GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH HOME-AND-HOME AGAINST CLEVELAND
Jan 5, 2024TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (14-12-2-1) ring in the New Year tonight when they host the first-place Cleveland Monsters (22-8-1-0) in the front end of a home-and-home series at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
The Amerks show a 3-6-0-1 mark over their last 10 games and are winless in their previous five home contests. Rochester holds the fifth spot in the AHL’s North Division standings with 31 points.
Cleveland holds the top spot in the North Division with a 22-8-1-0 record through 31 games this season, the team’s best start in franchise history.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RESULTS AGAINST CLEVELAND
Rochester boasts a 40-21-6-4 record against Cleveland over the last 10 years dating back to the start of the 2011-12 campaign and has earned at least one point in 29 of the last 45 games overall.
The Amerks have scored at least one power-play goal in 13 of the 26 games (17-for-87) against Cleveland since Seth Appert took over as head coach prior to the 2020-21 season.
Isak Rosen recorded a career-high four points (2+2) to help the Amerks earn a win over Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse back on Nov. 18.
Brandon Biro (3+1), Isak Rosen (2+2) and Lukas Rousek (1+3) all have totaled four points to lead all Amerks in the season-series with Cleveland.
LAST TIME OUT
Michael Mersch’s game-tying goal in the closing minutes of regulation helped the Amerks overcome their second one-goal deficit of the third period before ultimately getting the better of the Utica Comets in the eighth round of the shootout to cap the 2023 calendar year with a 3-2 win Saturday at Adirondack Bank Center.
Tyson Jost scored his second goal in as many games while Lukas Rousek Brett Murray and Zach Metsa, who missed the previous nine games, completed the scoring in regulation as they all recorded an assist in the win.
Goaltender Dustin Tokarski made his 13th appearance in the goal crease for Rochester and finished with 28 saves while also stopping 7-of-8 in the shootout.
THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE
Jeremy Davies and Kale Clague are among the AHL’s top scoring defensemen, having combined for five goals and 29 points this season. Davies’ four goals are tied for 22nd-most amongst all blueliners.
Davies, who scored a career-high 11 goals last season, including three game-winning tallies, is 12th amongst all defensemen with 70 shots. He’s recorded at least one shot in all but three games this season. Davies, who closed out the month of October on a five-game point streak, has recorded one point in 12 of his first 28 games this season, never going more than four straight games without a point.
Clague, meanwhile, is tied for 20th among all blueliners with 13 assists in 27 games. Clague opened the campaign with three multi-point performances and enters the weekend with assists in five of his last 13 games.
DYNAMIC DUO: THE SEQUEL
Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen both return for their second seasons in Rochester after putting up one of the most impressive and productive seasons as teenagers in the history of the AHL during the 2022-23 campaign.
Kulich continued his torrid start to the season with three more goals over the team’s three-game Atlantic Division road trip last month, temporarily taking over the league’s goal-scoring lead with 16 goals in just 23 games. Kulich, who also leads the AHL with four overtime game-winning tallies, remains on pace to become the first AHL player to reach the 20-goal mark in the fewest number of games to begin the season since Frank Vatrano scored 20 goals in just 18 games to begin the 2015-16 campaign.
Kulich, whose 24 goals last season were the second-most ever by an 18-year-old in league history, was named team captain of Czechia’s national junior team for the 2024 World Junior Championship. He leads all Czech skaters and is tied for seventh in overall scoring with eight points (4+4) in six games, including a hat trick in the 8-1 blowout win over Norway in the preliminary round on Dec. 27.
Czechia faces Finland in the bronze medal game today in what will be Kulich’s final appeaarnce at the national junior level. A win today will earn the Czechs their second straight medal finish after winning silver at last year’s event.
With nine points over his last 12 games, which includes a career-best four point (2+2) effort in Cleveland on Nov. 18, Rosen shares the team-lead with Kulich in scoring with 22 points having recently returned from his first recall with the Sabres last month. The Swedish forward is third amongst all Amerks in goals (8) and has matched his totaled from last season in game-winning tallies through just 25 games.
Back on Nov. 25, Kulich and Rosen both made their NHL debuts with the Buffalo Sabres against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center
The duo has combined for 127 points (62+65) in 174 regular season games. Rochester boasts an impressive 21-3-2-1 record when they each record at least one point in the same game as well as a near-perfect 8-1-0-0 mark when they both score in the same game.
BRYSON BACK IN ROCHESTER
Rochester’s blueline received a significant boost following the reassignment of defenseman Jacob Bryson to the Amerks on Dec. 19. Bryson, a former fourth-round selection (99th overall) of the Sabres in the 2017 NHL Draft, began his professional career with Rochester.
Bryson appeared in three games with the Sabres this season as one of eight defensemen on Buffalo’s roster.
The London, Ontario, native made his Amerks season debut on Dec. 20 against Cleveland, and has totaled 31 points (4+27) in 72 career American Hockey League games with the Amerks over parts of three seasons. He’s also recorded 28 points (3+25) over 173 career NHL games for Buffalo.
In 121 collegiate games during a three-year career at Providence College, he totaled 73 points on 11 goals and 62 assists. In his final season with the Friars, he earned Hockey East Second Team All-Star honors after recording 28 points (4+24) in 42 games and serving as a team captain.
