Another 3 in 3 weekend in the books for the Devils, as they took on a division leader in a sort of home and home series, with a visit from their neighbors to the north in between. And…well…it wasn’t exactly pretty, as no points were gained. If there’s a silver lining in all this, no ground was lost either, but it may not stay that way for long. Because I have to, looking back at what went wrong:
The four game road trip came to an end Friday night in Binghamton, the Devils third and final visit to the Southern Tier of the season. Things started out extremely well, when just 1:09 in Stefan Matteau scored his 7th for a 1-0 lead. Matt Puempel would tie it up with a power play goal late in the first. Second period was virtually all B-Sens, starting with a Derek Grant breakaway shorthanded goal 1:25 in to put Binghamton ahead 2-1. Corey Cowick and Shane Prince would score nearly 2 minutes apart later to pad the lead to 4-1. Then a rare 10 minute misconduct penalty to Keith Kinkaid after he batted a puck over the glass out of sheer frustration would add insult. Grant would score his second of the night 1:26 into the third to make it a 5-1 game. Scott Timmins would score late to cut the lead to 5-2, but that was all. Kinkaid stopped 35 of 40 in taking the loss (I was actually surprised he wasn’t pulled at any point in the game, to be honest). Reid Boucher had an assist in his first game back after returning from New Jersey, while Seth Helgeson and Corbin McPherson were the only Devils to not have a negative plus/minus (McPherson actually finished a +2).
It was back on real home ice for the first time in two weeks on Saturday afternoon, as Albany began a three game homestand by hosting the Phantoms, game #9 of the Time Warner Cable Cup series. In a surprise move, Joe Whitney was back in the lineup, fresh off playing 8 minutes the night before in New Jersey in his NHL debut. Like the night before, the Devils got off on the right foot, er, skate, as Mike Sislo scored on a power play with 52 seconds remaining in the first for a 1-0 lead. Tye McGinn would tie the game late in the second. Third period both teams had trouble getting the go ahead goal on either Cal Heeter or Scott Wedgewood, who was having an outstanding day in net. Then with just 20 seconds left in regulation, what should have been an interference call resulted in a game winning goal for Adirondack off the stick of Jason Akeson (at the time, Brandon Manning was awarded the goal). The Devils tried to draw up a plan to retie it, but it wasn’t meant to be, and Albany’s second straight regulation loss was a heartbreaker. Wedgewood stopped 20 of 22 shots in a hard luck defeat. Reid Boucher notched an assist for the second straight game.
Lines:
Mike Sislo-Stefan Matteau-Tim Sestito
Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins-Reid Boucher
Artem Demkov-Mattias Tedenby-Kelly Zajac
Rod Pelley-Chris McKelvie-Cam Janssen
Extras: David Wohlberg, Mike Hoeffel, Harri Pesonen
To finish out the weekend, the Devils played host to Binghamton to finish out a sort of home and home series. First period was owned by one player: Binghamton’s Shane Prince. He would score twice on the Senators’ first two shots of the game 2 and a half minutes apart in the first. Mike Hoeffel would cut the deficit in half 30 seconds later with his seventh. But on the third Senators shot of the game Prince would complete the natural hat trick for a 3-1 lead, chasing starter Keith Kinkaid from the net in favor of Scott Wedgewood. If you’re keeping track, that’s 3 goals on 3 shots from one player in 9:21 that Kinkaid gave up. Ouch. Wedgewood would have an easier time in the period, only having to make one save in the remaining 10 minutes. Adam Larsson would score on a power play to bring the Devils to within 3-2. Dan Kelly would tie the game at 3 with his second of the season 5 minutes into the second period. Matt Puempel would break the tie with a 5 on 3 power play goal less than 5 minutes later. Third period Binghamton would add to their lead on a Jim O’Brien goal, then Puempel would put the cherry on the top with his second of the game into an empty net at the end. All that despite the Devils outshooting the Senators by a huge 36-19 margin…the first period killed them on this day. Wedgewood stopped 13 of 15 in relief and got stuck with the loss. Reece Scarlett contributed 2 assists in his first appearance of the weekend.
Lines:
Harri Pesonen-Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo
Joe Whitney-Reid Boucher-Scott Timmins
Kelly Zajac-Artem Demkov-Mattias Tedenby
Rod Pelley-Cam Janssen-Mike Hoeffel
Also seen: Demkov-Whitney-Zajac; Demkov-Sestito-Hoeffel; Pelley-Pesonen-Sestito
Extras: Chris McKelvie, Stefan Matteau, David Wohlberg
Defense Pairings:
Raman Hrabarenka/Alexander Urbom
Adam Larsson/Seth Helgeson
Dan Kelly/Reece Scarlett
Extras: Brandon Burlon, Corbin McPherson
Obligatory Fight of the Week:
UPDATED 2/9: Well look what finally surfaced…
My Player of the Week:
Well…when it’s a weekend where no one really stood out, it’s a hard decision. But I think I’ll give the nod to Scott Wedgewood, who deserved a better fate in his two appearances this weekend.
