TACO BELL WRAP-UP: MURRAY HELPS AMERKS LEAP TO THIRD PLACE
Jan 29, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans have hit their stride of late, winning four of their last five games, including a big 7-4 win on Saturday over Laval, leapfrogging the Rocket for third place in the North Division with 44 points generated by a 20-14-3-1 record.
After falling in a 4-0 outcome to Utica Friday, Rochester put up seven goals for a second straight Saturday, proving the night prior was an anomaly and the Amerks are heating up at the start of the second half of the 2023-24 AHL season.
BIG NIGHT FOR MURR
Brett Murray had the most impressive weekend of any Amerk, scoring two goals and two assists in Saturday’s win, giving the fifth-year pro his second career four-point game and his first since Feb. 27, 2022.
“I thought he was a beast,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert. “He was absolutely excellent. I just have so much belief in who he is and what he’s continuing to fight for in what he’s trying to become as a player. He was great. Every time you put him on a line or change a line around, he helps that line be better.”
“Everything was clicking,” said Murray. “To come back tonight (Saturday) after not playing our best yesterday and come out and play today and have success is nice to see.”
A FIRST FOR NOVIKOV
After several scoring chances throughout the season, rookie defenseman Nikita Novikov scored his first AHL goal in his 32nd game with the team. He followed his first-period conversion Saturday with the primary assist 2:36 later on Justin Richards’ goal. The shot was taken by Novikov, then redirected off Richards and in.
“I thought that was mine, too,” said Novikov while grinning from ear to ear. “It felt great to score. I’ve been waiting so long. I felt like I played great. It was a great game and a great win. This move has been hard for me and my wife. Moving for the first time, but it’s getting better. We’re getting more and more used to it.”
Novikov is a 20-year-old from Moscow, Russia. The Buffalo Sabres plucked him in the 2021 NHL Draft with the team’s sixth-round selection. This is Novikov’s first season at any level playing in North America.
“He’s been hungry for one,” said Appert when asked about Novikov’s first goal as an Amerk. “He’s got good offensive timing and he’s had a lot of chances and has a lot of assists (12). The first goal’s been elusive. It’s nice to see him get rewarded, but it’s also great to see too how the players react. How they react on the bench and how they react in the locker room postgame shows you that as a young rookie who doesn’t know the language well has still won the room over with his personality and his competitiveness.
Novikov is third on Rochester’s defense in scoring with 13 points (1+12) and second in rookie scoring for the team, trailing only fellow Russian Viktor Neuchev (6+10).
SPEAKING OF VIKTOR
Neuchev was one of many players who posted big nights in the win over Laval, with the rookie registering his first three-point game in North America with a goal and two assists. The 20-year-old from Chelyabinsk, Russia, could be in the running for the AHL’s rookie of the month award for January, especially with a strong finish Wednesday against Syracuse.
In seven games during the month of January, Neuchev has scored four goals and six assists for 10 points. This comes after earning just six points in his previous 22 games. Buffalo’s third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has at least a point in all but one of his last eight games.
“Neuchev’s English was non-existent on arrival,” said Appert. “Early in the season with Neuchev, I always grabbed him after a team meeting if we covered something as a team to make sure I used Google Translate with him so he would understand. I learned one Russian word, which was turnover, so I could yell at him in his native language when he would turn a puck over. Now he and I laugh about it. Now, Neuchev’s English is a lot better. He’s worked hard on it.”
“We had a hard meeting with him two months ago about raising his daily standards and habits. Now, he’s one of the first three or four guys here every day. He’s in the shooting room early every day and he’s one of the last guys in this room. It’s good to see him get rewarded.”
COMING UP NEXT
Before Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich head west for AHL All-Star Weekend in San Jose, the Amerks must first finish out their schedule ahead of the break. While the dynamic duo look to showcase their talents to the rest of the league, all other players and staff will be off for several days in what will be the final break ahead of the rest of the regular season, and hopefully playoffs.
Before then, however, Rochester wraps up its four-game homestand looking for a 3-1-0-0 mark when they welcome Syracuse to town Wednesday night. Afterwards, the team ventures to Laval for the final two meetings of the season with the Rocket on Friday and Saturday.
Six big points are on the line against North Division foes this week. Let’s see how the Amerks handle their competition.