Month: November 2014

Week 8 Recap: Expect the Unexpected

Not a bad ending to a shaky November: 5 out of 6 points, including victories in a building where wins are few and far between, and against one of the top teams in the league.  But the injury bug bit yet again.

11/26 vs. Hartford: 4-3 L (SO)

On a very snowy Thanksgiving Eve in the Capital Region, the Devils continued their homestand with a visit from Hartford.  The Wolfpack got on the board less than 6 minutes into the game on a rebound goal by Justin Vaive.  Darcy Zajac would tie it up just after a power play expired.  But late in the period, Danny Kristo was left wide open and got the puck past Keith Kinkaid to regain the lead.  Hartford took a 3-1 lead in the second with a Joey Crabb goal…and things didn’t look for Albany as they entered the third.  However, one player single handedly rallied the home team.  A double minor by J.T. Miller with less than five and a half minutes remaining in regulation gave the Devils a golden opportunity…and just six seconds in Joe Whitney cashed in with his 6th goal to cut the lead to 3-2.  Then with 1:58 to go, Whitney would score the equalizer to tie things up at 3.  It was on to overtime, where Albany had a huge opportunity with just over 2 minutes to go to finally get their first OT win in almost 3 years…Mike Sislo was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked down.  But Hartford goaltender Mackenzie Skapski would deny the game winner, and it was on to the dreaded shootout.  Paul Thompson and Sislo were denied in the first two rounds, while Kinkaid stopped Chris Bourque and Miller.  But in round 3, Kristo would connect and Whitney was denied, giving the Wolfpack the extra point and Albany their fourth shootout loss of the season (yup, the new OT rules are working real well here).  Kinkaid finished with 29 saves on 32 shots.  Raman Hrabarenka had two assists, while three other Devils had helpers.

Highlights:

Lines:

Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins-Paul Thompson

Stefan Matteau-Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo

Reid Boucher-Graham Black-Chris McKelvie

David Wohlberg-Darcy Zajac-Ben Thomson

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Rod Pelley, Cam Janssen (inj), Ben Johnson (healthy)

Defense Pairings:

Mark Fraser/Corbin McPherson

Eric Baier/Raman Hrabarenka

Brandon Burlon/Joe Faust

Extra: Dan Kelly, Reece Scarlett (inj)

11/28 vs. Lehigh Valley: 4-2 W

It was south to Atlantic City on Black Friday for the first of two “home” games (and I use the term loosely in this) this season, as Albany hosted the Phantoms for the first time since the move to Allentown from Adirondack.  Thanks to an early 5 on 3 chance in the first, Reid Boucher got the hosts on the board with just his third goal of the season for a 1-0 lead.  Ben Thomson would add his third later in the period for a two goal lead.  Then Graham Black would add a power play goal of his own, his fourth, late in the period for a 3-0 lead.  After being outshot 14-6 and giving up three goals, the Phantoms made a change in net to start the second, switching Anthony Stolarz for the recently called up Martin Ouelette.  And suddenly the momentum switched over to Lehigh Valley, as they mounted a rally.  Taylor Leier would get the Phantoms on the board early in the period with a power play goal.  Petr Straka would add a second goal late in the period to make things interesting.  The Devils could only manage 4 shots on goal the entire period, while giving up 11.  Lehigh Valley tried in vain in the third to tie things up, but Scott Wedgewood was up to the challenge, practically standing on his head and scrambling all over the crease to keep the Phantoms from that tying goal.  Paul Thompson would add an insurance goal with 3 minutes to go in the third to seal the win.  Wedgewood finished with 27 saves and #1 star honors.  Joe Whitney would contribute two assists, while Darcy Zajac and Scott Timmins each had a helper.

Highlights via AHL Live are here.  The video/audio quality is not the greatest.

