Weekly Wrap-Up - North Division (Week 8)
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Editor's Note: Tracey takes a look around last week's AHL North Division action, and outlines the week ahead for all seven teams.
One team hit double digits. Another team had the same score in all of their games this week.
And of course, Toronto continues to roll.
That and much more in this week’s North Division Notebook…
Belleville Senators
Record this week: 1-2-0-1
A busy travel week for Belleville saw them bring home three out of a possible six points, after a split with Charlotte and a weekend sweep by Toronto.
On Tuesday, in the first of two with Charlotte, the Senators got off a great start in the opening period, as Ethan Werek and Max Reinhart scored twice in the first 2:29 of the game for a 2-0 lead. Then the Checkers would score four unanswered goals, including the game winner midway through the third period, for a 4-2 win. In the rematch on Wednesday, Reinhart would score twice, while Daniel Ciampini and Jim O’Brien would each add second period goals in a 5-2 win. Chris Driedger would stop 27 of 29 Checker shots in the win.
Belleville would then head north to Toronto for a pair with the Marlies. On Saturday at Air Canada Centre, Filip Chlapik had the lone goal in a 2-1 shootout loss. Danny Taylor stopped 30 of 31 in regulation and overtime, but was 0 for 2 in the shootout round.
Toronto would finish off the sweep with a 5-1 win back at Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. Gabriel Gagne had the lone goal for Belleville.
Sens Notes: There were a few transactions this week: defenseman Thomas Chabot was recalled by Ottawa on Monday, then returned to Belleville on Saturday; veteran forward Chris Kelly was signed to a PTO on Wednesday; Nick Paul was sent down by Ottawa on Saturday; goaltender Andrew Hammond was returned by the Avalanche on Sunday; Belleville will host Laval on Wednesday, Toronto on Friday, then travel to Syracuse on Saturday.
Binghamton Devils
Record this week: 0-1-2-0
If there was any opportunity to take a mulligan, Binghamton would probably have liked to have one this week, even though they still managed to earn two points.
On Wednesday night at home against Providence, the Devils got an early lead on a Kevin Rooney shorthanded goal, only to allow the Bruins to tie the game in the second and skate away with a 2-1 overtime win. Mackenzie Blackwood had a strong outing, stopping 22 of 24 shots, but was stuck with the loss.
Friday night in Rochester…not a good start against the Amerks, giving up 5 goals in the first period, then another 4 in the third en route to a very lopsided 10-3 loss. The only light at the end of the tunnel here? John Quenneville scored in his return to the lineup.
Back home on Saturday, the Devils found themselves up 3-1 after two periods on another Rooney shorthanded goal, and scores from rookies Blake Speers and Yaroslav Dyblenko. But Blackwood would give up two goals to Rochester in the third, then the game winner 2:05 into overtime as the Amerks would sweep the home and home series 4-3.
Devil Notes: The 10 goals allowed on Friday night were the most in Lowell/Albany/Binghamton franchise history. The Albany Devils gave up 9 goals to Adirondack in a 9-5 loss on April 1, 2011; Binghamton is currently without forwards Tim Kennedy, Ryan Kujawinski, and Brandon Baddock due to injury; the Devils start a four game road trip on Wednesday in Allentown against Lehigh Valley, then head to Providence for a pair with the Bruins on Friday and Saturday.
Laval Rocket
Record this week: 0-1-0-2
Apparently, Laval likes playing 3-2 games. That was the final score in all three of their games this week.
On Tuesday, in the second of a two game set against Manitoba, the Rocket would lose in a shootout 3-2. Antoine Waked and Chris Terry each had goals, while goaltender Michael McNiven stopped 34 of 36 shots in 65 minutes, but gave up two goals in four shootout rounds.
The Rocket returned home on Friday to start a two game set with Utica. Yannick Veilleux would score twice, but the Comets would pick up the go ahead goal in the third period for the 3-2 victory.
In Saturday’s rematch, Laval rallied in the third period with two goals from Michael McCarron in a span of seven seconds to go ahead 2-1. But, the Comets would tie the game with 43 seconds remaining in regulation, then go on to win 3-2 in a shootout. Charlie Lindgren took the loss, stopping 23 of 25 in regulation but going 0 for 2 in the shootout round.
