GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS, MONSTERS CLASH AGAIN TONIGHT
Dec 3, 2022TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (11-6-1-1) and Cleveland Monsters (9-6-1-2) clash for the second time in three days tonight as the North Division rivals meet in the back-end of a two-game set at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Game time is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Both games between the two teams this season have been decided beyond regulation with the road team emerging victorious each time. After tonight, the teams are idle until after the New Year when the Amerks return to Cleveland for a Valentine's Day matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
Rochester boasts a 37-16-5-4 record against Cleveland over the last 10 years dating back to the start of the 2011-12 campaign and have earned at least one point in 25 of the last 36 games overall.
The Amerks boast an 11-5-0-0 record in Cleveland over the last five seasons.
Though the first two games of the season series, Rochester has had seven different goal-scorers and six different players record multi-point efforts. Jeremy Davies, Filip Cederqvist and Aleksandr Kisakov all scored their first goals of the season with Davies and Cederqvist each netting a pair of goals.
The Amerks have used three different goaltenders so far in the two games with Cleveland and all three have allowed three goals. Malcolm Subban (31), Michael Houser (24) and Beck Warm (5) have combined to make 60 saves in nearly 127 minutes of game action.
LAST TIME OUT
For the second time in four games, the Amerks scored in the waning seconds of overtime, as Davies netted his second of the night with eight seconds remaining in the extra frame to lift the Amerks to a 4-3 win over the Monsters in the first of back-to-back meetings Thursday.
With the win, the Amerks have earned at least one point in seven of their last 10 games and boast an overall 11-6-1-1 record. Rochester has also won four of its last five, including three straight by way of overtime.
Along with Davies producing a multi-point night (2+0), rookie Jiri Kulich also turned in a pair of points as he scored his fifth of the season before setting up Davies in overtime. Kulich, who extended his point streak to a season-long five straight games, has six points (3+3) over that span and has scored in three straight contests. Linus Weissbach opened the scoring in the first period with his eighth goal of the season.
Subban (2-1-0) recorded his second victory of the season as he stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced
POWER-PLAY PROFICIENCY
Coming into the first weekend of December, 16 of the Amerks' 64 goals this season have come on the power-play, which are 13th-most among any team in the AHL. By going 16-for-65 while on the man-advantage, Rochester is sixth in the league with a 24.6% conversion rate.
The Amerks' 13 power-play goals at home are fifth-most in the league this season, going 13-for-37 through their first nine home matchups.
YOUTH MOVEMENT LEADING ROCHESTER
With four points (2+2) over his last four games, which includes a two-point outing on Nov. 23 versus the Providence Bruins, Linus Weissbach currently leads the team with 15 points and shares the team-lead with eight goals through 19 games. He comes into the weekend with eight points over his last 13 appearances, including goals in three straight games over that span.
Last Wednesday against Providence, Brett Murray scored twice within a span of 1:51 in the third period before capping last Friday’s 6-5 overtime win against the Islanders on his third point of the night with the Amerks' overtime winner. Murray is already within half of his career-high 15 goals he scored during the 2021-22 campaign in just 19 games to kick off the 2022-23 season. He has recorded three multi-point efforts over his last six games and shows three goals and five assists over that span. On Thursday, he saw his second three-game point streak of the campaign come to an end.
First-year forward Isak Rosen has notched five points (1+4) over his last five games to move into a second-place tie among all Amerks with 14 points (3+11). With a team-leading 11 assists, he’s fourth amongst all AHL rookies and tied for eighth in the league with 14 points overall.
Currently riding a season-long five-game point streak, which includes goals in three straight games, fellow rookie forward Jiri Kulich has three goals and three assists dating back to Nov. 19. He and Rosen are tied for second among all Amerks with 14 points (5+9) through 19 games this season.
HOME-COOKING FOR THE AMERKS
The Amerks have earned at least one point in eight of their first nine home contests so far this season, boasting a 7-1-1-0 mark within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Rochester opened the season with five straight home wins, marking the team's best start since 2006-07.
Five of the seven victories this season in the Flower City have come when the team trailed entering the final 20 minutes of regulation while all seven wins have come by way of four or more goals. Rochester has outscored its opposition 18-8 after the start of the third period and has outshot the visitors 88-74.
