Quick Hits:
Albany begins the weekend with a record of 15-4-3-0, good for 33 points and a .750 percentage. They sit in second place in the North Division, .021 behind first place Toronto.
With Scott Wedgewood ready to return to the lineup, Albany officially released goaltender Doug Carr from his PTO on Monday. He finished with a 1-2-0 record, 2.34 GAA, and a .897 save percentage during his 2+ month stay. He didn’t stay unemployed for long, signing a contract with Manchester (ECHL) on Tuesday.
Congratulations go out to Joseph Blandisi, who was recalled by New Jersey Thursday and all signs point to him making his NHL debut on Friday at The Rock against Detroit.
As far as the injury front goes…all but Blake Coleman (upper) and Raman Hrabarenka (lower) will be available to play this weekend. Considering the long travel itinerary the boys are about to take on…this is great news.
Friday, 12/11 vs. Syracuse
Where: Times Union Center, Albany, NY.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: Albany leads 2-0.
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 10-9-2-1, 23 points, .523 pct, 5th place in North Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: 2 tied with 14 points; Andrei Vasilevskiy, 2-0-0, 1.00 GAA; Adam Wilcox, 2-3-3, 3.20 GAA
Notes: This is the second visit in 5 days for the Crunch to the Capital Region; Syracuse is on a slide, dropping their last three games and falling behind Utica in the division; Tampa Bay swapped goaltenders with the Crunch on Thursday, calling up Kristers Gudlevskis and sending down Andrei Vasilevskiy for the second time this season; this wraps up Albany’s four game homestand, their last game locally until December 26th.
Listen: AHL Live, ESPN Radio Syracuse
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @SyracuseCrunch
Saturday, 12/12 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: Wilkes-Barre leads 1-0.
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 17-5-0-0, 34 points, .773 pct, 1st place in Atlantic Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Conor Sheary, 22 points (6 G, 16 A); Dominik Simon, 21 points (9 G, 12 A); Scott Wilson, 19 points (11 G, 8 A); Matt Murray, 11-4-0, 1.95 GAA; Tristan Jarry, 6-1-0, 1.96 GAA
Notes: The Penguins broke a rare 3 game losing streak with a 6-2 win on Wednesday at home against Syracuse; they travel to Lehigh Valley on Friday before returning home on Saturday; Matt Murray ranks 5th among AHL goaltenders with a 1.95 GAA, 4th in save percentage (.935), and tied for second in shutouts (3).
Listen: AHL Live, WILK 103.1 FM
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @nafsnep, @WBSPenguins
Thoughts Inside The Box 