GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS STRIVE FOR FIVE IN A ROW TONIGHT AGAINST BELLEVILLE
Dec 30, 2022TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The red-hot Rochester Americans (15-9-1-1) look for their fifth straight win tonight as they host the Belleville Senators (12-15-2-0) in a Divisional matchup at Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Tonight’s get-together is the third of eight scheduled meetings this season and the second in Rochester since the Amerks a earned 4-3 overtime win back on Oct. 19. The Senators, meanwhile, earned a 3-2 shootout victory in the lone meeting at CAA Arena on Nov. 12. Following tonight, the two clubs will meet again as they usher in 2023 with a rematch in Rochester on Jan. 4.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
Despite boasting a 3-3-1-1 record in the eight-game series last season against Belleville, Rochester shows a 13-8-5-2 mark over the last five years between the two teams.
Rochester is 13-13-2 all-time against Belleville despite being outscored 100-95 through the first 28 meetings with the Senators. Five of the last eight matchups have been decided beyond regulation, including both games in the play-in round of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Both teams are operating with a 30.6% conversion rate on the power-play at home this season, which is tied for second-best in the AHL behind only Toronto. The Senators also have the sixth-best power-play overall having gone 32-for-135 for 23.7% success rate. Belleville's 32 goals on the man-advantage are tied for third-most in the AHL coming into the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
Brandon Biro (1+1), Brett Murray (1+1) and Lukas Rousek (1+1) all recorded two points in regulation before Chase Priskie delivered the game-winner with 2:34 gone in overtime to cap a 5-4 win for the Amerks over the intrastate rival Utica Comets Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
With his fifth straight two-point effort, Biro has recorded a team-leading 13 points (5+8) in eight games in December while Murray and Rousek each became the second and third Amerks this season to reach 20-point mark. Michael Mersch and Priskie each scored their third goals of the campaign.
Jeremy Davies, Mitch Eliot, Filip Cederqvist and Anders Bjork all added an assist as Rochester extended its win streak to a season-long four straight games. Goaltender Malcolm Subban (6-2-0) improved to 6-1-0 over his last seven appearances while also extending his personal win streak to four games. It was also his 100th professional win.
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER FOR SUBBAN
After suffering a defeat in his season-debut, Subban has gone 6-1-0 since, including four straight wins dating back to a 4-3 shootout victory against the first-place Toronto Marlies on Dec. 10.
After his 23-save effort against the Marlies, including all three shooters in the shootout, he went on to have himself a 75-save weekend in Rochester’s two-game sweep over the Charlotte Checkers. Subban's 4-0 shutout win was his first in the AHL since April 8, 2017, with the Providence Bruins.
Over his current four-game win streak, Subban, whose started four straight and five of the last six games, has compiled a 2.19 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage while totaling 125 saves.
WELL BALANCED OFFENSE
Brett Murray, one of three Amerks with at least 20 points on the season, is on pace to surpass the career-high 15 goals he scored in 2021-22 after recording his team-leading 11th of the season on Wednesday. The fourth-year pro comes into tonight with six points (2+4) in his last three games and six goals over his last 10 dating back to a two-goal effort against Providence on Nov. 23. He needs just three more points to reach 100 as an Amerk.
Coming off a two-point effort Wednesday against Utica, Lukas Rousek enters the weekend with eight goals and 12 assists while being one of four Amerks to appear in all 26 games. He's accounted for half of his eight goals this month alone with an impressive four goals in his last five games.
With eight points (4+4) over his last 11 games, which includes a two-point outing at Charlotte on Dec. 17, Linus Weissbach is six points back from the team-lead with 19 points (10+9) through 26 games. He, too, remains on pace to match his career-high of 16 goals from last season and has already established a new career-high of three game-winning goals.
Despite being two of the youngest players in the AHL, rookie forwards Jiri Kulich (6+10) and Isak Rosen (3+12) remain among the team's scoring leaders. Kulich's 16 points tie him for 23rd among all AHL rookies while Rosen's 12 assists are tied for 11th-most. Both players are representing their respective countries at the 2023 World Junior Championship. They each have three points through their first three games of the tournament while Kulich currently leads all Czechia players with three goals.
BIRO PILING UP THE POINTS
Despite missing six games due to injury, third-year forward Brandon Biro is atop the team's scoring lead following five straight two-point outings. He currently paces the Amerks in assists (17) and points (25) through 20 games. Dating back to last season, Biro has totaled 28 points (10+18) over his last 23 games and hasn't gone more than one game without a point over that span.
In the Amerks' 5-4 overtime win over Utica Wednesday, Biro, who also leads the team with 10 multi-point games, was a plus-two for the fourth straight game.
Since the start of the 2022 the calendar year, Biro has posted 18 multi-point outings in 49 games, totaling 54 points on 17 goals and 37 assists. The Amerks are 11-5-1-1 when Biro records more than two points in a game and have outscored the opposition 73-61.
SCOUTING THE SENATORS
The Senators, who continue a six-game North Division stretch, come into tonight with a 3-6-1-0 record in their last 10 games. Belleville shows a 1-4-1-0 mark in its last six contests dating back to Dec. 10.
After topping all Belleville skaters with a career-high 20 goals and 31 assists in 72 games in 2021-22, forward Jake Lucchini was recalled for the second time of the season earlier this week. Prior to his recall to Ottawa, he totaled 23 points (7+16) points in the first 25 contests this season.
Belleville has used four different goaltenders this season with Kevin Mandolese, Mads Sogaard, Antoine Bibeau and Logan Flodell. Sogaard and Bibeau have handled much of the duties, combining to post a 9-11-1 record in 27 appearances.
SERIES NOTABLES
So far this season, the Amerks have used 13 different defensemen, which is third-most in the AHL behind Belleville, San Diego, Toronto and Cleveland. Eleven of the 13 have recorded at least one point while seven have scored. Ethan Prow is the only defenseman to appear in all 26 games this season and has skated in 96 of the 102 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Amerks goaltender Malcolm Subban played his junior career with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL, who play at the CAA Arena. Subban totaled a 64-42-6 record and eight shutouts in 118 career games. During his final season with the Bulls, he helped Belleville finish first in the East during the regular season by posting a career-best 29 wins in 46 appearances.
Former Amerk defenseman Jack Dougherty is in his fourth season with Belleville after signing a PTO in the start of December. The blueliner notched 12 points on two goals and 10 assists during the 2018-19 campaign and was a career-best plus-15. In 109 career games with the Senators, Dougherty has recorded 23 points (4+19).