Rochester is one of only three teams to have just one regulation loss at home this season, joining Hershey and Hartford in that regard.
SCOUTING THE MONSTERS
The Monsters, playing their second of a six-game home schedule in December, come into tonight with at least one point in nine of their last 11 games, having gone 6-2-1-2 in that stretch. Overall, Cleveland is third in the North Division, just four points back of the Marlies and two ahead of Belleville despite having a game in hand on the Senators.
By going 22-for-67 and showing a 32.8% success-rate with the man-advantage, Cleveland owns the top ranked power-play this season. The Monsters have tallied 18 power-play goals in 11 road games, which are most in the league, but have produced only four in seven home contests.
Cleveland comes into tonight's matchup without two of its top point-getters in Trey Fix-Wolansky and Carson Meyers, both of whom earned recalls to the parent Columbus Blue Jackets. In 14 appearances for Cleveland this season, Fix-Wolansky has posted a team-best 10 goals and 22 points, while Meyer has 12 assists in 15 games, which is tied for most on the team.
SERIES NOTABLES
So far this season, the Amerks have used 12 different defensemen, which is third-most in the AHL behind Toronto and Cleveland. Ten of the 12 Amerks have recorded at least one point while seven have scored. Ethan Prow is the only defenseman to appear in all 19 games this season and has skated in 89 of the 95 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Earlier this week, the Monsters signed former Amerk defenseman Brandon Davidson to an American hockey League contract for the remainder of the season. In 34 career games with Rochester, the veteran blueliner posted one goal and six assists for seven points from 2020-23. As an alternate captain last season, Davidson also appeared in six postseason contests.
Goaltender Michael Houser had a brief one-game stint with the Monsters in 2016-17, recording three saves on four shots over one period of play.
The Amerks and Monsters have played in a combined 13 games this season decided beyond regulation, including the previous two meetings between the two teams on Nov. 11 in Rochester. The Amerks are 4-2 in overtime this season while the Monsters are 4-3.
Rochester Americans vs Cleveland Monsters: Head To Head Stats
Summary
|
Description |
Result |
|
| Head to Head Record 2022-23 Regular Season | Rochester 1-0-1-0 | Cleveland 1-0-1-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2021-22 Regular Season | Rochester 5-5-0-0 | Cleveland 5-4-1-0 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Rochester 18-11-2-2 | Cleveland 15-12-5-1 |
| Rochester vs. Cleveland Last 5 Years record at Rochester | Rochester 7-6-2-2 | Cleveland 10-5-2-0 |
| Rochester vs. Cleveland Last 5 Years record at Cleveland | Rochester 11-5-0-0 | Cleveland 5-7-3-1 |
| Previous Meetings This Season | Rochester 4 @ Cleveland 3 (Dec 1 2022) Final OT Cleveland 6 @ Rochester 5 (Nov 11 2022) Final OT |
How the two teams match up
|
Cleveland |
Rochester |
|
| Team Record | 9-6-1-2 -- 21 points | 11-6-1-1 -- 24 points |
| Division Ranking | 3rd North | 2nd North |
| Conference Ranking | 8th Eastern | 6th Eastern |
| League Ranking | 17th | 9th |
| Past 10 Games | 5-2-1-2 | 5-3-1-1 |
| Streak | 1-0-1-0 | 1-0-0-0 |
| Last Game | 4-3 L vs Rochester (Dec 1 2022) Final OT | 4-3 W @ Cleveland (Dec 1 2022) Final OT |
| Home Record | 4-2-1-0 | 7-1-1-0 |
| Away Record | 5-4-0-2 | 4-5-0-1 |
| GF | 71 | 64 |
| GA | 71 | 64 |
| PP (Overall) | (22/67) 32.8% | (16/65) 24.6% |
| PP (Home) | (4/25) 16.0% | (13/37) 35.1% |
| PP (Away) | (18/42) 42.9% | (3/28) 10.7% |
| PK (Overall) | (23/75) 69.3% | (16/58) 72.4% |
| PK (Home) | (8/25) 68.0% | (7/30) 76.7% |
| PK (Away) | (15/50) 70.0% | (9/28) 67.9% |
| PP vs. Opp. | (3/10) 30% | (2/5) 40% |
| PK vs. Opp. | (2/5) 60% | (3/10) 70% |
| Leading Rookie | Marchenko (8-10-18) | Kulich (5-9-14) |
| Most PIM | Sweezey - 24 | Weissbach - 26 |
| Team PIM/GM | 11.3/Game | 8.5/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Fix-Wolansky (10-12-22) | Weissbach (8-7-15) |
| Bemstrom (10-8-18) | Murray (8-6-14) | |
| Marchenko (8-10-18) | Kulich (5-9-14) | |
| Meyer (6-12-18) | Rosen (3-11-14) | |
| Richards (5-10-15) | Rousek (4-9-13) | |
| Last 5 Games | 4-3 L vs Rochester (Dec 1 2022) Final OT | 4-3 W @ Cleveland (Dec 1 2022) Final OT |
| 5-1 W @ Toronto (Nov 26 2022) Final | 5-1 L @ Lehigh Valley (Nov 26 2022) Final | |
| 4-1 L vs Toronto (Nov 25 2022) Final | 6-5 W vs Bridgeport (Nov 25 2022) Final OT | |
| 5-4 L @ Laval (Nov 19 2022) Final SO | 4-3 W vs Providence (Nov 23 2022) Final OT | |
