AHL Rochester Americans

Rochester Americans Game Preview: Saturday, December 21, 2019 vs. Utica Comets

Published on December 21, 2019 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW

- The Rochester Americans (19-5-2-2) play their final game prior to the Christmas Break tonight as they welcome the North Division rival Utica Comets (17-10-1-2) to The Blue Cross Arena for the first time this season. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

LAST TIME OUT

- The Amerks scored once in each period and benefitted from yet another outstanding goaltending performance on their way to a 3-0 win in a rematch against the Binghamton Devils last night at The Blue Cross Arena.

- Jonas Johansson turned in a stellar career-high 40-save effort for his second shutout of the season and second on home ice. It was also the sixth time this season Rochester held the opposition off the scoreboard as a team.

- The win improved the Amerks to 14-2-1-1 over their last 18 games dating back to Nov. 1, earning points in 16 games over that span, and provided a five-point cushion atop the AHL's North Division standings. Additionally, Rochester has picked up points in 21 of the last 25 contests overall, going 17-4-2-2, while also earning 42 out of a possible 56 points through its first 28 contests of the season.

- John Gilmour collected his second multi-point outing (1+1) in the last three games while Lawrence Pilut and Tyler Randell each scored their third and fourth goals of the campaign, respectively. In his last seven appearances, Johansson (9-2-2) boasts a remarkable 7-0-0 record with two shutouts, a 1.57 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage while allowing just two goals or less in six straight starts over that span.

ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER

- The Amerks return from the Christmas Break as they host the Belleville Senators for the first time this season on Friday, Dec. 27 at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. 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 with 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 has since made highly anticipated AHL debut, recording three shots through two games while centering a line between Brett Murray and Andrew Oglevie.

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 shares the team lead in both goals (10 and points (19). Oglevie, who's one of just two Rochester skaters to appear in all 28 games this season, has 14 points (8+5) over his last 14 games, a stretch which included a career-long seven-game point streak that also produced his first career hat trick.

- Rookie forward Brett Murray comes into the matchup with two goals, seven assists and a pair of multi-point efforts over his last 13 games. He's currently tied for 13th in scoring among all AHL rookies with 16 points (4+12) in 23 games.

DYNAMIC DUO IN THE CREASE

- Anchored by the elite goaltending tandem 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 28 games of the season, the fewest in the AHL coming into the weekend. The duo has also combined for six shutouts this season.

- Hammond (10-3-2) comes into the matchup second 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 eighth-most in the AHL.

- Fresh off his second consecutive shutout at home and having won seven straight appearances, Johansson shows an AHL career-best 9-2-2 record this season. Entering tonight, he has the best goal-against average in the league (1.92) and ranks third among all netminders with a .935 save percentage in 14 games.

- Rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson shares the lead for all AHL first-year players with a team-best plus-15 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 25 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 14th with a team-high 14 assists.

- Since returning from Buffalo on Nov. 3, Pilut has 10 points (2+8) over his last 15 games dating back to Nov. 15.

- Nelson and Redmond are tied for 16th for goals by a defenseman with four each.

QUICK HITS

- In Rochester's last seven home games dating back to Nov. 22, the club has outscored its opponents 22-8 while recording four shutouts.

- Comets forward Justin Bailey began his career in the Flower City and totaled 118 points (62+54) in 196 games with Rochester in his first three and a half seasons from 2015 to 2019.

- Comets forward Reid Boucher was honored as the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for October after scoring 10 goals and adding three assists in eight games during Utica's perfect start to the season. Boucher currently leads the AHL with 20 goals and 36 points through 25 games this season.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 21, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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