GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS VISIT CLEVELAND FOR PRE-HOLIDAY BREAK FINALE
Rochester eyeing tie for first in North Division against top seeded-Monsters
Dec 21, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (16-9-3-0) close out the pre-Christmas portion of the 2024-25 schedule looking for a joyous win in Cleveland against the Monsters (17-7-1-2) Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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GAME NOTES |
MEDIA KIT |
Sunday marks the fifth of eight times the Amerks and Monsters get together this season. Rochester took the first half of the season series, winning three of four meetings, including each of the prior two games played in Cleveland. Each game has been a high-scoring affair, with two games being decided by one goal, including an Amerks shootout victory on Oct. 26. Overall, Rochester has outscored Cleveland, 19-12.
LAST TIME OUT
The Amerks remain one of the hottest teams in the AHL, winning their fifth game in the last six Friday night on home ice, as Rochester topped Syracuse by a 3-1 final.
Graham Slaggert’s third shorthanded goal of the season stood to be the game-winner in the second period, while Viktor Neuchev posted a goal and an assist, and Nikita Novikov found the back of the net less than a minute into the action. Devon Levi made 22 saves, giving him his seventh win over the second-year pro’s last eight starts.
Cleveland enters Sunday having been idle on the weekend to date. The team played back-to-back nights against Utica Wednesday and Thursday. After falling to the Comets in the opener, the Monsters bounced back with a 6-1 win in the rematch. Rookie defenseman Denton Mateychuk led the way with two goals, while former Toronto Marlies’ forward Dylan Gambrell posted three points (1+2) for his new team. Pavel Cajan stopped 21 shots for the win, but has since been reassigned to ECHL-Cincinnati.
PERFECTION WITH NOVI
Novikov’s game-opening goal Friday night was his third of the season and sixth as an Amerk across two seasons and 93 games. More impressively, Rochester has gone a perfect 6-0-0-0 when the Russian defenseman scores.
“If you look at that block that he had in the third, it probably saved us the game,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone when asked about Novikov’s play Friday night. “They (Syracuse) score there and it’s 2-2 and gives them the momentum shift. I thought he defended extremely hard. You look at what they have up the middle and it's a heavy group of centers and I thought he did a great job killing plays in the defensive zone. He makes reasoned decisions at crucial times. I thought he was our best player tonight.”
Novikov has strung together points in three straight games, collecting a goal and three assists over that span. His three-game point streak ties a career-high set in October of last season. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Novikov has also led all Amerks players with a plus-31 on-ice rating.
HEY, SHORTY
With his third shorthanded goal of the season, Slaggert is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals, evened with Bridgeport’s Brian Pinho. Last season, former Amerk Brandon Biro scored three times while down a man, giving the Amerks consecutive seasons with a player scoring at least three shorthanded goals. It’s the first time Rochester has done that since 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Slaggert’s goal also gives the South Bend, Indiana, native 13 points (6+7) on the season, establishing a new career-high after surpassing his 12 points from last year in 18 fewer games.
The third-year pro joins multiple teammates previously viewed as depth pieces like Tyson Kozak and Brendan Warren who are all experiencing career years.
“I think we just got off to a really good start this season,” said Slaggert. “I think that helped our case and we've just been able to remain consistent and not change our game too much on a night-to-night basis and try to keep it as simple as possible. It's a pretty simple recipe when you look at just getting pucks deep, working hard and hopefully create some turnovers and just get to the net.”
Over two seasons with Rochester, Slaggert has now amassed 12 goals and 25 points. He now has two game-winning-goals over the last two weeks.
“I love it here. It's such a fun place to play and I take pride in being an Amerk.”
FIGHT FOR FIRST
Pending the result of Laval’s game against Springfield Sunday afternoon, a regulation win for the Amerks against the Monsters could see Rochester enter the holiday break in a tie for first place in the North Division standings.
At one point in November, the Amerks trailed both Cleveland and Laval by double-digit point totals. While the Monsters have gone 5-3-1-1 over their last 10 games, the Amerks have won eight of their last 10.
Additionally, Rochester boasts the best road record in the AHL, along with Hershey, as the league’s two oldest franchises each have 11 wins on away ice. The Amerks are fresh off their season-long five-game road trip where they won each of the last four games, dominating the opposition with a 21-7 goal differential.
The Amerks are on a five-game win streak in Cleveland. Dating back to Nov. 18, 2023, Rochester has gone 5-0-0-0 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.