Sports stats



Albany Devils Weekly

April 10, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS WEEK

The Albany Devils enter the second-to-last week of the season four points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Along with Manchester and Bridgeport, Albany has 71 points and trails Hershey and Norfolk, which have 75 points.

The Devils went 1-2-0-1 last week, which began with a 3-1 victory at Springfield Tuesday. Albany followed with a 4-1 loss against Providence Friday and a 4-0 setback at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Saturday. The weekend concluded with a 3-2 shootout loss against Rochester Sunday. The Devils are tied for third in the Northeast Division and tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference at 29-28-1-12 (71 pts.).

This week, Albany travels to Binghamton at 7:05 pm Friday before hosting the Senators at 5 pm Saturday. The Devils then welcome Rochester back to Times Union Center at 3 pm Sunday. Binghamton, which has clinched a playoff berth, is second in the East Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference at 40-23-1-6 (87 pts.) with a 23-8-1-3 home mark and a 17-15-0-3 road record. Rochester is second in the North Division and tied for fifth in the Western Conference at 39-27-3-1, including a 20-14-0-1 home record and a 19-13-3-0 road showing.

As part of "Military Appreciation Night" Saturday, all active and retired service members will receive free admission to the game by showing proper identification at the Times Union Center box office. The festivities begin at 3 pm on South Pearl St. with the DLG Wealth Management Pre-Game Block Party. For more information visit thealbanydevils.com/military.

Joe Whitney is a point away from becoming the ninth player in franchise history to reach the 50-point plateau. The last players to produce 50-or-more points in a season were Matt Anderson (55) and Adam Henrique (50) during the 2009-10 campaign. Whitney's 49 points (25g-24a) are tied for ninth all- time in team history.

NOTES & NUMBERS

- Albany has scored first 32 times this season, going 20-6-1-5 when doing so. Joe Whitney has scored the first goal a team-high seven times, while Mike Hoeffel and Harri Pesonen are next with three tallies each.

- Twenty-seven of the Devils 29 wins have come when scoring three or more goals. Albany is 27-4-0-4 when scoring three or more times, 19-2-0-3 when scoring four-plus goals, 7-0-0-0 when registering five or more tallies and 2-0-0-0 when potting six goals.

- Albany is the 12th least penalized team in the AHL, averaging 15.49 penalty minutes per game.

- Nearly half of the Devils 70 games this season have been decided by one goal. In 34 one- goal games, Albany is 13-8-1-12.

- Matt Anderson moved into a first-place tie with Stephen Gionta for the franchise record for assists. On Tuesday, Anderson registered his 82nd helper as a Devil. In 197 games with Albany, he has posted 128 points, including 42 this season.

- Jon Merrill, who signed an amateur tryout agreement on Mar. 29, netted his first career goal, firing a shot from the point against Providence Friday. In six games this season, the defenseman has points in all but two with a goal and five assists.

- Last Sunday, Jean-Sebastien Berube netted his first goal of the season and second of his career. His last goal came on Jan. 7, 2012 at Norfolk.

- After an eight-game layoff, Dan Kelly returned to the Devils lineup, appearing in last Friday and Sunday's games. The defenseman is tied for second on the team with a +11 rating.

- New Jersey reassigned Scott Wedgewood to Albany from Trenton (ECHL) last Tuesday. Earlier in the season, the rookie became the first netminder in franchise history to win his first two career AHL starts (Mar. 9 vs. Springfield and Mar. 10 vs. Adirondack).

- On Friday, the Devils announced the signing of defenseman Seth Helgeson to an amateur tryout agreement. Helgeson, 22, was drafted in the fourth round (114th overall) by New Jersey during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He joins Albany after four seasons with the University of Minnesota of the WCHA.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

Tue., Apr. 2: Albany 3 at Springfield 1 (MassMutual Center) Teams 1 2 3 F

Albany 2 0 1 3

Springfield 0 0 1 1

A pair of goals separated by just 31 seconds helped the Albany Devils to a 3-1 victory against the Springfield Falcons Tuesday at MassMutual Center. Reid Boucher and Harri Pesonen both scored in the first period and Jacob Josefson found the back of the net in the third. In goal, Keith Kinkaid turned aside 35 shots, including 11 in the first, 11 in the second and 13 in the third.

Early in the opening period and on the power play, Mike Sislo found Jon Merrill near the top of the circles. The Devils defenseman fired a shot on Springfield netminder Allen York and Reid Boucher swooped in on a rebound at 15:50. Moments later Mattias Tedenby and Tim Sestito began a breakout of the offensive zone. Pesonen gained control of the puck and made a move around a Falcons defender for a breakaway goal at 16:21.

