GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS FACE MUST-WIN SITUATION IN GAME 2 AGAINST MARLIES
Rochester puts season on the line for second time in five days as series shifts back home
Apr 23, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
After needing to get a point on the final day of the season to make the playoffs, the Rochester Americans yet again put their season on the line (this time needing a win) in Game 2 of their first-round North Division series against the Toronto Marlies at Blue Cross Arena.
| HOW TO WATCH | GET TICKETS | GAME NOTES | ROSTER SHEET | PLAYOFF MEDIA KIT | REGULAR SEASON MEDIA KIT | LINE CHART |
This marks the second time in just five days Rochester is forced into a situation where its season could come to a close.
GAME 1 RECAP
Toronto started and didn’t stop from beginning to end, handling the Amerks in a 5-0 final Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Coliseum to grab the first win in this best-of-three series.
Vinny Lettieri registered a natural hat trick as part of the veteran forward’s four-point performance and Artur Akhtymaov pitched a 16-save shutout, while Devon Levi stopped 27 shots in the loss. Akhtyamov’s shutout was the first of his playoff career and second consecutive against Rochester after denying 26 shots against the Amerks back on Mar. 14.
The Amerks have been shutout in consecutive playoff games dating back to Game 5 of the North Division Finals against Laval last May. The 16 shots-for ties the fewest shots registered in a playoff game for the franchise, matching the 16 shots in Game 2 of the 1993 Calder Cup Finals against the Cape Breton Oilers in a 3-0 loss.
THAT’S WHAT HE SAID
“A lot of guys have to look themselves in the mirror,” said Amerks head coach Mike Leone following a 5-0 loss in Game 1 of the series at Toronto Wednesday night. “If we don’t compete and work and put pucks behind them, it’s going to look like that. It’s just one game. We have to reset and be ready to go at home.”
Rochester went 3-1 on home ice in last year’s Calder Cup Playoff run and in the season series against Toronto, the Amerks went unbeaten at Blue Cross Arena, taking all three games against the Marlies during the 2025-26 regular season.
The Amerks don’t have to look back far to know they can respond from a performance like this. Last weekend, a demoralizing 8-0 defeat on the road at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton put the team’s playoff spot in jeopardy. Less than 24 hours later, they responded with an effort in Hershey that was good enough to punch their ticket to the postseason.
“It all just depends on if we play our game or not,” said Amerks forward Brendan Warren. “We know that if we play our style we can beat anybody in the league. Luckily for us this is a series and we have a chance to turn it around on Friday.”
SERIES HISTORY
This is the fifth ever playoff series between the Amerks and Marlies, with the previous four ending in sweeps, though they were each in a best-of-five format. Rochester has not been swept in a playoff series since the 2022 North Division Finals when they were ousted by Laval via a 3-0 series. Toronto’s last sweep performed came against Rochester in the opening round of the 2019 playoffs.
The last playoff game played between these two teams came at Blue Cross Arena in 2023 when Rochester cruised to an 8-4 win to end the North Division Finals. Only four players combined from both rosters are in this series three years later, including Graham Slaggert, who was a member of the Marlies at the time. Logan Shaw and Marc Johnstone remain for Toronto, as does Warren for the Amerks.
ELIMINATION GAMES
When pushed to the brink, the Amerks have staved off elimination six times over their past three playoff runs. In 2023, the team managed a remarkable four wins under do-or-die circumstances, including a three-game rally from falling into a 2-0 hole against Syracuse in 2023. Later that year in the Eastern Conference Finals, Rochester would force a Game 6 against Hershey.
In 2024, down 3-0 entering the third period of game four at Syracuse, the Amerks buried a trio of goals before setting the stage for Brett Murray to score in overtime.
Last spring, Josh Dunne put on a clinic in Laval. With the Amerks trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, Dunne posted two goals and two assists to thwart the Rocket’s hopes of closing things out early.