Quick Hits:
-We have reached the first quarter pole of the schedule, where Albany sits in second place in the North Division with a record of 12-4-3-0, 27 points and a .711 percentage.
-If you take a look at the league leaders, you will see quite a few Albany players near or at the top of many categories:
Matt Lorito is tied with 5 others for fifth in the league in scoring (19 points), second in power play assists (10), second in power play points (12), and is tied for fourth among rookies in scoring, second in rookie assists, power play assists, and power play points.
Mike Sislo leads the league in power play goals (7) and is tied for third in goals (11) and power play points (11).
Vojtech Mozik leads the league in plus/minus with a +15.
Marc Andre Gragnani is tied for third in the league in power play assists (8), and is second among league defensemen in power play assists and tied for third in power play points.
Dan Kelly is tied for the league lead in shorthanded assists (2).
Joe Blandisi is seventh in the league in rookie scoring (14 points), fourth in rookie penalty minutes (33), tied for fourth in rookie power play points (7), and fourth in rookie shooting percentage (31.6%).
Yann Danis is third in the league in GAA (1.86), tied for first with former River Rat Michael Leighton for wins (11), first in minutes played (967:34), and tied for second in shutouts (3).
The power play (26.1%), penalty kill (90.1%), and goals against per game (2.05) are all ranked #1 in the league.
-And all of that are despite having quite a few players on the shelf, and this week 3 more are added to the walking wounded: Blake Coleman (upper) is out indefinitely after a hit Friday night; Blake Pietila (hamstring) and Joe Blandisi (ankle) missed the last two games; Scott Wedgewood, Jim O’Brien, Chris McKelvie, Graham Black (lower), Reece Scarlett, and Raman Hrabarenka remain out.
-Ben Johnson (personal) returned to the team on Tuesday and was reassigned to Adirondack.
-But the biggest news of the week? FINALLY, SPECIALTY JERSEYS! For the first time since Carolina was the affiliate, an Albany team will be sporting alternate jerseys. They will be on display on Sunday afternoon, then the jerseys will be auctioned off online with proceeds going to Albany Medical Center’s Melodies Center.
Wednesday, 12/2 vs. St. John’s
Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: First meeting of 8. Future matchups: December 15 & 16 @ St. John’s; January 22 & 23, February 24th @ Albany; March 4th & 5th @ St. John’s
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 11-5-3-2, 27 points, .643 pct, 3rd place in North Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Bud Holloway, 23 points (6 G, 17 A); 2 tied with 20 points; Dustin Tokarski, 2-2-2, 3.45 GAA; Eddie Pasquale, 2-1-1, 2.72 GAA
Notes: The IceCaps are in the midst of a 6 game road trip, where so far they swept a weekend series from Toronto (including a matchup at Air Canada Centre) and a shootout loss to the Amerks; they travel to Utica and Binghamton on Friday and Saturday before heading home on December 11th; due to injuries in Montreal, St. John’s has seen leading scorer Bud Holloway get recalled (and sent back), and also former Union forward Daniel Carr, forward Christian Thomas, and goaltenders Dustin Tokarski and Zachary Fucale; forward Charles Hudon was named the AHL Player of the Week on Monday.
Listen: AHL Live, stjohnsicecaps.com
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @IceCapsAHL
Saturday, 12/5 vs. Rochester
Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.
When: 5:00 PM.
Season Series: First meeting of 6. Future matchups: December 19th @ Rochester; January 13th @ Albany; February 12th @ Rochester; February 13th @ Albany; April 15th @ Rochester
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 10-9-1-0, 21 points, .525 pct, 6th place in North Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Cal O’Reilly, 14 points (3 G, 11 A); 2 tied with 12 points; Andrey Makarov, 4-4-1, 3.47 GAA; Nathan Lieuwen, 5-3-0, 3.61 GAA
Notes: Once a heated rivalry during the River Rats heyday of the mid 90s, this will be the first time the Devils will face the Amerks since April 14, 2013, a 3-2 Devil loss at home; Rochester begins the week on a 3 game winning streak; Albany will hold its annual Teddy Bear Toss during intermission, and it’s Star Wars Night!
Listen: AHL Live, Fox Sports 1280
Tweet:@trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @AmerksHockey
Sunday, 12/6 vs. Syracuse
Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.
When: 5:00 PM.
Season Series: Albany leads 1-0.
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 9-6-2-1, 21 points, .583 pct, 4th place in North Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Anthony DeAngelo, 13 points (3 G, 10 A); 2 tied with 10 points; Kristers Gudlevskis, 5-3-0, 2.01 GAA; Adam Wilcox, 2-2-3, 3.08 GAA
Notes: It’s been a struggle for the Crunch, who have had to deal with a rash of callups to Tampa Bay; they went 1-1-1 last week, including a shutout of Bridgeport on the road Sunday afternoon; Syracuse finishes up a 3 in 3 weekend in the Capital Region after facing Binghamton and Utica on home ice Friday and Saturday.
Listen: AHL Live, ESPN Radio Syracuse
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @SyracuseCrunch
Thoughts Inside The Box 