GAME PREVIEW: METSA RETURNS AS AMERKS HOST MARLIES
Five things to know as Rochester opens three-game weekend of season
Mar 26, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
For the first time this season, the Rochester Americans (26-24-5-4) will play three games in as many days, beginning Friday night on home ice against the Toronto Marlies (32-21-5-5).
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Here’s what you need to know before the Amerks enter the final weekend of March.
A SIXCESSFUL SUNDAY
After trailing 3-1 to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Amerks rallied for five straight unanswered goals Sunday evening to pick up a critical 6-3 win.
Konsta Helenius was the center of attention, scoring three goals through the first 21 minutes of the game to record his second career hat trick. Jake Leschyshyn scored late in the second period to earn the game-winning-goal against his former team, while Jagger Joshua and Vsevolod Komarov scored insurance markers in the third.
Devon Levi secured his 18th win of the season with a 33-save performance to snap a personal eight-game winless stretch.
Two nights ago, the Marlies played host to Manitoba and dropped the Moose by a 4-1 final despite being outshot, 30-19. The Marlies continue to inch closer to securing a playoff spot. A win against Rochester would clinch a spot for the Marlies, sending them to the postseason for a fourth straight year.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN!
It was announced Thursday that Amerks captain Zach Metsa had been reassigned to Rochester from the Buffalo Sabres and will be available to play for the red, white, and blue on Friday night.
Metsa, 27, has spent the bulk of his season with the blue and gold and has had a stellar rookie excursion in the NHL. Over 38 games, Metsa has two goals and six points to go with a team best plus-20 on-ice rating. Metsa has finished even or better in plus/minus in every game with Buffalo and has not been on the ice for a five-on-five goal against with the parent club since Oct. 24, 2025.
With the Amerks, Metsa has posted 15 points (2+13) in 16 games this season to go with a plus-4 rating. The third-year pro returned to Rochester briefly during the NHL’s Olympic break, skating in two games with the team last month before returning to the Sabres. Over his three seasons and 139 games with Rochester, Metsa has amassed 16 goals and 85 points with the team.
THREE’S COMPANY
For the first time all season, the Amerks will play three games in as many nights to carry them through the weekend. This is the first of two scheduled three-in-three weekends for Rochester, with the other coming during the final weekend of the regular season from Apr. 17-19.
After Friday’s tilt against Toronto, the Amerks enter a home-and-home with Syracuse, culminating Sunday afternoon at Blue Cross Arena.
Rochester’s 13 games remaining are the most of any team in the AHL. The Amerks will play their 13 remaining games over a 24-day span.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Through injuries, call-ups, and trades, this year’s Amerks are continuing to find ways to spread the wealth when it comes to their production.
Over the course of the 2025-26 season, 18 different players have garnered at least 10 points while playing in the Flower City. Five active Amerks have double-digit goal totals, with their leading scorer being the second-highest producing teenager in the league (Helenius).
A remarkable 14 different Amerks have scored on the power-play this season, with the team’s man-advantage leading the Eastern Conference at 22.7%.
TAKING ON TORONTO
Friday marks the sixth and final time during the regular season that the Amerks and Marlies will face one another. Through five encounters thus far, the home team has won each outing, with the Amerks showing a 2-3-0-0 record against their adversary north of the border.
This is the third time in 14 days the two sides meet. Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the Amerks split a home-and-home set with Toronto, highlighted by Trevor Kuntar netting the game-winning-goal in overtime on Mar. 13 at Blue Cross Arena.
The Marlies skate in having picked up points in seven of their last 10 games despite being without the services of their leading scorer, Bo Groulx, who has been on recall with the Maple Leafs since early in the month. In his absence, the veteran duo of Logan Shaw and Alex Nylander have led the way. The two forwards combine for over 1,000 games of AHL experience.
Shaw (Toronto’s captain) enters the weekend on a five-game point streak (4+6), while Nylander has dominated with points in seven straight (8+8), including a pair of four-point performances.
In five games against Toronto this season, Zac Jones has posted four assists. The Amerks defenseman continues to lead the team in points with 51 (9+42).