After a scoreless second, Springfield's Ryan Craig scored on a 5-on-3 power play 49 seconds into the third period. Josefson responded on an odd-man rush, which was started by Merrill, when he snapped a wrister into the upper corner at 2:33.

1st Period-1, Albany, Boucher 2 (Anderson, Merrill), 15:50 (PP). 2, Albany, Pesonen 12 (Tedenby, Sestito), 16:21. 2nd Period- No Scoring.

3rd Period-3, Springfield, Craig 19 (Audy-Marchessault, Drazenovic), 0:49 (PP). 4, Albany, Josefson 10 (Merrill), 2:33.

Shots on Goal-Albany 6-8-5-19. Springfield 11-11-14-36.

Power Play Opportunities-Albany 1 / 4; Springfield 1 / 5.

Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 20-16-6 (36 shots-35 saves). Springfield, York 10-6-0 (19 shots-16 saves).

Fri., Apr. 5: Albany 1 vs. Providence (Times Union Center)

Teams 1 2 3 F

Providence 1 3 0 4

Albany 0 0 1 1

The Albany Devils three game point streak ended with a 4-1 loss against the Providence Bruins Friday at Times Union Center. Jon Merrill recorded his first career goal and Jay Leach registered his fourth point in as many nights with an assist. Keith Kinkaid made 24 saves on 28 attempts.

Providence's Alexander Khokhlachev had a pair of goals, while Justin Florek and Chrisitian Hanson also scored. In goal, Niklas Svedberg, the reigning AHL Rookie of the Month, made 18 saves on 19 shots.

The Bruins jumped out to a 1-0 lead, scoring the only goal of the first period 17 seconds into the contest on a point shot from Florek. They added three goals in the second as Hanson's goal at 9:26 was sandwiched by two Khokhlachev tallies at 5:40 and 19:10.

Merrill's milestone goal came at 16:00 of the third on a shot from the point that found its way past a screened Svedberg.

1st Period-1, Providence, Florek 11 (Robins, Miller), 0:17.

2nd Period-2, Providence, Khokhlachev 1 (Krug, Tardif), 5:40. 3, Providence, Hanson 11 (Tardif, Spooner), 9:26. 4, Providence, Khokhlachev 2 (Krug, Spooner), 19:10.

3rd Period-5, Albany, Merrill 1 (Leach, Sestito), 16:00.

Shots on Goal-Providence 10-12-6-28. Albany 5-7-7-19.

Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 / 3; Albany 0 / 1.

Goalies-Providence, Svedberg 34-8-2 (19 shots-18 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 20-16-6 (28 shots-24 saves).

Current Streaks

None

Upcoming Milestones

Keith Kinkaid - 15 games away from 100 career AHL games

Jay Leach - 6 away from 500 career AHL games

Joe Whitney - 6 away from 100 career AHL points

Recent Milestones

Chris McKelvie - 100th career AHL game; at SPR (Apr. 2)

Reid Boucher - 1st career AHL goal; vs. HER (Mar. 29)

Jon Merrill - 1st career AHL game; vs. HER (Mar. 29) - 1st career AHL point; vs. HER (Mar. 29)

Brandon Burlon - 100th career AHL game; at BNG (Mar. 22)

Mike Hoeffel - 100th career AHL game; at BRI (Mar. 17)

Chad Wiseman - 600th career AHL game; at BRI (Mar. 17)

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)

Eric Gelinas - 100th career AHL game; at CT (Feb. 5)

Joe Whitney - 100th career AHL game; vs. ADK (Jan. 20)

Sat., Apr. 6: Albany 0 at WB/Scranton 4 (Mohegan Sun Arena)

Teams 1 2 3 F

Albany 0 0 0 0

WB/Scranton 2 0 2 4

Jeff Frazee was busy against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Saturday night. The Albany Devils netminder registered his eighth 30-plus-save performance of the season. Offensively, the Devils could not find the back of the net, falling 4-0 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Frazee's night included 15 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and one in the third. At the other end, Jeff Zatkoff registered his 25th victory and fourth shutout of the season. He made 11 saves.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netted a pair of goals at the opposite ends of the first frame. Chad Kolarik scored a power-play goal 48 seconds into the game and Trevor Smith made the score 2-0 with 11 seconds remaining in the period. Smith also assisted on Kolark's goal and Riley Holzapfel assisted on both tallies. Alex Grant had the primary helper on the Penguin's second goal.

After a scoreless second period, Grant netted his team's third power-play goal with a wrister from the high slot at 11:00 of the third. Moments later, Paul Thompson made the game 4-0, scoring at 15:13.

1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Kolarik 26 (Smith, Holzapfel), 0:48 (PP). 2, W-B/Scranton, Smith 22 (Grant, Holzapfel), 19:49 (PP).

