Rochester Americans Game Preview: Friday, February 21, 2020 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
February 21, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW
- The Rochester Americans (29-17-3-4) continue their season-long six-game homestand tonight when they close out their season series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (23-24-1-6) at The Blue Cross Arena. The Phantoms blanked the Amerks 4-0 back on Jan. 18 in the only other meeting between the two teams this season at the PPL Center. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. and will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Amerks built a 2-0 lead midway through the second period only to see the Belleville Senators counter with three straight tallies, including the game-winning goal 1:12 into overtime, to steal a 3-2 win from the Amerks Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
- Despite the loss, the Amerks remain in second place in the AHL's North Division standings and have earned a point in 11 of the 16 all-time meetings with Belleville dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
- Forward Jean-Sebastien Dea scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season to go along with an assist while rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson notched his first pro goal in the second period. First-year netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (3-3-2) made 15 saves in his third consecutive start but suffered the overtime loss.
ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER
- Rochester's homestand continues as they close out the weekend on Saturday, Feb. 22 when they welcome the North Division rival Cleveland Monsters back to The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.
TAYLOR CAN JOIN ELITE COMPANY THIS WEEKEND
- The Amerks need just one more win to reach the 30-win mark for the fourth consecutive season and third straight under head coach Chris Taylor. With the team's next win, Taylor will become the first Amerks head coach since Randy Cunneyworth, the all-time winningest coach in franchise history, to lead his team to 30 or more wins in each of his first three seasons behind the bench.
MITTELSTADT QUICKLY MAKING HIS MARK
- After producing just one point through his first five games with the Amerks following his midseason reassignment from the Sabres back in December, Casey Mittelstadt has quickly evolved into one of Rochester's most consistent point-getters. The second-year pro has piled up 18 points (7+11) in 27 games for Rochester, including 16 points (7+9) since the turn of the New Year. Mittelstadt has seven points (1+6) in his first nine games of February and comes into the weekend showing four assists over his last five appearances.
TEAM AND LEAGUE LEADERS
- Jean-Sebastien Dea, who remains the only Amerk forward this season to reach the 30-point plateau, continues to pace the team in goals (15) and points (35) through 48 games. Coming into this weekend, Dea, who is also second among all Amerks forwards with 96 shots on goal, has 14 points (5+9) in his last 18 games since the turn of the New Year, including goals in three of his last eight outings.
SHARING THE CREASE
- Anchored by the goaltending tandem of veteran Andrew Hammond and third-year pro Jonas Johansson, who is currently on recall with the parent Buffalo Sabres, the Amerks own one of the top defenses in AHL having allowed only 146 goals through the 53 games of the season, the ninth-fewest in the AHL coming into the weekend. The duo has also combined for six shutouts and rank among the AHL's leaders as they both have 13 wins on the season.
- Hammond, who is 13-11-2 on the season, is tied for third among all netminders in shutouts after notching his fourth of the year back on Dec. 14 in a 5-0 win over Laval, a new career-high. With four shutouts through 28 games this season, he remains on pace to tie the franchise record for most shutouts in a season (8) set by Ryan Miller during the 2004-05 campaign.
- Johansson, who made his NHL debut with the Sabres on Feb. 4 against Colorado and made his first career start two nights later against Detroit, owns a career-best 13-3-3 record with two shutouts this season. Despite being on recall, he has the sixth-best goal-against average in the league (2.19) and ranks fourth among all netminders with a .925 save percentage in 20 games. Dating back to Nov. 13, the 2020 AHL All-Star selection boasts an impressive 11-1-1 record with two shutouts, a 2.11 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage while allowing just two goals or less in eight starts over that span.
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 2019-20 season is just a different chapter in the same story for the 31-year-old Redmond, who hasn't gone more than five games without a point all season. The two-time AHL All-Star and reigning Eddie Shore Award winner is presently 12th in scoring amongst all defensemen with 30 points and is tied for 10th with a team-high 25 assists, 10 of which have come on the power-play.
- Back from his fourth recall of the season, Pilut has 17 points (5+12) over his last 25 AHL games dating back to Nov. 15, including goals in two of his last six outings. Having already established a new AHL career-high in goals (6), the former SHL Defenseman of the Year is also on pace to set a new mark in points.
- Nelson is tied for ninth among all blueliners with a team-best plus-19 on-ice rating through 44 games this season.
SERIES NOTABLES
- Rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson is tied for eighth among all first-year defensemen with a plus-8 rating. Bryson, who scored his first pro goal on Wednesday night, is also tied for 10th among all rookie blueliners with 19 points (1+18) in 52 games.
- Lehigh Valley's roster includes four former Amerks in forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Cal O'Reilly and defensemen T.J. Brennan and Eric Knodel.
- Brennan has recorded 475 points (157+318) in 673 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley, Toronto, Rockford, Rochester and Portland.
- Last season, the Buffalo Sabres acquired Taylor Leier from the Philadelphia Flyers organization. The Saskatchewan native made his Amerks debut against his former team in the first meeting last season after posting 136 points (56+80) in 226 games with the Phantoms to begin his professional career.
- Despite just going 1-3-0-0 during the 2016-17 season against the Phantoms, the Amerks are 6-7-1-1 in the last 15 meetings between the two teams dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.
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