AMERKS DAILY PRESS CLIPS

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Amerks Drop Series Opener To Crunch By Staff Report Amerks.com

The (8-5-1-0) scored three times in the first period and added three more in the third to come away with a 6-2 win over the (6-5-1-1) Friday at The Blue Cross Arena in the first of three straight meetings between the intrastate rivals.

Arttu Ruotsalainen (1+1) and Andrew Oglevie (0+2) each factored in on both Amerks goals in the third period while Brett Murray rounded out the scoring for Rochester with his fourth of the season on the power-play. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earned the start in goal for the seventh time in eight games, stopping 21 shots before being relieved by newcomer Billy Christopoulos late in the third. Christopoulos made two saves on three shots he faced in his debut while becoming the fourth different netminder to see time with the Amerks this season.

Six different goal-scorers found the back of the net for the Crunch, including Grigori Denisenko (1+1), John Ludvig (1+1) and Boris Katchouk (1+1), all of whom finished with goal and an assist each as Syracuse extended its win streak to five straight games. Samuel Montembeault again got the nod for Syracuse, turning aside 25 of the 27 shots he faced to improve to 4-3-1 on the season.

Facing a 3-0 deficit after the first period, Rochester cut into Syracuse’s lead just 1:03 into the third with Murray converting on a second-chance opportunity on the man-advantage to put the Amerks on the board.

Syracuse regained its three-goal advantage when Sean Day found a wide-open Katchouk, who then found a wide-open net at 6:07 before Ruotsalainen converted on his own rebound exactly six minutes later from to bring the Amerks back within a pair.

The Crunch, however, prevented the Amerks from closing the gap any further as former Amerk Devante Stephens fired a shot through traffic that would ultimately chase Luukkonen at the 13:49 mark. Alex Barre-Boulet added his fifth of the season on the power-play just over two minutes later to the secure the 6-2 win for Syracuse.

The Amerks found themselves in trouble early on in the first period and Syracuse capitalized with 36 seconds remaining in its second power-play opportunity to take a 1-0 lead. Mitchell Stephens, playing in his first game with Syracuse this season after being reassigned from Tampa Bay earlier in the day, faked a shot from the top of the right circle and sent a pass across the slot to the newly acquired Antoine Morand, who beat Luukkonen to the far side for his second goal of the season and first as a member of the Crunch.

Denisenko put the Crunch up by a pair at the 14:00 mark with his fourth of the season and second in as many games against Rochester. After an initial offering from Alex Green at the right was kicked away by Luukkonen, Denisenko gathered the rebound in the slot and roofed it over the outstretched arm of the Amerks netminder before he could get across his crease.

Syracuse added its third of the opening frame just under five minutes later when Ludvig took advantage of a clear lane to the net and snapped a shot that found its way past Luukkonen with assists from Luke Witkowski and Taylor Raddysh.

After a quick turnaround, the same two teams square off for the second straight night on Saturday, April 3 as the series shifts to Syracuse for a rematch at Upstate Medical University Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leaders 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

Slide continues for Luukkonen, Amerks By Kevin Oklobzija Pickin’ Splinters

The natural reaction would be for a little concern to be creeping into the discussion about goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

After all, the second-year has allowed nine goals on 54 shots in the past three days.

The scored four times on 28 shots in a 5-1 victory on Wednesday. On Friday, Luukkonen surrendered five goals on only 26 shots as the Syracuse Crunch blitzed the Rochester Americans 6-2.

Three of the five goals scored by the Crunch went to the same spot: along the ice to the glove side.

But Amerks coach Seth Appert saw enough of Luukkonen in the first five weeks of the season – before his team and goalie were shut down by COVID-19 protocols – to know what the 22-year-old native of Espoo, Finland, can do.

He was 5-2-1 with a .904 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average coming into the week. He’s now 5-4-1 with a .892 save percentage and 3.49 GAA.

Inactivity has been part of the problem. Wednesday’s start against Cleveland was Luukkonen’s first game action in 21 days.

