GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS, ISLANDERS GET REACQUAINTED TONIGHT IN BRIDGEPORT
Feb 15, 2022TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (23-14-3-2) wrap up the Atlantic Division portion of their season-long five-game road swing tonight when they visit the Bridgeport Islanders (17-20-4-4) for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Webster Bank Arena. All the action will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
The Amerks have earned points in 21 of their last 31 games dating back to Nov. 1 and are coming off back-to-back games decided beyond regulation. The Islanders enter tonight with a 5-4-1-0 record in their last 10 contests.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
Tonight is just the 17th all-time meeting between Rochester and Bridgeport and the first in nearly three yeras since a 5-0 Amerks win back on March 8, 2019. Rochester finished the four-game series with a perfect 4-0-0-0 mark and owns a 6-1-1-0 record in the last eight meetings dating back to 2017-18.
In 11 of the last 12 meetings, the winning team has scored three or more goals, which includes at least one power-play tally in eight contests over that same span.
AMERKS TRIFECTA LEADING THE WAY
The Amerks own three of the league’s top point-getters in veteran forward Michael Mersch and rookie sensations JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn. Mersch and Quinn, who is currently on recall with the Buffalo Sabres, rank among the AHL’s top eight goal-scorers. Mersch and Peterka, meanwhile, are tied for ninth and 12th in overall scoring with 39 and 38 points, respectively.
Mersch, who despite seeing his career-best nine-game point streak halted in the 5-2 loss to Charlotte on Feb. 4, has points in 10 of his last 16 games as he inches closer to the 40-point mark for the fifth time in his career.
After scoring just four times through the first three months of the season, Peterka has notched 16 points (7+11) in 14 games to begin 2022, including goals in back-to-back games on three different occasions over that span.
Quinn continues to pace all AHL rookies in goals (18) and ranks fifth in points (35) while his team-high six power-play goals are also second-most among all first-year players.
Rochester enters the week with the AHL’s third-best offense. Averaging just under four goals per game, the Amerks have scored the second-most goals in the AHL with 151 behind only the Ontario Reign.
POWER-PLAY PROFICIENCY
At the halfway point of the season, Rochester’s power-play has gone 36-for-148 with a 24.7% conversion rate that is currently second-best in the AHL. The Amerks’ 36 goals on the man-advantage are most among all North Division teams and are nine shy of the AHL lead behind Ontario.
The Amerks have scored at least one power-play goal in 23 of their first 43 games this season and have registered multiple power-play tallies in eight overall, including a season-high four goals in the 7-3 win over Hershey back on Nov. 26.
QUINN-TESSENTIAL QUALITIES
Quinn became the first AHL player this season and just the 17th player in Amerks franchise history to score four goals in a game in the 6-5 overtime loss to Belleville on Jan. 15. More impressively, he scored all four goals consecutively, including the game-tying tally with 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation.
He’s the first Amerk to have a four-goal game since Rochester native Derek Whitmore single-handedly outscored Hamilton on Nov. 25, 2011 (5-2 W).
With 18 goals through his first 24 games, he’s on pace to become the first Amerk to score 20 goals in the fewest number of games since Luke Adam reached the mark in 31 games during the 2013-14 campaign.
He was named the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for October after leading all first-year players with 10 points (5+5) through the first month of the regular season. In just six games to begin the season, Quinn surpassed his offensive output from his truncated 2020-21 campaign, and became the first AHL player to reach the 10-point mark this season.
Quinn has been held scoreless just four times all season and hasn’t gone more than one game without recording a point. He has recorded 11 multi-point performances this year. More impressively, the Amerks are a near-perfect 10-0-1-0 this season when Quinn registers a multi-point game, including 6-0-1-0 on home ice.
On Nov. 12, Quinn became the first AHL rookie since Frank Vatrano in 2015-16 to score eight goals through his first 10 games of the season.
Despite again being out of the lineup for an extended period of time for the second time this season, Quinn is one of only two AHL rookies with at least six power-play goals this season, joining San Jose’s Scott Reedy.
MERSCH LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Mersch will become the first Amerk and just the ninth player in the AHL this season to reach the 40-point mark on his very next point. In doing so, he will have reached the mark for the fifth time in his eight-year pro career.
Mersch has totaled 26 points (12+14) and four multi-point efforts over his last 29 games dating back to Nov. 24. He’s been held scoreless 10 times over that span to move into ninth in the AHL in scoring with 39 points (19+20) on the season. 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 recent nine-game point streak surpassed his his previous career-best mark of seven he set during the 2014-15 season.
Mersch is also set to become just the sixth AHL player to join the 20-goal club on his next goal. It will mark the fifth time in eight years that he reached the mark and the first time since the 2018-19 season as a member of the Texas Stars.
When he reaches the 20-goal mark, he will have done so in the second- fewest number 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 has appeared in all but one of Rochester’s 72 games dating back to last season, including the lone player to appear in all 43 contests in 2021-22.
