GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS WELCOME BACK ROCKET TONIGHT
Laval makes its first trip back to Rochester since Game 3 of the North Division Finals
Jan 11, 2023TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (18-11-1-1) play their second of four straight games against North Division opponents tonight when they host the Laval Rocket (13-16-4-1) at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. All the action will be carried on The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Tonight's matchup is the third between the two teams this season and the first in Rochester since Laval eliminated the Amerks in Game 3 of the North Division Finals this past Spring. Following tonight's contest, the two teams will meet four more times over the second half of the season with another get-together slated for next Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
After the Amerks claimed the first three meetings in 2021-22, the Rocket have responded with points in six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams, posting a 5-1-1-0 record over that span.
The teams split a two-game set earlier this season in Laval which saw the Amerks rebound with a 5-1 win on Oct. 29 on the strength of a three-goal first period after dropping an 8-1 decision the night before. Brandon Biro and Jiri Kulich each have three points (1+2) against the Rocket this season.
Rochester boasts an 18-7-1-0 record all-time against the Rocket, which includes a near-perfect 8-2-0-0 mark at home dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
LAST TIME OUT
The Amerks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period before surviving a late push by the Syracuse Crunch and holding on for a 4-3 win, their fifth straight on the road, Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
With the win, the Amerks have claimed four of the first six meetings against the Crunch this season, including each of the last two games in Syracuse.
Ethan Prow registered his first two-goal outing since Dec. 19, 2018 while fellow blueliner Lawrence Pilut added a pair of assists. The two-point effort was Prow’s third of the season whereas Pilut recorded his first in the AHL since the 2019-20 campaign. Brett Murray scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season before Jeremy Davies sealed the win with his third.
SUBBAN STREAKING INTO THE NEW YEAR
After suffering a defeat in his season-debut on Nov. 18, Subban has gone 8-1-0 since, including six straight wins dating back to a 4-3 shootout victory against the first-place Toronto Marlies on Dec. 10. The six-game win streak is the longest of his pro career.
He's the first Amerks goaltender to post six straight wins since Aaron Dell won his first six games to open the 2021-22 campaign.
Subban had his arguably best performance of the season during a 75-save weekend in Rochester’s two-game sweep over the Charlotte Checkers. A night after stopping a regular-season career-high 45 saves, Subban was flawless in a 30-save shutout on Dec. 17, his first in the AHL since April 8, 2017, with the Providence Bruins.
Subban, who picked up his 100th career win in the 5-4 overtime victory over Utica on Dec. 28, has topped the 40-save mark twice in his last five starts and currently leads all AHL goaltenders with 19 penalty minutes.
WELL BALANCED OFFENSE
With six goals in his last 10 games, Lukas Rousek enters the week second on the team with 25 points (10+15) while being one of four Amerks to appear in all 31 games. He accounted for half of his nine goals in December and has been one of the team's most consistent point-getters. He is riding a career-best six-game point streak (3+4) entering tonight.
With 13 points (6+7) over his last 16 games, including five in the last five games (2+3), Linus Weissbach is five points back from the team-lead with 24 points (12+12) through 31 games. He remains on pace to match his career-high of 16 goals from last season and has already established a new personal-best of three game-winning goals.
Brett Murray, one of four Amerks with at least 24 points on the season, is also on pace to surpass the career-high 15 goals he scored in 2021-22 after recording his team-leading 13th of the season last Saturday against Syracuse, which also served as his 100th career point as an Amerk. The fourth-year pro comes into tonight with 10 points (5+5) in his last 10 games and eight goals over his last 15 dating back to a two-goal effort against Providence on Nov. 23.
Back from the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, forward Jiri Kulich helped Czech Republic claim the silver medal after finishing the tournament tied for second with a team-high seven goals, including a hat trick in a 9-0 win over Austria, and a plus-10 on-ice rating. Isak Rosen, meanwhile, helped Sweden to a fourth-place finish with six points (2+4) and a plus-seven on-ice rating in seven games.
BIRO PILING UP THE POINTS
Despite missing six games due to injury, Biro has blazed his way atop the team's scoring lead following a productive December in which he led the team with 16 points (6+10) in 10 games. He recorded multi-point efforts in seven of his 10 appearances, including six straight between Dec. 9 and Dec. 30 before closing out the month with an assist in the 3-2 win in Toronto.
He currently paces the Amerks in assists (20) and points (29) through 25 games and his recent seven-game point streak to close out the 2022 calendar year was the longest of his career.
Dating back to last season, Biro has totaled 70 points on 21 goals and 49 assists over his last 73 games and hasn't gone more than two games without a point since Nov. 27, 2021. Since the start of the 2022 calendar year, Biro has posted 19 multi-point outings in 53 games, totaling 58 points on 18 goals and 40 assists.
SCOUTING THE ROCKET
Despite being winless in its last two games, Laval has earned points in eight of its last 11 dating back to a 2-1 shootout lost on Dec. 3. Overall, the Rocket, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs, are tied for fifth in the AHL's North Division standings.
Back with Rocket following a seven-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens, Anthony Richard paces all Laval skaters with a team-best 18 goals and 31 points in 27 games. Since earning his first recall to the Canadiens on Dec. 18, Richard posted has two points in seven NHL games, including scoring his first NHL goal on Dec. 21.
Tied for third-most in the AHL with 18 goals, Richard has three goals and six points over his last three games.
SERIES NOTABLES
Both teams have at least 10 wins this season when leading after two periods.
So far this season, the Amerks have used 13 different defensemen, which is third-most in the AHL. Twelve of the 13 have recorded at least one point while seven have scored. Ethan Prow is the only defenseman to appear in all 31 games this season and has skated in 102 of the 108 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Laval's goaltending duo of Kevin Poulin and Cayden Primeau have a combined 8-7-1 record in 16 career games against Rochester. Michael Houser (1-0-0) has faced Laval twice during the regular season and appeared in two games during last year's playoff run. Malcolm Subban has never appeared in a contest against the Rocket.
Prior to his recall, Laval forward Anthony Richard had the second-longest goal-scoring streak in the AHL and his eight-game point streak was tied for the eighth-longest. He has two four-point outings in his last six games.
Rocket goaltender Cayden Primeau, who is currently on recall with Montreal, is the nephew of former Amerk Wayne Primeau, a member of the 1996 Calder Cup-winning team.