“It’s not an excuse but it is a reality that he had a long, extended period of time off the ice and then coming out of that, he went to the () taxi,” Appert said. “You’re not getting a lot of shots on the taxi, and you’re certainly not getting game shots. The shots you are getting on the taxi are more one-on-one shooting.”

As a result, the inactivity has been evident in Luukkonen’s play. The Crunch opened a 3-0 lead in the first period on Friday, when they outshot the Amerks 15-5.

“It’s going to take him some games and some time to get his rhythm back,” Appert said.

But the first-year Amerks coach said he isn’t overly concerned about how back-to-back difficult outings will impact Luukkonen’s confidence.

“I’m a big believer that you draw confidence from your work ethic and from your daily habits, not from your last performance,” Appert said. “That’s really important for Oopie to remember right now and I’ll talk to him about that.

“His work ethic is outstanding; he shows up and really attacks every day off the ice and on the ice in his preparation. And you have to draw confidence from your daily preparation and your work ethic, not from your save percentage or how you played the last game.”

There would be no way for any of the Amerks to gain confidence from the two games this week on home ice. Especially the start, which has been a big problem of late.

The Amerks have dug an early hole in four straight games, all losses. They fell behind 2-0 to Cleveland on Wednesday and lost 5-1, trailed Syracuse 3-0 in the second period last Friday and lost 4-3 in overtime and spotted Utica a 2-0 first-period lead on March 10 and lost 3-2 in a shootout.

Tough-guy winger Dalton Smith attempted to reverse the trend by fighting John Ludvig just eight seconds after the opening faceoff.

“I was just trying to get a spark for the boys,” Smith said. “We’ve had slow starts and I was just trying to get some energy going.”

Instead, the Crunch scored three times in the first period while the Amerks were blanked.

“Unfortunately we didn’t respond with the energy we should have,” Amerks center Andrew Oglevie said.

Antoine Morand, acquired by Tampa Bay from Anaheim in a March 24 trade, scored just 8:24 into the game, his first with the Crunch. He fired a low wrister from the left circle past the left leg of Luukkonen.

Denisenko then continued to showcase his elite skill set. He calmly gained control of a rebound in the slot between the hash marks, angled to his right and, as Luukkonen made a desperation dive, sniped a perfect shot top shelf.

In six AHL games, the 20-year-old Russian has 4 goals, 1 assist and 5 points, including the OT winner against the Amerks a week earlier.

My, how times have changed in South Florida. Denisenko was the ’ first-round draft pick (15th overall) in 2018. Unlike the six years that the sent prospects to Rochester, the Panthers now have the talent luxury to give first-rounders development time without rushing them into the NHL.

Ludvig then provided a replay of Morand’s goal; a wrister from the left circle that beat Luukkonen low to the glove side. This time, however, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson may have created a bit of a screen.

Brett Murray’s fourth goal cut the Crunch lead to 3-1 at 1:03 of the third period but the Crunch were never in any danger. Boris Katchouk, former Amerk Devante Stephens and then Alex Barre-Boulet all scored in a span of 7:42 as Syracuse built a 6-2 lead.

By the time Barre-Boulet scored, celebrations weren’t even necessary. It was more like golf, with polite applause and a few stick taps from the Crunch bench.

'Sw agger,' reliability help Jacob Bryson carve out role on Sabres' blue line By Lance Lysowski Buffalo Hockey Beat

Jacob Bryson had a split second to decide where to pass the puck.

With winger Michael Raffl applying pressure near the blue line, Bryson faked a pass to his right to Casey Mittelstadt before sending the puck down the left-wing boards to Steven Fogarty. Mittlestadt then darted from the blue line toward the net, receiving a cross-ice pass from Fogarty and all-but-sealed the end of the Buffalo Sabres' 18-game skid with a shot between the legs of goalie Brian Elliott on Wednesday night in KeyBank Center.

The poise shown by Bryson in his 18 games with the Sabres would not surprise his college coach, Providence’s Nate Leaman. Bryson showed that same resolve when Leaman first recruited the then-unheralded, 5-foot-9 defenseman.

