GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS VISIT PENGUINS TONIGHT
Mar 17, 2023TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
The Rochester Americans (28-24-4-1) open a brief two-game trek through Pennsylvania tonight as they close out their season-series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (23-26-4-5) at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
With 15 games remaining in the regular season, Rochester sits in fourth in the American Hockey League's North Division standings, just two points ahead of the Belleville Senators, who currently occupy the fifth and final playoff spot.
LAST TIME OUT
On the strength of a two-point effort from Brandon Biro (1+1) and a stellar 29-save effort from goaltender Malcolm Subban, the Amerks shutout the Laval Rocket 2-0 Wednesday night The Blue Cross Arena.
Biro, who became the first Amerks skater this season to reach the 50-point mark, extended his point streak to five games as he registered a goal and an assist. Since Mar. 4, Biro has logged 11 points on two goals and nine assists while Lukas Rousek, who also scored his 15th goal of the season, has eight points (4+4) over his last four games. Defenseman Lawrence Pilut earned his 10th assist over his last 10 games to complete the scoring for Rochester.
Subban (15-13-1) stopped all 29 shots he faced, including 19 through the first two periods, for his second shutout of the season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT
After being swept in the two-game season-series in 2017-18 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Rochester has gone a perfect 8-0-0-0 in the eight meetings since, the team’s longest active win streak against any opponent.
The Amerks have scored 11 power-play goals in their last eight games against the Penguins dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season, going 11-for-37 (29.7%) with the man-advantage over that span. Conversely, Rochester’s penalty kill unit has successfully cleared 24 of the 25 shorthanded opportunities (96.0%) against in that same time frame.
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Rochester has outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 38-15, while also outshooting the Penguins 253-243.
SUBBAN SHOULDERING THE WORKLOAD
After suffering a defeat in his season-debut on Nov. 18, Subban has gone 15-12-1 since over his last 28 starts, including seven straight wins between Dec. 10 to Jan. 14. The seven-game win streak was the longest of his pro career.
He was the first Amerks goaltender to post seven straight wins since Jonas Johansson won nine consecutive contests during the 2019-20 campaign.
Subban had arguably his best performance of the season during a 75-save weekend in Rochester’s two-game sweep over the Charlotte Checkers in mid-December. A night after stopping a regular-season career-high 45 saves, Subban was flawless in a 30-save shutout on Dec. 17, then his first in the AHL since April 8, 2017, with the Providence Bruins.
It's the first time Subban has posted multiple shutouts in a season since earning three during the 2014-15 campaign with the Providence Bruins. He's also within one win of matching his previous career-high of 16.
BIRO PILING UP THE POINTS
Despite missing six games due to injury, third-year forward Brandon Biro has blazed his way atop the team's scoring lead following a productive December in which he led the team with 16 points (6+10) in 10 games. He recorded multi-point efforts in seven of his 10 appearances, including six straight between Dec. 9 and Dec. 30 before closing out the month with an assist in the 3-2 win in Toronto.
Biro, who made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres last season, has totaled 11 points (2+9) over his current five-game point-streak, which began with a career-high five-point effort last Friday against Hartford.
By factoring in on both goals on Sunday, he reached the 50-point mark for the first time in his pro career and currently leads with 50 points in 47 games.
He shows 19 points (6+13) over his last 10 games, which includes his first career hat trick in the 7-5 loss at Laval to open the month of March.
He's recorded at least one shot in all but eight games so far this season.
In 110 career games with the Amerks, Biro has totaled 96 points on 29 goals and 67 assists, never going more than seven games without a point over the last three years.
SHARING THE WEALTH
After producing three 20-goal scorers last season, the Amerks could potentially have five or more by the season's end.
Linus Weissbach currently leads Rochester with 18 goals while Jiri Kulich and Brett Murray remain at a close second with 17 each.
Brandon Biro and Lukas Rousek, the team's top two point-getters this season, come into the weekend with 15 goals.