Team Leaders:
Goals: Joe Whitney (16)
Assists: Joe Whitney (21)
Points: Joe Whitney (37)
Plus/Minus: Dan Kelly (+11)
Penalty Minutes: Seth Helgeson (65)
Wins: Keith Kinkaid (16)
GAA: Keith Kinkaid (2.39)
Save Percentage: Keith Kinkaid (.910)
Elmira Update:
The Jackals had a 3 in 3 weekend of their own, hosting Fort Wayne in a 3 game series. They dropped the first two games 4-3 and 4-0 (an hour delay to start due to ice issues didn’t help), then salvaged the final game with a 4-1 win. Harry Young was quite busy over the weekend, notching an assist and racking up 19 penalty minutes. The same with Riley Boychuk, who also added an assist and 12 penalty minutes. Maxime Clermont is currently on 21 day injured reserve.
Notes:
-While the Devils were in Binghamton on Friday night, Joe Whitney was at The Rock making his NHL debut (and Devils Twitter were coming up with #JoeWhitneyFacts…seriously go click on it it’s hilarious). Saturday afternoon he was back at the Times Union Center and in the lineup. And he was even reunited with his original line to start the season, Scott Timmins and Reid Boucher.
-The injury front…just Darcy Zajac…remains status quo.
This Week’s Schedule:
Just two games coming up, both against divisional foes. Friday night Albany wraps up their homestand and the month of January when they host Bridgeport. Then on Saturday it’s off to Hartford to take on the Wolfpack.
Quite a few roster moves over the last couple days before another 3 in 3 weekend gets underway. Just to get everyone up to date:
-Cam Janssen was placed on waivers on Monday (making once again for celebrations on my Jersey portion of my Twitter feed) to make room for the return of Damien Brunner to the lineup. He cleared on Tuesday and was reassigned to Albany. He appeared in 24 games for New Jersey after his recall on November 6th, scoring 3 goals (?!?).
-With the Olympic break looming, there was a question on who, if anyone, would be sent down to play in Albany over the two week layoff. (Side note: In Lou We Trust covered the very topic earlier yesterday.) Last night came one answer: Reid Boucher was sent down. He had appeared in 23 games for the parent Devils, with 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) and being the only Devil to convert a shootout goal all season.
-Then this morning, a surprise guest hit the ice for New Jersey’s practice…Joe Whitney has finally received the callup. All he’s done is lead Albany in scoring (also tied for 9th in the AHL in points). He practiced on the first line with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr, and all signs point to him making his NHL debut tomorrow night at The Rock against Washington.
It’s the third weekend of 3 games in 3 days for the Devils, and at the same time the start of a 4 game road trip. What started out as a very strong start ended with a whimper at the end of the weekend, as Albany managed to snag 5 out of 6 points and keep their standing in a tight Eastern Conference race. Reviewing the weekend that was:
The road swing began with a quick trip west to Utica for their third matchup against the Comets, in front of a sold out audience. The home team had a chance to get an early jump when Alexandre Grenier was awarded a penalty shot, actually the first one against Albany all season. But Keith Kinkaid stoned him. Albany got on the board on a Mike Sislo goal, in his first game since returning from New Jersey for a 1-0 lead. Benn Ferriero would tie the game up 4 minutes later. Mattias Tedenby would break the tie late in the first for a 2-1 advantage. Second period was all Albany, as they dropped 4 more on the Comets. Joe Whitney would put the score at 3-1 5 minutes into the period. Over a minute later right off the faceoff, Mike Hoeffel scored for a 4-1 lead. That would cause Utica to go to the bullpen and bring out Joe Cannata to take over for Mathieu Corbeil. But that didn’t stop the offense…Harri Pesonen and Rod Pelley would score almost 4 minutes apart to go up 6-1. Whitney would add his second of the game just 1:03 into the third for a 7-1 lead. Grenier would finally get one past Kinkaid to make it 7-2, but Kelly Zajac would get his 5th of the season late for a 8-2 advantage. Utica would get one more goal late, but there was no surpassing the Devils on this night, as they tied a franchise record with the 8 goal outburst. Kinkaid stopped 31 of 34 shots for the win. Chris McKelvie added two assists, while 5 other Devils had assists. Seth Helgeson and Corbin McPherson both finished at +4.
Lines:
Rod Pelley-Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo
Scott Timmins-Joe Whitney-Stefan Matteau
Artem Demkov-Kelly Zajac-Mattias Tedenby
Chris McKelvie-Harri Pesonen-Mike Hoeffel
Extras: Riley Boychuk, David Wohlberg
Defense Pairings:
Dan Kelly/Reece Scarlett
Adam Larsson/Alexander Urbom
Seth Helgeson/Corbin McPherson
Extras: Harry Young, Brandon Burlon, Raman Hrabarenka
It was on to Glens Falls on Saturday for another matchup against the Phantoms…and another sellout crowd for Dax the mascot’s birthday bash. Among the invitees was Devil Dawg, who I think brought some home luck to the visitors. Rod Pelley would get Albany on the board first with his 8th. Ben Holmstrom would tie the game with a power play goal, but just over a minute later Kelly Zajac would score his 6th for a 2-1 lead. Second period Albany took over yet again…but with not as much firepower needed as the night before. Artem Demkov and Tim Sestito would score just 40 seconds apart to go up 4-1, chasing Cal Heeter out of the net in favor of Yann Danis. After that, not much happened…well, unless you count Keith Kinkaid shutting the Phantoms down and the three fights that broke out. Kinkaid stopped 21 of 22 shots in winning his second straight on the weekend. Dan Kelly added two assists while 4 other Devils had one each.
