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Albany Devils Weekly

March 12, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS WEEK

The Albany Devils are coming off their third consecutive successful weekend, earning four-out-of-a-possible-six points during three games. After losing 4-2 to Bridgeport Friday, the Devils responded with a 4-1 win against Springfield Saturday and a 3-2 shootout victory against Adirondack Sunday. The Devils hit the road this weekend for three more games. They are at Rochester Friday (7:05 pm), at Syracuse Saturday (7:30 pm) and at Bridgeport Sunday (3 pm).

In their last eight games, the Devils have earned 13-out-of-a-possible-16 points. At 26-20-1-10 (63 pts.) overall, the Devils trail sixth-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (32- 25-2-1, 67 pts.), and seventh- and eighth-place Hershey (28-24-3-5, 64 pts.) and Connecticut (28-25-5-3, 64 pts.). The Devils have played three fewer games than the Penguins and the Bears and four fewer than the Whale.

The Americans are second in the North Division and tied for sixth in the Western Conference at 31-22-3-1 (66 pts.), including an 18-11-0-1 home mark. The Crunch are first in the East Division and first in the Eastern Conference at 36-17-3-4 (79 pts.) with a 13-9-3-2 home showing. The Sound Tigers are fourth in the Northeast Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference at 24-24-5-4 (57 pts.), including a 13- 8-3-3 home record.

During the last five games, the Devils have employed four different goaltenders. Maxime Clermont faced Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Mar. 2 and Jeff Frazee appeared at Adirondack on Mar. 3. Keith Kinkaid played against Bridgeport Friday and Scott Wedgewood faced Springfield Saturday and Adirondack Sunday. Currently, Clermont is with Elmira (ECHL), Frazee is with New Jersey and Kinkaid and Wedgewood are paired in Albany.

Joe Whitney and Matt Anderson are first and second on the team with 39 and 36 points, respectively. Whitney has a team-high 21 goals and a +17 rating, while Anderson has a team-best 25 assists. He is tied for fourth with a +4 showing.

DEVILS NOTABLES

- Albany has scored first 28 times this season, going 18-5-1-4 when doing so. Joe Whitney has scored the first goal a team-high six times and Mike Hoeffel is next with three tallies.

- With a pair of home wins last weekend, The Devils are back to .500 at home at 11-11-0-6. The team is 15-9-1-4 on the road.

- Goaltenders Jeff Frazee and Keith Kinkaid both made their NHL debuts last week. Frazee supplied 18:36 of relief, stopping all three shots Saturday at Carolina. Kinkaid logged 25:45, also in relief, and made 12 saves on 13 shots against Tampa Bay last Tuesday.

- On Tuesday, New Jersey recalled Harri Pesonen from Albany. The rookie has appeared in 54 AHL games, producing 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points. Additionally, he has netted three power-play goals and is a +5. He had points (1g-2a) in all three games this past weekend

- Pesonen's last goal came during a penalty shot Saturday against Bridgeport's Rick DiPietro. The tally was the Devils second penalty shot goal of the season and the first since Adam Henrique converted against Adirondack's Cal Heeter on Oct. 26.

- Joe Whitney netted his 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st goals of the season with at least one goal in each game last weekend. The second-year pro is on a four-game goal streak (five goals) and has posted nine goals in the last eight contests. His goal total this season rank eighth in franchise history, tying him with Nick Palmieri (2009-10).

- With a pair of assists this weekend, Matt Anderson reached the 200 career AHL points milestone. He has posted 74 goals and 126 assists in 327 career games.

- Mike Sislo is tied for the league lead with five shootout goals. The second-year pro, has taken eight attempts, posting a .625 conversion percentage. During regulation, Sislo has amassed 16 points with eight goals and eight assists in 42 outings.

- Scott Wedgewood, who was reassigned to Albany Tuesday, became the first goaltender in franchise history to win his first two starts. He made 23 saves on 24 shots Saturday and 34 stops on 36 tries Sunday. He also stopped all three shootout attempts during the second game.

- Steve Zalewski has three assists in the last two games and 10 points (3g-7a) in the last 10 contests. He ranks third on the team with 34 points, including 10 goals and 24 helpers.

