Tag Archives: news and notes

With the playoffs now but a distant memory, all the Devils had left to finish the 2012-13 season was three home games, two against teams fighting for their playoff lives and one last visit from their Northway rivals. And it was a very good fight to the finish, as they snapped a near month long losing streak and changed the Calder Cup playoff picture. Time for the final weekend recap of the season:

4/19 vs. Connecticut: 3-2 W

Times Union
Hartford Courant

The weekend began with a visit from the Whale, who was in the midst of fighting for one of the bottom two playoff spots. The game also marked the debut of 2012 2nd round draft pick Damon Severson, sporting the cursed #8 (worn by Matt Corrente and Adrian Foster, among others. We all know what happened to them, hence the curse). Unlike recently, the Devils came to play, with only pride and jobs for next season left on the line, as they outshot the Whale 9-5. But Kris Newbury would get the visitors on the board first with a goal halfway through the first. But Harri Pesonen (originally Mattias Tedenby, but the scorer would change it later in the night) would tie it on a power play and both teams scrambling in front of the net. Severson would notch his first pro point with the primary assist. Keith Kinkaid would put on a goaltending clinic early in the second, making quite a few acrobatic stops on the Whale. But Christian Thomas would give Connecticut a 2-1 lead with just over 8 minutes to go in the period. But Pesonen would again match, scoring the tying goal just under 3 minutes later. On ice, it was a quiet third period to start out, as neither side took a penalty. Just after the announcement that the second Boston Marathon bombing suspect was in custody (prompting a celebration from the group of drunk Ranger fans in Section 122 and a few “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants), it was only fitting that a native of Boston would step up for the home team. Joe Whitney would score his team leading 26th goal with just under 5 minutes to go in regulation for a 3-2 lead. Connecticut would pull the goalie late, but they could not re-tie it, hence ending Albany’s six game losing streak. Kinkaid had a solid night in net in his first appearance since returning from New Jersey earlier in the week, stopping 21 of 23 Connecticut shots. Severson finished at an even plus/minus in his debut, mostly being paired with Jay Leach and playing in all situations. Jon Merrill had another strong outing, adding an assist of his own (paired with Corbin McPherson with Alexander Urbom up in New Jersey). Four other Devils added an assist each.

4/20 vs. Norfolk: 2-0 W

Times Union
The Virginian Pilot

The Devils once again had a chance to play playoff spoiler as they welcomed the Admirals, who were locked in a four way tie for the last two spots in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. It became very obvious early on who the stars of this game were going to be: both goaltenders, as no one could get anything past Jeff Frazee or Admirals goaltender Frederik Andersen. Norfolk would outshoot Albany 12-9 in the first. Second period, it was more of the same, as Frazee stopped all 10 shots and Andersen 8. The other story of the period? The Devils falling victim to quite a few non calls…and two interference calls that left us shaking our heads. The goaltending duel would continue long into the third period…I was expecting them to go into overtime and a shootout scoreless. But finally, finally, someone would solve the goaltending stalemate…with 2:33 to go in regulation, David Wohlberg shot it 5-hole past Andersen for a 1-0 Devil lead. Mike Sislo would add an empty netter with 15 seconds remaining to seal the Devils second straight win…and seriously spoil the Admirals’ chances to defend their Calder Cup title. Frazee was magnificent in his last start of the season, stopping all 31 Norfolk shots in pitching his first shutout all year. Harri Pesonen had the lone assist, and Corbin McPherson and Seth Helgeson lead the way with +2 ratings.

4/21 vs. Adirondack: 4-2 L

Times Union
Glens Falls Post Star

To close out the year, what better than a visit from the neighbors to the north, a Phantoms team the Devils dominated all season (much like their parent counterparts). First period was all Devils, as they outshot the visitors 9-3 and Harri Pesonen would score with 1:32 remaining in the period for a 1-0 lead. But Adirondack would pick up the pace in the second. Marcel Noebels would tie the game with a power play goal 6 minutes in, then a fluke bounce off the goalpost and past Keith Kinkaid would put the Phantoms ahead 2-1. Blake Kessel would increase the lead to 3-1 with 58 seconds to go in the period. He would add a second goal just three minutes into the third for a 4-1 advantage, spelling the end of the day for Kinkaid and a call to the bullpen for Scott Wedgewood. But Albany wasn’t quite done yet…Mike Hoeffel would score shorthanded to cut the lead to 4-2, but that was all the Devils could do, and the season ended on a sour note. Kinkaid stopped 13 of 17 shots, while Wedgewood was a perfect 8 for 8 in just under 17 minutes played. Another good outing for Damon Severson, as he added an assist and finished a +2. Tim Sestito and David Wohlberg also had assists.

