Weekly Wrap-Up - North Division (Week 14)
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In the first edition of the North Division Notebook for 2018, four teams had perfect weeks while it was the same old struggles for the bottom of the pack.
Belleville Senators
Record this week: 1-2
What looked like a good start to 2018 for Belleville turned disastrous after a 2-game road trip that saw them get outscored 12-1.
The Senators started their week with a come from behind 3-2 shootout win over Binghamton at home on Wednesday night. Max Reinhart’s goal midway through the third period would tie the game at 2, then Gabriel Gagne had the lone goal in the shootout round to clinch the extra point. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg stopped 35 of 37 shots—and all 3 shootout attempts—in his second win of the season.
Friday night, in the rematch in Binghamton, it was no contest, as the Senators were thrashed by the Devils 6-1. Christian Jaros would have the lone Belleville goal. Belleville would then travel south to Wilkes-Barre, where they would get slammed by the red-hot Penguins 6-0. Chris Driedger would stop 30 of 36 shots.
Senators Notes: Goaltender Andrew Hammond was recalled by Colorado on Tuesday, then returned on Saturday; Colin White was called up by Ottawa on Friday, while Filip Chlapik came back to Belleville; the Senators start a stretch of 7 out of 9 games at home, hosting Rochester on Wednesday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, and Hartford on Saturday.
Binghamton Devils
Record this week: 1-1-0-1
Another week, another blown third period lead and a breakout for the last place Devils.
On Wednesday in Belleville, things looked good for the Devils going into the third, as they held a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Ben Thomson and Brian Strait. However, the Senators would tie the game at 2 with 8:20 remaining, then eventually win 3-2 in a shootout. Eddie Lack made his Binghamton debut in net and played well despite the loss, stopping 32 of 34 shots in regulation and overtime.
Friday night, the two teams met again, but this time in the Southern Tier. Binghamton made sure there were no comebacks this time around, as they soundly defeated the old tenants 6-1. John Quenneville lead all skaters with 2 goals and 2 assists, Tim Kennedy had 3 assists, newly minted All Star Jacob MacDonald added a goal and two helpers, and Lack picked up the win with just 16 saves.
The Devils finished the week with a 3-1 loss to Laval at home on Saturday. Blake Pietila had the lone Binghamton goal in the third, while Lack had 30 saves.
Devils Notes: With Lack arriving on Monday, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was reassigned to Adirondack; forward Terrence Wallin was brought in on a PTO with Blake Speers, Nathan Bastian, and Austin Cangelosi sidelined due to injuries; the Devils host Syracuse on Wednesday, travel to Rochester on Friday, then return home to face Utica on Saturday.
Laval Rocket
Record this week: 1-2
Not a good start to the new year for the Rocket, but they did manage one win out of three on the week.
Laval started 2018 with a 5-2 loss at home to Toronto on Wednesday night. Daniel Audette and Adam Cracknell had one goal apiece, while Charlie Lindgren stopped 27 of 32 shots.
The Rocket would travel to Utica on Friday, and lose by an identical 5-2 score to the Comets. Eric Gelinas and Nikita Scherbak each had a goal, Matt Taormina would add an assist for the second straight contest, and Lindgren stopped 20 of 24 shots.
Laval would rebound on Saturday with a 3-1 win in Binghamton over the Devils. Audette, Cracknell, and Jordan Boucher would all have one goal each, while Michael McNiven stopped 36 of 37 shots.
Rocket Notes: Goaltender Zachary Fucale returned from Brampton on Tuesday; defenseman Brett Lernout was sent down by Montreal on Wednesday; the Rocket play 7 of their next 8 games at home, beginning on Wednesday against Utica, then Hartford comes for a visit Friday, followed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.
Rochester Americans
Record this week: 2-0
A perfect start to the new year has second place Rochester within mere percentage points of Toronto.
The Amerks kicked off 2018 with a back and forth affair at home on Friday against Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers would score on Linus Ullmark nine seconds into the contest, then goals by Garret Ross and Sahir Gill would give Rochester a 2-1 lead going into the final minutes of regulation. Bridgeport would tie the game at 2 with 36 seconds remaining to send it to overtime, but Brendan Guhle would end it 1:01 into the extra frame with his 7th goal to give the Amerks a 3-2 win. Ullmark stopped 28 of 30 shots in the win.
Saturday, Rochester defeated Lehigh Valley 3-1. Seth Griffith had one goal and two assists, Kevin Porter added one goal and one assist, and Ullmark stopped 26 of 27 shots.
