GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS HOST SENS IN RETURN FROM ALL-STAR BREAK
Davies, Senators return to Blue Cross Arena for first time since opening night
Feb 6, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The AHL All-Star Classic has come and gone and now the Rochester Americans (27-12-3-1) return to action Friday night at Blue Cross Arena, taking on the Belleville Senators (18-15-1-4).
Friday is meeting four of eight on the season series against Ottawa’s AHL affiliate. The Amerks have gone 2-1-0-0 thus far against Belleville, including a sweep of the Sens in their most recent encounter Dec. 13-14 north of the border. This will be the first time the Senators are back in the Flower City since Oct. 11, when the Amerks had their party spoiled in a season-opening 3-2 loss.
LAST TIME OUT
Isak Rosén provided the overtime game-winner half a minute into the extra frame Saturday, guiding the Amerks to a 4-3 win over the Crunch in Syracuse, and in doing so, completing a home-and-home sweep of their intrastate foe.
Brett Murray first got the Amerks there by tying the game with under four minutes to play in regulation with his 11th power-play goal of the season. In goal, Felix Sandström matched his season-high with 36 saves to secure his sixth straight win, continuing the 10th-year pro’s career-best win streak by extending it to six games. As a collective, Rochester has won four straight and enter the weekend one point back of first place in the North Division.
Like the Amerks, Belleville also pulled off a 4-3 overtime win before the break, with Wyatt Bongiovanni netting the game-winner against Utica Saturday night. He, along with Angus Crookshank, both lead the Senators with 16 goals apiece. Michael Simpson collected his fourth win of the season with 29 saves against the Comets.
THE STARS WERE OUT
Coachella Valley was the site for the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic and both Murray and Devon Levi got the full experience. Joining them originally was Rosén, creating the first trio of Amerks named to the All-Star Classic since 2017. The Sabres prospect participated in the Skills Challenge Sunday night, but was then recalled by the Sabres, ending his All-Star experience prematurely as the third-year pro flew back across the country to suit up in Buffalo’s game against Columbus Tuesday night.
Elsewhere, Murray and Levi competed for the North Division Monday night. The 23-year-old netminder made two appearances in goal, while Murray found the back of the net in highlight reel fashion against the Central Division, making that night’s top 10 on SportsCenter.
Levi has gone 14-4-2 over 20 games with the Amerks this season, boasting a 2.33 goals-against average to go along with a .913 save percentage. In his last start prior to the break, Levi made 27 saves against Syracuse Friday night to help Rochester secure a 4-1 win.
Murray, a sixth-year pro of over 300 games with Rochester, is second on the team in points (36), goals (20), and leads the AHL in power-play goals (11). Since debuting for the team during the 2019-20 campaign, the Bolton, Ontario, native has amassed 93 goals and 100 assists for 193 points in 302 games as an Amerk.
Last week, he became the 28th forward in franchise history to reach 300 games.
AN APPLE A DAY GETS ROUSEK TO STAY
Amerks forward Lukas Rousek threaded two assists through Saturday in Syracuse for Rochester’s 4-3 overtime win. The fourth-year pro is one assist shy of 100 as an Amerk and has posted 11 helpers over his last 14 games dating back to Dec. 27.
The Czechia native is one of six Amerks to have appeared in every game so far this season. He leads all Rochester forwards with 25 assists, placing him in a tie for the 11th-most assists in the AHL.
Against Belleville, Rousek has already matched his point production from a season ago in half the games, scoring a goal and three assists in the season series. Rousek is also a career best plus-nine so far this season as he continues to round out his 200-foot game.
BUSY BELLEVILLE
The Senators come out on the other side of All-Star break with more games remaining than any other AHL team. This comes as a result of the team playing fewer games than everyone else, including five less than the Amerks.
The Senators have gone 50-50 over their last 10 games, owning a 5-5-0-0 record over that stretch. Ottawa’s affiliate sits five points behind the Crunch for what would be the final playoff spot in the North Division come season’s end on April 19.
The Senators have had a revolving door in goal, with five different netminders manning the crease this season, including former Amerk Malcolm Subban.
Subban isn’t the only former Amerk, with defenseman Jeremy Davies making his second trip back to the Flower City after skating in 132 games for the red, white, and blue over the previous two seasons.
Davies leads Belleville with 25 assists, while rookie Stephen Halliday is the overall top point producer at 31 (11+20) in 37 games. Halliday tallied four assists over the pair of meetings against Rochester in December.