GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS LOOK TO HAUNT ROCKET IN HALLOWEEN MATCHUP
Five things to know as Amerks seek fifth straight win
Oct 30, 2025By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (6-2-0-0) continue their four-game road trip with a pair of meetings on the weekend at Place Bell against the Laval Rocket (5-3-0-0).
| GAME NOTES | MEDIA KIT |
Here are five things to know before the Amerks attempt to win their fifth consecutive game.
CHILD’S PLAY
Four different Amerks scored Wednesday night in Belleville as Rochester left CAA Arena victors by a 4-1 final.
Anton Wahlberg scored the game-winner and has goals in back-to-back games, while Red Savage netted his first career AHL goal in his second game as an Amerk.
Isak Rosén continued his productive start to the season with a goal and an assist, while Jake Leschyshyn scored on the power-play, pushing the Amerks to having the best man-advantage unit in the Eastern Conference at 32.4%. Devon Levi stopped 23 shots to record his fourth win, remaining undefeated on the season.
The win is Rochester’s fourth straight, with the team outscoring North Division opponents, 16-6. That includes a 4-0 shutout from Levi over the Rocket last Friday at Blue Cross Arena.
While the Amerks took care of the Sens, Laval shut down Lehigh Valley, ghosting the Phantoms in a 3-0 win. Rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler had a light night, making 17 saves for his second shutout of the season. He is one of four AHL goaltenders with multiple shutouts this season.
HAUNTED HOUSE
The Amerks return to the scene of the crime, playing their first game at Place Bell since bowing out to the Rocket in Game 5 of the North Division Finals last May.
Rochester went 1-2 in games 3-5 of last year’s playoff series that were played north of the border. After extending their season with a 5-1 win in Game 4, the Amerks were on the wrong side of a shutout loss to the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate when three-point games from Sean Farrell and Joshua Roy guided the Rocket to a 5-0 victory to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In regular season play, the Amerks have fared well at Laval, going 14-8-2-0 through 24 encounters. Last season saw the team’s split their four-game set inside Place Bell, with three games being decided by one goal. In the seven seasons the Amerks have visited Laval, at least one game has needed overtime in six of those seven years.
NOAH-SFERATU
The Amerks will bolster their lineup over the weekend with the return of center Noah Östlund, who was reassigned from the Buffalo Sabres Thursday afternoon.
The 21-year-old forward has split his 2025-26 season evenly between Rochester and Buffalo after first getting called up ahead of the Sabres game on Oct. 22 against Detroit. Östlund skated in four games with the Sabres, playing a season-high 12:28 on Oct. 24 against Toronto.
During his quartet of games as an Amerk this season, Östlund scored a goal and tallied four helpers. He has operated at over a point-per-game pace with the Amerks since Jan. 17.
In his rookie season last year, Östlund finished seventh in team scoring with 36 points (19+17). His 19 goals were tied for 13th-most amongst all AHL rookies.
HELRAISER
Konsta Helenius was one of the standout forwards for the Amerks during the team’s playoff series against Laval. The 19-year-old scored two goals and an assist, ultimately finishing his playoff run with three goals and six points in eight postseason games.
The Finnish pro then had his best game as a pro against Laval last Friday in Rochester, scoring two goals and two assists for his first career four-point night. Helenius has faced each of the other 14 teams in the Eastern Conference at least once, with his second highest point totals against a team coming when the Sabres prospect has faced the Rocket.
In nine career regular season games, Helenius yields three goals and seven points when facing Laval.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FARRELL’S
Forward Sean Farrell is back for his third year in a Rocket jersey. After his entry-level contract expired, the Canadiens signed the Milton, Massachusetts, native to a one-year, two-way contract entering this season.
Following a 28-point campaign his rookie year, Farrell significantly increased his point totals last season, amassing 20 goals and 44 points through 67 regular season games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he was tied for second in team scoring with 10 points (3+7) through 13 postseason games. Farrell accrued four of those points in the series against Rochester (1+3), a team he has played against more times than any other AHL adversary.
When Farrell scores against Rochester, the Rocket are 4-0.