Lines:

Scott Timmins-Joe Whitney-Paul Thompson

Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo-Stefan Matteau

Reid Boucher-Graham Black-Chris McKelvie

Darcy Zajac-David Wohlberg-Ben Thomson

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Rod Pelley, Cam Janssen, Ben Johnson

Defense Pairings:

Mark Fraser/Corbin McPherson

Eric Baier/Raman Hrabarenka

Brandon Burlon/Joe Faust

Extra: Dan Kelly, Reece Scarlett

11/29 vs. Utica: 2-1 W

To finish out the month of November, the Devils played host to Utica, who came in as the #2 team in the entire league.  Albany did dodge a bullet, missing Comets goaltender Jacob Markstrom  in favor of ECHL callup Joe Cannata.  After a very uneventful first period (no penalties, no goals), Graham Black would break the scoreless tie late in the second with his 5th goal.  That lead lasted all of 54 seconds, as Will Acton would tie things up.  A very scary moment happened in the third, when Utica’s Darren Archibald would hit Raman Hrabarenka high near center ice, causing Hrabarenka to crumple into a heap.  After a few tense minutes, he was slowly helped off the ice.  Archibald would get a five minute charging major and a game misconduct, giving Albany an extended 5 minute power play.  And they would take advantage, as Joe Whitney would score his 8th halfway through the advantage to put Albany ahead 2-1.  Utica would try in vain late to tie it, but to no avail, and the Devils finished November on a modest two game winning streak.  Keith Kinkaid was stellar in net, stopping 28 of 29 shots.  Brandon Burlon added two assists.

Highlights:

Lines:

Paul Thompson-Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins

Stefan Matteau-Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo

Reid Boucher-Graham Black-Ben Thomson

Ben Johnson-Darcy Zajac-David Wohlberg

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Rod Pelley, Cam Janssen, Chris McKelvie (all inj)

Defense Pairings:

Mark Fraser/Corbin McPherson

Eric Baier/Raman Hrabarenka

Brandon Burlon/Joe Faust

Extra: Dan Kelly, Reece Scarlett (inj)

Pop Quiz: Before Friday night, when was the last time Albany won a game at Boardwalk Hall?  Answer is coming up.

Obligatory Fight of the Week:

In this corner, Mark Fraser.  And in this corner, Jay Rosehill.  Let the epicness (is that even a word?) begin.

My Player of the Week:

This was not an easy decision, a lot of good performances this week.  In the end, I’ll give the honors to Joe Whitney and his 5 point week.  Honorable mention to Graham Black (4 points).

Team Leaders:

Goals: Paul Thompson (11)

Assists: Joe Whitney/Scott Timmins (11)

Points: Joe Whitney (19)

+/-: Paul Thompson (+12)

Penalty Minutes: Darcy Zajac (44)

Wins: Keith Kinkaid (6)

GAA: Keith Kinkaid (2.41)

Save Percentage: Keith Kinkaid (.916)

ECHL Update:

Myles Bell (Evansville): 16 GP, 7 G, 4 A, 7 PIM

Alexandre Carrier (Orlando): 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 2 PIM

Maxime Clermont (Orlando): 8 GP, 5-3-0, 3.66 GAA, .878 Save Pct.

Injury Report:

No timetable for the following: Dan Kelly, Rod Pelley, Chris McKelvie, Kelly Zajac, Reece Scarlett, Raman Hrabarenka.  Cam Janssen skated warmup on Saturday, per the man himself he should be back this week.

This Week’s Schedule:

The second 3-in-3 weekend of the season looms.  Friday night Albany makes their lone trip to Providence to take on the Bruins.  Saturday afternoon Portland visits for the second time in a little over a month.  Finally Sunday afternoon the lone visit from our neighbors to the north, the Flames.

Pop Quiz Answer: The last time Albany won a game at Boardwalk Hall?  February 24th, 2013, a 6-4 win over Hershey.  Joe Whitney and Mike Sislo scored twice, Matt Anderson had a goal and two assists, Phil DeSimone had two assists, and Keith Kinkaid had the win in net.

 

 

Week 8 Primer

Devils Quick Hits:

-The Devils begin the week with a record of 8-6-1-3 and 20 points, tied for 4th in the Northeast Division with Hartford (and 9th in the Eastern Conference).

-Mark Fraser is eligible to return to the lineup tonight after finishing his 3 game suspension.

-Adding to the forward depth, Albany signed training cam invitee Alexandre Carrier to a SPC and assigned him to Orlando of the ECHL on Tuesday.

11/26, Game #19 vs. Hartford

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Albany leads 2-1.

Standings:

Hartford: 9-7-2-0, 20 points, tied for 4th in Northeast Division

Wolfpack Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

J.T. Miller, 15 points (6 G, 9 A); Chris Bourque, 14 points (7 G, 7 A); Oscar Lindberg, 12 points (8 G, 4 A)

Mackenzie Skapski, 4-3-1, 2.24 GAA; Cedrick Desjardins, 4-2-0, 3.41 GAA

Notes:

-The Wolfpack are coming of a 1-2 week, dropping a 1 goal decision to Syracuse at home on Wednesday and losing by 3 to Providence on Friday before an OT win at home against Bridgeport on Saturday.