Rocket Notes: Defenseman David Schlenko was sent down by Montreal for conditioning on Friday, appearing in both weekend games against Utica and going scoreless. The Canadiens recalled him after Saturday’s game; after spending three weeks with the Canadiens and going 3-4-1 in 8 appearances, Lindgren was sent down on Friday; the Rocket hit the road for the next three, traveling to Belleville on Wednesday, Syracuse on Friday, and Lehigh Valley on Saturday.
Rochester Americans
Record this week: 2-0-1-0
The offense came alive for Rochester this week, as they took 5 out of 6 points and find themselves within striking distance of first place Toronto.
Wednesday in Syracuse, the Amerks and Crunch had quite the back and forth battle. Rochester was up 2-1 after the first period on goals by Zach Redmond and Kevin Porter. After giving up three goals to the Crunch in the middle period, a Nicholas Baptiste goal with 10 seconds remaining would tie the game up at four. After trading goals in the third, the Crunch would ultimately take a 6-5 win in overtime.
Friday night, the Amerks and Devils would begin another home and home set, and in the first game…it was seriously no contest. Rochester would lead 3-0 5:18 into the contest on goals from Alexander Nylander, Evan Rodrigues, and Sean Malone. Steve Moses would add his fourth goal and Hudson Fasching would score his fifth 2:18 apart later in the period for a 5-2 Amerk lead after one. After scoring just once in the second, Rochester would put up four more goals in the third for a 10-3 win. Moses, Rodrigues, and Fasching would each finish with two goals, Sahir Gill had three assists, and 14 Amerk skaters had at least one point.
In the rematch Saturday in Binghamton, Redmond would score 1:52 into the game, but Rochester would find themselves down 3-1 after two periods to the Devils. Brendan Guhle and C.J. Smith would pick up third period goals to tie the game, then Casey Nelson scored the game winner 2:05 into overtime to finish off a 4-3 comeback win.
Amerk Notes: The day before his game winning goal in overtime, Nelson was sent down by the Sabres; Rochester was the first AHL team to hit double digit goals in one game since Toronto scored 10 in February 2016; Redmond played his 200th professional game on Friday; the Amerks travel to Utica on Wednesday, host Hartford on Friday, then travel to Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Syracuse Crunch
Record this week: 3-0
Despite being down to using a defenseman as a forward due to injuries, callups, and waivers not working out, the Crunch were the surprise of the week, going undefeated against one of the top teams in the AHL.
But first, on Wednesday, the Crunch hosted Thruway rival Rochester. Alexander Volkov would score his third of the season 1:18 into the game for an early lead, but Syracuse would find themselves trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes. In the second, both teams would combine for five goals. A Matthew Peca shorthanded goal would tie the game up early in the second. Rochester would jump ahead 3-2, but the Crunch would go up 4-3 on goals from Jamie McBain and Dominik Masin. The Amerks would retie the game at 4 just as the second period ended. Both teams exchanged goals in the third, then rookie Dennis Yan would get the game winner 1:48 into overtime to finish off a wild 6-5 Syracuse win.
With Cory Conacher recalled to Tampa Bay and Alex Gallant suspended, the undermanned Crunch would face off against Wilkes-Barre on Friday evening. And it would be Syracuse coming out flying in the first period, putting up 3 goals on Wilkes-Barre goaltender Casey DeSmith. Volkov, McBain, and Kevin Lynch would each have a marker. The Penguins would come back and draw to within 3-2, but two empty net goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Michael Bournival late would seal the 5-2 win.
Saturday the Crunch traveled down Interstate 81 to finish off the home and home with the Penguins. Daniel Walcott, forced into forward duty, would score 1:39 into the opening period for a 1-0 Syracuse lead. Wilkes-Barre would score the next two to take the lead, but a Verhaeghe power play goal with 2:32 remaining would tie the game up at 2. In the second, a shorthanded goal by Bournival and Peca’s second goal of the season would put the Crunch ahead 4-2. The Penguins would score 7 minutes into the third to get to within 4-3, but could not overtake the Crunch. Rookie Connor Ingram got his lone start of the week and got the win, stopping 30 of 33 shots.
Crunch Notes: After appearing in one game and scoring a goal for the Lightning, Conacher was returned to the Crunch on Sunday; forward Gabriel Dumont was claimed by Ottawa on waivers on Wednesday; the Crunch gained the services of forward Chris DiDomenico, who was claimed by Tampa Bay off waivers and sent to Syracuse on a conditioning stint; Gallant was suspended for four games after a “charging incident” against Rochester on Wednesday, he will be eligible to return to the lineup this weekend; Syracuse travels to Toronto to finish the month of November, then return home for a pair of games against Laval and Belleville.
