Devils Weekly #26- Devils Take Two Of Three

Published on March 31, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


Last Week:

Wed 3/26 Hartford Wolf Pack 8 vs. DEVILS 2

Fri 3/28 Devils 4 vs. PORTLAND PIRATES 1

Sat 3/29 DEVILS 4 vs. Worcester Sharks 3

This Week:

Fri 4/4 DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs (35-30-5-4), 7:05 p.m.

Sat 4/5 DEVILS vs. Providence Bruins (50-16-3-4), 7:05 p.m.

Sun 4/6 Devils vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK (46-19-2-7), 4:00 p.m.

Rewind:

Wednesday, Wolf Pack 8 vs. DEVILS 2

A four-goal second period and Mike Ouellete's first AHL hat trick allowed the Hartford Wolf Pack to skate to an 8-2 win against the Devils at the Tsongas Arena. After Hartford stormed out to a 2-0 lead just 1:40 into the contest, Lowell battled back to knot the game before the intermission on Erik Rasmussen's second of the year and a power play tally by Olli Malmivaara. The Wolf Pack would go on to score six unanswered goals to power their way to victory.

Friday, Devils 4 vs. PIRATES 1

Devils goalie Dave Caruso was only 1:03 from his first AHL shutout, but still made 26 saves to help Lowell to a 4-1 win over the Portland Pirates at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Pirates defenseman Jay Leach notched the shorthanded goal that foiled Caruso's bid, but the Devils had already built a 3-0 lead that would ensure victory. As part of his three-point night (2g, 1a), Petr Vrana opened the scoring with a power play goal at 3:35 of the first period and later finished the game on an empty-netter with 23.6 seconds remaining. Lowell broke the game open in the second period when Mike Pandolfo and Barry Tallackson lit the lamp ninety seconds apart.

Saturday, DEVILS 4 vs. Sharks 3

Petr Vrana's second consecutive three-point game (1g, 2a) helped the Devils down the Worcester Sharks, 4-3, at the Tsongas Arena. With his team up 2-1, Vrana provided some breathing room at 4:19 with his 18th of the season. After Matt Jones pulled Worcester back within one, Nick Palmieri scored his first pro goal - a power play tally at 11:15 that proved to be the game-winner. Pierre-Luc Leblond and Jean-Luc Grand Pierre also lit the lamp for Lowell, while Dave Caruso stopped 29-of-32.

Coming Up

The Lowell Devils finish their season series against the Manchester Monarchs on Friday, April 4 at 7:05 p.m. The Monarchs have gone 8-2-1-0 over their last 11 games to leap over the Springfield Falcons into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. RW Teddy Purcell has helped lead the charge with 19 points (6g, 13a) in the 16 games since his return from the Los Angeles Kings (NHL). The Devils are 7-2-0 versus the Monarchs this year, though Manchester took the last meeting, 1-0, on March 16 at the Tsongas Arena.

The Providence Bruins make their last trip of the season to the Devils' arena on Saturday, April 5 at 7:05 p.m. The Bruins have gone 8-1-0-2 over their last 11 to maintain their hold on the top spot in the division. Providence owns the best road record in the AHL at 25-9-2-1 and ranks second in the league with 3.58 goals per game.

The Devils wrap things up against the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center on Sunday, April 6 at 4:00 p.m. The Wolf Pack are only six points behind the Bruins thanks to a streak of eight games without a loss in regulation (7-0-0-1). C Greg Moore is on a seven-game point streak during which he has totaled 11 points (5g, 6a). Hartford is the only team in the AHL that ranks in the top 5 in both goals for (3.34) and goals against (2.49).

Promotions/In the Community

- Tuesday, April 1 - Devil Dawg will be greeting the students at J.T. Hood Elementary School in North Reading, MA, from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

- Friday, April 4 - Devils vs. Manchester Monarchs - 7:05 p.m.

o Lowell Night - All residents of Lowell get into the game for just $10 with a valid ID.

Saturday, April 5 - Devils vs. Providence Bruins - 7:05 p.m.

Fan Appreciation Night

The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Stephen Gionta Bobblehead courtesy of Trinity Emergency Medical Services.

Over 50 giveaways during the game including Lowell and New Jersey Devils memorabilia.

One lucky fan will win a full-sized Lowell Devils soda machine courtesy of Pepsi. The Devils will be giving away a Jeep Wrangler courtesy of 1400 Motors as part of their season-long Boys & Girls Club Jeep Raffle.

Around the Horns

C Petr Vrana registered two consecutive three-point games last week with two goals and an assist on Friday against Portland and a goal and two assists versus Worcester on Saturday.

Vrana has posted nine points (5g, 4a) in his last six games.

The Devils scored four goals in both of their wins last week. They are now 15-0-1-1 when notching four-or-more goals in a game.

Lowell has scored power play goals in seven straight contests, going 11-for-39 (28.2%) over that span.

LW Ryan Murphy is on a four-game assist streak (5a).

RW Nick Palmieri's first professional goal was the game-winner on Saturday against Worcester.

Leaders for Lowell

o Goals: Tallackson (22)

o Assists: Vrana (39)

o Points: Vrana (57)

o PIM: Fraser, Leblond (94)

o Plus/Minus: Mills (Even)

o Wins: Doyle (13)

o G.A.A: Caruso (2.82)

o Save %: Caruso (.910)

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American Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2008


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