DELL-IVERING IN THE CREASE
oaltender Aaron Dell began his Amerks career with an impressive six straight wins through his first six starts with Rochester. Until now, the veteran netminder had never began a season with a win in each of his first six starts at either the NHL or AHL level.
With a win this past Wednesday, Dell matched his career-best 7-1-0 mark when he posted one from March 20 to April 10 during the 2014-15 season with Worcester. In seven of his eight appearances this season, he has made 25 or more saves while also averaging 30 shots-against.
WINNING BY NUMBERS
Rochester enters tonight as one of only two AHL teams to have scored at least 47 goals in all three periods this season. Additionally, the Amerks have scored the second-most first and third-period goals among any other team and have outscored the opposition 50-39 through the opening 20 minutes.
The Amerks have scored four or more goals in all but two of their 23 wins this season, both of which have come on home ice. Each of Rochester’s 10 road victories have come with four or more goals depsite being outscored 84-69 through their first 21 road games.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE
Rochester has two of the league’s top point-producing defensemen in Ethan Prow (6+20) and Oskari Laaksonen (3+21), who enter the week seventh and eighth in scoring amongst all blueliners, respectively.
In additon to being seventh in scoring, Prow’s 20 assists are currently eighth-most among all defensemen. With eight points over his last nine games, including a third-period goal Friday against Providence, he remains on pace to capture his third straight 30-point season in the AHL. The veteran defenseman has totaled 107 points (33+74) over his last 154 AHL contests dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.
Laaksonen, who boasts nine points (1+8) in his last 15 games since the turn of the New Year, also paces all defensemen with 17 power-play assists as all but four of his 21 assists this season have come on the man-advantage. Equally as impressive, 19 of his 24 points have come on the power-play.
His best performance of the season came back on Jan. 12 when he recorded a career-high four assists in the 7-6 win over Utica, including three in the first period and three of which came on the power-play. He finished two assists shy of tying the franchise record for most in a single game.
Prior to earning his second recall of the season to the Buffalo Sabres, rookie defenseman Mattias Samuelsson recorded two assists in the overtime loss to Belleville on Jan. 15, giving him 15 points (2+13) in 22 games. Samuelsson is tied for 10th in scoring among AHL rookie defensemen while his 13 assists are also 10th-most. With his Sabres season debut at Ottawa on Jan. 18, he became the 13th different player to appear in a game for both Buffalo and Rochester.
FANTASTIC FOUR
The Amerks currently own four of the AHL’s top scoring rookies in Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Linus Weissbach and Brandon Biro, all of whom have combined for 126 points (45+81) through the first 43 games this season.
Despite being sidelined again for the second time this season, Quinn, Buffalo’s eighth overall pick in 2020, continues to pace all first-year players in goals (18) while ranking fifth in points (35) in 24 games. Quinn became the 101st AHL player this season to make his NHL debut when he took the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 11. He finished with team-highs in shots (3) and shot attempts (6) while earning 16:30 of total ice time. He then returned to the Sabres a day after scoring his 18th goal of the season for Rochester and was rewarded with his first two NHL points, including a goal against Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion Braden Holtby in the Sabres’ 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars on Jan 20.
Peterka is second in rookie scoring with 38 points (11+27) after recording two more points against Providence on Friday. He also ranks third among all first-year players and eighth overall with a team-high 27 assists. He and Quinn, taken just 26 picks apart from one another by Buffalo in the 2020 NHL Draft, currently make up the only three rookie duos across the entire AHL to rank inside the top three on their respective team in scoring.
Biro has been one of the team’s most consistent point-getters as of late with 28 points (7+21) over his last 24 games dating back to Nov. 27. He has eight multi-point efforts in 20 games over that span. He comes into the week sixth in scoring among all first-year skaters with 33 points (7+26) in 35 games, which included a career-long six-game point streak (2+6).
MOVIN' ON UP
Players that have appeared in at least one game this season for both Rochester and Buffalo:
FORWARDS (7)
Mark Jankowski
Ryan MacInnis
Brett Murray
Arttu Ruotsalainen
Peyton Krebs
Jack Quinn*
JJ Peterka*
DEFENSEMEN (3)
Casey Fitzgerald*
Ethan Prow*
Mattias Samuelsson
GOALTENDERS (3)
Aaron Dell
Michael Houser
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
* = Made NHL debut
SERIES NOTABLES
Of the 14 different defensemen the Amerks have used this season, 13 have notched at least one point while nine have recorded at least one goal. Additionally, of the 20 different forwards to appear in one game for Rochester, 18 have scored a goal and 19 have produced a point.
Over his last 17 games since the turn of the New Year, Amerks forward Arttu Ruotsalainen has tallied 16 points on six goals and 10 assists, a stretch which began with a three-point effort versus Hartford on Jan. 2. Ruotsalainen has also turned in a multi-point effort in five games over that same span and had a career-best eight shots against Utica on Jan. 12. The Finnish forward has recorded at least one shot in 35 of 36 games with Rochester dating back to the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Bridgeport enters tonight’s matchup fueled by forward Chris Terry, who has produced a team-high 14 goals and 33 points in 37 games in his first season with the club. The 11th-year pro has recorded 22 points (8+14) in his last 23 games since Thanksgiving Eve.