The last time Rochester had at least five different 20-goal scorers in the same season was during the 2018-19 campaign when the team had six.
PROWESS ON THE BLUELINE
Entering the Jan. 19 game against Laval, Ethan Prow was the only Amerks defenseman to appear in every game this season. Overall, he has skated in 121 of the 127 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
In 52 games this season, Prow, who recorded his first three-point outing of the season last Friday against Hartford, is tied for 20th in scoring amongst all AHL defensemen with 32 points while his 26 assists are currently tied for 16th-most at his position. This season marks the fourth straight in which the veteran defenseman has reached the 20-assist mark and the fifth consecutive year with 20 or more points, which includes an abbreviated campaign overseas in 2020-21.
The seventh-year pro has posted 20 points (4+16) in his last 27 outings dating back to Dec. 28 and comes into tonight with two goals and 11 assists over his last 17 games.
He's second among all Amerks defensemen with at least five multi-point outings, including a two-goal effort in the 4-3 win at Syracuse back on Jan. 7, and has never gone more than five games all season without a point.
EARNING THEIR STARS AND STRIPES
With 10 points (5+5) over his last 11 games, Linus Weissbach is 12 points back from the team-lead with 38 points (18+20) through 55 games. By scoring his team-leading 18th goal and 38th point of the season this past Sunday against Toronto, he established career-highs in both categories, surpassing the marks he set during his rookie campaign in 2021-22.
Brett Murray, one of seven Amerks with at least 32 points on the season, has captured a new career-high in goals (17) from the 2021-22 season. The fourth-year pro comes into tonight with eight points (3+5) in his last 13 games and has recorded at least one shot in all but five games during that span dating back to Nov. 23.
With five points (2+3) over his last 13 games, Sean Malone reached the 20-point mark in back-to-back campaigns for the first time in his career. Through 38 contests in his fifth season with the Amerks, Malone has 11 goals and 13 assists.
Amerks captain Michael Mersch shows 27 points (12+15) over his last 32 games dating back to Dec. 17. More impressively, with 36 points in 46 games, he's well on his way of reaching the 40-point mark for the sixth time in his nine-year pro career. The former Calder Cup winner is also a five-time 20-goal scorer, reaching the mark four times in his first five seasons and again last season when he scored a career-high 26 goals.
Through 51 games, defenseman Jeremy Davies established a career-high with 10 goals, reaching the mark for the first time in his pro career while also becoming the first Amerks defenseman this season to do so. Over his last 13 games, Davies has collected four goals and seven assists for 11 points.
Rookie Isak Rosen has posted 14 points (7+7) in 22 games since Jan. 21. In the 7-1 victory over Springfield, Rosen, the Sabres’ first-round selection (14th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, notched his first-career three-point game as well as his first-ever two-goal outing. Overall, four of his 10 goals on the season have come while on the power-play. Rosen is one of only two rookies this season to reach the 20-point mark.
Mitch Eliot tied his previous career-high in goals (3) at Providence on Feb. 26, reaching the mark in 24 fewer games than the 2021-22 campaign.
A JOBST WELL DONE
Mason Jobst has made the most of his second opportunity with the Amerks as the fourth-year pro is in the process of assembling a career-year.
Through 46 games this season, the Speedway, Indiana, native has already established career-highs in all offensive categories, including goals (12), assists (15) and points (27).
With an assist in the 5-4 overtime win in Belleville on Feb. 4, Jobst reached the 20-point mark for the first time in his pro career, becoming then the ninth different Amerk to eclipse the mark.
Since the turn of the New Year, Jobst has amassed nine goals and 14 points over his previous 20 games, including his first career hat trick in the 7-5 loss to the first-place Toronto Marlies back on Jan. 14. He comes into tonight with five goals and seven points over his previous eight games, a stretch highlighted by a career-best three-game goal-scoring streak.
Jobst has totaled 40 points (16+24) over 72 career games with the Amerks dating back to last season.
