GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS GO FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN OVER CRUNCH TONIGHT
Rochester has claimed three of the first four meetings with Syracuse this season, including both at home
Dec 7, 2022TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (11-6-1-1) return to The Blue Cross Arena tonight to kick-off a busy stretch of three games in four nights against the intrastate rival Syracuse Crunch. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Tonight's matchup is the fifth between the two teams this season and the first of two games between the North Division opponents in the month of December. The cross-town foes will meet one more time in 2022 as Syracuse returns to the Flower City on Friday, Dec. 23 ahead of the Christmas break.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
The Amerks have claimed three of the first four meetings against the Crunch this season, including both prior get-togethers in Rochester. The Amerks have outscored Syracuse 11-5 on home ice highlighted by a 7-2 win back on Nov. 9.
With a win tonight, Rochester will secure its first three-game win streak against the Crunch since the club won three straight over its longtime rival to open the 2019-20 season series.
The Amerks have scored a power-play goal in 21 of their last 37 games against Syracuse, going 33-for-129 (26.6%) with the man-advantage over that span.
After scoring six points (1+5) in 11 games against the Crunch during the 2021-22 campaign, second-year forward Linus Weissbach currently leads all Rochester skaters with six points (3+3) in four games this season.
LAST TIME OUT
Brandon Biro scored twice over the final 40 minutes of regulation, but the Amerks ended up on the wrong side of a 4-3 score Saturday night against the Cleveland Monsters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Despite the loss, Rochester has earned at least one point in seven of its last 11 games and boast an 11-7-1-1 record overall. The team is second in the North Division standings with 24 points through its first 20 games.
With his first two-goal outing of the season, Biro has totaled 17 points (7+10) over his last 17 games dating back to last season. Forward Sean Malone opened the scoring for the Amerks with his seventh goal from Michael Mersch. Lukas Rousek, who appeared in his 200th professional game, and Ethan Prow, who notched his 200th career professional point, both recorded an assist.
Goaltender Michael Houser (3-3-0) appeared in his eighth contest of the slate, but suffered his third defeat in the crease. Houser turned aside 22 of the 26 shots he faced.
POWER-PLAY PROFICIENCY
Coming into this week, 16 of the Amerks' 67 goals this season have come on the power-play, which are tied for 16th-most among any team in the AHL. By going 16-for-67 while on the man-advantage, Rochester is ninth in the league with a 23.9% conversion rate.
The Amerks' 13 power-play goals at home are fifth-most in the league this season, going 13-for-37 through their first nine home matchups.
WELL BALANCED OFFENSE
With four points (2+2) over his last five games, which includes a two-point outing on Nov. 23 versus the Providence Bruins, Linus Weissbach has a share of the team-lead in both goals (8) and points (15) through 20 games. More impressively, the second-year pro has already scored half as many goals from last season and has matched his career-high of two game-winning goals.
Despite missing six games due to injury, third-year forward Brandon Biro remains among the team's offensive leaders, picking up where he left off last season with 10 assists and 15 points through his first 14 games. Dating back to last season, Biro has totaled 17 points (7+10) over his last 17 games dating and hasn't gone more than one game without a point over that span.
Brett Murray, one of four Amerks with 14 points on the season, is also on pace to surpass the career-high 15 goals he scored in 2021-22. Like Weissbach, Murray enters the week with eight goals in only 20 games this season, including three over his last five appearances. Murray has been one of Rochester's top point-getters over the last seven games, showing eight points (3+5) and three straight multi-point efforts over that span.
Despite being two of the youngest players in the AHL this season, rookie forwards Isak Rosen (3+11) and Jiri Kulich (5+9) are both tied for 12th in scoring amongst all first-year skaters with 14 points each. Rosen is also fourth among all AHL rookies with a team-high 11 assists.
HOME-COOKING FOR THE AMERKS
The Amerks have earned at least one point in eight of their first nine home contests so far this season, boasting a 7-1-1-0 mark and 15 points within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Rochester opened the season with five straight home wins, marking the team's best start since 2006-07.
Five of the seven victories this season in the Flower City have come when the team trailed entering the final 20 minutes of regulation while all seven wins have come by way of four or more goals. Rochester has outscored its opposition 18-8 after the start of the third period and has outshot the visitors 88-74.
Coming into this week, Rochester remains the only team in the AHL this season to have just one regulation loss at home.
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
Similar to the Amerks, the Crunch begin a busy stretch of three games in four nights against North Division opponents. Overall, Syracuse is fourth in the North Division, just three points back of the Cleveland Monsters and one ahead of Belleville despite having a game in hand on the Senators.
Gemel Smith led the Crunch in Week 8 scoring, tallying one goal and two assists in the two games. He logged his fifth multi-point game of the season in Friday's loss at Belleville (1+1) before earning the primary assist on the Crunch's first goal in their 3-1 win over the Marlies Saturday. Smith carries a seven-game point streak into the week, matching his seven-game streak that he opened the season with. Smith has 19 points (7+12) this season, having recorded at least one point in 14 of his 16 games.
Alex Barré-Boulet (5+21) and Darren Raddysh (8+18) currently lead all Crunch skaters 26 points each. The duo are tied for second in the AHL in scoring while Raddysh leads all defensemen in goals (8) and points (26).
SERIES NOTABLES
So far this season, the Amerks have used 12 different defensemen, which is third-most in the AHL behind Toronto and Cleveland. Ten of the 12 Amerks have recorded at least one point while seven have scored. Ethan Prow is the only defenseman to appear in all 20 games this season and has skated in 90 of the 96 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Amerks defenseman Chase Priskie spent part of the 2020-21 season with the Crunch, notching seven points (3+4) in 15 games. In five games against Rochester that year, Priskie recorded three assists.
Rochester assistant coach Michael Peca spent the majority of the 1994-95 season with the Crunch, where he produced 34 points on 10 goals and 24 assists in just 35 games. It marked Peca’s one of two brief stops in his AHL career, the other being a nine-game stint with the Hamilton Canucks.
Amerks veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski enters tonight's contest having appeared in 699 professional games over a 13-year-career. Since joining Rochester on a professional tryout on Oct. 29, the Pittsburgh, Penn., native has skated in 14 games, recording five points (1+4). Bartkowski has totaled 145 points (25+120) in 443 career AHL games with Rochester, Providence, Iowa and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while also adding 48 points (8+40) over 256 NHL contests with Boston, Vancouver, Calgary, and Minnesota, winning his only Stanley Cup with Bruins in 2011.