TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS ON THE VERGE OF CLINCHING PLAYOFFS
Rochester picks up five of a possible six points over three-game weekend
Mar 31, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (39-18-4-3) played their final three-game weekend of the 2024-25 AHL season, earning five of a possible six points as the team continues its push towards a playoff berth.
A 2-0-1-0 record over the weekend showcased goaltending and balanced scoring, with a little extra here and there. Here are some of the key takeaways from the week that was.
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREE’S
With wins over Bridgeport and Syracuse, followed by gaining a point in an overtime loss to the Crunch Sunday, the Amerks’ chase to securing a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs continues to look like a clearer path. Now, entering April, Rochester’s magic number is down to three. The red, white, and blue are three points away from guaranteeing an appearance in the AHL Playoffs for a sixth straight year.
Eight days ago, the magic number was 11 for Rochester. By the time Friday came around, it was cut to nine. Then a 6-0 shutout win over the Islanders dropped it to seven. On Saturday, Rochester pulled out a 4-2 win against Syracuse, while Belleville dropped an overtime decision, swinging the magic number three points, and the Amerks picked up a point Sunday to shrink that number to three.
Now, Rochester can clinch a playoff berth as soon as this Wednesday when the team hosts the Springfield Thunderbirds. This can be done one of two ways:
An Amerks win Wednesday, coupled with a loss of any kind for Belleville, who hosts Syracuse, or Rochester would need an overtime or shootout loss and Belleville would have to lose in regulation.
If either of those scenarios happen, Rochester is playoff bound again.
OFF THE SCHNEID
It was a good weekend for several Amerks to get back in the scoring column after going quiet for longer than they’d like, starting with Zachary Metsa who opened the scoring 1:33 into the game against Bridgeport. Metsa’s conversion was his sixth of the season and turned out to be his fourth game-winning-goal of the year. It also was his first goal in 10 games.
In that same contest, Riley Fiddler-Schultz reached double-digit goal totals with the 10th of his rookie season. The power-play tally ended an 18-game drought for the Edmonton, Alberta, native.
Fast forward to Saturday and Brendan Warren blasted his ninth goal of the season past Syracuse’s Brandon Halverson, getting Warren his first goal since last scoring on the Crunch Jan. 11, ending a 19-game dry spell.
SERIES SECURED
Following a home-and-home weekend with Syracuse, the Amerks are now finished with the Crunch, at least for the regular season.
After 12 meetings, the Amerks secured another season series win in the North Division, posting a 7-3-1-1 record against their intrastate rival. Rochester has already guaranteed a series win over Cleveland despite one game with the Monsters still to play, and also took a convincing series win against Utica. The team is one win shy of winning the series against Belleville as well, with three games left facing the Senators.
Winning series means winning tiebreakers, though Rochester likely isn’t too concerned with that when it comes to Syracuse as the Amerks are 13 points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate.
The Amerks went 4-1-0-1 in Syracuse this season after wrapping up the road portion of their series with a 4-2 win Saturday, thanks in large part to the team building a 3-0 lead through the first 24 minutes of the game with goals from Erik Brännström, Warren, and Brett Murray.
Felix Sandström was also a force in goal, managing 23 saves to secure his ninth straight win of the season with all nine wins over that span coming on the road.
Syracuse’s rally fell short Saturday, but went well for the team Sunday as they overcame a 2-0 hole to pull out a 3-2 overtime win at Blue Cross Arena. Still, Rochester managed 16 out of a possible 24 points in the season series. Including Utica, the Amerks went 17-4-1-2 against New York State competition.
COMING UP NEXT
While the three-game weekends are through, Rochester will still play a flurry of three-game weeks, including this upcoming one as the Amerks face-off against Springfield at Blue Cross Arena with a chance to secure a playoff berth Wednesday night.
If Rochester doesn’t put an “X” next to its name Wednesday, the team will continue to have chances and doing so against the team directly in its way of a playoff berth come this weekend, as the team heads to Belleville for their final two games at CAA Arena this season on Friday and Saturday, respectively.