Amerks Notes: Defenseman Taylor Fedun was sent down by Buffalo on Friday; forward Alexander Nylander was reassigned from the silver medal winning Swedish World Junior team on Saturday; the Amerks travel to Belleville on Wednesday, host Binghamton on Friday, then head east on the Thruway to Syracuse on Saturday.
Syracuse Crunch
Record this week: 2-0
A sweep of a weekend New England road swing extended Syracuse’s winning streak to five games.
On Saturday, Mitchell Stephens’ 9th goal of the season with 2:21 remaining in the second period would prove to be the game winner in a 3-2 come from behind win over Hartford. Connor Ingram stopped 31 shots, while Erik Condra and Dennis Yan each had goals.
Adam Erne’s 10th goal of the season, with 12:34 remaining in regulation, would give the Crunch a 4-3 win over first place Providence on Sunday afternoon. Stephens and Michael Bournival would also score their 10th goals, while All-Star Matthew Peca added his 8th. Ingram would add 21 saves.
Crunch Notes: Yan and Anthony Cirelli were both injured in Saturday’s win, with no timetable available for return; Syracuse hits the road for two games this week, but they won’t have to go far: south on Interstate 81 to Binghamton on Wednesday, then east on the Thruway to Utica on Friday, before returning home to host Rochester on Saturday.
Toronto Marlies
Record this week: 3-0
Well folks, with a four-game winning streak, it looks like Toronto’s back.
The first place Marlies began 2018 on a high note, defeating Laval 5-2 in Quebec on Wednesday night. Five different skaters had one goal, Travis Dermott added three assists, and Garret Sparks stopped 22 of 24 Rocket shots.
On Friday, Toronto returned home and defeated Lehigh Valley 3-2 in a shootout. Colin Greening and Miro Aaltonen had one goal apiece, while Sparks stopped 33 of 35 Phantom shots and both shootout attempts.
Saturday, the Marlies finished off a perfect start to the calendar year in a big way, thrashing Bridgeport 6-2. Greening lead all skaters with 2 goals and 2 assists, Andreas Johnsson added a goal and an assist, and Martin Marincin added two helpers.
Marlies Notes: Not a bad week for Dermott—after his 3 assist game on Wednesday, he was named an AHL All Star on Thursday, then was recalled to the Maple Leafs on Friday; Marinicin was sent back to the Marlies to open that spot for Dermott; forward Frederik Gauthier was recalled to the Leafs on Tuesday; the Marlies travel to Charlotte this weekend for a pair against the Checkers.
Utica Comets
Record this week: 2-0
Like most of their division mates, Utica would also have a perfect start to the new year.
The Comets started off 2018 with a 5-2 win over Laval at home on Friday. Darren Archibald and Philip Holm had two goals each, and Thatcher Demko stopped 36 of 38 shots.
On Sunday, Utica traveled to Hartford and defeated the Wolfpack 5-1. Reid Boucher, just sent down by Vancouver earlier in the day, celebrated his All Star selection with a hat trick and an assist. Michael Carcone scored one and had two helpers, PTO David Dziurzynski added two assists, Archibald scored once and assisted on another, and Richard Bachman had 31 saves.
Comets Notes: Utica travels to Laval on Wednesday, hosts Syracuse on Friday, then heads to Binghamton on Saturday.
North Division Standings as of January 8th, 2017:
Toronto: 37 GP, 26-11-0-0, 52 points, .703 pct Rochester: 36 GP, 22-8-3-3, 50 points, .694 pct Syracuse: 35 GP, 20-12-1-2, 43 points, .614 pct Utica: 34 GP, 14-13-4-3, 35 points, .515 pct Laval: 38 GP, 15-16-5-2, 37 points, .487 pct Belleville: 37 GP, 14-20-0-3, 31 points, .419 pct Binghamton: 35 GP, 11-18-4-2, 28 points, .400 pct
This Week's North Division Schedule:
Wednesday, January 10th
Rochester @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Syracuse @ Binghamton, 7:05 PM Utica @ Laval, 7:30 PM
Friday, January 12th
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Syracuse @ Utica, 7:00 PM Binghamton @ Rochester, 7:05 PM Toronto @ Charlotte, 7:15 PM Hartford @ Laval, 7:30 PM
Saturday, January 13th
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton @ Laval, 4:00 PM Toronto @ Charlotte, 6:00 PM Hartford @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Rochester @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM Utica @ Binghamton, 7:05 PM