-A familiar face to New Jersey fans may be on the ice, as Hartford signed defenseman Henrik Tallinder to a professional tryout on Monday.  Tomas Kaberle, who was a New Jersey training camp invitee, appeared in two games on November 14th and 16th.

Listen: AHL Live, Fox Sports 1410

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @WolfPackAHL

11/28, Game #20 vs. Lehigh Valley

Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: First meeting of 4.  Future matchups: December 14th @ Atlantic City; January 16th & January 29th @ Lehigh Valley

Standings:

Lehigh Valley: 8-6-2-0, 18 points, 3rd place in East Division

Phantoms Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Nick Cousins, 12 points (4 G, 8 A); Brandon Manning, 11 points (5 G, 6 A); 2 tied with 10 points

Rob Zepp, 7-3-2, 2.43 GAA; Anthony Stolarz, 1-3-1, 2.28 GAA

Notes:

-Lehigh Valley will be the only opponent to not set foot in the Capital Region this season.  Both home matchups will be in Atlantic City.

-Local ties: 11 players are holdovers from the final season of Phantoms hockey in Adirondack.  Former Union College standout defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is on the roster, but is out indefinitely after knee surgery two weeks ago.

-The Phantoms are coming off a 2-1 week, defeating Hershey and Worcester before dropping an overtime decision to St. John’s on home ice.  They will host Springfield on Wednesday night before traveling to Atlantic City.

Listen: AHL Live, Sports Radio 1470 The Fox

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @LVPhantoms

11/29, Game #21 vs. Utica

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 5:00 PM.

Season Series: First meeting of 2.  Future matchup: February 21st @ Utica

Standings:

Utica: 12-4-2-0, 26 points, 1st place in North Division

Comets Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Cal O’Reilly, 17 points (1 G, 16 A); Dustin Jeffrey, 12 points (5 G, 7 A); 2 tied with 10 points

Jacob Markstrom, 7-1-1, 1.77 GAA; Joacim Eriksson, 5-3-1, 2.20 GAA

Notes:

-This is the second of just four games outside the conference for Albany this season.

-Utica is coming off a 1 goal loss to the Crunch at the historic Frozen Dome matchup at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.  They will host the Crunch on Wednesday and Adirondack on Friday.

-Local ties: Former RPI forward Mike Zalewski is in his first full season as a professional.  And if the last name sounds familiar…yes he is the younger brother of former Devil Steve Zalewski, who actually was a Utica training camp invitee but did not make the roster.

Listen: AHL Live, 94.9 WKLL

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @UticaComets, @CometsInGame

 

Week 7 Recap: Wake-Up Call

It may have only been a 2 out of 6 point weekend, but finally the team from October has shown up!  But it took hitting rock bottom to get there.

11/21 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 5-1 L

A busy weekend began Friday night on home ice, as the Devils hosted the Penguins for the second time in a month.  Keith Kinkaid drew his first start since November 2nd and his first game action since relieving Cory Schneider in Detroit on November 7th.  And the rust showed a little early in the first period, as Dominik Uher (after a video review) and Scott Wilson scored 18 seconds apart for a quick 2-0 lead.  It didn’t get any better in the second, as Josh Archibald scored just 55 seconds into the second period to up the lead to 3.  Brian Dumoulin would add to the rout less than 2 minutes later to make it 4-0.  That would signal the end of Kinkaid’s night between the pipes, as Scott Wedgewood would take over from there.  He went a perfect 7 for 7, but the Devils could not produce any offensive chances to get on the board, only managing 3 shots for the entire period.  Jayson Megna would make it a 5-0 lead early in the third, adding to the insult.  Joe Whitney managed to break up Jeff Zatkoff’s shutout bid by scoring his 5th with 13 minutes to go.  The rest of the game was spent getting frustrated, chippy, physical…however you want to describe it.  Two fights and a 10 car pileup by the Pens bench over a span of 10 minutes resulted in four 10 minute misconducts, 2 on each side.  And no real offensive threat from the home team, resulting in their second straight loss.  Kinkaid stopped just 7 of 11 shots in 22:36, while Wedgewood finished with 11 saves on 12 shots.  Albany just managed 15 shots on goal, a season low.  Reece Scarlett was the only other Devil to register a point with the lone assist on Whitney’s goal.

