
Rochester Americans Game Preview: Wednesday, November 23 vs. Providence
November 23, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
Tonight is just the 15th meeting between the Amerks and the Bruins over the last 13 years. Dating back to the 2007-08 season, Rochester has gone 3-8-2-1 during that span, including earning three out of a four possible points in two meetings with Providence last season.
Both teams boast nearly identical records this season when leading after the second period as Rochester is 5-1-1-0 while Providence shows a 6-0-1-0 mark in that regard. Additionally, both the Amerks and Bruins have winning records when being outshot by the opponent.
The Amerks are 0-2-1-1 in their last three visits to Providence compared to a 2-1-0-0 mark on home ice in the last five years.
Dating back to the 2007-08 season, there have been nine one-goal games over the previous 16 contests between Providence and Rochester, including five of the last six.
HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES SNAPSHOT AGAINST PROVIDENCE
The Rochester Americans (8-5-1-1) embark on another busy stretch of three games in four nights tonight when they host the league-leading Providence Bruins (10-2-2-2) for the only time this season at The Blue Cross Arena.
Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Tonight represents the first time this season the Amerks will face an opponent outside the North Division after starting the campaign with 15 straight contests against divisional foes. After tonight, the two teams remain idle until Feb. 26 when Rochester makes its lone trip to Providence.
Coming into tonight, 12 of the Amerks' 46 goals this season have come on the power-play, which are tied for 15th-most among any team in the AHL.
By going 12-for-52 while on the man-advantage, Rochester is ranked eighth in the league with a 23.1% conversion rate.
The Amerks' 10 power-play goals at home are tied fourth-most in the league this season, going for 10-for-29 through their first seven home matchups.
LAST TIME OUT
A two-point night by rookie forward Isak Rosen (1+1), which included the eventual game-winning goal in the second period, and a 26-save effort from goaltender Michael Houser powered the Amerks to a 3-2 victory over the Utica Comets Saturday at Adirondack Bank Center.
The Amerks flipped the script after falling victim on Friday night by the same score on home ice against the Comets to split the home-and-home series. Through the first four games between the intrastate rivals, each team has now won both at home and on the road. Overall, Rochester, which has points in seven of its last nine games, boast an 8-5-1-1 record through 15 games to remain in second place of the AHL's North Division standings.
Along with Rosen scoring his third goal of the season, Alexsandr Kisakov and Brendan Warren each netted their third to secure the win. By picking up two points, Rosen, who leads all Rochester rookies with four multi-point games, became the first Amerks rookie to reach double digits in points and 15th in the AHL this season.
Mason Jobst, Matej Pekar, Jiri Kulich and Matt Bartkowski all recorded one assist.
Third-year forward Brandon Biro has emerged as the team's early-season leader, picking up where he left off last season with a team-high nine assists and 12 points through his first 12 games. Dating back to last season, the Sherwood Park, Alberta native has totaled 14 points (5+9) over his last 15 games and hasn't gone more than one game without a point over that span.
Second-year forwards Lukas Rousek, Isak Rosen and Linus Weissbach remain at a close second with 11 points each, including a team-high six goals from Weissbach. He comes into tonight with four points over his last nine appearances, including goals in three straight games over that span.
His six goals are currently five off the league-lead.
By picking up two points Saturday, Rosen, who's tied for the team lead with four multi-point outings this season, continues to remain among the AHL's top-scoring rookies with 11 points (3+8) in 15 games. Coming into tonight, Rosen is tied for ninth in scoring amongst all first-year players while his eight assists are tied for fifth-most.
At just 18 years old, fellow first-year forward Jiri Kulich is among the youngest players in the AHL. Kulich, Buffalo's first-round selection (28th overall) in 2022, shows seven assists in his first 15 games of the season, tying him for eighth in the league among all first-year players in that category. He leads all Rochester skaters and is tied for second amongst all AHL rookies with 38 shots on goal.
Providence comes into the matchup as arguably the AHL's top team with a 10-2-2-2 overall record and an AHL-best 24 points. The Bruins, who are one of only five teams to reach the 10-win mark, have points in 10 of their last 11 games dating back to Oct. 28, going 7-1-1-1 over that span, including a five- game win streak to open the month of November.
Highlighting Providence's dominant and impressive start to the season has been the team's performance on the road. The Bruins carry a perfect 5-0-0- 0 record, having outscored the opposition 16-11 through their first five road matchups, and remain the only team in the league without a regulation loss.
Newcomer Vinni Lettieri, who's back in the Atlantic Division following two seasons in San Diego, paces all Providence skaters with nine goals while his 16 points also lead the team. A 2020 AHL All-Star selection and three- time 20-goal scorer, Lettieri has recorded a point in all but two games this season, and comes into tonight riding a season-long six-game point streak.
