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Rochester Americans Game Preview: Friday, December 20, 2019 vs. Binghamton Devils

December 20, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW

- The Rochester Americans return home for their final two games leading up to the Christmas Break beginning tonight with a rematch against the intrastate rival Binghamton Devils at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

LAST TIME OUT

- Looking to extend their win streak to four games, the Amerks were unable to find the offensive spark they needed on Wednesday, dropping a 2-1 decision to Binghamton in the first half of the home-and-home series between the two teams at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The loss was the first time in 10 meetings Rochester failed to come away with a point against Binghamton dating back to last season and just the second in regulation since Oct. 30.

- Despite the defeat, however, the Amerks maintain a three-point lead over the Toronto Marlies for first place in the AHL's North Division standings and have earned points in 15 of their last 17 games dating back to Nov. 1, showing a 13-2-1-1 record over that span. Additionally, Rochester has picked up points in 20 of the last 24 contests overall, going 16-4-2-2, while also earning 40 out of a possible 54 points through their first 27 contests of the season.

- Brett Murray scored his fourth goal of the campaign near the end of the second period with Tyler Randell earning his first assist of the season. Goaltender Andrew Hammond (10-3-2) stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced but suffered the loss. Over his last 10 appearances, the veteran netminder shows a remarkable 7-2-1 record with four shutouts, a 1.40 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.

ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER

- The Amerks play their final game prior to the Christmas Break as they welcome the Utica Comets for the first time this season on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:05 p.m. The game will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

MITTELSTADT JOINS AMERKS

- Rochester's offense received a significant boost earlier this week following the reassignment of forward Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres. Mittelstadt, a former first-round pick of the Sabres (8th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, has nine points (4+5) in 31 games this season with Buffalo after skating in a career-high 77 contests last season as a rookie. In 114 career games with Buffalo, Mittelstadt has notched 39 points on 17 goals and 22 assists. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native made his highly anticipated American Hockey League debut Wednesday at Binghamton, recording two shots in the 2-1 loss to the Devils. The addition of Mittelstadt gives the Amerks three different first-round picks in their lineup, joining Curtis Lazar and Tage Thompson, both of whom are currently on recall with Buffalo.

TEAM AND LEAGUE LEADERS

- After an injury-riddled rookie season that limited him to just 28 games, Andrew Oglevie has made up for lost time this season. In just a little over two months' time, Oglevie has already surpassed his goal (5), assist (5) and point (10) total from last season and now currently paces club with 19 points while sharing the team lead with 10 goals. Oglevie, who's one of just two Rochester skaters to appear in all 27 games this season, has 14 points (8+5) over his last 13 games, a stretch which included a career-long seven-game point streak.

- Rookie forward Brett Murray comes into the matchup with two goals, seven assists and a pair of multi-point efforts over his last 12 games. He's currently tied for 11th in scoring among all AHL rookies with 16 points (4+12) in 22 games.

DYNAMIC DUO IN THE CREASE

- Anchored by the goaltending duo of veteran Andrew Hammond and third-year pro Jonas Johansson, the Amerks own the top defense in the league, having allowed only 62 goals through the first 27 games of the season, the fewest in the AHL coming into the weekend.

- Hammond (10-3-2) comes into the matchup tied for first among all netminders after notching his fourth shutout of the season in last Saturday'a 5-0 win at Laval, a new career-high. In his last 10 games, Hammond boasts a remarkable 7-2-1 record with four shutouts, a 1.40 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage. With four shutouts through just 16 games this season, he's on pace to match the franchise record for most shutouts in a season (8) set by Ryan Miller during the 2004-05 campaign. His 10 wins tie him for seventh-most in the AHL.

- A winner of six straight appearances, Johansson shows an AHL career-best 8-2-2 record, including his first AHL shutout against Charlotte back on Dec. 6. Entering the weekend, he's tied for the best goal-against average in the league (2.09) and ranks third among all netminders with a .927 save percentage in 13 games this season.

- Rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson shares the lead for all AHL first-year players with a team-best plus-14 on-ice rating.

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE

- Rochester owns three of the AHL's top point-producing defensemen in Zach Redmond, Casey Nelson and Lawrence Pilut, all of whom have been mainstays on Rochester's blueline this season.

- The start of the 2019-20 season is just a different chapter in the same story for the 31-year-old Redmond, who's averaged nearly a point-per-game through his first 24 games of the season. The reigning Eddie Shore Award winner and two-time AHL All-Star is currently tied for 10th in scoring among all defensemen with 18 points and ranks 13th with a team-high 14 assists.

- Since returning from Buffalo on Nov. 3, Pilut has nine points (1+8) over his last 14 games dating back to Nov. 15.

- Nelson joins Redmond as the only two Rochester blueliners with four goals, which rank tied for 16th in the AHL among defensemen.

SERIES NOTABLES

- The Amerks enter the matchup with points in 19 of the last 24 games against the Devils dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season. Rochester holds a 14-5-3-2 record during that span, which included a 10-game point streak.

- Amerks rookie defenseman Casey Fitzgerald is the son of former NHL forward and current Binghamton general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

- Andrew Hammond played parts of his first four pro seasons with the Binghamton Senators from 2013-17. He's one win away from 100 career wins.

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