There was a Obligatory Fight Of The Week out of Cam, however no video proof has surfaced as of press time. So in its place, what we kind of wished happened on Saturday:

Conference Standings:

When all was said and done, the Devils finished 6 points out of the playoffs, landing in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. They landed one point behind Bridgeport for 11th, and 2 points ahead of 13th place Worcester. Just to show how strong the East Division is in comparison to the Atlantic and Northeast: that division landed 4 out of 5 playoff spots, with Norfolk the lone team on the outside (which means we’ll have a new Calder Cup champion come June). Springfield was the only Northeast Division team to get in, while the Atlantic Division has three teams out of five.

Notes:

-As mentioned earlier, Keith Kinkaid returned to Albany on Tuesday after Johan Hedberg returned to backup duty. He did not see any time in net in his latest callup. Alexander Urbom was recalled on Wednesday under emergency conditions, but has yet to make an appearance in a game.

-Raman Hrabarenka returned to the lineup Friday evening after being out since St. Patrick’s Day. Mattias Tedenby suffered a cut finger during Friday night’s game and was held out the final two games. Matt Anderson, Dan Kelly, both Zajacs, Chad Wiseman, and Stefan Stepanov all sat out the final weekend with assorted injuries.

Looking Ahead:

Well…what’s left?

The parent Devils have 3 games to go in the regular season. After that, it’s going to be a very long offseason for the organization. I’ll be keeping an eye on the Calder Cup playoffs, since many of my AHL counterparts will be involved.

Also this week? My annual 3 part Season in Review. You’ll see those on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After that, I’ll be updating on here as needed. I do plan on a draft entry and will be doing the annual Free Agent Tracker as well starting in July.

As the weekend began, the Devils needed a lot of help from not just themselves, but a few other teams, if they wanted any chance of extending their season beyond the regular season finale. Well…that didn’t happen. The losing streak was extended to six, and for the third straight year, no postseason hockey in the Capital Region. Looking back:

4/12 at Binghamton: 5-3 L

Times Union
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

The weekend began with the last road trip of the season in Binghamton, kicking off a home and home series with the Senators. Unlike recent games, the Devils had their chances in the first, actually putting up 13 shots, with only a disallowed goal to show for it. Cole Schneider would put Binghamton on the board late in the period just after a 4 on 4 expired. David Dziurzynski would make it a 2-0 advantage just as the second period got underway. But Albany would then mount a rally. Steve Zalewski would put Albany on the board and cut the deficit in half. Then the struggling penalty kill was put to the test, as J.S. Berube would get a match penalty and a game for the ever popular kicking infraction (and I did see replay, it was a legit call unfortunately, even though it was purely accidental). Not only did the Devils kill off the entire 5 minutes, they even got a beautiful short handed goal out of Chris McKelvie to tie the game at 2. But less than a minute after the major penalty was killed, Binghamton would take back the lead on a Mark Stone goal. In the third, the Sens would put the game away on goals just 1:26 apart from Schneider (on a power play) and Corey Cowick. Eric Gelinas would make it 5-3 1:25 later, but that was all Albany could muster, and in turn they dropped their 4th in a row and fell further behind in the standings. Jeff Frazee would stop 34 of 39 shots in taking the loss. Three Devils added assists, one being a franchise record: with his 83rd career assist in a Devil uniform, Matt Anderson is now your all time Lowell/Albany Devils leader, passing Stephen Gionta.

