Devils Downed by Crunch
February 20, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release
SYRACUSE, NY -- The Albany Devils began their season-long five-game road trip with a 3-1 loss against the Syracuse Crunch Friday at War Memorial Arena. Kelly Zajac found the back of the net and Scott Wedgewood made 21 saves.
The loss moves Albany to 22-21-4-5, while Syracuse, which held a 24-21 shot advantage, improves to 30-13-8-0.
Vladislav Namestnikov led the Crunch with a goal and an assist and netminder Kristers Gudlevskis made 20 stops for his 16th win. Yanni Gourde and Jonathan Marchessault also scored.
Zajac Gets First Of The Year
A season ago, Zajac finished second on the team with 44 points, producing 12 goals and 32 helpers. This year, he has been plagued with various injuries, forcing him out of 33 games. His goal Friday was his first of the season in just his 19th appearance.
Trailing 2-0 at the time, Brandon Burlon made a pass to Paul Thompson high in the offensive zone. Thompson walked toward the net, took a shot and Zajac crashed the net to put in the rebound at 9:16 of the second period.
The assist was Thompon's team-leading 41st point, giving him points in back-to-back games. Burlon registered his 18th helper, which is tied for second most on the team. He is tied for fourth on the squad with 23 points.
Securing The Lead
The Crunch, who improve to 16-4-4-0 at home, grabbed a 2-0 lead during the first 22 minutes. Gourde redirected former Devil Matt Corrente's point shot at 13:03 of the first to open the scoring. Marchessault followed, tapping in the puck right before Wedgewood was able to cover for a whistle at 1:42 of the second.
After Zajac's goal, Namestnikov scored on a breakaway to make it a 3-1 game at 8:35 of the third.
Gourde registered his team-leading 17th goal and Marchessault potted his 13th goal and his team-leading 39th point. Namestnikov, who has only played 29 games, posted his 10th goal and fourth against Albany.
Notables
Cam Janssen returned to the lineup after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury. His last contest came on Jan. 17 at Hershey ... The Devils went 1-3 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill ... Albany is 0-2-1-2 against Syracuse this season.
Next Up
The Devils take another trip west on the New York State Thruway with a 7 pm outing Saturday against the Utica Comets. Those not making the trip can stream the action online or on mobile devices at ahllive.com.
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