- On Friday, captain Jay Leach returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 10. He wasted no time making an impact, assisting on the game's first goal at 12:47 of the first period. This season, Leach has appeared in 42 games, producing two goals, five assists and a +8 rating.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Fri., Mar. 8: Albany 2 vs. Bridgeport 4 (Times Union Center)

Teams 1 2 3 F

Bridgeport 0 2 2 4

Albany 1 1 0 2

Joe Whitney and Harri Pesonen scored, but the Devils dropped the first game of their three- in-three with a 4-2 setback against the Sound Tigers. The Devils, who were playing their first game at Times Union Center since Feb. 18, had their five-game point streak halted.

Whitney recorded his 18th tally and Pesonen added a penalty-shot goal. Corbin McPherson and Jay Leach each posted helpers. In goal, Keith Kinkaid made 25 saves on 28 attempts in his return from New Jersey.

Whitney opened the scoring at 12:47 of the first period when he tipped a point shot from Leach. In the second, Pesonen converted on a penalty shot, going five hole at 56 seconds to double Albany's lead.

From there, Bridgeport netted four unanswered goals. Nino Niederreiter scored on the power play at 7:35 and Aaron Ness made it 2-2 at 12:29. In the third, Sean Backman netted the game-winning goal at 16:36 and potted an empty-net tally at 19:42.

1st Period-1, Albany, Whitney 18 (Leach, McPherson), 12:47.

2nd Period-2, Albany, Pesonen 11 0:56 (TXT_PS). 3, Bridgeport, Niederreiter 24 (Donovan, Nelson), 7:35 (PP). 4, Bridgeport, Ness 3 (Nelson, Backman), 12:29.

3rd Period-5, Bridgeport, Backman 8 (Watkins), 15:36. 6, Bridgeport, Backman 9 (Nelson), 19:41 (EN). Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 4-11-14-29. Albany 12-6-9-27.

Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 1 / 5; Albany 0 / 2.

Goalies-Bridgeport, DiPietro 2-2-0 (27 shots-25 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 17-12-5 (28 shots-25 saves).

Sat., Mar. 9: Albany 4 vs. Springfield 1 (Times Union Center)

Teams 1 2 3 F

Springfield 0 1 0 1

Albany 1 0 3 4

Joe Whitney scored a pair of goals and Eric Gelinas had a multi-point night in a 4-1 rout of the Northeast Division-leading Falcons. In goal, Scott Wedgewood made 23 saves on 24 shots in his AHL debut. Only David Savard's five-on-three goal found its way behind the rookie netminder.

Offensively, Whitney registered his 19th and 20th goals of the season and Gelinas had a goal and an assist. Mike Sislo also scored.

Whitney got the Devils in front, forcing a turnover in the offensive zone and eventually getting the puck back to tuck home a backhand attempt at 3:24 of the first period. Springfield responded with Savard's tally at 14:06 of the second.

Sislo gave the Devils the last lead they would need at 3:25 of the third, redirecting a Dan Kelly point shot. Whitney added his second by beating Springfield netminder Paul Dainton on the power-play at 6:14. Gelinas put the game out of reach with a slapshot from the point at 7:55.

1st Period-1, Albany, Whitney 19 3:24.

2nd Period-2, Springfield, Savard 5 (Holden, Audy-Marchessault), 14:06 (PP).

3rd Period-3, Albany, Sislo 7 (Kelly, Gelinas), 3:25. 4, Albany, Whitney 20 (Josefson, Anderson), 6:14 (PP). 5, Albany, Gelinas 5 (Zalewski, Pesonen), 7:55.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 4-11-9-24. Albany 8-6-8-22.

Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 1 / 5; Albany 1 / 3.

Goalies-Springfield, Dainton 3-4-1 (22 shots-18 saves). Albany, Wedgewood 2-0-0 (24 shots-23 saves).

Current Streaks

Joe Whitney - 4 game goal streak (4g-2a)

Harri Pesonen - 3 game point streak (1g-2a)

Matt Anderson - 2 game point streak (2a)

Mike Sislo - 2 game goal streak (2g)

Scott Wedgewood - 2 game winning streak

Steve Zalewski - 2 game point streak (3a)

Upcoming Milestones

Brandon Burlon - 4 away from 100 career AHL games

Mike Hoeffel - 3 away from 100 career AHL games

Keith Kinkaid - 24 games away from 100 career AHL games

Jay Leach - 19 away from 500 career AHL games

Chris McKelvie - 6 away from 100 career AHL games

Joe Whitney - 16 points away from 100 career AHL points

Chad Wiseman - 3 away from 600 career AHL games

Recent Milestones

Matt Anderson - 200th career AHL point; vs. ADK (Mar. 10)

Scott Wedgewood - 1st career AHL victory; vs. SPR (Mar. 9) Phil DeSimone

- 100th career AHL game; at WBS (Mar. 2)

Mike Sislo - 100th career AHL game; at WBS (Mar. 2)

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS

Mar. 15 at Rochester Americans (Blue Cross Arena)

Last weekend, Rochester went 2-0-1-0 with a 5-0 victory against Abbotsford Friday, a 3-2 overtime loss at Binghamton Saturday and a 3-2 shootout win against Abbotsford Sunday. The Americans are 5-4-1-0 in their last 10.