4/13 vs. Binghamton: 5-0 L

Times Union
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

It was back to the Capital Region on Saturday afternoon to kick off a season ending 5 game homestand, with the second half of the Senators home and home series. The only lineup change saw Scott Wedgewood take Jeff Frazee’s spot in goal for his first start since returning to Albany a week earlier. Despite outshooting the visitors 14-7 in the first, it was Binghamton who took an early 1-0 lead on a Fredrik Claesson shorthanded goal. Things didn’t get any better in the second as the Senators took control of the game. Dustin Gazley would score a power play goal 4 minutes into the period, then Mark Stone would follow up later with a 4 on 4 goal. Newcomer Buddy Robinson would start the third period off on the wrong foot for the hosts, scoring his first as a pro just 13 seconds in to make it 4-0. Finally, to top it off, Corey Cowick would make it 5-0 with less than two minutes to go. Nathan Lawson would stop all 35 Devil shots. Wedgewood had a tough day, only stopping 29 of 34 and not getting much defensive help. The only defensemen to not finish with a negative plus/minus? Corbin McPherson and Seth Helgeson (in his pro debut), both with 0. Helgeson did not fare badly in his first game, mostly paired with McPherson (and later in the game Jon Merrill).

And with the loss, plus Connecticut earning a point in an OT loss to Adirondack, plus Norfolk beating Worcester in overtime…consider Albany officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

4/14 vs. Rochester: 3-2 L

Times Union
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

The weekend concluded with the second straight Sunday visit from the Amerks. Once again, the Devils special teams would struggle in the first, as Zemgus Girgensons would score on a power play late in the period for a 1-0 lead. But like Friday night in Binghamton, they would recover with a strong second period. David Wohlberg would tie the game at 1 4 minutes in. After a missed call from the referee (one of many on the afternoon) on Amerks goaltender Matt Hackett, the Devils would actually still wind up with a full 2 minute 5 on 3 opportunity. And Mike Sislo would take advantage and score for a 2-1 Devil lead. Things were looking good for Albany…then came the third period. Former River Rat Cody McCormick (from the one season of the dual Carolina/Colorado affiliation) would tie the game at 2 just 2 minutes into the third period. Nine minutes later, while on a power play, Mark Mancari scored the go ahead goal for a 3-2 Amerk lead. The Devils tried what they could to get the tying goal, but it would never come, and they would drop their sixth in a row. Another hard luck day for Jeff Frazee, as he stopped 33 of 36 shots. Three Devils would each add an assist, and Joe Whitney would snag his 50th point of the season with an assist on Sislo’s goal.

Finally making a comeback to the recap, it’s your Cam Janssen Obligatory Fight Of The Week:

Conference Standings:

As mentioned earlier, Albany was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday when Norfolk won and Connecticut earned a standings point for an overtime loss. That plus no standings points earned on the weekend leaves the Devils in 12th place in the conference. They stand two points behind Bridgeport for 11th (and also 3rd place in the division), and lead Worcester by 1 point, St. John’s by 2 points, and Adirondack by 4 points. All teams have 3 games left (Bridgeport actually has 4 left) so there’s a chance the battle for the basement could switch around by the end.

Notes:

-On Wednesday Keith Kinkaid was recalled to New Jersey after Johan Hedberg was held out due to soreness. He backed up Martin Brodeur in both losses to Boston on Wednesday and Ottawa on Friday.

-Congrats go out to captain Jay Leach, who was named the Devils IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year and is one of 30 finalists for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award. The award recgonizes a player’s “outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations” during the course of the season. The league winner will be announced by the AHL on April 18th.

-J.S. Berube was given a two game suspension on Saturday for his match penalty on Friday evening. He sat out for the remaining weekend games.

-Defenseman Damon Severson, a 2012 second round pick, joined the Devils on Sunday after finishing his season in Kelowna (WHL) on Wednesday. And the stats aren’t too bad: he put up 52 points (10 G, 42 A) and was a +43. He’ll likely make his debut next weekend.

-Injury front: Mattias Tedenby returned to the lineup and said he is feeling better (he had been sick for about a week). No updates on Chad Wiseman’s absence. Raman Hrabarenka thinks he’ll be back before the season’s end (per conversation at the STH party Monday evening). Dan Kelly appeared to have reaggravated his ankle injury on Friday night, he sat out the rest of the weekend.