Highlights:

Lines:

Joe Whitney-Reid Boucher-Scott Timmins

Mike Sislo-Stefan Matteau-Tim Sestito

Chris McKelvie-David Wohlberg-Rod Pelley

Darcy Zajac-Ben Thomson-Ben Johnson

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Cam Janssen (both inj), Paul Thompson (susp), Graham Black

Defense Pairings:

Dan Kelly/Raman Hrabarenka

Brandon Burlon/Joe Faust

Reece Scarlett/Corbin McPherson

Extra: Mark Fraser (susp)

11/22 at Binghamton: 7-0 L

It was due west to the Southern Tier on Saturday night for the first of just four matchups of the season against the Senators, who were coming off a penalty filled win in overtime against Manchester the night before.  Scott Wedgewood drew the start and…he may have wished he hadn’t.  Much like the night before, Binghamton got a quick 2-0 lead in the first via goals from Derek Grant and Garrett Thompson just 56 seconds apart.  Things would go from bad to worse in the second period…while Albany could not get any offense going against Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond, the B-Sens poured it on.  Patrick Mullen scored on the first Devil penalty kill of the game for a 3-0 lead.  Chris Wideman would add his 10th goal halfway through the period for a 4-0 lead.  Carter Camper would finish the period off with the 5th goal, chasing Wedgewood out of the net after two periods and seeing Keith Kinkaid in a familiar situation…relieving the starter going into the third.  And the bleeding continued despite the switch.  Grant would score his second of the night to make it 6.  And finally, the extra point by J.G. Pageau with 56 seconds remaining would finish off the most lopsided loss of the season, and in franchise history going back to the Lowell days.  Wedgewood finished with 19 saves on 24 shots, and Kinkaid had 8 saves on 10 shots in relief.  In trying really, really, really hard to find ANYTHING good about this game…a season low 6 penalty minutes.  And double the shots from the night before, 31.  But if you really want to point fingers at what made this happen, look no further than the boxscore…when you have one of your better defensive players in Raman Hrabarenka finish at a -5, you know it was bad.

Highlights: (WARNING: Watch at your own risk.)

Lines:

Scott Timmins-Joe Whitney-Reid Boucher

Stefan Matteau-Mike Sislo-Tim Sestito

Chris McKelvie-Ben Thomson-Rod Pelley

Darcy Zajac-Ben Johnson-Graham Black

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Cam Janssen, Paul Thompson, David Wohlberg

Defense Pairings:

Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson

Dan Kelly/Reece Scarlett

Raman Hrabarenka/Joe Faust

Extra: Mark Fraser

Sunday: With Dan Kelly and Reece Scarlett both getting hurt in Saturday’s loss and one more game left for Fraser to serve, the Devils called on a sort of familiar name to fill the defensive void, bringing in defenseman Eric Baier on a PTO.  He had appeared in 13 games for Albany during the 2011-12 season.  In 16 games with Orlando so far this season, he has 8 points (4 G, 4 A) and a +9 rating while serving as the team captain.

11/23 vs. Bridgeport: 5-2 W

One last home game to close out the weekend, and it was a familiar foe…for the sixth time on the season and the third time on home ice, it was the Sound Tigers coming in for a visit.  The good news was the return of Paul Thompson to the lineup after he served his two game suspension.  But Scott Timmins, along with Kelly and Scarlett, were out, making for a 13 forward/5 defenseman lineup taking the ice.  I’m not sure what happened after the previous night in Binghamton, whether it was in the locker room or on the bus ride home, but the team that came out Sunday was the one I’ve been looking for the past three weeks.  Thompson made his lineup return a successful one, scoring on a power play midway through the first period for a 1-0 Devil lead, the first since the 14th.  Johan Sundstrom would tie the game up just before the first ended.  But second period was all Devils, as they broke out for four goals.  Brandon Burlon scored his first of the season four minutes in to break the tie.  Raman Hrabarenka would add his fourth just over 90 seconds later for a 3-1 lead.  Just over two minutes later, the new guy, Eric Baier, would get into the act by scoring his first AHL goal since the 2012-13 season (playing for Charlotte) to make it 4-1.  Finally, Ben Johnson would score his first as a professional in a shorthanded situation late in the period for a 5-1 advantage.  The Sound Tigers tried to make a comeback in the third, outshooting the Devils 14-7 and getting their second goal, but Keith Kinkaid and the depleted defense took care of the rest, breaking a 3 game losing streak and finishing the first 3 in 3 weekend on a high note.  Kinkaid rebounded nicely from a disastrous Friday start and stopped 26 of 28 shots, earning #1 star honors.  Five other Devils added assists, including the first professional point for Joe Faust.

