Devils Take Possession of Fourth Place

February 23, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


Last Week:

Wed, 2/18 - DEVILS vs. Albany River Rats - SOW 3-2

Fri, 2/20 - DEVILS vs. Hartford Wolf Pack - L 5-2

Sat, 2/21 - Devils @ MANCHESTER MONARCHS - L 7-2

Sun, 2/22 - DEVILS vs. Worcester Sharks - OTW 4-3

This Week:

Wed, 2/25 - Devils @ WORCESTER SHARKS, 7:05 p.m.

Fri, 2/27 - Devils @ SPRINGFIELD FALCONS, 7:30 p.m.

Sat, 2/28 - DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs, 1:30 p.m.

Sun, 3/1 - Devils @ PORTLAND PIRATES, 4:00 p.m.

Playing through the first half of a stretch that will see them skate in eight games over 12 days, the Lowell Devils went 2-2-0-0 to take sole possession of fourth place in the Atlantic Division standings. A shootout win over Albany on Wednesday was followed by losses to Hartford on Friday and in Manchester on Saturday. Lowell salvaged the weekend with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory at home on Sunday versus Worcester.

The Devils will face a second consecutive week of four games in five days, beginning with a road match on Wednesday against Worcester. Lowell will play at Springfield on Friday and then return home to host Manchester for a Saturday matinee. The Devils finish their weekend schedule in Portland on Sunday.

Rewind:

Wednesday, DEVILS 3 vs. River Rats 2 (SO)

The Devils completed their season series versus the River Rats with a 3-2 shootout win at the Tsongas Arena. Vladimir Zharkov and Nicklas Bergfors scored less than four minutes apart in the second period to give Lowell a 2-1 lead. Though Albany would tie the game in the third, three Devils scored in the shootout and Jeff Frazee made 3-of-4 saves to clinch the win.

Friday, DEVILS 2 vs. Wolf Pack 5

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau potted two goals and Artem Anisimov registered a goal and two assists as the Wolf Pack downed the Devils, 5-2, at the Tsongas Arena. Hartford had built a 4-0 cushion after two before Barry Tallackson got Lowell on the board early in the third. Olivier Magnan picked up his first goal of the season with 31 seconds left in regulation. It was the Wolf Pack's first win in five tries against the Devils this season.

Saturday, Devils 2 vs. MONARCHS 7

Matt Moulson's hat trick led the Monarchs offense as they defeated the Devils, 7-2, at the Verizon Wireless Arena. After Nicklas Bergfors evened the game, 1-1, in the first, Manchester rattled off three straight goals to take control of the game. Vladimir Zharkov got Lowell back within two on the power play early in the second, but Moulson's second of the night started another trio of goals that put the contest out of reach.

Sunday, DEVILS 4 vs. Sharks 3 (OT)

Michael Swift scored with 21.4 seconds left in overtime to lift the Devils to a 4-3 win over the Sharks at the Tsongas Arena. Rod Pelley notched two goals in the first as the two teams ended the period tied, 2-2. Matt Halischuk gave Lowell a 3-2 lead 1:53 into the second, but Ryan Vesce's power play goal knotted the game once again before Swift's overtime heroics. Halischuk finished with a goal and an assist, while Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond registered two helpers.

In the Standings

With a record of 27-23-1-5 and 60 points, the Devils were able to inch a point ahead of the Worcester Sharks (28-25-1-2) for fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The Portland Pirates are three points ahead of the Devils at 28-23-2-5, while the Hartford Wolf Pack (30-23-2-3) have a two-point lead on second place. The Providence Bruins hold a four-point cushion for the top spot in the standings, having gone 33-21-2-1. Sitting in sixth place and two points behind the Sharks are the Manchester Monarchs (26-26-0-5). The Springfield Falcons are 18-31-7-2 and at the bottom of the division.

Around the Horns

In its victory over Albany on Wednesday, Lowell picked up its first shootout win since November 21 at Hartford...Lowell is 24-3-1-2 when scoring three-or-more goals...Rod Pelley has nine points (4g-5a) in his last six games, including his third multi-goal game of the season on Sunday against Worcester...Jeff Frazee increased his record to 14-0-2 when allowing two goals or less...Pelley (4g-8a) and Matt Halischuk (5g-7a) both lead the team with 12 points in nine games in February.

Frazee Sets Win Mark

With his victory on Wednesday night over Albany, goalie Jeff Frazee set the Lowell Devils' mark for wins in a season with 21. The Devils rookie netminder broke Frank Doyle's record of 20 set during the 2006-07 season. Frazee also added his 22nd win of the year to his resume with a 28-save performance on Sunday versus Worcester.

Coming Up

Lowell takes the ice for four games this week, all against Atlantic Division opponents. On Wednesday in Worcester, the Devils complete a home-and-home series versus the Sharks. The Devils have won two straight over the Sharks to go to 3-4-0-0 in the season series. Matt Halischuk has posted five goals and two assists in three games against Worcester.

The Devils play their next-to-last game versus the Falcons on Friday, while making their final trip of the season to Springfield. The head-to-head record is even at 4-4-0-0 after Lowell took a 4-2 decision at Springfield on February 6. The Falcons are 2-7-1-1 in the month of February. Goalie Devan Dubnyk is looking for his first win in 10 starts.

Manchester will visit Lowell on Saturday for their seventh meeting of the season. The Monarchs have outscored the Devils 10-3 in their last two games to tie up the season series, 3-3-0-0. Manchester has also won eight of its last 12 to pull back into the Atlantic Division playoff race. The Devils have not allowed a Monarchs power play goal at the Tsongas Arena this season (17-for-17).

Lowell will be making only its second trip of the year to Portland as the two squads faceoff for the seventh time this season. The Devils have a four-game point streak (3-0-0-1) and are 4-1-0-1 overall against the Pirates in 2008-09. The Devils have converted 31.8% (7-for-22) of their power play chances versus the Pirates this season. Portland is winless in its last four (0-3-1-0).

Promotions/ In the Community

Saturday, February 28 - Devils vs. Manchester Monarchs, 1:30 p.m.

The first 2,000 fans will receive a Mark Fraser Bobblehead, courtesy of Courtyard Marriott - Lowell/Chelmsford. The first 5,000 fans will receive Lowell Devils Bang Sticks, courtesy of Mountain Dew. Leaders for Lowell

Goals: Jon DiSalvatore (16)

Assists: Jon DiSalvatore (28)

Points: Jon DiSalvatore (44)

PIM: Matthew Corrente (117)

Plus/Minus: Vladimir Zharkov (+17)

Wins: Jeff Frazee (22)

G.A.A: Jeff Frazee (2.63)

Save %: Jeff Frazee (.922)



American Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2009


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