The Week Ahead:

Three home games to close out the regular season. Friday night they play host to the Whale. Then it’s a quick turnaround Saturday afternoon as Norfolk (and PL3) come calling. Sunday is the season finale against who else, but Adirondack, to finish off the Time Warner Cable Cup (well at least the Devils won SOMETHING this year). It’s also Fan Appreciation Day, where you can get your very own Tim Sestito bobblehead!

We are down to the final 10 games of the regular season. The Devils had a good chance this week to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference standings with 4 games and 8 possible points. Well…after struggling to even shoot the puck, let alone score with it, they could only earn 3 of those 8, and remain on the outside looking in, much like the parent Devils are doing. Yes, we still have to review what happened:

4/2 at Springfield: 3-1 W

Times Union
The Republican

The week began a little early, as the Devils traveled east to Springfield for a make up game from February 8th (which was postponed at the time due to a snowstorm). Once again, the Devils got off to a very slow start as far as scoring chances go, only registering 1 shot on goal through the first 10 minutes of the game. Despite only 6 shots overall for the period, they made those chances count. Reid Boucher would get Albany on the board with his second goal in as many games (this one a power play marker, and another assist for Jon Merrill to boot). Harri Pesonen, in his first game back since returning from New Jersey, would get a goal 31 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. The teams stayed scoreless in the second, as Keith Kinkaid would stop all 11 Falcon shots. Ryan Craig would get the hosts on the board just 49 seconds into the third on a 5 on 3 situation (another feast or famine penalty kill…lately it’s entirely killed off or the opponent scores within 20 seconds), but Jacob Josefson would put the Devils back up by two less than two minutes later with another assist from Merrill. And Kinkaid took care of the rest, stopping the Falcons remaining 13 shots of the game to pick up the win. He would stop 35 of 36 overall. Tim Sestito, Mattias Tedenby, and Matt Anderson each had one assist.

4/5 vs. Providence: 4-1 L

Times Union
Providence Journal

It was back to home ice on Friday as much like their NHL counterparts the night before, it was Albany’s turn to take on the Bruins. Things didn’t start off as planned when just 17 seconds into the game Justin Florek would shoot one past Keith Kinkaid for a very quick 1-0 P-Bruin lead. Albany didn’t help themselves as much either, having another slow first period showing with just 5 shots on goal. Kinkaid would settle down and stop 9 Bruin shots. Things didn’t improve in the second, as Providence would score 3 times for a commanding lead. Alexander Khokhlachev and Christian Hanson would score less than 4 minutes apart for a 3-0 lead, then Khokhlachev would get his second of the period with 50 seconds left to go up 4-0. Harri Pesonen had a chance to break up the shutout in the third when he was awarded a penalty shot, but Niklas Svedberg would deny it. But the Devils did manage to get on the board via Jon Merrill’s first professional goal with exactly 4 minutes left to make it 4-1. That was probably the only highlight of what was a pretty uneventful evening. Kinkaid stopped 24 of 28 shots and Jay Leach had the lone assist on Merrill’s goal.

4/6 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 4-0 L

Times Union
The Citizens Voice
Chirps From Center Ice

The Devils hit the road on Saturday (along with myself and 27 other Booster Club members) to northeast Pennsylvania to take on the Penguins. And I think they forgot to pack something…their game. The hosts took right over in the first minute of the game, as they drew a power play 19 seconds in and Chad Kolarik would score 29 seconds later for a fast 1-0 lead. Once again, it took till late in the period for the Devils to even muster a shot on goal, finally getting on the board with 6:49 to go. Trevor Smith would add a late power play goal for a 2-0 advantage, and all you had to do was look at the scoreboard at the end of the period to see who was dominating…WB would outshoot Albany 17-1 for the period. They had more goals than Albany had shots. Things sort of improved in the second…Jeff Frazee would stop all 14 Penguin shots, but the Devils could only manage 8 and fell victim to some questionable referee calls, and still nothing past Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff. Third period was more Penguin domination…Alex Grant would score the third power play goal of the night for a 3-0 lead, then for the final nail in the coffin an even strength goal from Paul Thompson for a 4-0 score. As for the offense…what offense? They could only manage 2 shots for the period, for a season and league low total of 11 overall. That and the fact that the officiating seemed a little one sided (Wilkes-Barre had 8 power plays, the Devils just 4), not a good night all around. Frazee stopped 30 of 34 in taking the loss.