It was off to Chocolatetown for the first time this season to finish off the 3 in 3 weekend. And much like last week when the two teams met in Atlantic City, it was the Bears getting on the board first. After Stefan Matteau took a double minor for a high stick, Dustin Gazley scored during the second half of the man advantage for a 1-0 lead. But the Devils would rally in the second period. Mike Sislo would score his 11th to tie the game at 1. Then just before the second period ended, Tim Sestito added his 8th for a 2-1 advantage. Rod Pelley would pad the lead with a short handed goal 2 minutes into the third. But the Bears would rally, thanks to quite a few penalty calls against the Devils. First, a too many men call and an ensuing argument lead to a Sestito Penalty (as in Tim argues with the ref after getting the initial two minutes, then adds to his total as a result…in this case a 10 minute misconduct). Then Alexander Urbom gets the dreaded delay of game call, which resulted in a Ryan Potulny power play goal to cut the lead to 3-2. Then while on a full 4 on 4 setup, David Kolomatis would tie the game up with 3 minutes to go in regulation. Albany had to kill off a power play to end regulation and start overtime, and were outshot 2-0 in the extra session. Nothing across lead to the bonus round, where only Mattias Tedenby was able to connect in four rounds. Scott Wedgewood would give up goals in rounds 2-4 to lose the extra standings point and complete the late game collapse. He stopped 32 of 35 shots in 65 minutes in taking the shootout loss. Corbin McPherson added two assists.
Lines:
Back to the old 11/7 smashup:
Rod Pelley-Tim Sestito-Harri Pesonen
Scott Timmins-Joe Whitney-Stefan Matteau
Artem Demkov-Mike Sislo-Mattias Tedenby
David Wohlberg-Chris McKelvie-Pesonen
Other lines: Whitney-Pelley-Sestito, Matteau-Sislo-Timmins, Pesonen-Tedenby-Demkov
Extras: Mike Hoeffel, Kelly Zajac
Defense Pairings:
Adam Larsson/Dan Kelly
Seth Helgeson/Corbin McPherson
Raman Hrabarenka/Alexander Urbom
Other pairings: Reece Scarlett/Kelly, Helgeson/Larsson, Kelly/Hrabarenka
Extra: Brandon Burlon
Obligatory Fight of the Week:
I had a few to choose from, but the first bout on Saturday night ended up the winner:
Actually, I’ll give an honorary mention to Raman Hrabarenka for surviving Fitzy.
My Player of the Week:
Out of all three games, there was one constant on the scoresheet: the captain, Rod Pelley. Goals in all three games, plus an assist on Sunday. Honorable mention to Mike Sislo for rejoining the lineup after his stay in New Jersey and picking up right where he left off with 2 goals and an assist.
Team Leaders:
Goals: Joe Whitney (16)
Assists: Joe Whitney (20)
Points: Joe Whitney (36)
Plus/Minus: Dan Kelly (+13)
Penalty Minutes: Seth Helgeson (63)
Wins: Keith Kinkaid (16)
GAA: Keith Kinkaid (2.17)
Save Percentage: Keith Kinkaid (.916)
Elmira Update:
A 2 game Midwest road swing proved fruitful for the Jackals, as they beat Cincinnati and Fort Wayne to improve to 12-19-2-2. With regular starter Scott Greenham up filling in as the backup in Binghamton, Maxime Clermont got work in both games. He stopped 25 of 29 Cyclone shots in a 5-4 win on Thursday, then followed up with 20 saves on 22 shots in 2 periods against Fort Wayne on Friday evening before exiting with an apparent injury. He stands at 6-9-0 with a 3.34 GAA and an .892 save percentage.
Notes:
-Now that New Jersey is getting healthy (and here as well), the expected roster turnover is starting up. Mike Sislo was returned to Albany on Thursday after Patrik Elias returned to the lineup. He appeared in 7 games and was held scoreless.
-On Saturday, Harry Young and Riley Boychuk were returned to Elmira. Young played in 10 games and was scoreless, but had 15 penalty minutes. He had last appeared on January 4th in Adirondack. Boychuk played in 18 games with 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist), but had been used sparingly on the 4th line recently.
-Tim Sestito returned to the lineup Friday night in Utica after missing two weeks due to injury. That leaves Darcy Zajac as the lone injured member of the team.
This Week’s Schedule:
Another 3 in 3 weekend looms for the Devils, but this time much closer to home. On Friday, they finish off their four game road swing in Binghamton against the Senators. Then it’s a quick turnaround back home on Saturday afternoon against the Phantoms, game one of a hockey doubleheader in downtown Albany (RPI and Union will take on each other for the nightcap). Then they host Binghamton on Sunday afternoon while the parent Devils play outdoors at Yankee Stadium.
Thoughts Inside The Box 