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Rochester Americans Game Preview: Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Syracuse Crunch

February 29, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW

- The Rochester Americans (31-17-4-5) close out the month of February tonight with a North Division showdown against the Syracuse Crunch (27-23-5-3) at Upstate Medical University Arena. Rochester has come out on top in six of the previous eight matchups, including three of the last four games. Game time is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

LAST TIME OUT

- Thanks to a pair of goals by Eric Cornel late in regulation, the Amerks concluded their season-long six-game homestand with a 4-2 win over the Laval Rocket Friday at The Blue Cross Arena.

- Cornel pushed his career-high in goals to 11 and 12 as he struck twice in the third period, first providing the go-ahead goal at the 14:44 mark before sealing the win with an empty-netter with seven seconds to spare in regulation. Casey Mittelstadt (1+1) and Taylor Leier (0+2) each recorded a pair of points in the win while Remi Elie opened the scoring 2:10 into the contest as he added his seventh goal of the season. Goaltender Andrew Hammond improved to 15-11-3 on the slate as he made 34 saves in-between the pipes.

AMERKS AT A GLANCE

- With the last night's victory, the Amerks stretched their point streak to seven straight games, including a 3-0-2-1 record during the homestand, and remain just six points back of the Belleville Senators for the North Division lead with a game in hand.

ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER

- The Amerks open March on Wednesday, Mar. 4 against the Utica Comets at The Blue Cross Arena. It will be the second game in seven days and third between the two clubs since Sunday, Feb. 16. 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.

HOME COOKING

- On the strength of a 16-5-3-5 home record, Rochester is tied with Milwaukee for the second-fewest regulation losses in the AHL and have the fifth-most points on home ice (40) coming into tonight.

MITTELSTADT QUICKLY MAKING HIS MARK

- Casey Mittelstadt has quickly evolved into one of Rochester's most consistent point-getters with 22 points (9+13) in 31 games for Rochester since being reassigned to the Amerks in December from the Buffalo Sabres. The former-first round selection has totaled 20 points (9+11) since the turn of the New Year and has nine points (3+8) through the first 13 games of February. Over his last eight appearances, the second-year pro has six points (1+5).

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 (37) through 52 games. Dea, who is also second among all Amerks forwards with 103 shots on goal, has 16 points (5+11) in his last 22 games since the turn of the New Year, including five points (1+4) over his last six games. He's now reached the 15-goal mark in each of the last five seasons dating back to the 2015-16 campaign when he scored a career-high 20 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

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 156 goals through 57 games this 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 with 15 and 13 wins this season, respectively.

- Hammond, who is 15-11-3 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 31 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 earned his first NHL win in just his third career start this past Sunday in Buffalo's 2-1 victory over Winnipeg, owns a career-best 13-3-3 record with two shutouts this season. Despite being on recall, he has the fifth-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 boasts an impressive 11-1-1 record with two shutouts, a 2.11 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage 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 tied for 15th in scoring amongst all defensemen with 30 points and is also tied for 12th with a team-high 25 assists, 10 of which have come on the power-play.

- Pilut, who's back with big club on his fifth recall of the season, has 17 points (5+12) over his last 27 AHL games dating back to Nov. 15. Having already set 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

- Jacob Bryson is tied for sixth among all first-year defensemen with a plus-12 on-ice rating. Bryson, whose first two professional goals came in back-to-back games last week, is also tied for ninth among all rookie blueliners with 21 points (2+19) in 56 games while his 19 assists are ninth-most.

- After going 4-5-1-0 against the Crunch during the 2017-18 campaign, the Amerks are 12-6-1-1 in their last 20 contests against Syracuse.

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