4/7 vs. Rochester: 3-2 L (SO)

Times Union
Rochester Democrat-Chronicle

The weekend concluded back on home ice, with a visit from the Amerks. Unlike the other three games this week, the Devils got off to a strong start, actually eclipsing their entire shot total from the night before in the first period alone by putting up 13, but nothing got past newly acquired Amerks goaltender Matt Hackett. Keith Kinkaid, meanwhile, was probably a little bored, only having to stop 3 Rochester shots. Reid Boucher continued his strong play since coming up from juniors, scoring his 3rd goal late in the second period to get the Devils on the board. Things were looking up early in the third when J.S. Berube scored his first goal of the season to put the Devils up 2-0. But momentum switched over to Rochester’s end and they would mount a rally. Nick Crawford would score a power play goal to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then while the Devils were on a 4 minute power play, Zemgus Girgensons would tie the game shorthanded with just under 4 and a half to go in regulation. It was on to overtime, where despite the Devils outshooting Rochester 9-1, no one could get the game winner past Hackett. It was on to the Devils favorite thing to settle games, the shootout. And you can guess what happened next. Kinkaid went 0 for 3, allowing goals to Johan Larsson, Corey Tropp, and Colin Jacobs. Hackett stopped Mike Sislo, Boucher, and Matt Anderson to earn the extra point. The Devils did set the AHL record with their 12th shootout loss of the season, not a good ending after having a 2 goal advantage early in the third. Outside of the shootout round, it was not a bad afternoon for Kinkaid, as he stopped 20 of 22 shots. Four Devils, including Cam Janssen, each had an assist.

Speaking of Cam…no Obligatory Fight out of him this week. Standing in, however, is our fearless captain with a bout from Sunday’s game:

Conference Standings:

After earning 3 of 8 points this week, the Devils find themselves in a 3 way tie for 10th place with both Manchester and Bridgeport, all with 71 points. They trail 8th place Hershey and 9th place Norfolk by 4 points, and lead 13th place Worcester by 4 points. The magic number to clinch a spot (yes, it’s still mathematically possible) is at 17.

Notes:

-Jacob Josefson returned to the lineup on Tuesday night after sitting out since mid March with a concussion. After scoring a goal in the win, he was recalled to New Jersey on Friday afternoon, getting in the lineup on Sunday night in Buffalo.

-During Friday night’s game, the Devils announced the signing of defenseman Seth Helgeson to an amateur tryout after finishing off his senior season at Minnesota. He has yet to make an appearance.

-Injury front: Dan Kelly returned to the lineup on Friday after about a month’s absence with an ankle injury. Chad Wiseman has been out since March 27th, but I am not sure of the reason (healthy, injury, etc.). Mattias Tedenby sat out the last two games due to illness. Raman Hrabarenka remains out.

The Week Ahead:

It’s the next to last weekend of the regular season, and another 3 in 3 awaits. Friday night the Devils make their last road trip of the season to Binghamton to take on the Senators. Saturday the two teams face off again, this time on Albany’s ice (and it’s Military Appreciation Night as well). Sunday afternoon Rochester makes their second straight weekend visit.

Monday is the annual End of Season Party for the season ticket holders, I may have a few notes or photos coming from that.

After a tough six game road trip that saw only one win out of those 6, the Devils finally returned home for a three game homestand hoping to break out of their losing skid and gain ground in the playoff race. And thanks to some new reinforcements, they may slowly be doing so, taking 3 out of 6 points and staying in the battle for the last playoff position. Time to take a look back:

3/27 vs. St. John’s: 4-2 L

Times Union
St. John’s Official Web Site

The week began with a visit from St. John’s, a team the Devils had not seen since late November…and one of the few teams below Albany in the standings. Things got off on the right foot for the home team, as Joe Whitney scored his team leading 23rd (on a power play) 4 and a half minutes in for a 1-0 advantage. But Jason Jaffray would tie things up 6 minutes later. Second period the IceCaps would take over, as once again the Devils special teams struggled. Eric O’Dell would score on a power play just 57 seconds into the period for a 2-1 lead, then a shorthanded goal by Aaron Gagnon less than 3 minutes later would put the Devils down 3-1. Gagnon would add his second goal of the day on a power play for a 4-1 lead in the third. Brandon Burlon would score his first goal of the season late in the game, but that’s all the Devils could manage, and they dropped their sixth in a row, falling further down in the standings. Hard luck night yet again for Jeff Frazee, as he stopped 17 of 21 shots in the loss. Four players each contributed an assist.

