AMERKS CONFIDENT ENTERING GAME 4 WITH SEASON ON THE LINE
Teamwide belief has staff and players ready to keep season alive
May 22, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans have been here before.
They’ve actually been here seven times over the previous two postseasons. Win and keep playing. Lose and go home.
That is the scenario that the red, white, and blue face entering Game 4 of the North Division Finals Friday night at Place Bell. They are facing an uphill battle. Not only do the Amerks trail in the series, but they trail to the team that finished first overall in the AHL. They trail a team that led the league in home wins with 24. They are up against a goalie that finished the regular season with the best statistical campaign any goaltender has ever had in the near 90-year history of the American Hockey League.
And despite all that adversity, this group believes they are not done yet.
“I actually really liked our game,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone following the team’s 4-1 loss in Game 3 Wednesday. “We had a lot of good looks, and we set up good screens. It just didn’t go in the back of the net and that happens sometimes.”
Much can be interpreted from a simple scan of the scoresheet. See the Amerks lose by three and one could postulate that Rochester was outmatched or that the game was a one-sided affair, but those who watched, played, and coached the game would see a different story.
“We established a good forecheck and created a lot of turnovers. I really like how our team played. It wasn’t a 4-1 hockey game. I like a lot of things we did.”
“We had our opportunities,” said defenseman Jack Rathbone. “Their goalie played well. They did a pretty good job of keeping us to the outside.”
“I thought we were generating a bunch in the third,” said team captain Mason Jobst. “It felt like we created a lot of opportunities. Any little mistake we made, they capitalized on, but we kept getting chance after chance.”
So, yes, the Amerks did fall 4-1 in Game 3, but it was a game in which they outshot Laval by double digits for a second straight game. Games 2 and 3 combined have seen the Amerks outshoot Laval, 69-39. On Wednesday, the chances were there, but the goals weren’t.
After surrendering a goal 15 seconds into the game, it took until almost three minutes into the third period for another goal to go through. Lukas Rousek was responsible for tying things up, but the 1-1 game lasted only 2:11 before Florian Xhekaj would score on Devon Levi in what turned out to be the game-winning conversion for the Rocket.
“Devon probably wants that one,” said Leone. “When they get one in this building, it can be tough. They get a lot of momentum from their crowd, but Devon’s been a horse for us all season. He’s got to respond in a big way Friday night and I know he will.
“When you have the guy in net that we have, you know you’ve got a chance to win every night,” said Rathbone.”
Levi had a shutout streak of 166:43, the longest of his young career, end at the hands of the Rocket during the first period of Game 1. After posting back-to-back shutouts while allowing just two goals in the three-game sweep of Syracuse, the AHL All-Star has allowed 12 goals in just as many games in the North Division Finals against Laval. Wednesday saw Levi allow four goals, making it the first time in his career the Sabres’ prospect has allowed three or more goals in three consecutive starts.
But Levi is also the same goalie that posted seven shutouts this season to lead the AHL. His numbers were the best an Amerks goaltender has had since the days of Hall of Famer Ryan Miller, who patrolled the crease in the Flower City 20 years earlier. Levi has shown the ability to bounce back from previous pain points in a season. He will be tasked to do so again (twice) to get Rochester past Laval and back to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It takes more than just good goaltending. The Amerks need their defense to protect the front of the net on their end and deliver pucks to the front of the net they attack at. Their forwards need to clamp down in the gritty areas to get secondary scoring to produce more goals. In the 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, Rochester managed a 5-2 record in elimination games. They have won each of its last three elimination playoff games that took place on the road.
“All the moments from the regular season lead up to this point,” said Leone. “When you’re this far in and there’s only eight teams left, you’ve been through a lot of situations. Our season is on the line. I know we’re going to play desperate hockey, and we will be ready right from puck drop.”
Leone is new to the core of Amerks players who have been through the trenches each of the last several seasons that saw the team reach the playoffs. Jobst, who was named the 64th captain in franchise history entering the 2024-25 campaign, has been here for the ride. He was with the team on its last run to the Conference Finals in 2023. This time, he has the chance to be the player that leads them there.
At this point in the year, records from the regular season are irrelevant. Short term memory is a must, and perseverance is paramount to determining how far a team can go. Jobst isn’t playing for himself. He’s playing for his team, and perhaps most importantly, the Rochester Americans will enter Game 4 playing for each other.
“I think there’s always a little bit more desperation when your season is on the line,” said Jobst. “This group loves each other and really enjoys spending time together. When that gets threatened, we come together. You give a little bit extra. We all want to keep playing together.”
“We have confidence that we are the better team when we play our style and our brand. I think you saw it a lot in Game 2. This team is here for a reason. They finished first for a reason. We can’t let them get to their game. When we dictate the pace and we play our style, there’s a lot of confidence in our group. We all believe.”