2nd Period- No Scoring.

3rd Period-3, W-B/Scranton, Grant 5 (Kolarik, Reese), 11:00 (PP). 4, W-B/Scranton, Thompson 17 (Megna, Gibbons), 15:13.

Shots on Goal-Albany 1-8-2-11. W-B/Scranton 17-14-3-34.

Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 4; W-B/Scranton 3 / 8.

Goalies-Albany, Frazee 7-12-5 (34 shots-30 saves). W-B/Scranton, Zatkoff 25-19-0 (11 shots-11 saves).

Sun., Apr. 7: Albany 2 vs. Rochester (Times Union Center) Teams 1 2 3 OT SO F

Rochester 0 0 2 0 1 3

Albany 0 1 1 0 0 2

The Albany Devils managed to move one point closer to a playoff spot with a 3-2 shootout loss against the Rochester Americans Sunday at Times Union Center. Reid Boucher registered his third goal in his fifth game and Jean-Sebastien Berube netted his first goal of the year. In goal, Keith Kinkaid made 20 saves on 22 attempts.

After a scoreless first, Boucher opened the scoring off a cross-ice feed from Steve Zalewski at 17:02 of the second. Berube doubled Albany's lead at 2:54 of the third with a wrist shot that found its way past Rochester netminder Matt Hackett, who made 39 saves on 41 shots.

Rochester responded with two unanswered goals in the third. Nick Crawford cut the Devils lead in half with a redirection at 8:02 and Zemgus Girgensons scored shorthanded at 15:35.

The Devils, who outshot the Americans 9-1 in overtime, couldn't find the back of the net in the shootout. Rochester's Johan Larsson, Corey Tropp and Colin Jacobs all converted during the team's second straight shootout win.

1st Period- No Scoring.

2nd Period-1, Albany, Boucher 3 (Zalewski, Whitney), 17:02.

3rd Period-2, Albany, Berube 1 (Zajac, Janssen), 2:54. 3, Rochester, Crawford 5 (Girgensons, Rankin), 8:02 (PP). 4, Rochester, Girgensons 5 (Larsson, Hackett), 15:35 (SH).

OT Period- No Scoring.

Shootout - Rochester 3 (Larsson G, Tropp G, Jacobs G), Albany 0 (Sislo NG, Boucher NG, Anderson NG). Shots on Goal-Rochester 3-7-11-1-1-23. Albany 13-10-9-9-0-41.

Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 1 / 5; Albany 0 / 7.

Goalies-Rochester, Hackett 20-20-3 (41 shots-39 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 20-16-6 (22 shots-20 saves).

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS

Binghamton Senators

Apr. 12 at Broome County Veterans Arena

Apr. 13 at Times Union Center

The Senators lost a pair of games at Norfolk last week. Binghamton, which is on a three game losing streak, lost 2-1 Friday and 3-0 Saturday. The team, which is 4-5-0-1 in its last 10, is one of four Eastern Conference teams to clinch a spot in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Stephane Da Costa leads the Senators with 35 points, backed by 12 goals and a team- high 23 assists. Additionally, the center is a +11 in 51 contests. Rookies Shane Prince, Cole Schneider and Mark Stone are next with 31, 30 and 30 points, respectively. Prince has 17 goals and 14 helpers in 59 games, while Schneider has 14 tallies and 16 assists in 54 outings. Stone has 12 goals and 18 assists in 48 contests.

Goaltenders Marc Cheverie and Nathan Lawson have shared time. Cheverie is 4-5-0 with a 3.32 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. Lawson is 10-6-2 with a 2.28 goals-against mark and a .936 save percentage.

Rochester Americans

Apr. 14 at Times Union Center The Americans are coming off a 2-1-0-0 week, which began with a 3-1 loss against Lake Erie Friday. Rochester followed with back-to-back shootout wins, winning 5-4 at Adirondack Saturday and 3-2 at Albany Sunday. The Amerks are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 contests.

Mark Mancari leads the team with 59 points, 21 goals and 38 helpers. Recent addition Johann Larsson has amassed 40 points with 16 goals and 24 assists, playing for Houston (62 games) and Rochester (3 outings). Defenseman Brayden McNabb has produced 36 points, backed by five goals and 31 assists.

The Americans have leaned heavily on goaltender David Leggio, who leads the league for games played (59), wins (36) and saves (1,825). Leggio is 36-22-1 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. Newly acquired Matt Hackett, who arrived from Minnesota, made his Rochester debut during Sunday's win at Times Union Center. Between Rochester and Houston, Hackett is 20-20-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Rookie Nathan Lieuwen is 1-2-0 with a 2.65 goals-against average a .919 save percentage.

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Albany Devils Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central