GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS BEGIN SEASON-LONG HOMESTAND AGAINST COMETS
Five things to know as Amerks play first of six straight games at Blue Cross Arena
Jan 22, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (19-13-4-2) are home for six straight at Blue Cross Arena, beginning Friday night as they host the Utica Comets (11-18-4-3).
Here’s five things to know before the Amerks face-off against one of their intrastate rivals.
AH, SHOOT
For the first time this season, the Amerks emerged from a road trip without a win.
The final attempt came Monday afternoon in Syracuse, where the Crunch scored a game-tying goal late, before topping Rochester by a 3-2 final in a shootout. As a result, the Amerks ended a three-game road trip with an 0-1-1-1 mark, falling to fourth in the North Division.
Zac Jones found the back of the net to give the Amerks a 2-1 lead after first assisting on Jake Leschyshyn’s power-play goal that put the team on the board. Devon Levi made a number of high-quality stops and finished the game with 28 saves, plus two more in the shootout before Syracuse’s Max Groshev scored the game-winner. Isak Rosén, Carson Meyer, and Viktor Neuchev were unable to solve Ryan Fanti in the shootout, allowing the Crunch an extra standings point.
Like Rochester, the Comets are also coming off a shootout defeat with the team dropping a 5-4 final Sunday evening in Ottawa as they took on the Belleville Senators at the home arena of their parent club.
Utica entered the third period trailing 4-2 before scoring a pair of goals, including the game-tying conversion from Brian Halonen with under two minutes to go in regulation. The Comets ended their three-game weekend with a 1-1-1-0 record.
Tonight begins Utica’s second of four weekends where the team will play three games in as many days.
COUNTRY ROADS
Over the next 14 nights, the Amerks host a season-long six-game homestand taking them into February. Five different teams will stop in the Flower City, with half of the contests coming against opponents from the Atlantic Division.
Rochester’s homestand is highlighted by Hall of Fame Night next Friday, Jan. 30, as the team hosts Hershey when Claude Verret and Dean Melanson are inducted into Rochester’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The AHL’s two oldest franchises face-off twice next week, then the homestand ends in February with the Springfield Thunderbirds making their solo stop to Rochester.
Within the division, games against Utica, Cleveland, and Belleville are on tap. Rochester currently yields a 15-10-3-1 record against the North Division.
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR
Earlier in the week, Amerks head coach Mike Leone provided updates on several Amerks out with injuries, with defenseman and alternate captain Jack Rathbone joining the list following a scary collision in the third period of Monday’s game at Syracuse.
Rathbone will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, though Leone described the situation as one that will be monitored daily, meaning the fluidity of the situation leaves the timetable for a return relatively unknown. Rathbone joins fellow defensemen Vsevolod Komarov and Noah Laaouan who are also out week-to-week, though this duo are dealing with lower-body injuries.
The same can be said for goaltender Topias Leinonen, who is still sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Entering Friday, the Amerks have lost 166-man games due to injury and call-ups this season. Eight different Amerks have been recalled to the Sabres this season, while four members of the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen have been recalled to Rochester. Eleven different Amerks have ended up missing at least a game due to injury.
LEVI LEADS
Third-year pro Devon Levi is expected to lead Rochester onto the ice Friday for what will be his 27th start of the season.
Levi made 28 saves in each of his games on the road this past week against Belleville and Syracuse, respectively. The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native entered this week leading the Eastern Conference in games played, minutes, and saves. His 682 saves lead the AHL altogether. Levi’s next start will see the AHL All-Star surpass his rookie totals from the 2024-25 season. Levi made 42 starts in his second year with the red, white, and blue.
Levi posted a perfect 5-0-0 in five appearances versus the Comets in 2024-25 while showing a 2.62 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage. In his career against Utica since joining the Amerks during the 2023-24 season, the third-year netminder has a near-perfect 10-1-1 mark, a .912 save percentage and a 2.76 goals-against-average.
CONTAINING THE COMETS
Friday will be meeting six of 10 on the season between Rochester and Utica. After winning each of the first two games, the Comets have taken three straight from the Amerks, including a 3-0 shutout this past Saturday.
The Amerks have dominated the Comets over the last four seasons, thwarting Utica with a 27-10-1-1 mark. Rochester has outscored Utica 134-110 over that same span, and after the second period alone, the Amerks have dismantled the Comets by a 60-45 margin.
Aside from the Cleveland Monsters (0-1-1-0), Utica is the only other North Division team the Amerks have yet to defeat in regulation in Rochester.
Including tonight, the Amerks will face the Comets five more times over the course of the season, which includes a home-and-home set next month.