GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS, COMETS BEGIN THREE-GAME SET
Rochester hits the road following season long six-game homestand
Feb 7, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (22-16-4-2) are less than 24 hours from entering a near week-long break in the schedule to accommodate the AHL All-Star Classic, but before then they hit the road to face-off against the Utica Comets (13-21-5-3) Saturday evening at Adirondack Bank Center.
| HOW TO WATCH | GAME NOTES | LINE CHART |
Here are five things to know before this intrastate contest:
A COUPLE OF ROSEY RATS
The Amerks’ reinforcements from Buffalo did not disappoint in their return to the lineup Friday night as Isak Rosén scored a natural hat trick while Konsta Helenius pitched two assists to his fellow All-Star to help the Amerks blank the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-0. Rosén’s hat trick is his second over his last eight games, previously netting the first of his career at Belleville Jan. 16. With 23 goals, the fourth-year Amerk enters play on Saturday ranked 4th in scoring across the AHL and second in the Eastern Conference, trailing only Belleville’s Arthur Kaliyev (29) while playing in 17 fewer games.
Scoring up front was coupled with help on the backend, as Rochester’s defensive zone game led to yet again suppressing their opponent to fewer than 26 shots, allowing 20-year-old rookie Scott Ratzlaff to record his first professional shutout, doing so in his first start at Blue Cross Arena in front of 5,427 fans. The start was just the fourth of Ratzlaff’s AHL career, improving to 3-1-0 as an Amerks’ netminder. In doing so, Ratzlaff joins Devon Levi who has already pitched three shutouts to become the first Amerks goaltending tandem to each record shutouts on their own since Malcolm Subban and Michael Houser did so in the 2022-23 season.
Meanwhile in Utica, the Comets opened up a three-game homestand with a dramatic 2-1 shootout win over the Bridgeport Islanders. Shane Lachance got the lone goal in regulation before Topias Vilen scored the game-winning shot in the shootout. Like the Amerks, Utica sent its rookie goaltender Jakub Málek to the crease, where he made 25 saves for the win. Utica skates in tonight riding a seven-game point streak on home ice, going 5-0-1-1 since Dec. 27 at Adirondack Bank Center.
BEAST BACK IN BUSINESS
The Amerks have a plan in place for managing starts with their goaltenders and as outlined by head coach Mike Leone earlier in the week, that plan sees Devon Levi draw his 32nd start of the season on Saturday.
Ratzlaff is coming off a shutout performance, but Levi has been the workhorse for Rochester and the AHL this season, leading the league in minutes played (1829:14), saves (786), and is tied for games played. The 24-year-old has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of his last eight starts, including a 23-save shutout against Utica Jan. 23 in Rochester.
Despite it being his first against the Comets, Levi has dominated this intrastate foe since bursting on the scene in 2022-23. The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec native shows an 11-1-1 lifetime record when facing Utica, posting a 2.55 goals-against average along with a .918 save percentage.
Saturday’s start will be Levi’s 100th as an Amerk. He is 56-29-14 with 10 shutouts over his three years wearing red, white, and blue.
KUNTAR KICKING IT INTO GEAR
Last night’s 4-0 Amerks win saw Trevor Kuntar score the final goal of the night after Rosén’s natural hat trick. It was the 12th of the season for Kuntar, who despite reaching career highs in every offensive category has been snakebitten of late. The goal was only Kuntar’s third over the last 20 games after scoring nine through the previous 23.
The Williamsville, New York native is fourth on Rochester in points with 23 (12+11), second on the roster with 63 penalty minutes, and leads all Amerks with 111 shots on goal. Kuntar’s efforts through the first quarter of the season were rewarded with an NHL contract and call-up to the Buffalo Sabres in December. He is a point away from doubling his production from a season ago and has played in 11 fewer games to this point.
A PLAYOFF SERIES IN FEBRUARY?
Saturday is the seventh of 10 games against Utica this season, but the first of three consecutive tilts with New Jersey’s AHL affiliate. This trio of contests takes a pause after the first game due to the All-Star break, but resumes again in Utica next Saturday before flipping back to Rochester Sunday afternoon on Feb. 15.
Rochester is 3-2-1-0 against the Comets this season, who have shown more difficulty to the Amerks than in recent years, including last when the team boasted a 10-1-0-1 record against Utica.
The Amerks have dominated the Comets over the last four seasons, thwarting Utica with a 28-10-1-1 mark, which includes a 16-3-0-1 record on the road since the start of the 2022-23 season. Rochester has outscored Utica 137-110 over that same span and after the second period alone, the Amerks have dismantled the Comets by a 61-45 margin.
Adirondack Bank Center has been a home away from home for the Amerks, who have won 16 of the last 19 games on the road against the Comets. Before the previous meeting in Utica on Jan. 17, Rochester's last regulation defeat came by a 6-0 loss on Nov. 11, 2023.
DO THEY STILL BELIEVE?
No team is further out from a playoff spot in the AHL than the Utica Comets. With 30 games remaining, the team is 16 points back of Rochester for what would be the fifth and final playoff seed in the North Division. The Comets are scoring the second fewest goals in the league (102) and have been without a pair of their top producing players in the form of rookie Lenni Hämeenaho and all-star defenseman Seamus Casey.
Despite the absences, Utica has collected points in three of their last four games. The team also boasts the best home ice penalty kill in the AHL.
20 of Utica’s 30 remaining games will come within the division, including four against Rochester beginning with tonight.