GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS SHOOT FOR WEEKEND SWEEP OF MARLIES
Five things you need to know as Amerks begin three-game road swing north of the border
Oct 11, 2025After surviving Toronto’s rally cry Friday night, the Rochester Americans (1-0-0-0) go north of the border for a rematch with the Marlies (0-1-0-0) for a Saturday matinee at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Here are five things to know ahead of the Amerks first road game of the 2025-26 season:
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
A pair of power-play goals from Isak Rosén and an early 3-0 start helped get the Amerks out in front enough for the Marlies to be unable to overcome the deficit, with Rochester skating out of Blue Cross Arena winners of a 4-3 contest that served as the kick-off for the team’s historic 70th season.
In addition to Rosén, rookie forward Tyler Kopff scored his first professional goal, while Brendan Warren fetched a breakaway for his first of the year and subsequent game-winner.
Borya Valis scored two of Toronto’s three goals, with team captain Logan Shaw getting the other.
The Marlies outshot Rochester by a 10-3 margin in the third period, but Devon Levi stood tall with 24 saves to preserve the lead for the Amerks to get two points.
A combined 46 penalty minutes were amassed as both sides played to the tune of a physical game. In addition to his goal, Warren also received a fighting major, as did newcomer and second generation Amerk, Trevor Kuntar.
ROADIES
Six of the Amerks’ first nine games of the season come away from the Flower City, including today’s affair in Toronto, which begins a three-game swing on the road as the Amerks will venture to Utica and Syracuse next weekend.
The red, white, and blue waved their winning colors as road warriors last season, posting a 24-9-1-2 mark that saw the Amerks finish a win shy of matching their franchise record of single-season road wins. Additionally, the team’s power-play was night and day from its performance at Blue Cross Arena. Last season, the Amerks were operating at 21% efficiency when on the man-advantage as the away team. That ranked fourth-best across the AHL.
Konsta Helenius scored eight of his 14 goals on the road last season, with fellow prospect Noah Östlund driving 11 of his 19 goals by as a visitor.
YOUNG BUCKS
The Amerks opening night roster yields an average age of 22.96, making them the youngest team entering the AHL this season and the only team in the league with an average age under 23. In contrast, Toronto’s 25.7 average age makes them the oldest in the AHL.
Friday night’s lineup saw 15 returnees from last year’s roster, yet also had two players under 20 in Helenius and defenseman Radim Mrtka. Nine of those players are Sabres draft picks with four being first-round selections (Rosén, Östlund, Helenius, Mrtka).
“I’m fully confident in our group,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone following Friday’s win. “I thought our young kids played great all night. Sure, there’s things we need to work on, but something we talked about this year is having a hunting mentality. We did that great.”
TOPI TIME?
After backing up Levi Friday night, goaltender Topias Leinonen could be making his professional debut in North America Saturday in Toronto.
The 21-year-old from Jyväskylä, Finland, signed his entry-level contract with the Sabres this offseason after playing his first full professional season overseas in Sweden last year. There, Leinonen posted a 13-10-0 record with four shutouts, a 2.31 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Leinonen was drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft by the Sabres. At 6-foot-5 and over 230 pounds, he is the largest goaltender in the Sabres pipeline.
“I feel ready,” said Leinonen earlier in the summer when asked about playing in Rochester. “My body feels good. I was working with my coaches and putting together a really good plan over the summer to make sure I will be ready.”
BOYD, OH BOYD
The Marlies field a roster of eight veteran players to start the season, and while they’re unable to dress all of them each game, there is a chance that Stanley Cup champion Travis Boyd makes his Marlies debut on Saturday.
Boyd, 32, was part of the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup run in 2018 and had previously made it to the Calder Cup Finals with Hershey two years earlier. In 2017, the Hopkins, Minnesota, native was an AHL All-Star with a 63-point (16+47) campaign over 76 games with Hershey.
The experienced forward returned to the AHL last season with Iowa after remaining in the NHL on a full-time basis since 2020. With the Iowa Wild in 2024-25, Boyd posted a career best-22 goals as part of a 53-point season.
In 10 career games against Rochester, Boyd has two goals and nine points. He last played against the Amerks Nov. 3, 2018.