GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS ENTERTAIN PENS IN LONE VISIT TO ROCHESTER
Five things to know as Amerks face first Atlantic Division opponent of the season
Nov 6, 2025By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
After opening the season with 11 straight games within the division, the Rochester Americans (7-4-0-0) finally face-off against an Atlantic Division opponent as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-2-1-0) skate into town Friday for the only time this season.
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Here are five things to know before the Penguins make their solo trip to the Flower City.
PLAYERS AT A PREMIUM
Rochester enters Friday night after falling in consecutive games for the first time this season. Following a 5-2 loss in Laval Saturday, the Amerks were unable to complete a comeback on Syracuse at home earlier this week, ending up on the wrong side of a 5-3 final to the Crunch Wednesday night.
Jake Leschyshyn produced his first two-goal game as an Amerk, while Zach Metsa converted on a goal and an assist. The Amerks were without three vital weapons on offense, as Josh Dunne, Isak Rosén, and Noah Östlund remained on recall with the Buffalo Sabres. The Amerks were forced to dress 11 forwards with Olivier Nadeau out due to injury. Shortly into the first period Wednesday night, Red Savage went down with an apparent upper-body injury and did not return, limiting Rochester to 10 forwards for the remainder of the game, though Metsa would alternate shifts between defense and forward, even taking a face-off in the second period.
Devon Levi’s career-best undefeated start to a season ended at 5-0-0 as the 23-year-old sustained his first loss with a 24-save performance.
While the Amerks have had a need for players, the Penguins have had a gamut of players dress for them to start the season. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is one of seven teams that have skated 28 or more players and one of eight teams to have 17 or more different forwards penciled into its lineup. Like Rochester, the Pens have felt the effects of call-ups, with defenseman Ryan Graves, forward Danton Heinen, and AHL reigning goaltender of the month, Sergei Murashov, all getting promoted to Pittsburgh earlier this week.
PRECISION FROM LESCHYSHYN
With his two goals Wednesday, Leschyshyn moved into a tie with Rosén for first on the Amerks at five goals apiece. The seventh-year pro has muscled seven points (5+2) through 11 games to start his tenure as an Amerk, with five points (4+1) over as many games since Oct. 25.
Across seven seasons and four teams, Leschyshyn has amassed 55 goals and 111 points over 282 AHL games. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native will face his team from the last three seasons (Hartford) next weekend as the Amerks continue play against Atlantic Division opponents.
Leschyshyn is a second-generation pro, with his father, Curtis, being a veteran of over 1,000 NHL games and a Stanley Cup Champion with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
MEET MATTEO
With players recalled and others injured, the door of opportunity has opened for Matteo Costantini, who could potentially make his Amerks debut Friday night.
The 23-year-old rookie is off to a productive start to his pro career with ECHL-Jacksonville, posting two goals and seven points through eight games with the Icemen. Costantini also assisted on Savage’s game-winning-goal in overtime on opening night for Jacksonville.
The Sabres fifth-round selection from 2020 signed a two-year AHL contract with Rochester during the offseason following a four-year collegiate run split evenly between the University of North Dakota and Western Michigan University. Costantini played a full junior season with the OJHL’s Buffalo Jr. Sabres, leading the 2019-20 roster with 36 goals and 68 points.
NAVIGATING THE ATLANTIC
Following an 11-game start to the season against opponents within their division, the Amerks will play six of their remaining 10 games in the month of November against Atlantic Division adversaries, beginning with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
After hosting the Penguins, the red, white, and blue travel to the Keystone State where the Hershey Bears will await them for a Sunday evening clash featuring the league’s two cornerstone franchises. The game against Hershey starts a stretch where four of the next five games for the Amerks will take place outside the Flower City.
Next Friday, the Amerks kick-off a three-game road swing in the Atlantic, with stops through Hartford, Bridgeport, and Lehigh Valley, before then returning home to welcome the Islanders into town, completing a quartet of opponents from the Atlantic.
Last season, Rochester yielded a 10-6-1-1 record against the Atlantic Division, with a 5-2-1-1 record at Blue Cross Arena.
HAPPY FEET
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton marches into Rochester as the top team in the Eastern Conference with 17 points and an 8-2-1-0 record. The Penguins had jumped out to a 7-0-0-0 start to the season, before dropping games to Providence, Utica, then falling in overtime to Toronto on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate is tied with Providence, scoring 36 goals to lead the Eastern Conference through the first month of the regular season. The Penguins are one of three AHL teams with five road wins to begin the 2025-26 campaign, possessing a 5-1-0-0 record while outscoring their hosts, 23-11.
The Amerks and Pens traded wins in their respective venues last year, with Rochester claiming the most recent get-together back on Feb. 26 via a 5-2 win.
Since the 2018-19 season, the Amerks have dominated the season series, going 10-2-0-1 over their last 13 meetings with the Penguins. In that same span, Rochester has scored 13 power-play goals against them, however, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton boasts the third-best penalty kill in the league to start the weekend.