GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS VISIT MARLIES FOR AFTERNOON TILT IN TORONTO
Sandström, Amerks look to get back in the win column
Nov 17, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (7-5-1-0) are back on the road Sunday afternoon as they visit the Toronto Marlies (7-1-2-2) at Coca-Cola Coliseum at 4:00 p.m.
This will be the third of six meetings between the Marlies and Amerks, with Toronto owning a 2-0-0-0 series edge. The Amerks will be playing less than 24 hours after their Saturday game on home ice against Laval.
“When you play three games in a week, you’ve got to have some mental toughness and you’ve got to be willing to compete,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “The two things you can control in games like this in a long week are your effort and your attitude.”
LAST TIME OUT
Jack Rathbone netted the lone Amerks goal Saturday on home ice as Rochester fell 4-1 to the Laval Rocket. Two of Laval’s goals came via empty net conversions. Michael Houser made his fourth straight appearance in goal, stopping 14 shots in the loss. He is 4-3-1 on the season through nine games and has the fifth most minutes played across AHL goaltenders.
“You can't beat yourself. We gave up a shorthanded goal in the last minute of a period. We gave them a goal with .7 seconds left. That was the only way and credit to them. They blocked a ton of shots. We just refused to shoot the puck. There's going to be some games where you got to score goals where it's not a two on one or three on two. You got to get to the hard areas and we didn't get to the hard areas. They (Laval) did a better job.”
After winning six straight, the Amerks have now dropped three in a row, posting an 0-2-1-0 mark.
Elsewhere, Toronto has strung together a four-game point streak, however, the Marlies have lost three straight games in either overtime or shootout. On Saturday, Toronto overcame a 3-0 third-period deficit to Belleville, but only managed one standings point as the Senators outlasted the Marlies in a 12-round shootout at Scotiabank Arena, home to the Marlies’ parent club, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Marlies are back at Coca-Cola Coliseum to continue with their second game of a five-game homestand. The Amerks play two on the road, before returning home for four straight games at Blue Cross Arena.
SANDSTRÖM STARTS
On Saturday morning, coach Leone confirmed his goaltending tandem would split the weekend, giving Felix Sandström the chance to make his return from injury Sunday in Toronto. The 27-year-old left with an upper-body injury from Rochester’s game against Hartford on Nov. 8 and did not dress the following two games.
Sandström is 3-2-0 through five starts as an Amerk after his previous six AHL seasons with Lehigh Valley. His three wins are consecutive and is an active win streak Sandström will carry into Toronto. The Gavle, Sweden, native made 17 saves against the Marlies back on Oct. 18 of this season and is 0-1-1 lifetime against Toronto. Sandström is one win away from tying his career best-four game win streak set from Febr. 2-24, 2024 with the Phantoms last season.
ALL TOO (UN)WELL
Earlier this season, the Amerks had back-to-back 2-0 leads on Toronto, but left empty-handed on consecutive days as the Marlies would rally to win both games in regulation.
Alex Steeves recorded three goals over that October weekend against the Amerks, but the talented forward was recalled to the Maple Leafs. Still, the Marlies are left with a gamut of skilled players, including former Amerk Alex Nylander, plus rookie Nikita Grebenkin, who trails only Steeves in points with 10 (4+6). Toronto began the season by returning 20 of its players from the 2023-24 AHL campaign.
The Marlies have just one regulation loss on the season, making them the only AHL team yet to sustain multiple regulation losses, despite scoring first in just two of their 12 games played.
In 28 of the last 44 games between Toronto and Rochester, the team that has scored first has won. The Marlies are 5-0-0-1 at home and remain unbeaten at Coca-Cola Coliseum to start the season. The Amerks are 5-2-0-0 when playing away from the Flower City, and have won four of their last five road contests.