Highlights:

Lines:

Well, with a 13 forward lineup, there was a lot of patented Maclean Line Shuffler going on.  Here’s what I could catch:

Rod Pelley-Reid Boucher-Chris McKelvie

Tim Sestito-Paul Thompson-Joe Whitney

Stefan Matteau-Mike Sislo-Graham Black

Ben Thomson-Darcy Zajac-Ben Johnson (David Wohlberg or Johnson 13th forward)

Also seen: Zajac-Wohlberg-Thomson; Johnson-Zajac-Thomson; Zajac-Sislo-Matteau; McKelvie-Black-Wohlberg; Pelley-McKelvie-Johnson

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Scott Timmins, Cam Janssen (all inj)

Defense Pairings:

Again with 5 defensemen, a lot of moving around:

Brandon Burlon/Raman Hrabarenka

Corbin McPherson/Eric Baier

Burlon/Joe Faust

Hrabarenka/Baier

Hrabarenka/Faust

Pop Quiz: The 7-0 loss in Binghamton was the most lopsided loss in the history of the franchise, going back to the Lowell years.  But it’s not the worst in the overall Albany AHL history.  What is the largest margin of defeat for an Albany AHL team?  The answer coming up.

Obligatory Fight of the Week:

No video from Friday’s festivities has surfaced.  Oh well.

My Player of the Week:

For managing to pull off multi point weeks despite the struggles of the weekend, Joe Whitney and Paul Thompson split the award.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Paul Thompson (10)

Assists: 2 tied with 9

Points: Paul Thompson (16)

+/-: Paul Thompson (+11)

Penalty Minutes: Darcy Zajac (42)

Wins: Keith Kinkaid (5)

GAA: Keith Kinkaid (2.54)

Save Percentage: Keith Kinkaid (.911)

ECHL Update:

Myles Bell (Evansville): 13 GP, 9 points (7 G, 2 A), +1, 2 PIM

Maxime Clermont (Orlando): 7 GP, 5-2-0, 3.56 GAA, .884 Save Pct.

Injury Report:

Kelly Zajac (upper body, indefinitely); Cam Janssen (upper body, indefinitely); Dan Kelly (lower body, unknown); Reece Scarlett (lower body, unknown); Scott Timmins (lower body, unknown); Rod Pelley (injured during Sunday’s game)

This Week’s Schedule:

A home laden schedule, but with an exception.  Wednesday Hartford comes to visit for the second time in a month.  Black Friday will be spent in the other home, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, as the Devils face Lehigh Valley for the first time.  Finally on Saturday afternoon, the only appearance of the season by Utica.

Pop Quiz Answer: The most lopsided loss in Albany AHL history?  You have to go back to March 22, 1996.  The River Rats dropped a 10-1 decision to the old Carolina Monarchs in Greensboro, NC.  Bonus: the most lopsided shutout loss was back on March 25, 2001, when the Rats lost to Quebec 8-0.

 

Week 7 Primer

Devils Quick Hits:

-Albany begins the week at 7-4-1-3, good for 18 points and a third place tie with Hartford in the Northeast Division (and 6th in the Eastern Conference).

-There’s going to be a different looking team for this weekend’s slate compared to last week:

On Monday, a switch in goal, as Scott Clemmensen was recalled to New Jersey and Keith Kinkaid was sent down.  Clemmensen played well in his near 2 week stint, going 1-2-1 with a 2.18 GAA and one shutout.  Kinkaid made two relief appearances during his recall, going 0-1-0 with a 2.22 GAA.  Also, defenseman Peter Harrold was recalled for insurance during New Jersey’s western Canada trip.