| 7-3 W @ Laval (Nov 18 2022) Final | 3-2 W @ Utica (Nov 19 2022) Final | |
| Leading After 1st | 4-1-0-0 | 6-1-0-0 |
| Leading After 2nd | 6-0-0-0 | 7-1-1-0 |
| Tied After 1st | 4-0-0-2 | 2-2-1-1 |
| Tied After 2nd | 0-1-0-1 | 0-1-0-1 |
| Trailing After 1st | 1-5-1-0 | 3-3-0-0 |
| Trailing After 2nd | 3-5-1-1 | 4-4-0-0 |
| Out Shooting Opponents | 5-3-1-0 | 4-1-0-0 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 4-3-0-2 | 7-3-1-1 |
| 1-Goal Games | 4-2-1-2 | 6-2-1-1 |
| 2-Goal Games | 2-0-0-0 | 3-1-0-0 |
| 3-Goal Games | 1-2-0-0 | 0-0-0-0 |
Rochester Americans
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Filip Cederqvist | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Jeremy Davies | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Isak Rosen | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Mitch Eliot | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 |
| 51 | Aleksandr Kisakov | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 25 | Jiri Kulich | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Linus Weissbach | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 |
| 43 | Matt Bartkowski | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Chase Priskie | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | Brandon Biro | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 |
| 26 | Mason Jobst | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | Sean Malone | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Michael Mersch | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 15 | X Riley Sheahan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 96 | Anders Bjork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 56 | Kale Clague | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 88 | X Brandon Davidson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Michael Houser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Tyson Kozak | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 81 | Brett Murray | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Ethan Prow | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 11 | Lukas Rousek | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Malcolm Subban | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | X Beck Warm | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Malcolm Subban | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 64:52 | 3 | 2.77 | 0.912 |
| 29 | Michael Houser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41:14 | 3 | 4.37 | 0.889 |
| 30 | X Beck Warm | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:14 | 3 | 8.90 | 0.625 |
Cleveland Monsters
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | X Trey Fix-Wolansky | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 86 | Kirill Marchenko | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -2 |
| 42 | Cole Fonstad | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -3 |
| 77 | Tyler Angle | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Brendan Gaunce | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 |
| 52 | Emil Bemstrom | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Jake Gaudet | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 71 | Joona Luoto | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 96 | X Tim Berni | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | Cole Clayton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 |
| 55 | David Jiricek | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Samuel Knazko | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -3 |
| 17 | X Carson Meyer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Billy Sweezey | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 37 | Roman Ahcan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 88 | Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Erik Bradford | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 30 | Pavel Cajan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Brandon Davidson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | Josh Dunne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| 44 | Brett Gallant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Justin Richards | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | Owen Sillinger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Daniil Tarasov | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Pavel Cajan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 63:35 | 4 | 3.77 | 0.852 |
| 40 | Daniil Tarasov | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60:45 | 5 | 4.94 | 0.808 |