Quick Hits:
-The Devils enter the weekend with a record of 29-13-7-0, good for 65 points and a .663 percentage. They remain stuck in second place in the North Division, 17 points behind first place Toronto (and an insane .788 point percentage) and 8 points ahead of third place Utica.
-Only transactions this week: Joe Faust and Ben Johnson were reassigned to Adirondack on Tuesday so they could play in Glens Falls that night against Wheeling, then came back to Albany on Wednesday.
-Injury update: Rod Pelley (upper) and Marc Andre Gragnani (upper) are practicing but questionable. Corey Tropp (illness) is back to full strength and will be back…but now Brian O’Neill has fallen victim to the flu bug. Scott Wedgewood remains out indefinitely.
-And with Lehigh Valley allowing a shorthanded goal to Portland last Friday, the Devils are the only team in the AHL to not allow a shorty this season.
Saturday, 2/20 at Utica
Where: Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY.
When: 7:00 PM.
Season Series: Albany leads 3-2.
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 25-18-4-3, 57 points, .570 pct, 3rd place in North Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Hunter Shinkaruk, 38 points (21 G, 17 A); Brendan Gaunce, 32 points (14 G, 18 A); 2 tied with 28 points; Richard Bachman, 10-8-4, 2.70 GAA; Joe Cannata, 14-9-2, 2.55 GAA
Notes: The Comets begin the day winners of 7 of their last 10, with a recent 3 game win (and 8 game point) streak snapped by Syracuse Friday night; forward Alexandre Grenier is on a 6 game assist streak (9 points overall in that span); veteran forward Brandon Prust has 2 points (1 shorthanded goal, 1 assist) in 2 games since being waived/sent down by Vancouver on February 9th; defenseman David Shields, who was a Albany preseason camp tryout before heading to Adirondack, has 7 points in 13 games since joining the Comets on a PTO in December.
Listen: AHL Live, K-Rock 94.9 FM
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @UticaComets, @CometsInGame, @CometsArmy
Sunday, 2/21 at Bridgeport
Where: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, CT.
When: 5:00 PM.
Season Series: Tied at 2.
Know Your Opponent:
Record: 27-19-3-2, 59 points, .578 pct, 5th place in Atlantic Division
Leading Scorers/Goaltending: Bracken Kearns, 42 points (19 G, 23 A); Joe Whitney, 33 points (14 G, 19 A); Taylor Beck, 30 points (14 G, 16 A); Christopher Gibson, 14-8-5, 2.56 GAA; Stephon Williams, 7-8-0, 2.82 GAA
Notes: The Sound Tigers travel to Allentown on Saturday to face the Phantoms before coming home on Sunday; Bridgeport is 8-0-1-1 in their last 10, the two losses coming in their last two contests (OTL to Albany on Sunday, SOL to Springfield on Tuesday); despite being out for over a month, Joe Whitney is still second in team scoring; this is the first of back to back Sundays the Devils will travel to Connecticut; going back to when the franchise was in Lowell starting in 2006-07, the Devils have only won 5 times at Webster Bank Arena (per this week’s A-Devils podcast).
Listen: AHL Live
Tweet: @trace_1114, @AlbanyDevils, @TheSoundTigers, @fornabaioctp
Thoughts Inside The Box 