Tuesday the AHL announced a pair of suspensions stemming from Saturday night’s loss in Portland.  Mark Fraser was handed a 3 game sentence for a check to the head call, while Paul Thompson received two games for a goalie interference incident after running full speed into Pirates goaltender Louis Domingue during the second period.  Both will serve their sentences this weekend, with Thompson returning on Sunday.

11/21, Game #16 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Albany leads 1-0.

Standings:

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 10-7-1-0, 21 points, 1st place in East Division

Penguins Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Andrew Ebbett, 13 points (5 G, 8 A); 3 tied with 11 points

Jeff Zatkoff, 4-4-0-1, 2.22 GAA; Matt Murray, 4-3-1-1, 2.37 GAA

Notes:

-The Penguins rebounded from a 1-2 weekend to pick up a shutout win at home Wednesday night against Portland.

-Two of the top 5 PIM leaders in the league are Penguins: former Devil/River Rat Pierre-Luc Leblond and Bobby Farnham, who played a role in Darcy Zajac’s suspension the last time the two teams met.

-It’s the annual Word of Life night at the TU Center.  You’ve been warned, everyone.  But in all seriousness, this will mark the first home game with the chance for a substantial crowd, which may be a factor.

Listen: AHL Live, WILK 103.1

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @nafsnep, @WBSPenguins

11/22, Game #17 at Binghamton

Where: Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: First meeting of 4.  Future matchups: March 1st and April 4th @ Albany; April 10th @ Binghamton

Standings:

Binghamton: 5-8-2-0, 12 points, tied for 4th place in East Division

Senators Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Chris Wideman, 17 points (8 G, 9 A); Jean-Gabriel Pageau, 10 points (4 G, 6 A); Matt Puempel, 9 points (4 G, 5 A)

Andrew Hammond, 3-8-2-0, 3.49 GAA; Scott Greenham, 2-0-0-0, 2.14 GAA

Notes:

-The Senators are coming off a weekend split in Norfolk, winning 5-2 on the 14th and losing 3-2 on Saturday.  They will host Manchester on Friday night.

-Leading scorer Chris Wideman was named the AHL Player of the Month for October after an 11 point  (6 G, 5 A) in 9 game stretch.

-Local ties: Former A-Devil Brad Mills is listed on the roster, but has yet to make an appearance due to injury and a 20 game suspension issued in late October for violating the AHL’s substance abuse policy.

Listen: AHL Live, Oldies 96.9

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @BSens_Hockey, @PSBSens, @PPPShow

11/23, Game #18 vs. Bridgeport

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 3:00 PM.

Season Series: Bridgeport leads 4-1.

Standings:

Bridgeport: 10-4-0-1, 21 points, tied for 1st place in Northeast Division

Sound Tigers Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

2 players tied with 16 points

Kevin Poulin, 7-2-1-0, 2.23 GAA; David Leggio, 3-2-0-0, 3.02 GAA

Notes:

-The Sound Tigers are coming off a 2-1 weekend, sweeping Hartford in a home and home before losing to Springfield on home ice Sunday afternoon.  They travel to Springfield Friday and Hartford on Saturday.

-Bridgeport leads the AHL in goals per game with an even 4.00.  They also lead the league in first period goals (21) and are tied with Worcester for first in third period goals (22).

Listen: AHL Live

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @TheSoundTigers

 

Week 6 Recap: Turning a Corner?

No more 0 for November!  But there is still work to do to get back to that October magic.

11/12 vs. Syracuse: 3-2 L (SO)

The Devils made a brief return to home ice on Wednesday night, taking on old/new division rival Syracuse for the first time this season.  And things got going in a hurry, after a fight between Chris McKelvie and former River Rat Mike Angelidis just 42 seconds into the contest.  It appeared the home team gained momentum from that, as Scott Timmins would score 24 seconds later for a 1-0 lead.  Yanni Gourde would tie the game up unassisted over three minutes later.  A physical first period was capped off by a second fight between Darcy Zajac and Tanner Richard.  Second period saw the Crunch take the lead on a Joel Vermin goal…and another fight between rookie Ben Thomson and Jake Dotchin.  Tim Sestito would tie the game up early in the third, and the Devils had to battle through 2 questionable penalty kills (by questionable I mean why did the new referee in training call Timmins for boarding, but earlier a similar hit that nearly injured Sestito not get called?) just to get to the end of regulation…and the dreaded overtime.  Albany had a golden opportunity to finally win an overtime game for the first time in over two years when they had a full 4 on 3 power play (in reality Reid Boucher should have been awarded a penalty shot, but a holding penalty was the call), but could not capitalize.  It was on to the shootout, where after both teams scored in round 2 (Paul Thompson with the goal), Richard scores in round 3 and Reid Boucher missed to give Syracuse the extra point…and the winless streak continued on.  Scott Wedgewood stopped 23 of 25 shots in 67 minutes only to be tagged with the loss.  Thompson and Reece Scarlett each had helpers.  And as for the penalty kill?  A perfect 7 for 7.

