Back on home ice after a 4-0-1 road trip, the Devils started a four game homestand on a high note…then ran into the hottest team in the league.
Back in the Capital Region for the first time in 19 days, the Devils looked to avenge Sunday’s overtime loss to the Falcons on Friday evening. Despite being outshot by the visitors 10-4 in the first, Albany jumped ahead 1-0 on a Paul Thompson power play goal late in the period. After an uneventful second period, Albany exploded for 3 goals in the third. Matt Lorito scored his 4th of the season 5 and a half minutes in to double the lead, then Joe Blandisi would score a beautiful goal 4 minutes later for a 3-0 lead. Then the exclamation point…a power play goal by Mike Sislo, his team leading 9th, during a late 4:00 power play with 1:26 to go. And Yann Danis took care of the rest, stopping all 30 Falcon shots in picking up his second shutout in 13 days. Lorito, Blandisi, and Seth Helgeson each had two assists, while Vojtech Mozik added a helper.
The Lineup:
Reid Boucher-Blake Coleman-Paul Thompson
Matt Lorito-Joe Blandisi-Mike Sislo
Blake Pietila-Ryan Kujawinski-Corey Tropp
Pierre-Luc Leblond-Rod Pelley-Ben Thomson
Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik
Dan Kelly/Reece Scarlett
Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson
Yann Danis/Doug Carr
Out: Scott Wedgewood, Jim O’Brien, Raman Hrabarenka, Chris McKelvie, Marc Andre Gragnani (inj), Graham Black, Max Novak, Joe Faust
Power Play: 2 for 3. Penalty Kill: 3 for 3. Penalty Minutes: 11. Shots on Goal: 28. Shots Allowed: 30.
Highlights:
11/21 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 5-3 L
To finish out the week, the Devils hosted the hottest team in the league in the Penguins, who were coming off their first loss in 12 games the night before in Binghamton. Both teams finished the first period scoreless, but it was virtually all Penguins for most of the period, as they outshot the Devils 10-3. The visitors would then be first on the board early in the second thanks to a J.S. Dea goal. But special teams would come through once again for the hosts as a Mike Sislo power play goal would tie the game up. Then momentum appeared to swing in the Penguins favor as Scott Wilson and Carter Rowney would score 1:48 apart to go up 3-1. But the Devils were not quite done yet, as Reid Boucher would score his 7th just a minute into the third to cut the lead to one goal. Paul Thompson would then score his fourth goal 7 minutes later to tie the game at 3. But the Penguins would get the last laugh, as a shot bounced off a Devil defenseman and into the net with 5 minutes to go in regulation (the goal would be credited to Conor Sheary). Oskar Sundqvist would put the game away late with an empty netter, and the Devils suffered their first regulation loss since October 30th, ending a 8 game point streak. Yann Danis would take the loss in net, stopping 23 of 27 shots. Boucher and three other Devils each had assists.
The Lineup:
Matt Lorito-Joe Blandisi-Mike Sislo
Reid Boucher-Blake Coleman-Paul Thompson
Blake Pietila-Ryan Kujawinski-Corey Tropp
Pierre-Luc Leblond-Rod Pelley-Ben Thomson
Brandon Burlon/Corbin McPherson
Dan Kelly/Joe Faust
Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik
Yann Danis/Doug Carr
Out: Scott Wedgewood, Jim O’Brien, Chris McKelvie, Marc Andre Gragnani, Raman Hrabarenka, Max Novak, Graham Black, Reece Scarlett
Power Play: 1 for 3. Penalty Kill: 3 for 4. Penalty Minutes: 37. Shots on Goal: 28. Shots Allowed: 28.
Highlights:
My Player of the Week:
Have to give it to the rookie this week…another strong performance out of Matt Lorito. 1 goal and 2 assists on Friday, followed by another assist on Saturday. He is now leading the team in points, is tied for third in the league among rookies in scoring (and tied for fifth overall), third in the league in power play points, and is second among AHL rookies in power play assists and points.
Team Leaders:
Goals: Mike Sislo (10)
Assists: Matt Lorito (12)
Points: Matt Lorito (16)
+/-: Vojtech Mozik (+11)
Penalty Minutes: Joe Blandisi (31)
Wins: Yann Danis (8)
GAA: Yann Danis (1.98)
Save Percentage: Yann Danis (.927)
The Vault:
This week, it’s back to January 2011…an interview with Michigan D Brandon Burlon. Bonus: if you look closely at the highlights…you can spot Jon Merrill.
Up North with the Thunder:
Adirondack had a very easy schedule this week…just one game, a Wednesday morning school day special against Norfolk, winning 3-2. Ken Appleby drew the start and picked up his 8th win, stopping 23 of 25 shots. He is now 8-2-0 on the season with a 1.90 GAA and a .933 save percentage. A busy Thanksgiving week is on tap this week, as the Thunder play a home and home Wednesday and Saturday against Elmira (hitting the road on Saturday), then hosting Greenville on Sunday afternoon.
This Week’s Schedule:
A busy Thanksgiving week awaits for the Devils with three games on the schedule, but there’s minimal traveling involved. The homestand continues on Wednesday night as Bridgeport makes their second visit of the season. Friday night Binghamton makes their second visit of the year as well. Then it’s eastbound on the Mass Pike on Saturday as Albany travels to Springfield for the second time in 13 days.
Thoughts Inside The Box 