WORKING OVERTIME
The 4-3 overtime loss last against Laval back on March 3 was Rochester’s 12th game this season -- and just the fourth in 2023 -- that went beyond regulation for the Amerks.
The Amerks are 6-4 in overtime and show an even 1-1 mark in shootouts.
Rochester has played in the 11th-fewest overtime games in the AHL this season.
Rochester tied an AHL record with 29 overtime games in 2017-18.
SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton comes into the matchup sitting in eighth place in the AHL's Atlantic Division standings with a 23-26-4-5 overall record and have a 2-6-2-0 mark in its last 10 contests. The Penguins are one point behind the Amerks but Rochester has two games in hand coming into tonight.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be without the services of leading point-getter Alexander Nylander, who's currently on recall with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The former Amerk paces the club in both goals (25) and points (50), both of which are career-highs, while his 25 assists equals his personal-best in 54 games. In four games with Pittsburgh, Nylander shows one assist.
Goaltender Dustin Tokarski (10-11-5), another former Amerk, has handled the goaltending duties for a majority of the season while also being supported by Taylor Gauthier and Filip Lindberg. The two rookie netminders enter tonight's contest having combined for a 13-14-4 mark in 35 appearances. Tokarski ranks fifth and seventh in the AHL amongst qualified goaltenders with a .917 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average, respectively.
SERIES NOTABLES
With Austin Strand making his Amerks debut last Friday against Hartford, he became the 38th overall player to appear in one game with the Amerks in 2022-23 and the 15th defenseman. He was also be the 19th different player to don the red, white and blue colors for the first time in their career.
Amerks veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski, a Pittsburgh, Penn., native, spent the 2021-22 season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as an assistant captain. In 72 games, Bartkowski registered 16 points (4+16) while also skating in six postseason contests, notching one assist.
Penguins assistant coach Kevin Porter spent parts of five seasons with Rochester and was a five-time team captain from 2012-14 and 2017-2020. In 269 career games with the Amerks, Porter notched 68 goals and 116 assists for 184 points to rank 35th all-time in franchise history among all forwards.
Penguins captain Taylor Fedun patrolled the Amerks blueline for parts of three seasons (2016-19), leading Rochester to two playoff appearances. The 35-year-old veteran defenseman and two-time assistant captain for the Amerks produced 44 points (8+36) in 83 games.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Alexander Nylander began his professional career in Rochester after being drafted eighth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. Nylander recorded 86 points (30+56) in 165 career games with Rochester from 2016-19.
Rochester Americans vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: Head To Head Stats
Summary
|
Description |
Result |
|
| Head to Head Record 2022-23 Regular Season | Rochester 1-0-0-0 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0-1-0-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2021-22 Regular Season | Rochester 2-0-0-0 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0-2-0-0 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Rochester 6-0-0-0 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0-6-0-0 |
| Rochester vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Last 5 Years record at Rochester | Rochester 4-0-0-0 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0-4-0-0 |
| Rochester vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Last 5 Years record at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | Rochester 2-0-0-0 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0-2-0-0 |
| Previous Meetings This Season | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2 @ Rochester 3 (Jan 25 2023) Final |
How the two teams match up
|
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
Rochester |
|
| Team Record | 23-26-4-5 -- 55 points | 28-24-4-1 -- 61 points |
| Division Ranking | 8th Atlantic | 4th North |
| Conference Ranking | 15th Eastern | 10th Eastern |
| League Ranking | 30th | 20th |
| Past 10 Games | 2-6-2-0 | 5-4-1-0 |
| Streak | 0-3-0-0 | 1-0-0-0 |
| Last Game | 4-1 L vs Utica (Mar 11 2023) Final | 2-0 W vs Laval (Mar 15 2023) Final |
| Home Record | 11-14-3-1 | 15-11-2-0 |
| Away Record | 12-12-1-4 | 13-13-2-1 |
| GF | 154 | 188 |
| GA | 171 | 192 |
| PP (Overall) | (46/226) 20.4% | (44/213) 20.7% |
