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AHL Rochester Americans

Rochester Americans Game Preview: Wednesday, January 8, 2020 vs. Binghamton Devils

January 8, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME OVERVIEW

- The Rochester Americans (21-9-2-2) are back on home ice for a pair of North Division matchups beginning tonight when they take on the intrastate rival Binghamton Devils (13-17-4-0) at 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.

LAST TIME OUT

- The Amerks fought their way back from a 2-0 first-period deficit, but an eventual three-goal run by the Toronto Marlies in the final frame ultimately proved to be the difference as the Amerks came out on the short end of a 5-2 loss to close out their four-game road swing Saturday afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

- It was Rochester's first trip back to Toronto since Game 3 of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs.

- Despite the loss, the Amerks are sporting a 16-6-1-1 record over their last 24 games dating back to Nov. 1, earning points in 18 games over that span, and remain atop the AHL's North Division standings. Additionally, Rochester has picked up points in 23 of the last 31 contests overall, going 19-8-2-2, while also earning 46 out of a possible 68 points through its first 34 contests of the season.

- Casey Mittelstadt (1+0) scored his second goal in as many nights, giving him four points (2+2) over his last five outings, while Andrew MacWilliam and Jean-Sebastian Dea each notched an assist on Mittelstadt's first-period goal. Lawrence Pilut (1+0) picked up his fifth goal of the season, setting a new AHL career-high, while captain Kevin Porter (0+1) added the lone assist on the marker. Andrew Hammond (10-7-2) stopped 22 of the 27 shots he faced in the crease.

ROAD AHEAD FOR ROCHESTER

- The Amerks remain at home on Friday, Jan. 10 when they host the Belleville Senators at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. Friday's matchup will be the third in seven games between the North Division rivals as Rochester looks for its third straight win over the Senators dating back to the final week of December. The Amerks will then close out the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 11 as they face-off with the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial Arena at 7:00 p.m. Both contests will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

HOW SWEDE IT IS

- Defenseman Lawrence Pilut and goaltender Jonas Johansson have been named to the North Division All-Star roster for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Ontario International Airport. The annual event will take place Jan. 26-27 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., home of the Ontario Reign. The Swedish duo will also be joined by Amerks head coach Chris Taylor, who clinched the honor of coaching the North Division squad last week.

PILUT EARNS FIRST RECALL OF THE CAMPAIGN

- The Amerks will be without the services of Lawrence Pilut tonight after the second-year defenseman earned a recall to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Pilut ranks third on the team and tied for 12th in scoring among AHL blueliners with 21 points (5+16) in 29 games this season. He joins the Sabres on his first recall of the season after appearing in 33 games with the team during the 2018-19 campaign.

TEAM AND LEAGUE LEADERS

- Jean-Sebastien Dea leads the team in both goals (11) and points (24) in 32 games this season. Dea, who also leads all Amerks forwards with 65 shots on goal, has seven points (2+5) in his last nine 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 AHL, having allowed only 82 goals through the first 32 games of the season, the fewest in the AHL coming into the first week of 2020. The duo has also combined for six shutouts and continue to rank among the AHL's goaltending leaders with 10 and 11 wins on the season, respectively.

- Hammond (10-7-2) ranks second among all netminders after notching his fourth shutout of the season back on Dec. 14 in a 5-0 win over Laval, a new career-high. In his last 14 games, Hammond boasts a 7-6-1 record with four shutouts, a 2.01 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. With four shutouts through just 19 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.

- Having won nine straight appearances, Johansson shows an AHL career-best 11-2-2 record this season. Coming into tonight, he has the third-best goal-against average in the league (2.07) and is tied for fourth among all netminders with a .930 save percentage in 16 games. Dating back to Nov. 13, the third-year netminder boasts an impressive 9-0-0 record with two shutouts, a 1.88 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage while allowing just two goals or less in six consecutive 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, Lawrence Pilut and Casey Nelson, 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's averaged nearly a point-per-game through his first 31 games of the season. The two-time AHL All-Star and reigning Eddie Shore Award winner is currently ninth in scoring among all defensemen with 22 points and ranks 10th with a team-high 17 assists. He's also tied for 11th for goals by a defenseman with five.

- Leading up to his recall, Pilut had 16 points (4+12) over his last 21 games dating back to Nov. 15, including goals in three of his last seven outings. Having already established a new AHL career-high in goals, the former SHL Defenseman of the Year is also on pace to set a new career-high in points. His 16 assists are one shy of Redmond.

- Nelson shows a team-best plus-15 on-ice rating through 32 games, good enough for fifth among all active blueliners and 10th overall in the AHL.

- Rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson is third in the AHL for all first-year players with a plus-13 on-ice rating while being the only Amerk to appear in all 34 games this season.

QUICK HITS

- The Amerks enter the matchup with points in 20 of the last 26 games against the Devils dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season. Rochester holds a 15-6-3-2 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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