GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS SEEK EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN IN CLASH WITH CRUNCH
Amerks looks for ninth straight road victory as they visit Syracuse
Jan 11, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (22-9-3-0) carry their winning ways into Syracuse Saturday night for a showdown against the rival-Crunch (15-11-5-3) at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Saturday marks the fifth of 12 meetings on the season between Rochester and Syracuse, with the Amerks owning a 3-1-0-0 series edge thus far. It is just the second visit to Syracuse for the Amerks this season, with their lone trip to the city coming back on Nov. 30, when Viktor Neuchev secured Rochester a 3-2 shootout win after the team trailed 2-0 in the second period.
LAST TIME OUT
After surrendering the game’s first goal, the Amerks roared back with five unanswered Friday night in a 5-1 routing of the Utica Comets at Blue Cross Arena. The win was Rochester’s third straight at home and seventh consecutive victory overall.
Lukas Rousek and Mason Jobst each registered a goal and an assist, while Devon Levi turned aside 29 shots for the win in goal.
Rochester’s power-play went 2-for-8, with Jobst and Anton Wahlberg both converting on the man-advantage, marking the first time the Amerks scored multiple power-play goals at home since Nov. 29 when they scored twice against Syracuse.
Syracuse dropped a 3-2 final to Toronto Friday night, giving the Crunch losses in three straight games despite having points in seven of their last 10 outings. Jujhar Khaira made his season debut, scoring late with Gabe Fortier in the final three minutes of the game to put Syracuse within one of tying it. Brandon Halverson took the loss in goal with 21 saves.
ROAD REAPERS
In addition to their general seven-game winning streak, the Amerks will look to push their run on the road to nine straight away victories. The Amerks have won every game on the road since Dec. 7 and their eight-game road win streak is the longest the franchise has had in over 20 years.
At 15-3-1-0 away from the Flower City, Rochester is on pace to finish with 27 road wins, which would surpass the 2018-19 and 1998-99 teams who co-share the record for most road wins in a season at 25.
Additionally, Rochester’s overall seven-game win streak is its longest in well over a decade, dating back to when the club won a franchise-best 11 straight games from Oct. 12, 2009 to Nov. 10, 2009.
The Amerks lead the AHL with 15 road wins and 31 points while playing as the visitors. They are outscoring the home teams by a whopping 70-45 margin.
MOVES LIKE JAGGER
Friday night saw the Amerks debut of Jagger Joshua, one of two forwards whom the Buffalo Sabres acquired from in multiple transactions with the Pittsburgh Penguins last week. The newest Amerk was a -1 with four penalty minutes in his first game wearing the red, white, and blue.
“I like to think of myself as a physical power forward,” said Joshua the morning of his Amerks debut. “I like to be hard to play against. That’s an emphasis of mine. I like to get the puck to the net and create chances from there.”
Joshua, 25, is in his second professional season after spending the entire 2023-24 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. There, the Dearborn, Michigan, native scored 10 goals and finished third among all AHL rookie skaters with 93 penalty minutes. He spent time in a Penguins jersey with now fellow Amerk, Jack Rathbone.
KHAIRA COMEBACK
Friday saw the Crunch debut for veteran forward Jujhar Khaira, who missed the first half of the season due to injury.
Khaira, who scored in his debut for the Crunch, is an 11-year pro with over 300 NHL games under his belt. The Surrey, British Columbia, native appeared in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games with Edmonton over two seasons as part of his six-year run with the Oilers, then skated in 88 games over two years with Chicago.
Last season, Khaira played for AHL-Iowa in what was his first time back in the league since 2017. In 22 games, the 30-year-old scored five goals and 18 points.