PLAYOFF PREVIEW: AMERKS LOOK TO KEEP SEASON ALIVE IN MUST-WIN GAME 4 AGAINST LAVAL
Rochester trails 2-1 in best-of-five North Division Finals
May 22, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
For the first time in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Rochester Americans will have their backs against the wall as it’s win or go home for the red, white, and blue Friday night against the Laval Rocket in Game 4 of the North Division Finals at Place Bell.
Laval has taken two of the first three games in this best-of-five series, including the first of a possible three at Place Bell on Wednesday night. The Rocket is 6-5 all-time in playoff games at home, while the Amerks have yet to win a playoff game in Laval, posting an 0-3 record in Quebec dating back to the 2022 North Division Finals.
GAME 3 RECAP
Lukas Rousek scored the lone goal for the Amerks two nights ago, but the Rocket were able to blast off in the third period with a trio of goals scored in a 5:14 span to pull away with a 4-1 win.
The Amerks fell behind the eight ball early, with Luke Tuch, the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch, deflecting a shot past Devon Levi only 15 seconds into the contest.
The game remained 1-0 in favor of the Rocket before Rousek solved Cayden Primeau 2:46 into the third period on a wrist shot from the left circle coming off an odd man rush in transition.
Rousek’s equalizer stood for just 2:11 before Florian Xhekaj and Laurent Dauphin scored 65 seconds apart to regain the lead and build on it. Joshua Roy would extend the lead to 4-1 just past the midway point of the third period and Primeau would turn away the remaining Rochester bids, finishing his night with 32 saves and a second win in the series.
Levi made 16 saves for a second consecutive game, though the Dollard-des-Ormeaux native ended up on the losing side of things this time around. Over Games 2 and 3, the Amerks have outshot the Rocket, 69-39.
Primeau has both wins for Laval in this series, but the Rocket have alternated the goaltending duties between he and fellow netminder Jacob Fowler every other game since Game 3 of last round against Cleveland. Fowler took the loss against Rochester, his first of the playoffs, in Game 2.
KEEPIN’ IT KUL
Rousek’s goal Wednesday night was generated off a zone entry from 21-year-old Jiri Kulich, who is back with Rochester for a third straight playoff run. The former first-round draft pick trails only Kale Clague in point production for the Amerks this postseason, registering two goals and six assists for eight points. Kulich has found the scoresheet in five straight games, being held without a point only once, coming back in the playoff opener against Syracuse in the North Division Semifinals.
Kulich also leads the Amerks with a plus-seven on-ice rating through six games. He is one of four players across the Calder Cup Playoffs with a plus-seven or better rating and is one of just two forwards to do so.
Over parts of three AHL seasons, Kulich has operated at a point-per-game pace against the Rocket, amassing nine goals and 11 assists over 20 games facing Montreal’s AHL affiliate. After playing one NHL game over his first two professional seasons, the Kadan, Czechia native spent the bulk of his 2024-25 campaign in a Sabres jersey, scoring 15 goals as part of a 24-point season across 62 games.
WIN OR GO HOME
The Amerks have been here before. Rochester has been playing with a core largely intact for the last three playoff runs. Dating back to 2023, Friday marks the eighth time the Amerks will face elimination in a playoff game; they boast a 5-2 record in their previous seven win-or-go home matchups.
In 2023, Rochester trailed Syracuse 2-0 in the North Division Semifinals before rallying to win three straight. Later that spring, the club ventured to Hershey in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 3-1 series deficit before forcing a Game 6 back at Blue Cross Arena. Last year, down 2-1 in the series and 3-0 entering the third against the Crunch, the Amerks roared back to force overtime where Brett Murray would go on to score the game-winner.
The Amerks won two of eight meetings during the regular season against Laval, but both of those victories came on the road. Rochester finished the season as one of six teams with above 21 road wins. Their 23-9-2-2 record outside the Flower City was two wins shy of tying the franchise record for best road season.
Rochester has won three straight road elimination games and is 7-3 overall in its last 10 playoff contests away from home.
LEASHING LAURENT
Veteran forward Laurent Dauphin is back in the Calder Cup Playoffs for just the third time since his pro career started with the Portland Pirates in 2015. The 30-year-old has scored a goal in back-to-back games against the Amerks and has points in each of Laval’s seven playoff games. Dauphin has two goals and one assist against the Amerks.
The 11th-year pro has played against more teams than that who are active in today’s AHL, skating against 38 different teams in the league’s history. Rochester is the team he has posted his 10th- highest point totals against, registering eight goals and 12 points in 15 regular season games against the Amerks.
Dauphin finished the regular season posting career-highs in goals (26), assists (30), and points (56).