Mark Mancari leads the team with a team- high 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points. Defenseman Brayden McNabb is second with five goals and 31 assists for 36 points.

The Americans have leaned heavily on goaltender David Leggio, who leads the league with 48 games played, 30 wins and 1,495 saves. He is 30-17-1 with a 2.60 goals- against average and a .922 save percentage. Rookie Nathan Lieuwen is 0-2-0 with a 3.87 goals-against average and a .864 save percentage.

Sat., Mar. 16 at Syracuse Crunch (War Memorial at OnCenter)

The Crunch are coming off a 2-1-0 week, which included a 6-3 setback at Toronto Wednesday. Syracuse rebounded with a pair of wins against St. John's. The Crunch, who are 6-3-1-0 in their last 10, won 3-2 in a shootout Friday and 4-2 Saturday.

Tyler Johnson is first in the AHL with 31 goals and second with 57 points. In 59 outings, he has also contributed 26 assists. Brett Connelly is second with 52 points, backed by 24 goals and 28 assists.

In goal, Cedrick Desjardins and Riku Helenius have shared time lately. Desjardins is 11- 15-2 with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage overall. Since being acquired by Tampa Bay and being loaned to Syracuse, he is 4-2-0 with a 1.85 goals- against average and a .928 save percentage. Helenius is 14-10-0 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.

Sun., Mar. 17 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Webster Bank Arena)

With just two games last week, the Sound Tigers went 1-0-1-0. They lost, 3-2, in overtime at Manchester Wednesday before winning, 4-2, at Albany Friday. Bridgeport is 2-4-3-1 in its last 10 outings.

Nino Niederreiter, the fifth overall pick during the 2010 NHL Draft, leads the team with 42 points, including 24 goals and 18 assists. Brock Nelson is second with 40 points, backed by 16 goals and 24 helpers.

Bridgeport's goaltending tandem includes Rick DiPietro and Kenny Reiter. DiPietro is 2-2-0 with a 3.85 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage, while Reiter 0-3-1 with a 3.01 goals-against average and a.902 save percentage.

Sun., Mar. 10: Albany 3 vs. Adirondack 2 (Times Union Center)

Teams 1 2 3 OT SO F

Adirondack 0 2 0 0 1 3

Albany 1 1 0 0 0 2

The Devils earned their eighth victory against the Phantoms with a 3-2 shootout win Sunday. The game included a 34-save performance from Scott Wedgewood, who made 12 saves in the first, nine in the second, 11 in the third, two in overtime and all three in the shootout.

Joe Whitney registered his fourth goal of the weekend and Mike Sislo added his second. Steve Zalewski recorded a multi-point game with two assists.

After Adirondack's Jason Akeson gave the Phantoms an early lead at 7:44 of the first, Whitney brought the Devils level 20 seconds into the second period, poking home his own rebound. Sislo made the score 2-1 at 12:28, but Adirondack's Jon Sim erased the lead at 18:58. After a scoreless third and overtime, Sislo, Phil DeSimone and Matt Anderson all converted consecutively against Phantoms netminder Brian Boucher. Wedgewood halted Akeson, Garrett Roe and Matthew Ford.

1st Period-1, Adirondack, Akeson 12 (Roe, Sim), 7:44.

2nd Period-2, Albany, Whitney 21 (Zalewski, Anderson), 0:20. 3, Albany, Sislo 8 (Pesonen, Zalewski), 12:28. 4, Adirondack, Sim 9 (Eddy, Akeson), 18:58.

3rd Period- No Scoring.

OT Period- No Scoring.

Shootout - Adirondack 0 (Akeson NG, Roe NG, Ford NG), Albany 3 (Sislo G, DeSimone G, Anderson G). Shots on Goal-Adirondack 13-10-11-2-0-36. Albany 3-13-4-0-1-21.

Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 3; Albany 0 / 4.

Goalies-Adirondack, Boucher 2-4-1 (20 shots-18 saves). Albany, Wedgewood 2-0- 0 (36 shots-34 saves).

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