If the first two games of Albany’s first round series against Utica are any indication…we’re in for a great postseason ride.
Game 1, 4/22: Albany 3, Utica 2
Scott Wedgewood would get the nod as the first round kicked off on Friday night. And it didn’t take long for Albany to get on the board, courtesy of the fourth line…Ben Thomson would score 6:27 in for a 1-0 Devil lead. The defense on both sides stepped it up, only allowing 7 shots each in the period. Second period was all Devils–literally. On Albany’s third power play opportunity of the game, Reid Boucher would score to double the Devil lead. As for the Comets? They managed to get in the Devil defensive zone, but…every shot they attempted was either blocked by an Albany defender, went wide, or was not close to getting to Wedgewood. The result? Zero shots on goal for the Comets in the period. That’s right, a giant goose egg. But the Comets would not be going away quietly after that…just 27 seconds after the puck dropped for the third, on a screen in front, Darren Archibald would cut the Albany lead in half. But halfway through the period, Joe Blandisi would restore the two goal cushion with a goal of his own. Jordan Subban would cut the lead back to one with 4:19 remaining in regulation, but the Comets could not come up with the equalizer late, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead in the best of 5. Wedgewood did not have much work to deal with, only needing to stop 12 of 14 shots to pick up the win. Six different Devils–Vojtech Mozik, Nick Lappin, Pavel Zacha, Jim O’Brien, Mike Sislo, and Matt Lorito–all had assists in a very balanced offensive attack.
The Lineup:
Matt Lorito-Joe Blandisi-Mike Sislo
Reid Boucher-Jim O’Brien-Brian O’Neill
Ryan Kujawinski-Pavel Zacha-Paul Thompson
Ben Thomson-Rod Pelley-Nick Lappin
Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik
Dan Kelly/Damon Severson
Marc Andre Gragnani/Reece Scarlett
Scott Wedgewood/Yann Danis
Scratches: Brandon Burlon, Blake Coleman, Max Novak, Chris McKelvie, Blake Pietila, Graham Black, Raman Hrabarenka, Pierre-Luc Leblond, Corbin McPherson, Josh Jacobs, Ryan Rehill, Colton White, Blake Speers
Power Play: 1 for 5. Penalty Kill: 2 for 2. Penalty Minutes: 4. Shots on Goal: 29. Shots Allowed: 14.
Highlights:
Game 2, 4/23: Albany 5, Utica 1
About 20 hours and no Devil lineup changes later, Game 2 got underway. This time it was the visitors getting off to a good start, as a Cole Cassels goal 9:04 into the contest gave Utica their first lead of the series. But that lead would only last for 7:23…Ben Thomson’s second goal in as many days would tie the game up at 1. Second period was all Devils once again, as the hosts broke out for four straight goals. Jim O’Brien would get things started with his first goal of the series on a power play to put the Devils ahead 2-1. Reid Boucher would pick up a somewhat questionable shorthanded goal to make it a 3-1 lead–Comets goalie Richard Bachman felt he was interfered with but the referees did not agree. Barely 40 seconds later, Pavel Zacha would pick up a power play goal to make it 4-1, chasing Bachman out of the net in favor of Joe Cannata. But the scoring did not stop there…O’Brien would score his second of the period with 3:06 remaining for a 5-1 Devil advantage. Albany would survive a 4 minute penalty kill early in the third, and held on to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Another great performance in net from Scott Wedgewood, as he stopped 22 of 23 shots. Damon Severson would have 3 assists, while Boucher had two helpers.
The Lineup:
Matt Lorito-Joe Blandisi-Mike Sislo
Reid Boucher-Jim O’Brien-Brian O’Neill
Ryan Kujawinski-Pavel Zacha-Paul Thompson
Ben Thomson-Rod Pelley-Nick Lappin
Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik
Damon Severson/Dan Kelly
Marc Andre Gragnani/Reece Scarlett
Scott Wedgewood/Yann Danis
Scratches: Brandon Burlon, Blake Coleman, Max Novak, Chris McKelvie, Blake Pietila, Graham Black, Raman Hrabarenka, Pierre-Luc Leblond, Josh Jacobs, Ryan Rehill, Colton White, Blake Speers
Power Play: 2 for 3. Penalty Kill: 3 for 3. Penalty Minutes: 8. Shots on Goal: 28. Shots Allowed: 23.
Highlights:
Around the Playoff Picture:
So how are the other series going? After Saturday night, here’s where they stand:
Eastern Conference
(N1) Toronto 1, (A5) Bridgeport 0
(A1) Hershey 1, (A4) Portland 1
(A3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton sweeps (A2) Providence 3-0
Western Conference
(C2) Lake Erie sweeps (C3) Rockford 3-0
(C4) Grand Rapids 2 (C1) Milwaukee 0
(P1) Ontario 1 (P4) San Jose 1
(P2) San Diego 1 (P3) Texas 1
Up North with the Thunder:
Adirondack finished off Manchester with a 4-1 series win. The Monarchs would stave off elimination on Monday with a 2-1 win in Glens Falls, as former Albany PTO Doug Carr outdueled Ken Appleby. Appleby would stop 34 of 36 while Greg Wolfe assisted on the lone Thunder goal. Appleby would rebound nicely on Wednesday in New Hampshire, stopping all 33 Monarch shots in a 3-0 shutout win. Adirondack will take on South Carolina in the second round, with the Stingrays getting home ice. Game 1 will be on Friday, followed by Game 2 on Saturday. The Thunder will return home for Games 3 and 4 on May 3rd and 5th, and if necessary Game 5 will be May 7th.
What’s Next?
It’s off to Utica, where the Devils can finish off the sweep with a win on Tuesday. If the Comets win, Game 4 will be at The Aud on Thursday night. Game 5, also if needed, would be Saturday afternoon in Albany.
Thoughts Inside The Box 