APPERT CLOSING IN ON CENTURY MARK
Amerks head coach Seth Appert is a mere two wins away from 100 as Rochster’s bench boss. He will become just the seventh head coach all-time to reach 100 career wins, an impressive list that includes the likes of Amerks Hall of Famers Randy Cunneyworth, John Van Boxmeer, Joe Crozier, Mike Keenan, Chris Taylor and Brian McCutcheon.
On Dec. 16 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Appert also became the seventh head coach in the 68-year history of the franchise to be behind Rochester’s bench for 200 games.
Since the 2020-21 season, Appert has guided the Amerks to a 98-83-17-8 record as well as two straight playoff appearances, which included a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023. It was the team’s deepest playoff run in nearly 20 years and their first to the Conference Finals since the 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs.
WORKING OVERTIME
The 3-2 shootout win in Utica on Dec. 30 was the sixth game over the last 15 for Rochester that went beyond regulation, which includes three shootout decisions last month. Overall, the Amerks have gone to extra time on 12 different occasions this season, including each of the first three games of the campaign.
Never before in the near 68-year history of the franchise have the Amerks opened a season with three consecutive overtime contests.
Rochester is the only team in the league with 12 games decided beyond regulation this season. Dating back to last season, 20 of Rochester’s previous 42 regular-season games have required overtime to determine a winner.
Of the 73 games Rochester played in 2023, 24 were decided beyond regulation. Jiri Kulich scored the game-winning goal in four contests over that span while Linus Weissbach sealed the victory in the shootout twice.
The Amerks had a 14-10 mark overall, which included an 11-4 record on the road compared to 3-6 on home ice. In the 15 road contests decided after 60 minutes of play outside Rochester, the Amerks went 7-2 in overtime and were 4-2 in the shootout.
TOKARSKI AMONG ELITE COMPANY
Veteran goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who missed the first eight games of the season due to an injury he sustained in training camp, made his season debut back on Nov. 3 against Utica.
In doing so, the two-time Calder Cup winner and AHL All-Star became just the 18th goaltender in league history to play in 400 career games, a list that also includes former Amerks Bobby Perreault (512), Michael Leighton (507), Drew MacIntyre (440) and Ed Chadwick (417).
Tokarski, who’s in his second stint with the Amerks and 10th different AHL franchise, went 1-1-0 during a brief two-game stint with Rochester as part of the COVID-shortnened 2020-21 campaign. He went 12-20-7 in 42 appearances with the Buffalo Sabres from 2021-23.
Currently in his 15th season, he joins Marcel Paille and Michael Leighton as the only goaltenders all-time to play at least 15 seasons in the AHL.
Tokarski, who’s 6-6-1 in his first 13 starts, surpassed the 10,000-save mark for his AHL career following a 31-save effort against Utica on Nov. 10. He also reached the 12,000-save mark for his pro career the week prior when he made his season debut against the Comets.
Entering this weekend, the 34-year-old Tokarski is tied with Nick Damore for 12th all-time in career wins (211). He also ranks 18th all-time in games played (412) and two games away from tying Yann Danis for 17th all-time . He is also one shutout away from tying Danis for eighth all-time.
A JOLT OF JOST
Rochester’s forward group was bolstered last Friday with the addition of veteran forward Tyson Jost, a former first-round selection (10th overall) of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2016 NHL Draft.
The St. Albert, Alberta, native made his Amerks debut last weekend, recording three points (2+1) in what was his first AHL appearance since Feb. 9, 2019 and his first multi-point effort since Jan. 26 of that same year.
Jost has totaled 10 points (7+3) in 15 career American Hockey League games with the Amerks, San Antonio Rampage and Colorado Eagles over parts of three seasons. He’s also recorded 138 points (56+82) over 442 career NHL games with Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche.
Jost spent one season at the University of North Dakota in 2016-17, amassing 35 points (16+19) in 33 games. He finished the campaign second on the club in both assists and points while ranking third in goals.
Before joining North Dakota, Jost totaled 149 points (97+65) in 97 career contests with the Penticton Vees (BCHL) from 2013-2016. During his final season, Jost was named Hockey Canada’s Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) National Player of the Year, as well as the CJHL’s MVP and Top Forward. Addtionally, he was also named the BCHL MVP as he amassed 42 goals and 104 points in 48 games, leading the BCHL in assists (62).
Internationally, Jost led Canada at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship in Grand Forks, where he set a new Canadian scoring record with 15 points in seven games. He led the tournament in scoring and was named the Top Forward while also earning a gold medal with Canada at the 2015 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge.
COMRIE COMES EAST
Goaltender Eric Comrie was the latest to be assigned to the Amerks from the parent Buffalo Sabres, officially joining the team on New Year’s Day.
Comrie began the campaign with the Sabres, showing a 1-5-0 record and an .863 save percentage in seven appearances. In 54 career NHL games with Buffalo, Winnipeg, New Jersey and Detroit, Comrie has posted a 23-24-2 record to go along with a pair of shutouts.
The former second-round selection (59th overall) of Winnipeg in 2013 as appeared in 210 games at the AHL level. The Edmonton, Alberta, native boasts a 91-94-21 record and 10 shoutouts since the start of 2013-14 with Rochester, Manitoba, Tucson and St. John’s.
As part of conditioning stint in 2022-23 with Rochester, he went 1-2-0 in three appearances.
With his first start, Comrie will become the fifth differet netminder to appear in a game this season for the Amerks. It would mark the third straight year Rochester has had five or more goaltenders play in its crease and first since 1995-1998.