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Amerks Weekly – Mar 11-Mar 17

Posted on by Steve Lopez

Amerks Games This Week

  • Wednesday – 3/13 – 7:05pm – vs Utica Comets (30-25-5-2)
  • Friday 3/15 – 7:00pm – at Charlotte Checkers (39-15-6-1)
  • Saturday 3/16 – 6:00pm – at Charlotte Checkers (39-15-6-1)/

AHL North Division Standings as of March 11th

The Amerks went 3-0-0-0 last week to retake the lead in the AHL’s North Division.

Overall, the Amerks jumped two spots to second place in both the Eastern Conference and the league, behind only Charlotte (who they’ll play twice next weekend).

What Happened Last Week?

Record Mar 4-Mar 10: 3-0-0-0

A perfect week for the Amerks, who are streaking at the right time. In picking up six of six points, they’ve reclaimed the North Division lead, and they did it in impressive fashion – scoring a whopping sixteen goals in three games while only allowing four!

The team is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games. They’ve already surpassed last year’s total wins (38 vs 37) and they still have 15 games remaining in the regular season.

They’re getting scoring from all positions, and not just from the players you’d expect to light the lamp (Tennyson on Sunday, Oglevie 1+1 on Friday, Borgen with two assists on Friday). The goaltending has been especially strong in the past few weeks, with Scott Wedgewood going 13-5 so far in 2019.

Even better, they’re finding ways to win games with depth players on the ice, battling through recalls to players like C.J. Smith, Danny O’Regan, and Alexander Nylander, in addition to injuries to key players like Kevin Porter and Wayne Simpson.

Catch full game recaps at the links below and highlights in the Video Room.

Bright Spots

Alexander Nylander (F) – In four games since turning 21, Nylander rode a four-game goal scoring streak, added two assists, and earned his first recall of the season as the Sabres anticipated a Jack Eichel suspension. As someone who has often been one of Nylander’s biggest critics, I’m cautiously optimistic about this turn of events and I genuinely hope he gets played in the right situations in Buffalo (Top 6) and puts up some points. It’s a win for everyone involved if Alex finds success.

Taylor Leier (F) – When people analyze Jason Botterill’s trades, they should chalk this one up as a huge win. Leier has scored 8+6=14 in his 20 games in Rochester so far, and he’s been an impact player with every shift. He’s a voracious puck hound all over the ice and plays a true 200’ game.

Rasmus Asplund (F) – Nylander got the recall, but Asplund quietly put up 3+4=7 during the three game weekend sweep. He’s finding his scoring touch and at the perfect time as the Amerks continue to roll towards the playoffs.

  • The Rochester Americans – Credit to the entire roster this week. They knew they had a great chance to walk away with six points over the weekend and they went out and took care of business. The coaching staff had them prepared to play and the players delivered. It was a pleasure to watch./

Room For Improvement

  • On the ice? Not much right now! Keep up the good work!/

Well, I guess if I have to pick something… I’ll say they could improve these Irish Night jerseys next season by either… 1) not wearing them at all, or 2) springing for matching shorts and helmets. Count the colors here folks: blue, green, orange, red, white… yowsa!

Look Ahead

I’d say it’s safe to assume the Amerks have had next weekend circled on their calendars ever since the start of the season. The team will travel to Charlotte to face off in back-to-back games against the league-leading Checkers. If you remember, the Checkers handed the Amerks back-to-back blowout loses in Rochester in the first two games of the season. There’s a strong chance that with two wins the Amerks could find themselves leading the league by the time I write next week’s Amerks Weekly.

But let’s not put the cart before the horse. They’ll face a struggling Utica Comets team on Wednesday night at BCA. Utica is winless in their last four and has gone 3-6-1-0 in their last ten.

Transactions

  • March 10, 2019 – Alexander Nylander (F) ⬆️ from Rochester to Buffalo/

Video Room

Game 59 – 3/8/2019 – Home Win vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Game 60 – 3/9/2019 – Away Win at Binghamton Devils

Game 61 – 3/10/2019 – Home Win vs Binghamton Devils

Injury Report

Farmville

The Cincinnati Cyclones are 42-10-4-3 (!!!), remain in first place in their division, and are now the best team in the entire ECHL.

Jonas Johansson (G) finished his season with a 19-5-1-2 record, putting up a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV%. He has undergone season-ending surgery and will begin his rehab with the hopes of a full-time role in Rochester next season, alongside Ukko Pekka Luukkonen – who is also expected to turn pro this summer.

Old Friends

  • Justin Bailey: 6+2=8 in 15 games with Lehigh Valley / 0+0=0 in 5 games with NHL Philadelphia Flyers.
  • Nicholas Baptiste: 12+10=22 in 55 games with Milwaukee / 0+1=1 in 5 games with Toronto.
  • Colin Blackwell: 8+6=14 in 31 games with Milwaukee / 0+0=0 in 6 games with NHL Nashville Predators.
  • Hudson Fasching: 12+13=25 in 50 games with Tucson / 0+0=0 in 0 games with NHL Arizona Coyotes.
  • Taylor Fedun: 1+7=8 in 12 games with Texas / 3+7=10 in 43 games with NHL Dallas Stars.
  • Seth Griffith: 12+32=44 in 53 games with Manitoba.
  • Brendan Guhle: 0+1=1 in 7 game with NHL Anaheim Ducks.
  • Matt Moulson: 25+30=55 in 54 games with Ontario.
  • Jordan Nolan: 15+12=27 in 46 games with San Antonio / 0+2=2 in 14 games with NHL St. Louis Blues.
  • Cliff Pu: 1+5=6 in 44 games with Charlotte. / 2+3=5 in 5 games with ECHL Florida Everblades / 1+0=1 in 6 games with Springfield./

Question of the Week

What do you expect to see from Alex Nylander in his first recall of the season?

Talking Points