Devils Quick Hits:
-Albany begins the week with a record of 12-9-1-4, good for 29 points and 4th place in the Northeast Division (and 8th in the Eastern Conference).
-After appearing in Monday night’s shootout loss to the Islanders and coming close to getting his first NHL goal, Tim Sestito was reassigned to Albany on Tuesday with the return of Patrik Elias to the lineup for Wednesday’s home game against Ottawa.
-Mark Fraser was officially signed to a 1 year 2 way contract by New Jersey and was placed on waivers. He cleared on Friday and will stay on the Albany roster.
-Before leaving for Pennsylvania Thursday, a few more roster tweaks: Myles Bell was reassigned to Evansville after appearing in 2 games. With Jacob Josefson possibly out for New Jersey’s two weekend home games, Sestito was once again recalled (there goes the E-Z Pass bill), and defenseman Adam Larsson was assigned to Albany on a conditioning stint (and we may be using that term loosely after his extended “conditioning” stint here last season). Larsson has been out since December 2nd after falling victim to the NHL mumps epidemic. In 17 games he has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists).
12/19, Game #27 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: Tied at 1.
Standings:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 16-9-1-2, 35 points, 1st place in East Division
Penguins Leading Scorers/Goaltending:
Derrick Pouliot, 19 points (6 G, 13 A); Jean-Sebastien Dea, 17 points (8 G, 9 A); Jayson Megna, 13 points (9 G, 4 A)
Jeff Zatkoff, 9-5-1, 1.89 GAA; Matt Murray, 5-4-2, 1.99 GAA; Eric Hartzell, 2-0-0, 2.92 GAA
Notes:
-The Penguins are currently missing 6 regulars due to injuries and illness in Pittsburgh decimating the parent club.
-Wilkes-Barre is coming off a near perfect 3 for 3 weekend, with a shootout loss to Lehigh Valley the only blemish.
-Since the Devils move to Albany in 2010, the franchise has only won twice on Wilkes-Barre’s home ice, the last victory coming on November 8, 2013.
Listen: AHL Live, WILK 103.1 FM
Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @nafsnep, @WBSPenguins
12/20, Game #28 at Syracuse
Where: Onondaga County War Memorial at OnCenter, Syracuse, NY.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: Crunch leads 1-0.
Standings:
Syracuse: 17-7-3-0, 37 points, tied for 1st place in Northeast Division
Crunch Leading Scorers/Goaltending:
Yanni Gourde, 24 points (12 G, 12 A); Jonathan Marchessault, 22 points (8 G, 14 A); Tanner Richard, 17 points (4 G, 13 A)
Kristers Gudlevskis, 9-4-0, 2.95 GAA
Notes:
-The Crunch are riding a 7 game winning streak heading into the pre-Christmas weekend, pulling into a tie with Springfield for the division lead. After defeating Rochester on Wednesday night, they will travel to Hartford on Friday before hosting the Devils on Saturday.
-Syracuse recently lost starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to callup after Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop got injured. Former RPI goaltender Allen York has been summoned from the ECHL to back up Kristers Gudlevskis.
-Good news for local Time Warner subscribers: the game will be televised locally on TWCS, Channel 50 in the Albany area.
Listen: AHL Live, ESPN Radio Syracuse
Twitter: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @SyracuseCrunch, @syrhockey, @Allovimo
Thoughts Inside The Box 