Highlights:

Lines:

Joe Whitney-Paul Thompson-Scott Timmins

Mike Sislo-Reid Boucher-Graham Black

Tim Sestito-Ben Thomson-Stefan Matteau

Chris McKelvie-Darcy Zajac-Rod Pelley

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Cam Janssen, Ben Johnson, David Wohlberg

Defense Pairings:

Mark Fraser/Reece Scarlett

Peter Harrold/Raman Hrabarenka

Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson

Extra: Dan Kelly, Joe Faust

11/14 at Portland: 4-0 W

The Devils headed northeast to Maine for a weekend 2 game set against the Pirates.  Scott Clemmensen drew the start in the first game, matching up against former Devil Mike McKenna.  The top line came through in the first to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, as Joe Whitney scored his 4th of the season.  Also of note from the first, Mark Fraser was the first Devil this year to get called for the new penalty of playing without a helmet.  After a rather uneventful second period, the Devils broke out in the third period.  Reid Boucher scored just his second of the year 35 seconds into the period to double the lead.  Tim Sestito would add his fourth midway through for a 3-0 lead.  Finally, to top it all off, Fraser would score his first since returning to the Devils with 1:01 remaining to seal the win, breaking a six game winless drought and the first November victory.  Clemmensen picked up his first A-Devil win, stopping all 31 shots for the shutout.  Sestito and Mike Sislo added two assists apiece, while the penalty kill survived a Koharski called game (this time Jamie) and went a perfect 7 for 7.

Highlights from AHL Live can be found here.

Lines:

Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins-Paul Thompson

Tim Sestito-Reid Boucher-Mike Sislo

Stefan Matteau-Graham Black-Ben Thomson

Rod Pelley-Chris McKelvie-Darcy Zajac

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Cam Janssen, Ben Johnson, David Wohlberg

Defense Pairings:

Dan Kelly/Raman Hrabarenka

Mark Fraser/Reece Scarlett

Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson

Extra: Peter Harrold, Joe Faust

11/15 at Portland: 2-0 L

No lineup changes for the rematch on Saturday, except in Portland’s net, as Louis Domingue drew the start against Clemmensen.  After a rather uneventful first period, the hosts broke through in the second period.  Just as the Devils were finishing off their fourth penalty kill of the game, Alex Bolduc scored to give Portland a 1-0 lead, their first goal in a franchise record 169:02.  A scary moment happened later in the period, as Paul Thompson ran full speed into Domingue, sending him and the net flying.  Domingue had to leave the game due to injury, bringing in Mike McKenna for relief, and Thompson was assessed a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for interference.  Albany managed to kill off the major, but without their leading scorer they could not come up with any offense to tie things up.  Eric Selleck would add an empty net goal with 39 seconds left in the game to seal the combined shutout, the first against Albany this season.  Clemmensen stopped 22 of 23 shots in picking up a hard luck loss.

Highlights from AHL Live can be found here.

Lines:

Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins-Paul Thompson

Reid Boucher-Tim Sestito-Mike Sislo

Graham Black-Ben Thomson-Stefan Matteau

Rod Pelley-Chris McKelvie-Darcy Zajac

Extra: Kelly Zajac, Cam Janssen, Ben Johnson, David Wohlberg

Defense Pairings:

Dan Kelly/Raman Hrabarenka

Mark Fraser/Reece Scarlett

Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson

Extra: Peter Harrold, Joe Faust

Pop Quiz: Before Saturday night, who was the last goaltender to shut the Devils out during regulation in the regular season?  The answer is coming up.

Obligatory Fight of the Week:

A few candidates, but give it to the rookie.  Ben Thomson, second period on Wednesday.