| PP (Home) | (22/112) 19.6% | (28/105) 26.7% |
| PP (Away) | (24/114) 21.1% | (16/108) 14.8% |
| PK (Overall) | (39/207) 81.2% | (39/190) 79.5% |
| PK (Home) | (16/105) 84.8% | (21/90) 76.7% |
| PK (Away) | (23/102) 77.5% | (18/100) 82.0% |
| PP vs. Opp. | (1/5) 20% | (1/5) 20% |
| PK vs. Opp. | (1/5) 80% | (1/5) 80% |
| Leading Rookie | Houde (11-6-17) | Kulich (17-18-35) |
| Most PIM | Andonovski - 60 | Davies - 80 |
| Team PIM/GM | 11.3/Game | 11.5/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Nylander (25-25-50) | Biro (15-35-50) |
| Puustinen (21-26-47) | Rousek (15-32-47) | |
| Caggiula (14-26-40) | Weissbach (18-20-38) | |
| Hållander (9-21-30) | Mersch (13-23-36) | |
| Sikura (7-19-26) | Kulich (17-18-35) | |
| Last 5 Games | 4-1 L vs Utica (Mar 11 2023) Final | 2-0 W vs Laval (Mar 15 2023) Final |
| 4-1 L vs Lehigh Valley (Mar 10 2023) Final | 6-3 L vs Toronto (Mar 12 2023) Final | |
| 3-1 L vs Toronto (Mar 8 2023) Final | 4-2 L @ Syracuse (Mar 11 2023) Final | |
| 6-4 W @ Cleveland (Mar 5 2023) Final | 8-4 W vs Hartford (Mar 10 2023) Final | |
| 3-2 L @ Cleveland (Mar 4 2023) Final OT | 3-2 L @ Belleville (Mar 4 2023) Final | |
| Leading After 1st | 10-6-1-2 | 17-3-1-0 |
| Leading After 2nd | 13-0-1-2 | 20-4-2-0 |
| Tied After 1st | 5-11-0-3 | 6-9-2-1 |
| Tied After 2nd | 6-9-1-3 | 3-2-1-1 |
| Trailing After 1st | 8-9-3-0 | 5-12-1-0 |
| Trailing After 2nd | 4-17-2-0 | 5-18-1-0 |
| Out Shooting Opponents | 12-13-2-0 | 11-9-2-0 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 11-11-2-5 | 17-12-2-1 |
| 1-Goal Games | 12-9-4-5 | 12-6-4-1 |
| 2-Goal Games | 5-10-0-0 | 7-7-0-0 |
| 3-Goal Games | 2-4-0-0 | 1-4-0-0 |
Rochester Americans
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Jiri Kulich | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Lukas Rousek | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Jeremy Davies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 23 | X Vinnie Hinostroza | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Lawrence Pilut | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Ethan Prow | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Linus Weissbach | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 43 | Matt Bartkowski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Brandon Biro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 96 | X Anders Bjork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1 |
| 71 | Filip Cederqvist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 52 | Mitch Eliot | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Tyson Kozak | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 17 | Sean Malone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Michael Mersch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | Brett Murray | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | X Chase Priskie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Isak Rosen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Malcolm Subban | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Malcolm Subban | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59:54 | 2 | 2.00 | 0.923 |
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
| # | Player | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Valtteri Puustinen | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 47 | Sam Houde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | X Alexander Nylander | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| 21 | Corey Andonovski | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Drake Caggiula | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -1 |
| 17 | Raivis Ansons | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | Taylor Fedun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | Ty Glover | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 53 | X Sean Josling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | X Brooklyn Kalmikov | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Nathan Légaré | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 31 | Filip Lindberg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | Jon Lizotte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Kyle Olson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | X Chris Ortiz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Mitch Reinke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Tyler Sikura | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| 3 | Jack St. Ivany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| 15 | Colin Swoyer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| # | Player | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Filip Lindberg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 59:00 | 3 | 3.05 | 0.897 |