GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS FACE CHECKERS TO START FINAL MONTH OF SEASON
Five things to know as Rochester seeks win fourth straight game on home ice
Apr 1, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (28-25-5-4) continue their four-game homestand as they turn the page onto the final month of the regular season, beginning April with a Wednesday night showdown against the defending Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers (39-21-5-0).
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Here are five things to know ahead of the Amerks four and final game against Charlotte this season.
SHINING IN THE SHOOTOUT
For the first time since last season, the Amerks successfully pulled out a shootout win, topping the Syracuse Crunch by a 3-2 final Sunday evening at Blue Cross Arena.
Konsta Helenius and Olivier Nadeau scored in a shootout that went just two rounds thanks to Devon Levi slamming the door on the other side of the ice to record his 20th win of the season. Matteo Costantini and Trevor Kuntar each scored in regulation to keep even with Syracuse through 60 minutes before the shootout theatrics.
With the win, Rochester will enter Wednesday riding a three-game win streak on home ice and have won three of its last four overall.
Charlotte also found a knack for post-regulation fun, topping Hartford in the dying seconds of three-on-three overtime Saturday night to pick up a 2-1 win on the road. The Checkers are amid a six-game road trip before heading home to finish out the regular season. Florida’s AHL affiliate has already secured a playoff berth in the Atlantic Division.
With seven games remaining, Charlotte can finish no lower than third, but is seven points back of the top two spots in the division.
MAGIC NUMBER
Postseason play is within reach for Rochester, with the team entering April with a magic number of 11. That means 11 total points gained by Rochester and/or lost by Belleville and Utica would result in the Amerks punching their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs for a fifth straight season.
If the red, white, and blue are able to do so, it would be the fourth time in franchise history the Amerks have a segment where the team qualifies for five straight playoffs and the first since an incredible run of consecutive berths from 1990-2005.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Bad news hit the Amerks roster to close the month of March as head coach Mike Leone confirmed Tuesday afternoon that forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz and defenseman Ryan Johnson will both be out the remainder of the regular season due to injuries suffered over the weekend. Leone listed both as possible for playoffs should the Amerks make it.
Johnson, who’s in the first of a three-year deal with the Sabres, has produced a career-best five goals this season, with four coming away from Blue Cross Arena. The third-year pro has played 149 games as an Amerk, plus 47 games for Buffalo over parts of three seasons. The 24-year-old was plucked by the Sabres in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Fiddler-Schultz leads the Amerks in goals (21) and was Rochester’s ironman prior to Sunday, having played in every game for the team until that point. Fiddler-Schultz was an undrafted free agent who signed with ECHL-Jacksonville first before landing in the Amerks pipeline two seasons ago. His 2024-25 campaign put him on Buffalo’s radar, who then inked the Edmonton, Alberta, native to an NHL contract over the summer.
Since turning the calendar to 2026, Fiddler-Schultz had gone on a tear, scoring 15 of his 21 goals over the past three months, including his first career hat trick Feb. 15 against Utica.
The 2025-26 season will mark the third time over the last five seasons that Rochester does not have a single player appear in every game for the team in a season.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
Ten games are all that separate the Amerks from now and the end of their historic 70th season. Six of Rochester’s remaining games will be against opponents outside the North Division, beginning Wednesday against Charlotte.
April will be a busier month for the Amerks than any other team in the Eastern Conference, as only Rochester and Iowa enter the final month of the regular season with double-digits in games remaining to be played.
The Amerks continue to have one of the more challenging remaining schedules in the league, as nine of their 10 opponents left are currently holding down a playoff position.
Following the conclusion of this week, the Amerks will play six of their remaining seven tilts on the road.
DEVINE INTERVENTION
Charlotte and Rochester meet for the fourth and final time this season, with the Amerks looking to make it points in every game against them after going 1-0-1-1 through the previous three. Should the Amerks do so, it would mark the first time in franchise history Rochester would record points in each game against the Checkers.
One of the culprits to Charlotte’s success this season has been rookie forward Jack Devine. The 22-year-old is sixth in goals across all rookies in the AHL with 17 and second in points on Charlotte with 37.
Devine has three goals over his past six games, but has no points on the Amerks this season. When Devine scores, Charlotte owns a 13-2-0-0 record this season.