My Player of the Week:

A few strong individual game performances, such as a three point effort from Tim Sestito on Friday and a shutout by Scott Clemmensen.  But this week I salute the penalty kill, who recovered very nicely from last weekend’s disaster in Bridgeport with a perfect week.  20 for 20 over the three games, jumping from dead last in the league into the top 20.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Paul Thompson (9)

Assists: Scott Timmins (9)

Points: 2 tied with 14

+/-: Paul Thompson (+10)

Penalty Minutes: Corbin McPherson (35)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (2)

GAA: Scott Clemmensen (2.18)

Save Percentage: Scott Clemmensen (.920)

ECHL Update:

Myles Bell (Evansville): 9 GP, 8 points, 7 G, 1 A, +1, 0 PIM

Maxime Clermont (Orlando): 4 GP, 2-2-0, 4.05 GAA, .867 Save Pct.

Injury Report: Kelly Zajac and Cam Janssen remain on the out indefinitely list.  Dan Kelly returned on Friday after missing 3 games due to illness.

This Week’s Schedule:

Bad news, the first 3 in 3 weekend of the season is upon us.  But the good news?  It’s near minimal travel.  Friday night the Penguins come in for their second and final visit of the season.  Saturday it’s west on Interstate 88 to Binghamton for the first matchup against the Senators.  Then a quick turnaround back home on Sunday for yet another visit from Bridgeport.

Pop Quiz Answer: Last person to shut out the Devils in the regular season without overtime or a shootout?  Martin Jones, who picked up a 19 save 3-0 whitewash in Manchester on February 9th.  If you’re going by overtime, Peter Mannino of Wilkes-Barre pulled it off on April 5.  And during the first round playoff loss Michael Hutchinson beat Keith Kinkaid 1-0 in St. John’s in Game 3 on April 30th, the first/last postseason shutout.

 

 

Week 6 Primer

Albany Quick Hits:

-The Devils currently stand at 6-3-1-2, good for 15 points and sole possession of 2nd place in the Northeast Division (2 points behind Hartford and Bridgeport), and 5th in the Eastern Conference.

-Stick tap to Seth Helgeson, who became the fourth Devil to be recalled to New Jersey.  He made his NHL debut last night in a 3-1 win over Minnesota at The Rock, registering his first NHL assist on a Tuomo Ruutu second period goal.

11/12, Game #13 vs. Syracuse

Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: First meeting of 8.  Future matchups: December 20th & 26th at Syracuse; January 2nd at Albany; February 20th & 27th at Syracuse; March 14th & April 15th at Albany

Standings:

Syracuse: 5-4-3-0, 13 points, tied for 3rd place in Northeast Division

Crunch Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Jonathan Marchessault, 11 points (5 G, 6 A); 4 tied with 6 points

Kristers Gudlevskis, 4-2-0, 2.97 GAA; Andrei Vasilevskiy, 1-2-3, 3.25 GAA

Notes:

-The Crunch are the only division opponent the Devils have yet to meet.  This is the first time Albany and Syracuse have shared a division since the 2010-11 season, when both teams were in the 7-team East Division.

-The Crunch are coming off their second straight 3 in 3 weekend, splitting two with Norfolk on home ice (including a comeback win on Saturday evening), and losing to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in overtime on Sunday afternoon.

-Local ties: Four year River Rat Mike Angelidis is the fearless captain, joining him are former River Rats Joey Mormina and Jerome Samson, and former Devil Matt Corrente.

Listen: AHL Live, ESPN Radio Syracuse

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @SyracuseCrunch

11/14 & 11/15, Games #13 and #14 at Portland

Where: Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, ME.

When: 7:00 PM.

Season Series: Portland leads 1-0.

Standings:

Portland: 7-6-0-0, 14 points, tied for 3rd place in Atlantic Division

Pirates Leading Scorers/Goaltending:

Alexandre Bolduc, 13 points (5 G, 8 A); Brendan Shinnimin, 10 points (3 G, 7 A); Lucas Lessio, 8 points (5 G, 3 A)

Mike McKenna, 3-4-0, 2.29 GAA; Louis Domingue, 4-2-0, 2.51 GAA

Notes:

-The Pirates are coming off a weekend sweep, beating Providence on the road Friday and shutting out Lehigh Valley on home ice Saturday.

-Portland had a 5 game winning streak snapped against Manchester at home on Tuesday night.

-This two game set is the only trip to Maine for the Devils this season.

Listen: AHL Live, WLOB-AM

Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @PortlandPirates, @Chris_MHJ