So far this season, the Amerks have used 12 different defensemen, which is tied for most in the AHL with Toronto. Seven of the 12 have recorded at least one point while four have scored.
Ethan Prow is the only defenseman to appear in all 15 games this season and has skated in 85 of the 91 games dating back to the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Amerks goaltender Malcolm Subban spent his first four pro seasons with the Bruins from 2013-2017 after being drafted in the first round (24th overall) by Boston in 2012. In 127 games with the Providence, he posted a 56-45-14 record to go along with six shutouts.
Rochester forward Anders Bjork also began his professional career with Providence as he appeared in 29 games from 2017-20. Bjork, who was Boston's fifth-round selection (146th overall) in 2014, produced 16 goals and 16 assists for 22 points while also appearing in 138 games for Boston.
Both Rochester (1-1-0-1) and Providence (0-2-2-2) enter tonight having appeared in multiple games decided beyond regulation. Both teams also show a winning record when scoring the game's first goal (ROC 5-1-1-1) (PRO 7-1-1-1).
The Amerks have earned at least one point in six of their first seven home contests so far this season, boasting a 5-1-1-0 mark within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Rochester opened the season with five straight home wins, marking the team's best start since 2006-07.
Four of the five victories this season in the Flower City have come when the team trailed entering the final 20 minutes of regulation while all five wins have come by way of four or more goals. Rochester has outscored its opposition 13-6 after the start of the third period and has outshot the visitors 57-53.
Rochester is one of only four teams to have just one regulation loss at home this season, joining Charlotte, Hershey and Cleveland in that regard.
American Hockey League Stories from November 23, 2022
- Roadrunners Win Over Gulls - San Diego Gulls
- Barracuda Drenched by Reign, 5-1 - San Jose Barracuda
- Reign Win Over Barracuda - Ontario Reign
- Roadrunners Open Road Trip With 3-1 Win Over I-8 Border Rival San Diego - Tucson Roadrunners
- Amerks Rally in Third, Stun Bruins in Overtime - Rochester Americans
- Sweet Seven; Hogs, Seney Stuff Stars - Rockford IceHogs
- Belleville Sens Left Looking for Equalizer in Utica - Belleville Senators
- IceHogs Stump Stars in Rockford to Open Road Trip - Texas Stars
- Penguins Trounce Checkers in Rematch, 5-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Wolf Pack Strike Three Times in the Third, But Fall 6-3 to Islanders - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Bears Open Road Trip With 2-1 Win Over Thunderbirds - Hershey Bears
- Islanders Double-Up on Wolf Pack - Bridgeport Islanders
- Checkers Suffer 5-2 Setback Against Penguins - Charlotte Checkers
- Abbotsford Canucks Hold off Rocket, Defeat Laval 3-2 - Abbotsford Canucks
- P-Bruins Topped by Americans 4-3 in Overtime - Providence Bruins
- Crunch Down Marlies, 5-3 - Syracuse Crunch
- Comets Defeeat Senators in Front of Sold-Out Crowd, 3-2 - Utica Comets
- Sanford Assigned to Milwaukee - Milwaukee Admirals
- Coachella Valley Firebirds Hold Inaugural Golf Tournament - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Wolf Pack to Honor Fallen Bristol Police Officers Dustin Demonte and Alex Hamzy on November 26th - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Bears Recall Michael Kim, Ink Kevin O'Neil to PTO - Hershey Bears
- Series Preview vs. San Jose: November 25 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Anaheim Ducks Reassign Austin Strand to San Diego - San Diego Gulls
- This Week in Iowa Wild Hockey - Iowa Wild
- Rochester Americans Game Preview: Wednesday, November 23 vs. Providence - Rochester Americans
- Blues Assign D Tyler Tucker to T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Forward Oskar Olausson Recalled by Colorado Avalanche - Colorado Eagles
- Wolf Pack Visit Islanders for Round Three of the 'Battle of Connecticut' - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Bears at Thunderbirds, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Griffins Host Red Kettle Game, Christmas Story - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Game #15 - Roadrunners at Gulls - Tucson Roadrunners
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Wolf Pack Tonight - Bridgeport Islanders
- Phantoms Power Play Presented by Provident Bank - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Hogs Meet Stars for Thanksgiving Eve Face-Off - Rockford IceHogs
- Silver Knights Drop Single Game Contest to Condors, 3-2 - Henderson Silver Knights
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.
Other Recent Rochester Americans Stories
- Amerks Mourn the Loss of Scott Metcalfe
- Amerks Season Ends in Game 5 Loss to Laval
- Dunne's Career Night Helps Amerks Force Decisive Game 5 in Laval
- Rocket Pull Away in Third Period to Put Amerks on the Brink
- Kulich, Rosen Help Amerks Even Series with Game 2 Win

