) |
| Most PIM | Pekar - 39 | Rueschhoff - 32 |
| Team PIM/GM | 12.7/Game | 9.8/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Mersch (16-13-29) | Brodzinski (10-14-24) |
| Peterka (6-19-25) | Greco (7-15-22) | |
| Quinn (11-13-24) | Jones (4-13-17) | |
| Malone (9-13-22) | Gettinger (8-8-16) | |
| Krebs (4-15-19) | Pajuniemi (7-8-15) | |
| Last 5 Games | 2-1 L vs Syracuse (Jan 5 2022) Final | 4-3 L vs Rochester (Jan 2 2022) Final |
| 4-3 W @ Hartford (Jan 2 2022) Final | 4-0 L vs Providence (Dec 31 2021) Final | |
| 5-3 L @ Springfield (Jan 1 2022) Final | 3-2 W @ Bridgeport (Dec 29 2021) Final | |
| 5-3 W vs Providence (Dec 29 2021) Final | 6-5 L vs Bridgeport (Dec 22 2021) Final SO | |
| 4-3 W @ Hershey (Dec 19 2021) Final | 4-3 W vs Springfield (Dec 19 2021) Final SO | |
| Leading After 1st | 12-3-0-0 | 4-1-0-0 |
| Leading After 2nd | 11-1-0-0 | 8-0-0-0 |
| Tied After 1st | 2-1-0-0 | 4-3-1-0 |
| Tied After 2nd | 2-1-0-0 | 4-1-1-0 |
| Trailing After 1st | 3-6-0-0 | 6-4-1-2 |
| Trailing After 2nd | 4-8-0-0 | 2-7-1-2 |
| Out Shooting Opponents | 4-6-0-0 | 7-2-1-1 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 13-4-0-0 | 6-6-1-1 |
| 1-Goal Games | 8-3-0-0 | 8-4-2-2 |
| 2-Goal Games | 5-3-0-0 | 3-3-0-0 |
| 3-Goal Games | 0-1-0-0 | 1-0-0-0 |
Hartford Wolf Pack
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Mike O’Leary | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 48 | Lauri Pajuniemi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Alex Whelan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Zach Giuttari | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 55 | Patrick Khodorenko | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 51 | X Tarmo Reunanen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | Austin Rueschhoff | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Hunter Skinner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Zach Berzolla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | X Michael Brodzinski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| 96 | Cristiano DiGiacinto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 59 | Jake Elmer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 43 | Brandon Fortunato | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Anthony Greco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| 35 | Adam Huska | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | X Michael Lee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 19 | Justin Richards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 7 | Ty Ronning | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 61 | James Sanchez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Adam Huska | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57:42 | 4 | 4.16 | 0.846 |
Rochester Americans
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Arttu Ruotsalainen | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 77 | JJ Peterka | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 91 | Ryan Scarfo | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 | Mason Jobst | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Brandon Biro | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | X Wyatt Ege | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Lukas Craggs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | X David Drake | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Dominic Franco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | X Butrus Ghafari | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 41 | Michael Houser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Oskari Laaksonen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 72 | Ryan MacInnis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 28 | Michael Mersch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 21 | Ara Nazarian | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 44 | Josh Teves | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 16 | Peter Tischke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Brendan Warren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 13 | Linus Weissbach | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Michael Houser | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60:00 | 3 | 3.00 | 0.923 |