Toronto Marlies
Record this week: 3-0
You can’t stop the Marlies, you can only hope to contain them. A seven game winning streak has given first place Toronto a nice cushion.
Their week began on Wednesday in Utica, with a 5-2 win over the Comets. Justin Holl would score twice, while Miro Aaltonen, Dmytro Timashov, and Chris Mueller all added goals. Garret Sparks would stop 28 of 30 Comet shots in the victory.
Back home on Saturday, the Marlies would play an afternoon game in the Air Canada Centre against Belleville in the first of two. Andreas Johnsson would have the lone goal during regulation and overtime, then Aaltonen and Timashov would score in the ensuing shootout for a 2-1 Toronto win. Sparks would have 26 saves, and go 2 for 2 in the shootout round.
Toronto would finish off the sweep of Belleville with a 5-1 win on Sunday afternoon. Goals in the first from Kerby Rychel, Johnsson, and Colin Greening would more than seal the deal for the Marlies. Calvin Pickard would get the win with 28 saves.
Marlies Notes: With the win on Sunday, the Marlies now have a .800 points percentage, the best in the AHL; Sparks is tied with Milwaukee’s Anders Lindback for the league lead in wins (10), is tied with Ontario’s Cal Petersen in save percentage (.947), and is second in goals against average (1.50); the Marlies will host Syracuse on Wednesday, travel to Belleville on Friday, then host Hartford on Saturday afternoon.
Utica Comets
Record this week: 2-1
After a run in with the Marlies machine, the Comets rebounded nicely with a pair of road wins against Laval.
On Wednesday, Utica would drop a 5-2 decision to Toronto. Patrick Wiercioch and Reid Boucher would each have goals. Thatcher Demko was quite busy in net, stopping 35 of 40 Toronto shots.
Friday in the first of two games in Laval, Michael Chaput would score the go ahead goal 8:06 into the third in a 3-2 win. Nikolay Goldobin and Alexis D’Aoust would also contribute goals for the Comets, who had just 14 shots on goal for the day.
On Saturday, Utica trailed the Rocket 2-1 with less than a minute remaining in regulation. But Boucher’s 8th goal with 43 seconds remaining would send the game to overtime, then to a shootout. In the shootout round, Boucher and Jayson Megna would connect, giving the Comets a 3-2 comeback win. Demko stopped 40 of 42 shots and 2 out of 3 shootout attempts in his 6th win of the season.
Comet Notes: There were quite a few transactions this week in Utica: defensemen Anton Cederholm and Mackenze Stewart were recalled from Kalamazoo, while two PTOs were brought in from other ECHL teams: defenseman Joe Faust from Idaho, and forward Brian Ward from Adirondack; defenseman Philip Holm was recalled, then eventually returned, to Utica, while Goldobin was recalled to Vancouver on Sunday; the Comets host Rochester on Wednesday, then play a weekend home and home with Bridgeport.
North Division Standings as of November 27th, 2017
Toronto: 20 GP, 16-4-0-0, 32 points, .800 pct Rochester: 19 GP, 11-5-2-1, 25 points, .658 pct Laval: 21 GP, 9-8-2-2, 22 points, .524 pct Belleville: 21 GP, 9-10-0-2, 20 points, .476 pct Utica: 18 GP, 8-9-0-1, 17 points, .472 pct Syracuse: 19 GP, 7-9-1-2, 17 points, .447 pct Binghamton: 18 GP, 6-9-3-0, 15 points, .417 pct
This Week’s North Division Schedule:
Wednesday, November 29th
Laval @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Syracuse @ Toronto, 7:00 PM Rochester @ Utica, 7:00 PM Binghamton @ Lehigh Valley, 7:05 PM
Friday, December 1st
Toronto @ Belleville, 7:00 PM Laval @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM Bridgeport @ Utica, 7:00 PM Binghamton @ Providence, 7:05 PM Hartford @ Rochester, 7:05 PM
Saturday, December 2nd
Hartford @ Toronto, 4:05 PM Utica @ Bridgeport, 7:00 PM Belleville @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM Laval @ Lehigh Valley, 7:05 PM Binghamton @ Providence, 7:05 PM Rochester @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7:05 PM
