GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS HOST DIVISION-LEADING MARLIES TONIGHT
Jan 14, 2023TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (19-11-1-1) play their third of four straight games against North Division opponents tonight when they host the first-place Toronto Marlies (23-9-1-1) at The Blue Cross Arena. All the action will be carried live on 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 first of 2023 after the Amerks have earned the win in three of the first four meetings so far this season. Rochester has outscored Toronto 12-10. The North Division foes will meet three more times this season with two of the three taking place in the Flower City.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
After going just 2-3-0-1 in the six-game series in 2021-22, the Amerks come into tonight having recorded points in five of the last six meetings between the two teams. The Amerks have earned wins in four of the last six games in Toronto dating back to last season and over the last five years show a 7-4-0-0 record north of the border compared to a 4-3-1-1 mark in Rochester.
Lukas Rousek (3+1) and Brandon Biro (1+3) are averaging at least a point per game in the season series against the Marlies with Rousek leading all Amerks with three goals.
Both teams have also used three goaltenders with the trio of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Malcolm Subban and Eric Comrie having each earned a win.
LAST TIME OUT
On the strength of a 41-save performance by goaltender Malcolm Subban and a two-goal effort from captain Michael Mersch, the Amerks defeated the Laval Rocket 3-1 Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
After opening the scoring with his sixth goal of the season, Mersch sealed the win as he added an empty-net marker in the third period. The two-goal night gave the Amerks captain six goals and two assists over his last seven games. Forward Linus Weissbach notched his 13th tally of the campaign, tying with Brett Murray for the team lead, while defensemen Ethan Prow and Chase Priskie each picked up an assist in the win, Rochester’s first of the New Year.
SUBBAN SURGING INTO THE NEW YEAR
fter suffering a defeat in his season-debut on Nov. 18, Subban has gone 9-1-0 since, including seven straight wins dating back to a 4-3 shootout victory against the Marlies on Dec. 10. The seven-game win streak is the longest of his pro career and the third-longest active win streak among all AHL goaltenders behind Toronto's Joseph Woll and Calgary's Dustin Wolf.
He's the first Amerks goaltender to post seven straight wins since Jonas Johansson won nine consecutive contests during the 2019-20 campaign.
Subban had his arguably best performance of the season during a 75-save weekend in Rochester’s two-game sweep over the Charlotte Checkers. A night after stopping a regular-season career-high 45 saves, Subban was flawless in a 30-save shutout on Dec. 17, his first in the AHL since April 8, 2017, with the Providence Bruins.
Subban, who picked up his 100th career win in the 5-4 overtime victory over Utica on Dec. 28, has topped the 40-save mark three times in his last six starts and is currently tied for 12th amongst all netminders with nine wins.
WELL BALANCED OFFENSE
With six goals in his last 11 games, Lukas Rousek enters the weekend second on the team with 25 points (10+15) while being one of four Amerks to appear in all 32 games. He accounted for half of his nine goals in December and has been one of the team's most consistent point-getters. He saw a career-best six-game point streak (3+4) come to an end on Wednesday.
With 14 points (7+7) over his last 17 games, including six in the last six games (3+3), Linus Weissbach is four points back from the team-lead with 25 points (13+12) through 32 games. He remains on pace to match his career-high of 16 goals from last season and has already established a new personal-best of four game-winning goals.
Brett Murray, one of four Amerks with at least 24 points on the season, is also on pace to surpass the career-high 15 goals he scored in 2021-22 after recording his then team-leading 13th of the season last Saturday against Syracuse, which also served as his 100th career point as an Amerk. The fourth-year pro comes into tonight with 10 points (5+5) in his last 11 games and eight goals over his last 16 dating back to a two-goal effort against Providence on Nov. 23.
Back from the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, forward Jiri Kulich helped Czech Republic claim the silver medal after finishing the tournament tied for second with a team-high seven goals, including a hat trick in a 9-0 win over Austria, and a plus-10 on-ice rating. Isak Rosen, meanwhile, helped Sweden to a fourth-place finish with six points (2+4) and a plus-seven on-ice rating in seven games.
BIRO PILING UP THE POINTS
Despite missing six games due to injury, Biro has blazed his way atop the team's scoring lead following a productive December in which he led the team with 16 points (6+10) in 10 games. He recorded multi-point efforts in seven of his 10 appearances, including six straight between Dec. 9 and Dec. 30 before closing out the month with an assist in the 3-2 win in Toronto.
Named to the roster for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, Biro currently paces the Amerks in assists (20) and points (29) through 26 games and his recent seven-game point streak to close out the 2022 calendar year was the longest of his career.
Dating back to last season, Biro has totaled 70 points on 21 goals and 49 assists over his last 74 games and hasn't gone more than two games without a point since Nov. 27, 2021. Since the start of the 2022 calendar year, Biro has posted 19 multi-point outings in 54 games, totaling 58 points (18+40).
PROWESS ON THE BLUELINE
Ethan Prow is the only Amerks defenseman to appear in all 32 games this season and has skated in 102 of the 108 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
With an assist on Wednesday's game-winning goal, Prow extended his point streak (2+3) to four games. The seventh-year veteran has posted seven points (2+5) in his last seven outings dating back to Dec. 28.
Through 32 games this season, Prow is tied for 18th in scoring amongst all AHL defensemen. His 19 assists are 20th in the league. He is five assists away from notching his fourth consecutive season with 20 or more assists. He's just one point away from reaching the 20-point mark for the fifth straight year dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.
SERIES NOTABLES
So far this season, the Amerks have used 13 different defensemen, which is third-most in the AHL. Twelve of the 13 have recorded at least one point while seven have scored.
Of the 40 different players the Marlies have used this season, 31 have produced at least one point while 22 have scored. Toronto has dressed five different goaltenders, three of which have been rookies. They are the only team in the league to use five netminders and three first-year players.
In 23 of the last 32 meetings between the two teams dating back to the
2016-17 season, the team that scored first has gone on to come away with the victory. Additionally, in 20 of the last 24 meetings, the winning team has scored at least four goals dating back to the 2017-18 season.
Tonight's contest is the first of a six-game of road-swing for the Marlies. With the exception of a pair of contests with Laval on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4, Toronto will not play three or more consecutive home games until Feb. 18.