GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS PLAY FIRST OF THREE STRAIGHT AGAINST SENATORS
Rochester can clinch a Calder Cup Playoff berth on home ice
Apr 3, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The now playoff-bound Rochester Americans (40-18-4-3) continue to solidify their positioning in the North Division as they travel to Belleville for a meeting with the Senators (30-25-4-5) Friday night at CAA Arena.
Friday marks the first of back-to-back meetings north of the border against the Sens and the first of three straight encounters. After games Friday and Saturday in Belleville, the Amerks will then host the Senators next week on Wednesday, April 9 at Blue Cross Arena.
The three-game set will wrap up the season series between the two clubs. Five of the eight games in this series have already been played. The Amerks have made it a mostly one-sided affair, showing a 4-1-0-0 record against Ottawa’s AHL affiliate with the only blemish coming on opening night back in October.
LAST TIME OUT
Rochester officially punched its ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs Wednesday night in front of the hometown crowd as they rallied for a 4-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Trailing 2-1 midway through the second period, Anton Wahlberg found the equalizer for his 11th goal of the season before Isak Rosén registered his team-leading 28th of the year 8:41 into the third period. Jack Rathbone returned from his call-up to the Sabres by scoring his sixth of the season with Rochester to get the scoring started back in the first, while Noah Östlund tapped an empty-net goal through for his 19th of the year, extending his goal-scoring streak to six games.
Devon Levi stopped 26 shots to secure his 23rd win of the season, tying him for the league lead in wins and doing so in fewer games than the other three AHL goalies with 23 victories. The 4-2 win secured Rochester a playoff berth for the sixth straight AHL postseason.
On a night where the Amerks solidified a playoff spot, Belleville saw its hopes take a hit as the team dropped a 5-2 final on home ice to the Syracuse Crunch. The Sens are in direct competition with the Crunch as they jockeyed for positioning through the bulk of the season. After trailing 4-0 Wednesday, Belleville attempted to close the gap with goals from Jan Jenik and Philippe Daoust, but penalty trouble was a focal point throughout the game and the Crunch were awarded nine power-plays, including a late one where Conor Geekie scored to put the Sens away and quiet the rally cry.
Former Amerk Malcolm Subban came in relief for Leevi Meriläinen, who had surrendered the games first four goals through 30 minutes. Subban made nine saves on 10 shots the rest of the way.
After the loss Wednesday, the Senators are four points back of a playoff spot in the North Division with eight games remaining.
NOT DONE YET
Clinching a playoff berth does not end the journey for this year’s Amerks squad, as the team still has plenty to play for, including positioning and team records.
The red, white, and blue yield 87 points in the North Division as the Amerks continue to hold an iron fist over second place. Should Rochester earn four points over its final seven games of the season, the team will secure finishing no lower than second place, guaranteeing home ice advantage for at least the North Division Semifinal round, while also avoiding the three-game play-in round that takes place between the teams who finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the division.
Rochester is also five points back of Laval for first in the division. That said, the Rocket do own the first tiebreaker, meaning the Amerks need six points to leapfrog Montreal’s AHL affiliate. One meeting still remains with the Rocket, taking place at Blue Cross Arena on Friday, April 11th.
Rochester’s win on Wednesday was its 40th of the season, marking the first time the Amerks have hit 40 wins since the 2018-19 campaign. If the Amerks were to win out, they could reach 47 wins, marking the most in a single season since the team hit 48 in 2006-07.
With three road games remaining, Rochester can win out to tie the franchise record of 25 road wins in a single season. That number was hit twice before, both in 2018-19 and originally during the 1998-99 season.
SENS(ING) A CHANGE
The Amerks have won four straight against the Senators, who at one point had more games remaining than any team in the AHL entering February. Given their standing at the time, the team looked to be in good position to contend for a playoff spot after making the postseason in just two of the team’s first seven AHL seasons.
The Senators have won only four of their last 11 games, continuing to distance themselves from the playoff conversation. To make matters worse, six of their eight remaining games come against Rochester and Laval, seeing both teams three times apiece.
Former Amerk Jeremy Davies leads the way in the season series with a goal and three assists, while Rosén and Konsta Helenius both have nine points facing Belleville this year. Their last meeting took place in Rochester back on Feb. 21, when the Amerks doubled up the Sens by a 6-3 final. Two weeks earlier, Levi posted a shutout against them in a 3-0 win.
Overall, the Amerks have outscored the Sens by a 27-12 margin through five meetings.