GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS LOOKING TO CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH IN SPRINGFIELD
Amerks win and help elsewhere can see team secure a fifth straight trip to the playoffs
Apr 9, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
Through all their adversity faced, the Rochester Americans (31-27-5-4) now have an opportunity to come out on the other side with a playoff berth secured as soon as Friday night. The Amerks continue their four-game road trip with the penultimate stop coming at MassMutual Center as they take on the all-of-a-sudden surging Springfield Thunderbirds (29-29-6-2).
Here are five things to know as the Amerks look to punch their ticket to the postseason.
SYRACUSE CRUNCHED
Despite giving up the game’s first goal, the Amerks were able to rally Wednesday night in Syracuse, capped off by rookie Chris Douglas’ first professional goal serving as the game-winner in a 3-2 final over the Crunch.
Douglas found the back of the net 11:41 into the third period and Rochester suppressed a depleted Crunch offense to just 19 shots on goal. Earlier in the contest, it was Olivier Nadeau turning heads with his first two-goal game in the AHL, including a power-play conversion in the first, followed by a nifty goal in the middle frame.
Devon Levi secured his third straight win and has now won six of his last eight starts. The third-year Amerk made 17 saves to collect his 11th career win over Syracuse, helping Rochester finish its intrastate season series with a 6-5-0-1 mark. Rochester has now won three straight as they enter the weekend, marking its longest streak of wins in nearly two months when they corralled three from Feb. 6-14. That streak began with a 4-0 win over Springfield.
The Thunderbirds also had the upper hand on Syracuse in their last game. Springfield has been idle since Saturday when they topped the Crunch in a 4-3 shootout win, outshooting Syracuse, 37-21 in the process.
Springfield has tied its season-long four-game win streak, including two straight on its current four-game homestand. Over that span, they’ve scored at least four goals in each of their wins to climb into sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a four-point cushion on the chasing Lehigh Valley Phantoms for that final playoff spot.
DOWN TO THREE
Rochester enters Friday with a magic number of three, looking to not only clinch a playoff berth for a fifth straight season, but doing so against Springfield for the second year in a row.
To do so, the Amerks need to take care of business, but also get some help from the team directly in front of them. Rochester will clinch the final available playoff berth in the North Division with a win of any kind over Springfield and a loss of any kind for Utica as the Comets host the Toronto Marlies.
Another way for the Amerks to secure a playoff berth would be to gain at least a point playing the Thunderbirds and for the Comets to lose in regulation to the Marlies.
Last season, Rochester played host to Springfield on Apr. 2, 2025, winning 4-2 to secure its spot in the postseason. Should the Amerks get the job done, it would mark the fifth straight season of playoff hockey in the Flower City. The last time the Amerks qualified for the playoffs in five or more consecutive years came between 1990-91 to 2000-01 when they took 11 straight trips to the playoffs, including five runs to the Calder Cup Finals.
HOME ICE HOPEFUL?
During the Amerks’ struggles throughout February and into late March, it seemed securing the fifth spot in the North was best-case scenario. Entering Friday, however, the Amerks are only five points behind fourth-place Toronto while still yielding a game in hand on the Marlies.
If Rochester could push to fourth, they would then have home ice advantage for the best-of-three play-in round to kickstart the Calder Cup Playoffs. Technically, the Amerks can still eye up third in the division and avoid the best-of-three altogether, though their margin for error is nearly non-existent to do so. Currently holding third are the Cleveland Monsters, sitting seven points clear of the Amerks and holding the tiebreaker for regulation plus overtime wins.
With four games remaining for the Monsters, their magic number to finish top three is just three points. The Amerks can finish with as many as 81 points if they were to go undefeated the rest of the way.
PLAYING WITH POWER
With Nadeau’s power-play strike in the first Wednesday at Syracuse, the Amerks have now scored on the man-advantage in seven of their last eight games. Even with call-ups, injuries, and trades impacting the team through their 70th season, Rochester still boasts the fourth-best power-play in the AHL and are tops in the league when looking at just road units.
Away from home, Rochester is a league-best 26.5% on the power-play. Gavin Bayreuther’s goal last week made him the 15th different Amerks to record a goal on the man-advantage this season. Leading the charge is Konsta Helenius with eight, while seven of Jake Leschyshyn’s 12 goals have come while up a man. Rochester has also generated the third-most power-play opportunities in the AHL at 245.
T-BIRDS TAKE FLIGHT
After being grounded in a 4-0 defeat at Rochester back on Feb. 6, the Thunderbirds have since turned their season around, posting a 13-6-2-0 record in their 21 games since.
St. Louis’ AHL affiliate has underwent much transformation in the back half of the season, mainly via its coaching position with former Sabre Steve Ott assuming the role on an interim basis. Near the AHL trade deadline, the team shipped its captain Matthew Peca to Syracuse and appointed veteran Chris Wagner to the position as fifth captain in team history. The 34-year-old is having a career year with 23 goals in his 10th AHL season.
Vadim Zherenko has also given life to Springfield, allowing three or fewer goals in his last nine games, working out a 5-2-2 record over that span.
Like Rochester, the Thunderbirds are also hunting down a playoff spot. Their magic number is at six entering a three-game weekend.