3/29 vs. Hershey: 5-3 W

Times Union
The Patriot News

Friday the Devils had a chance to break the losing streak and gain some ground on the #8 seed, as the Bears made their only visit to the Capital Region this season. The game also marked the debut of defenseman Jon Merrill after he finished his junior season at Michigan. Things didn’t start out so well early on, as Peter Leblanc scored on a power play 4 and a half minutes in to give Hershey a 1-0 lead. Then just over a minute later, something no one had seen in two years happened: Cam Janssen scored a goal. He got a lucky tip in off a J.S. Berube shot past Bears goaltender Philipp Grubauer to tie the game at 1. It was his first goal at any level since March 2011 as a member of the St. Louis Blues; if you want to really dig further, it was his first AHL goal since October 2005, when as a member of the River Rats he scored against the Philadelphia Phantoms. Hershey dominated in scoring chances in the first, outshooting Albany 12-3. Darcy Zajac would break the tie early in the second…with an assist from Janssen and Alexander Urbom. Yes, Cam had a multi point game, all he needed was a fight for the Gordie Howe hat trick. Just when you thought you were in the Twilight Zone…Jay Leach would score less than three minutes later on a delayed penalty call for a 3-1 lead. Merrill would notch his first pro point with an assist on the goal. At that point, the Bears summoned Dany Sabourin out of the bullpen to take over for Grubauer, who gave up 3 goals on 7 shots…and gave up goals to people he really shouldn’t be allowing to score in the first place. The goalie shakeup helped the Bears a little, as Casey Wellman scored on a power play to bring Hershey back within a goal. Joe Whitney would score an important insurance goal early in the third to re-establish the Devils 2 goal lead. How important was that? Joey Crabb would score 3 and a half minutes later to cut the lead back to one again. But the Devils would hang on to the lead…and even get an empty netter from the captain with 43 seconds remaining to seal the win and break the losing skid. Keith Kinkaid played well after giving up the early goal, settling in to stop 28 of 31 shots. Merrill had an excellent debut, finishing a +2 and playing in all situations, mostly paired with Urbom. And you know it was one of those “did that just happen?” nights when Cam is a #2 star and Jay Leach (with his first 2 goal game in the AHL ever) is the #1.

3/30 vs. Portland: 5-4 L (SO)

Times Union
Maine Hockey Journal

The Devils finished off the week taking on the Pirates, making their only visit to the Times Union Center this season. Two big stories emerged before the puck was dropped: forward Reid Boucher was making his first appearance of the season after signing an ATO on Friday (if you recall, he played in the final regular season game last season). The other big story? Mattias Tedenby, sporting a full face cage, was back on the ice for the first time since the skate cut incident in Adirondack over a month earlier. Just 55 seconds in, Andy Miele scored on a power play for an early 1-0 Pirate lead. But Boucher would tie it up later in the period with a power play goal of his own, his first as a pro. Nick Johnson would give Portland the lead back late with his own power play goal. Much like the night before, the Devils were grossly outshot in the first, this time 18-5. But Albany would wake up during the second and take over the game. Mike Sislo scored 2 minutes in to retie the game at 2 (assists went to Boucher and Jon Merrill). Joe Whitney would add his team leading 25th goal (with another assist from Boucher) on a power play 5 and a half minutes later to give the Devils the lead. Sislo would add his second goal of the period 3 minutes later for a 4-2 lead, causing the Pirates to change goaltenders (second straight night the Devils knocked out the starting goaltender), with Mark Visentin going out for Mike Lee. The change seemed to shift momentum in Portland’s direction, as Alexandre Bolduc would cut the lead to 1 with 5 and a half minutes left in the second. Miele had a chance to tie the game late in the period when he was awarded a questionable penalty shot, but Jeff Frazee would deny it. But Miele would eventually get that tying goal, though, with just under 6 minutes to go in regulation. Albany nearly put themselves in a hole when Merrill took a penalty with 53 seconds left, leaving them shorthanded going into overtime. But special teams managed to kill it off, pushing the game into the shootout, Albany’s 14th of the season. It started off well, as David Rundblad’s round 1 attempt was ruled no goal thanks to video replay and Sislo would score. Boucher and Matt Anderson were unsuccessful, while Frazee allowed a goal to Chris Conner but stopped Evan Brophey. Chris Brown scored in the fourth round to put Portland up, but Tedenby would answer with a goal of his own. But in the fifth round, Ethan Werek would connect, but Whitney could not match, giving the Pirates the extra point and the Devils their 11th shootout loss of the season. Frazee had quite a busy night in net, and didn’t do too badly, stopping 38 of 42 shots in regulation and overtime, but stuck with the loss. Merrill added two assists in his second game, while paired with Alexander Urbom and at one point Corbin McPherson and playing in all situations. Boucher finished with a goal and two assists in his season debut, earning #3 star of the game honors. Steve Zalewski and Jay Leach each had an assist (a 2 game point streak for the captain!).

