Points on the Line; Devils Get the Win

Published on March 21, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


ALBANY, N.Y. - Vladimir Zharkov's game-winning goal saved the day after the Albany Devils relinquished a four-goal lead in the second period. In the end, the Devils skated away with a 6-5 win against the Worcester Sharks - a team they were chasing in the Eastern Conference standings.

"Luckily we had some guys who made big plays at the end," said assistant captain Brad Mills. "Zharkov had a huge goal for us and (Joe) Whitney with the play to set him up. Those are types of goals you need."

The play formulated after Whitney caused a offensive-zone turnover and then fed Zharkov for a one-timer from the right side with 5:36 remaining in regulation.

"The guy tried to flip it out and I was surprised he didn't get it over my head," Whitney said. "I picked it right off and everyone was coming up ice, so I went the other way quick. I didn't have time to react. I saw Zharkov out of the corner of my eye. He did a good job burying that one."

The victory came at the right time for the Devils (28-26-6-5), who are now tied with the Sharks (28-25-4-7) in ninth place -- just one point out of playoff position -- in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.

"They needed those points just as much as we did," Mills said. "There was desperation on both sides, so I think that's the story for the rest of the way. There are a lot of teams competing and we are right in the thick of it."

Mills led the Devils with a career-high three points with two goals and an assist. Whitney also had a three-point night with three helpers.

To start, Albany tied a season-high for goals in a period with four. Mills opened the scoring at 3:09 on the power play and then was followed by Stephen Gionta (7:03), Myles Stoesz (8:58) and Tim Sestito (13:42, PPG).

Mills added his second 27 seconds into the second period with the team's third man-advantage goal.

From there the Sharks took control, scoring four-unanswered goals, including a game-tying, power-play goal by John McCarthy at 5:01 of the third period.

"Sometimes it's tough when you go up that early by that many goals," Whitney said. "There is a lot of game left. To stay even keel and to keep your foot on the gas pedal can be tough sometimes. We got away from it a little bit, but we did enough to get the win. We'll learn from it."

Albany's penalty kill was busy early in the third, but a successful kill on a tripping call at 7:21 jump started the Devils, who finished with a season-high 46 shots.

"We picked up our intensity and there was more desperation and battles," said head coach Rick Kowalsky. "It was good to see. You could sense it on the bench."

Albany heads to Norfolk to try and end the Admirals historical 18-game winning streak. The Devils will play two games, starting Friday at 7:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday at 7:15 p.m. Both games can be followed on ahllive.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2012


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