Albany-Worcester Pregame Notes

A few things to get you ready for Devils vs. Sharks at the Times Union Center:

Season: This is the final meeting of 4 between the two teams, with Albany holding a 2-1 edge. Last meeting was on January 11 in Worcester, a 2-0 Devils win. The road team has won all three games thus far.

Standings: The Sharks begin the day in 4th place in the Atlantic Division, holding a 25-19-2-6 record and 58 points. They stand 1 point behind 3rd place Connecticut and 4 points ahead of Springfield. Albany currently stands in 6th place in the East Division, with a record of 20-29-0-3 and 43 points. They are 19 points behind 5th place Binghamton and 1 point ahead of both Syracuse and Adirondack.

Scoring: Worcester is lead by NHL veteran Jonathan Cheechoo with 42 points (15 G, 27 A) and former Devil Michael Swift with 28 points (16 G, 12 A combined in both Albany/Worcester). With starter Alex Stalock lost for the season due to a leg injury (he recently had surgery), and backup Carter Hutton on recall to San Jose, journeyman Daren Machesney has assumed the starting goaltender role for the time being. On the home side, Matt Anderson continues to lead the Devils in scoring with 35 points (16 G, 19 A), followed by Adam Henrique with 31 points (16 G, 15 A). It appears Dave Caruso’s starting days are almost over with the return of Jeff Frazee to regular practices. I would still think Caruso gets the nod if Frazee’s not back to full strength, but we shall see. Mike McKenna is still on recall to New Jersey until Martin Brodeur returns to the lineup.

Miscellaneous: This is the first game between the Devils and Sharks since a 4 player deal on February 9th that saw Swift and Patrick Davis go to Worcester and Jay Leach and Steven Zalewski come to Albany. Both Leach and Zalewski should be making their home debut. Also it’s GE Kids in Free Day, all kids 12 and under will get in free with an adult thanks to GE.

UPDATE: A few transactions to pass along. Mike McKenna has been reassigned to Albany with Martin Brodeur on the verge of returning. Also, Darcy Zajac has been recalled from Trenton, with Harry Young going the opposite direction. The Sharks also announced late last night that Clifton Park native Nick Petrecki has been recalled to San Jose.

Game time: 7:00. Will be in attendance with the usual…