Weekly Wrap-Up - North Division (Week 15)
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This week in the North Division Notebook: two teams continue their winning streaks, while a string to bad luck seems to continue for another.
Belleville Senators
Record this week: 2-1
Not a bad week for sixth place Belleville, as they took four out of six points on home ice with a pair of come from behind victories.
The Senators began their week with a 3-2 win over Rochester on Wednesday. Down 2-1 with 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Max Reinhart’s 7th goal would send the game into overtime, where Jordan Murray would win it on a power play goal, his 5th of the season. Andrew Hammond added 21 saves in the win.
Friday evening, Belleville dropped their second straight to the visiting Penguins 6-2. Colin White would score both Senator goals, while Marcus Hogberg and Danny Taylor combined for 26 saves.
Jim O’Brien and Mike Blunden would score 15 seconds apart with 3:31 to go in regulation to turn a 2-1 deficit against visiting Hartford into an eventual 4-2 win on Saturday. Blunden would add a second goal into an empty net, Colin White added a first period tally, and Christian Jaros and Chris Kelly added two assists each.
Senators Notes: Kelly returned to Belleville on a PTO on Tuesday after winning the Spengler Cup with Team Canada in Switzerland, then was named to the Canadian Olympic team on Thursday; White and Ben Harpur returned from Ottawa on Wednesday; Hammond was summoned back to Colorado on Thursday; Filip Chlapik was recalled, reassigned, and recalled again from Ottawa in a five day span; the Senators have three games this week: hosting Syracuse on Wednesday, then a home and home series against Laval on Friday and Saturday.
Binghamton Devils
Record this week: 0-2-1-0
Where to begin with last place Binghamton. When it rains, it pours for this group—a flu bug has decimated the lineup, and injuries continue to take their toll. And the third period woes continue to haunt them.
With several regulars out, the Devils started their week with a 4-1 loss to Syracuse at home on Wednesday. Ben Thomson would score the lone Binghamton goal, while Eddie Lack only had 12 saves.
The third period woes would continue in Rochester on Friday night, as Ken Appleby gave up four goals in the final 20 minutes of a 5-2 loss to the Amerks. Kevin Rooney had a goal and an assist, and Nick Lappin added his 14th of the season.
Things looked to turn around against Utica at home on Saturday—goals by Bracken Kearns and Tim Kennedy would put Binghamton ahead 2-1 late in the third period. But the lead would be blown once again, as the Comets tied the game with 3:50 remaining in regulation, then take the extra point in overtime, 3-2. Three Devils added assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood, in his first start since returning from the ECHL on Friday, had 29 saves.
Devil Notes: Blackwood’s recall from Adirondack on Friday was needed after Lack was injured in Wednesday’s game; two other ECHL skaters, Ryan Penny from Reading and Phil Lane from Atlanta, were brought in on PTOs to fill out the lineup; Lack is expected to return to the lineup this week; Binghamton travels to Syracuse on Monday afternoon, Springfield on Friday night, then hosts Toronto on Saturday.
Laval Rocket
Record this week: 1-2
Not a successful week at home for fifth place Laval, as they could only manage two out of six points for the week, and remain .63 points out of a playoff spot.
The Rocket would drop a 5-1 decision to Utica at home on Wednesday night. Chris Terry would have the lone Laval goal, tying him with Hershey’s Chris Bourque for the overall league scoring lead. Michael McNiven added 25 saves in the loss.
Laval would rebound on Friday with a 4-2 win over visiting Hartford on Friday. Adam Cracknell scored twice, Matt Taormina and Eric Gelinas would each add a goal and an assist, and Nikita Scherbak and Daniel Audette added two assists apiece.
Less than 24 hours later, the Rocket would drop a 4-3 final to the visiting Penguins on Saturday afternoon. Cracknell again scored twice, Taormina and Audette each added two assists, and McNiven stopped 37 of 41 shots.
Rocket Notes: Other than taking the overall points lead, Terry is tied for the AHL lead in goals (19) and shots (125); Taormina leads the AHL in power play points (22); only two games coming up for the Rocket this week, a home and home series with Belleville on Friday and Saturday.
Rochester Americans
Record this week: 1-1-1-0
Second place Rochester had a glass half full/half empty week, taking 3 of 6 points and staying within three points of first place, but their neighbors to the east are starting to creep closer.
The Amerks looked like they would start their week on a good note, leading Belleville on the road 2-1 late in the third on goals by Taylor Fedun and Hudson Fasching. However, in a span of 3:33, that one goal lead turned into a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators. Adam Wilcox stopped 32 of 35 in the loss.
Rochester would rebound nicely with a 5-2 win at home on Friday night against Binghamton. Kevin Porter’s 9th in the third period would break a 1-1 tie and spark a four goal final period for the Amerks. Seth Griffith added a goal and two assists, and C.J. Smith scored once and added a helper.
The Amerks would finish off their week with a 4-0 shutout loss in Syracuse on Saturday evening. Linus Ullmark had 28 saves in defeat, his first start after a dominating win against Columbus with the Sabres on Thursday night in Buffalo.
Amerk Notes: Ullmark and Brendan Guhle were recalled to Buffalo on Monday, then were sent back to Rochester on Friday; goaltender Jonas Johansson was brought up from Cincinnati for the week to back up Wilcox; a four game week is on tap for the Amerks: a home and home series with Utica on Monday afternoon and Wednesday night, followed by a two game trip to Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday.
