GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS HOST COMETS IN FINAL HOME GAME OF 2024
Amerks look to stay hot following holiday break
Dec 26, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (17-9-3-0) are back from the AHL’s annual holiday break and prepared to host the Utica Comets (6-14-1-2) at Blue Cross Arena Friday night to begin the final weekend of the 2024 calendar year.
Friday is meeting six of 12 on the season between Rochester and Utica, with the Amerks owning a 4-1-0-0 season series lead thus far. Additionally, Friday is the beginning of a home-and-home set against the Comets, with the scene shifting to Adirondack Bank Center Saturday night in a rematch between the intrastate rivals. Three of the next four games the Amerks play Utica will come at Blue Cross Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
Zachary Metsa’s second-period goal served as the game-winner Sunday evening in Cleveland as the Amerks held on to top the Monsters, 3-2. Brett Murray and Josh Dunne built a 2-0 lead for Rochester through the first period and Devon Levi was solid throughout the contest, making 23 saves to secure his ninth win of the season.
Rochester enters the final weekend of 2024 having won eight of its last 10 games and more recent sample size, six of the team’s last seven games. On his own, Levi has collected the victory in eight of his last nine starts. The Amerks also have a five-game win streak on the road and now have points in each of their last six appearances in Cleveland (5-0-1-0).
While the Amerks last played Sunday, the Comets enter the contest as one of the more well-rested teams in the AHL having been idle since last Thursday. Like Rochester, they, too, played Cleveland in their final game before the holiday break. The Comets split a pair of back-to-back games against the Monsters, dropping Thursday’s game by a 6-1 final. Chase Stillman scored the lone goal for Utica, which has lost four of its five games played in the month.
The Comets’ schedule is incredibly light compared to the Amerks. Friday is Utica’s sixth game of December, while it will be Rochester’s 10th of the month. Following the home-and-home slate over the weekend, Utica will wrap up the month in Belleville on New Year’s Eve.
DUNNE MESSING AROUND
With his fifth goal of the season Sunday, Amerks forward Josh Dunne has quietly put together points in three of his last four games. The centerman has accumulated nine points (5+4) in his 29 games with the Amerks this season. Dunne’s 2023-24 season was marred by injuries, limiting the O’Fallon, Missouri, native to only 25 regular season games.
The season prior, Dunne posted 20 goals and a career-best 37 points. Dunne’s goal Sunday was his first since Nov. 27 and his second of the season against his former team, as the fifth-year pro spent four years and 134 games in a Monsters jersey. Dunne has never scored against Utica.
TO THE VIKTOR GO THE SPOILS
In a trend not too different from last season, forward Viktor Neuchev has begun to heat up as the temperatures have dropped outside, though this year the turn is coming a bit sooner. In 2023-24, Neuchev’s final game of December jumpstarted a six-game point streak and eight-game span where the Russian native amassed four goals and seven assists for 11 points over that stretch.
This season, the Sabres’ prospect began producing a couple weeks early, logging an assist on Dec. 13 against Belleville. Since then, Neuchev has collected six points (3+3) in five games. Neuchev is one of eight skaters that have appeared in every game to date for Rochester this season, with the sophomore tied for third in team scoring with 18 points (5+13). On opening weekend, Neuchev potted a goal and an assist against the Comets. Neuchev is one of three Amerks, joining Isak Rosen and Brett Murray, who lead Rochester in the season series with five points each against Utica.
COMET CRASH
Only the Bridgeport Islanders join Utica under the category of teams with fewer than seven wins returning from the AHL’s holiday break. After going over a month into the season before getting its first win, Utica rattled off five straight victories to end November before visiting the Flower City on Dec. 4. That night, Rochester snapped the Comets’ win streak, spiraling the New Jersey Devils’ affiliate into its latest slump, having dropped four of its last five games.
Utica has a more respectable record on the road, going 5-7-1-0 so far, but still are nearing the one-third mark of their season schedule sitting 15 points back of a playoff spot in the North Division. Utica does own the benefit of having fewer games played than anybody in the North, including Rochester, whom the Comets have six games in hand on.
Adam Beckman, whom the Devils signed in the offseason following four years in the Minnesota Wild organization, leads the Comets with 16 points (6+10) through 18 games played, while Brian Halonen owns the team lead in goals with nine. Three of Halonen’s goals this season have come against the Amerks, including two in Utica’s lone win against the Amerks this season back on Nov. 23.
Dating back to the start of last year, Rochester has dominated the season series against Utica, posting a 12-4-1-0 record in their last 17 matchups.