Amerks forward Ben Holmstrom makes his first trip back to Bridgeport after spending four seasons with the Sound Tigers from 2015-19. Over 268 career games in the blue and orange, Holmstrom recorded 69 points (25+44) while also leading Bridgeport to a berth in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Islanders head coach Brent Thompson is the father of former Amerk Tage Thompson. A former ECHL Coach of the Year, he’s in his ninth season with Bridgeport and is the all-time winningest coach in franchise history.
Islanders forward Cole Bardreau was born in Fairport. In 313 career games between Bridgeport and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Bardreau has recorded 61 goals and 71 assists for 132 points. Additionally, he’s tallied three assists in 18 career playoff appearances with the Phantoms.
Bridgeport Islanders vs Rochester Americans: Head To Head Stats
Summary
|
Description |
Result |
|
| Head to Head Record 2021-22 Regular Season | Bridgeport 0-0-0-0 | Rochester 0-0-0-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2020-21 Regular Season | Bridgeport 0-0-0-0 | Rochester 0-0-0-0 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Bridgeport 2-3-2-1 | Rochester 6-1-1-0 |
| Bridgeport vs. Rochester Last 5 Years record at Bridgeport | Bridgeport 1-2-1-0 | Rochester 3-1-0-0 |
| Bridgeport vs. Rochester Last 5 Years record at Rochester | Bridgeport 1-1-1-1 | Rochester 3-0-1-0 |
How the two teams match up
|
Rochester |
Bridgeport |
|
| Team Record | 23-15-3-2 -- 51 points | 17-20-4-4 -- 42 points |
| Division Ranking | 4th North | 8th Atlantic |
| Conference Ranking | 7th Eastern | 14th Eastern |
| League Ranking | 14th | 26th |
| Past 10 Games | 4-4-1-1 | 5-4-1-0 |
| Streak | 1-0-1-1 | 0-1-0-0 |
| Last Game | 2-1 L @ Hartford (Feb 12 2022) Final OT | 2-0 L @ Charlotte (Feb 12 2022) Final |
| Home Record | 13-6-2-1 | 10-9-0-2 |
| Away Record | 10-9-1-1 | 7-11-4-2 |
| GF | 151 | 121 |
| GA | 152 | 137 |
| PP (Overall) | (36/146) 24.7% | (21/146) 14.4% |
| PP (Home) | (19/77) 24.7% | (10/73) 13.7% |
| PP (Away) | (17/69) 24.6% | (11/73) 15.1% |
| PK (Overall) | (29/148) 80.4% | (27/148) 81.8% |
| PK (Home) | (14/82) 82.9% | (14/67) 79.1% |
| PK (Away) | (15/66) 77.3% | (13/81) 84.0% |
| PP vs. Opp. | (0/0) 0% | (0/0) 0% |
| PK vs. Opp. | (0/0) 0% | (0/0) 0% |
| Leading Rookie | Peterka (11-27-38) | MacLean (5-10-15) |
| Most PIM | Pekar - 50 | Wotherspoon - 90 |
| Team PIM/GM | 11.8/Game | 11.2/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Mersch (19-20-39) | Terry (14-19-33) |
| Peterka (11-27-38) | Koivula (10-22-32) | |
| Quinn (18-17-35) | Durandeau (7-17-24) | |
| Biro (7-26-33) | Andreoff (8-13-21) | |
| Prow (6-20-26) | Holmstrom (6-13-19) | |
| Last 5 Games | 2-1 L @ Hartford (Feb 12 2022) Final OT | 2-0 L @ Charlotte (Feb 12 2022) Final |
| 3-2 L @ Providence (Feb 11 2022) Final SO | 4-3 W @ Charlotte (Feb 11 2022) Final | |
| 3-1 W vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Feb 9 2022) Final | 4-3 L @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Feb 4 2022) Final | |
| 5-2 L @ Toronto (Feb 5 2022) Final | 4-1 W vs Lehigh Valley (Feb 2 2022) Final | |
| 5-2 L vs Charlotte (Feb 4 2022) Final | 2-1 L @ Hershey (Jan 29 2022) Final OT | |
| Leading After 1st | 16-3-0-1 | 4-6-1-1 |
| Leading After 2nd | 15-1-0-0 | 9-1-1-0 |
| Tied After 1st | 3-3-3-1 | 7-7-3-1 |
| Tied After 2nd | 4-1-3-2 | 6-9-1-2 |
| Trailing After 1st | 4-9-0-0 | 6-7-0-2 |
| Trailing After 2nd | 4-13-0-0 | 2-10-2-2 |
| Out Shooting Opponents | 5-10-2-0 | 9-6-0-1 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 18-5-1-1 | 8-13-3-3 |
| 1-Goal Games | 10-3-3-2 | 9-9-4-4 |
| 2-Goal Games | 6-5-0-0 | 3-4-0-0 |
| 3-Goal Games | 2-3-0-0 | 3-5-0-0 |