Syracuse Crunch
Record this week: 3-0
Remember when Syracuse struggled out of the gate to start the season? No one else seems to either, as the third place Crunch extended their latest winning run to eight games and moved to within four points of second place Rochester.
The win streak continued Wednesday night on the road with a 4-1 victory against Binghamton. Michael Bournival had one goal and two assists, Jamie McBain and Adam Erne each added a goal and an assist, and Connor Ingram had 34 saves.
On Friday, Carter Verhaeghe’s power play goal early in the third period would prove to be the game winner, as Syracuse made it lucky 7 with a 3-2 victory on the road against Utica. Bournival and Daniel Walcott added one goal apiece, while Ingram added 37 saves to extend his personal win streak to six games.
Louis Domingue returned to Syracuse on Saturday to get playing time during Tampa Bay’s bye week…and shut out visiting Rochester 4-0 to make it eight in a row. Mathieu Joseph and Mitchell Stephens each had a goal and two assists, Erne and Alexander Volkov each added goals, and Domingue stopped all 27 Amerk shots.
Crunch Notes: With Domingue down, Ingram was recalled to Tampa on paper, but will be reinstated to the Crunch roster later this week; forward J.T. Brown was expected to be sent down by the Lightning on Sunday after going on waivers, but was claimed by Anaheim; forward Jonne Tammela made his season debut on Friday after recovering from offseason knee surgery; Syracuse has a busy four game week, with a chance at another double digit streak: hosting Binghamton Monday afternoon, traveling to Belleville on Wednesday, hosting Toronto on Friday, and traveling to Utica on Saturday.
Toronto Marlies
Record this week: 2-0
Another week, another sweep for the first place Marlies, who ran their win streak to six games.
Toronto started their two game series in Charlotte with a 4-1 win over the Checkers on Friday evening. Ben Smith, Kasperi Kapanen, and Miro Aaltonen would each have one goal and one assist, while Garret Sparks stopped 26 of 27 shots.
The Marlies would finish off the sweep with a 3-1 win on Saturday evening. After no goals during the first 40 minutes of the game, Smith and Jeremy Bracco would each have third period goals, with Kapanen adding his 12th into an empty net late. Rinat Valiev would notch two assists, and Calvin Pickard stopped 27 of 28 Checker shots.
Marlies Notes: Defenseman Timothy Liljegren rejoined the Marlies after winning a silver medal with Sweden at the World Junior Championships; Frederik Gauthier and Travis Dermott rejoined the Marlies on Wednesday, and defenseman Michael Paliotta was traded to Texas for future considerations on Thursday; the Marlies embark on a 3 in 3 road trip for the weekend, going to Syracuse on Friday, Binghamton on Saturday, and Bridgeport on Sunday.
Utica Comets
Record this week: 2-1
A solid week for fourth place Utica, as they took four of six points and stayed two points ahead of Laval for the last North playoff spot. The Comets kicked off their week with a 5-1 win over Laval in Quebec on Wednesday. Five different skaters would score, Patrick Wiercioch added two assists, and Thatcher Demko added 36 saves.
Utica returned home on Friday evening and would drop a 3-2 decision to the Crunch. Reid Boucher and Adam Comrie each had a goal, while Demko stopped 30 of 33 shots.
On Saturday in Binghamton, the Comets found themselves down 2-1 to the Devils with just under four minutes remaining in regulation. But, Comrie would score his second goal of the night to tie the game up at 2, then Philip Holm would score the game winner with 33 seconds remaining in overtime to finish off a 3-2 win. Comrie and three other skaters each had assists, and Richard Bachman added 31 saves.
Comet Notes: Defenseman Cliff Watson was released from his PTO on Monday; Nikolay Goldobin was sent down by Vancouver on Saturday; the Comets have a busy four game week upcoming: traveling to Rochester on Monday afternoon, hosting the Amerks on Wednesday, traveling to Hartford on Friday, then hosting Syracuse on Saturday.
North Division Standings as of January 15th, 2018
Toronto: 39 GP, 28-11-0-0, 56 points, .718 pct. Rochester: 39 GP, 23-9-4-3, 53 points, .679 pct. Syracuse: 38 GP, 23-12-1-2, 49 points, .645 pct. Utica: 38 GP, 17-14-4-3, 41 points, .539 pct. Laval: 41 GP, 16-18-5-2, 39 pts, .476 pct. Belleville: 40 GP, 16-21-0-3, 35 pts, .438 pct. Binghamton: 38 GP, 11-20-5-2, 29 pts, .382 pct.
This Week's North Division Schedule
Monday, January 15th
Binghamton @ Syracuse, 1:00 PM Utica @ Rochester, 1:05 PM
Wednesday, January 17th
Syracuse @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Rochester @ Utica, 7:00 PM
Friday, January 19th
Toronto @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM Binghamton @ Springfield, 7:05 PM Utica @ Hartford, 7:15 PM Belleville @ Laval, 7:30 PM
Saturday, January 20th
Rochester @ Charlotte, 6:00 PM Laval @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Syracuse @ Utica, 7:00 PM Toronto @ Binghamton, 7:05 PM
Sunday, January 21st
Rochester @ Charlotte, 1:00 PM Toronto @ Bridgeport, 5:00 PM