No Cam Janssen Obligatory Fight this week…so in its place, here’s the video proof that Friday night actually happened. The Obligatory Goal of the Week?

Conference Standings:

After gaining 3 standings points this week, the Devils find themselves sitting alone in 11th with 68 points. They stand 1 point behind 10th place Manchester and 2 points ahead of 12th place Worcester. As far as playoff positioning, they are 5 points out of the 8th place position, held down by Hershey. There is actually a 4 way tie points wise for first place between the three division leaders (Springfield, Syracuse, Providence) and East 2nd place Binghamton, but the Falcons hold down the #1 spot due to winning percentage. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot stands at 23.

Notes:

-Friday was a busy day transaction wise, as both Jon Merrill and Reid Boucher were signed to amateur tryout agreements. As you read earlier, both players did not disappoint in their debuts.

-Saturday Harri Pesonen was returned to Albany after New Jersey activated Henrik Tallinder from injured reserve. He appeared in Monday’s shootout loss to Ottawa after being recalled last Sunday.

-Injury update: Jacob Josefson (possible concussion), Dan Kelly (ankle), and Raman Hrabarenka all sat out the weekend. Possible return for some, if not all, players could be this week.

The Week Ahead:

Very busy week to start the month of April, with 4 big games on tap (then again this time of year, aren’t they all?). Tuesday the Devils travel to Springfield for a makeup game against the Falcons (originally scheduled on February 8th but postponed due to Winter Storm Nemo). Friday night they host Providence, currently holding down one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference. Saturday it’s off to Wilkes-Barre to take on the Penguins (a game myself and a number of Booster Club members will be attending). Then finally it’s back home Sunday afternoon to host Rochester.

(Or, the working title: Do I Have To Recap This?)

The Devils finished off the second half of a 6 game road swing still with hopes of getting out of 9th place and back in a playoff spot, one they held on to for all of 24 hours the weekend before. Five goals, two fights and zero wins later, they find themselves further down in the standings, and needing a lot of help if they even want to try to get back up to 8th place. Looking back (reluctantly) on the events of the weekend:

3/22 at Binghamton: 5-2 L

Times Union
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

The road weekend began west on Interstate 88 Friday night against the Senators. Despite both teams finishing even in shots on goal during the first, it was Binghamton that lead 1-0 on a Shane Prince power play goal. The Senators would extend the lead to 3-0 early in the second as Cole Schneider and Mike Hoffman would score just 48 seconds apart. The Devils would stage a brief rally later in the second as Matt Anderson and David Wohlberg would score 1:08 apart to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Corey Cowick would score shorthanded 2 minutes later to give Binghamton a 4-2 advantage. The Devils would outshoot the Senators 11-5 in the third, but could not get the puck past Senators goaltender Nathan Lawson. Schneider would add an empty netter late to seal the victory and give the Devils their third straight loss. Keith Kinkaid stopped 23 of 27 shots in the loss, while 4 Devils each had an assist. And it was just the second appearance of the season for Harry Young, playing as a forward.

3/23 at Syracuse: 3-1 L

Times Union
Syracuse Post-Standard

The trip continued north up Interstate 81 for the final matchup of the season against the Crunch, who had a very easy time the last time the two teams met just a week earlier. And the hosts picked up right where they left off, outshooting the Devils 13-5 and scoring twice against Jeff Frazee, making his first appearance since his return from New Jersey on Tuesday. Vladimir Namestnikov and Dan Sexton scored just 46 seconds apart for the 2-0 advantage. Second period was a little better, as the Devils killed off two consecutive power plays midway through the period, then killed a third later on. But the Crunch would take a 3-0 lead on a J.T. Brown goal. After that Frazee would settle down nicely, keeping the Crunch off the scoreboard. Third period the penalty kill would be tested yet again with another consecutive power play situation, but they came up big, actually killing off all 6 power play chances. But the offense could not muster anything on Crunch goaltender Riku Helenius…in fact, it took till 53 seconds left in the game for a goal, as Matt Anderson scored on a power play to cut the deficit to 3-1. But that was all they could muster, as the Devils dropped their fourth in a row. Yet another hard luck night for Frazee, as he stopped 33 of 36 shots and picking up his 10th loss. But on a brighter note…rookie defenseman Stefan Stepanov finally made his Albany debut after coming to the team in early February, on a defense pairing with Alexander Urbom and finishing a -1.

3/24 at Bridgeport: 4-2 L

Times Union
Connecticut Post

The road trip came to an end Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport, where just a week earlier Rick DiPietro pitched his first AHL shutout in over 10 years. And once again he was in net, facing Keith Kinkaid. The Sound Tigers dominated play in the first, outshooting Albany 14-5. Jordan Hill got the hosts on the board first, followed by a Sean Backman power play tally 3:09 later. Mike Sislo would get the Devils on the board late in the period with his 9th goal on the season. Second period, same old story: Bridgeport would dominate in shots once again, with a 13-4 advantage. The Devils had a chance to tie it when Phil DeSimone was awarded a penalty shot, but could not get the shot off. Hill would then add his second goal of the game for a 3-1 lead. Ty Wishart would add a power play tally with just under 4 minutes remaining to make it 4-1. David Wohlberg would cut the deficit to 2 with his second goal of the season late. But that was all the Devils could do offensively, despite finally waking up in the third period and outshooting Bridgeport 12-4 (yes, it took till the third period to finally break double digit shots), en route to their fifth straight loss and a 1-5 road trip. Kinkaid stopped 27 of 31 shots in taking the loss, while four different Devils registered assists.

Sadly, no Cam Janssen Obligatory Fight Of The Week. As for a suitable replacement…scroll ahead to the 1:20 mark.

Conference Standings:

When the weekend began, the Devils were tied for 9th place in the conference, just 3 points away from being back in the race. With no points gained, they fell into a tie for 11th with Worcester and Bridgeport, all 3 teams stand at 65 points. They are 2 points behind 9th place Norfolk and Manchester, and 6 points out of the top 8 (Wilkes-Barre and Hershey are tied for 7th). The magic number to clinch a playoff berth stands at 29.

Notes:

-After staying an extra 2 days with the team after Jeff Frazee’s return from New Jersey, Scott Wedgewood was officially re-assigned to Trenton on Thursday.

-Harri Pesonen was sent back to Albany on Friday after the Devils acquired Matt D’Agostini from St. Louis. He played in Saturday’s game in Syracuse, then was recalled to New Jersey on Sunday after Ilya Kovalchuk was injured in Saturday’s win over the Panthers.

-Injury update: Chris McKelvie returned to the lineup Friday night in Binghamton after suffering a foot injury in Wilkes-Barre earlier in the month. Dan Kelly, Raman Hrabarenka, and Jacob Josefson all sat out the weekend with assorted injuries. Mattias Tedenby is back practicing with the team, but no word on when he will return.

The Week Ahead:

The Devils finally return to home ice for the first time since March 10th, with the last non 3 in 3 weekend of the season. Wednesday night they host St. John’s for the first time since late November. Friday evening Hershey makes their only visit to the Capital Region on the season (the previous home matchup was in Atlantic City), then to close the week on Saturday Portland comes in for their only appearance.