“He makes hard plays look really simple,” Leaman told The Buffalo News during a recent phone interview. “That’s the biggest thing for him. Plays other defensemen would struggle with, whether it’s a quick breakout read or a tight-area play, he made them look really easy. Almost so much that you would overlook a little bit how well he plays because he generally plays a really smart game.”

Bryson is no longer overlooked. The 23-year-old rookie has averaged 19:28 of ice time while totaling one goal with three assists this season. He was on the ice for 22:31 on Wednesday, assisting on two Sabres goals and playing a top-pairing role alongside Rasmus Ristolainen in a 6-1 victory that snapped the franchise’s historic winless streak. The cities with the most cars per person

While some scouts once viewed Bryson as nothing more than an undersized prospect, his blend of top-end speed, unteachable instincts, and ability to forecheck above his weight class have led to this ascent from fourth-round draft pick to reliable NHL player.

“I think a big thing is execution,” said Bryson, a left-shot defenseman. “Making sure every pass is on the tape. And I've gotten used to the game more over these five weeks. I've learned a lot from a lot of guys on the ice and especially, I played a lot of games with (Ristolainen). So, we've been playing well together. I've taken in everything. But I think the biggest thing is execution. And I'm just trying to learn how to use my feet and my hockey IQ to play the game to my best ability.”

Bryson did not have a clear path to Buffalo when the season began. The Sabres still had a surplus on defense and supplemented their depth on the left side by signing veteran penalty-kill specialist Matt Irwin as a free agent in October.

Numbers and versatility had Bryson approximately 10th on the depth chart. While Bryson’s play with the puck was ready for the NHL, he still needed to round out his game in the defensive zone. It was fair to wonder if a high-event defenseman such as Bryson would fare well under former coach Ralph Krueger, who was always quick to bench players for lapses away from the puck.

Then the Sabres were hit with a series of injuries after exiting the two-week Covid-19 pause in February, most notably to defensemen Jake McCabe and Will Borgen. Bryson was thrust in to the top six when Irwin and taxi-squad veteran Brandon Davidson were inconsistent in spot duty. His willingness to leave the blue line to support the Sabres’ forwards was a boon to the worst 5-on-5 offense in the NHL. He has also been unflappable when pressured on the breakout, making life easier for whomever he’s skating alongside. According to Evolving-Hockey.com, Bryson ranks second behind McCabe among Sabres defensemen in generating on-ice shot quality at 5-on- 5.

“I coached him three years and I never saw him rattled,” added Leaman, who was with Bryson at Providence from 2016-19. “He’s smart, he can park any type of good play or bad play and just play the next shift one at a time. … He’s got a good swagger, but it’s an earned swagger.”

This wasn’t always the case, though. In fear of making a mistake, Bryson was hesitant to join the play offensively early in his college career. He focused on quick breakout passes instead of using his speed to carry the puck through the neutral zone. Learning how to unleash that skill turned Bryson into one of the top defensemen in NCAA.

"We pushed him to kind of take games over at times because he had that ability," added Leaman.

In three seasons at Providence, Bryson totaled 11 goals with 62 assists in 121 games. He was a key cog in the Friars’ run to the Frozen Four in Buffalo two years ago. He then turned pro and spent last season in Rochester, appearing in 61 games and learning the nuances needed to thrive at that level. Winning puck battles, making tape-to-tape passes and shutting down opponents created confidence entering the long offseason.

Bryson was the Amerks’ best player through five games this season before he was called upon to join the Sabres.

“Day One of camp I was impressed, just his speed, his smarts,” said Fogarty, of the Rochester Americans prior to joining the Sabres. “Just an all-around solid player. He was playing a lot of minutes, all situations down in Rochester and was earning his opportunity here. And once that came, he's taking full advantage of it. So, to see what he's doing the minutes he's earned and the production he's had so far doesn't surprise me at all.”

Mitigating risk is one area in which Bryson will need to improve if he’s to continue receiving a heavy workload. Among all Sabres defensemen, Bryson ranks second-to-last in suppressing on-ice shot quality at 5-on-5. However, his willingness to join the play fits well with how interim coach Don Granato wants Buffalo to attack in even-strength situations.

Usage will also be important. Bryson has benefitted from playing with Ristolainen, a veteran 6-foot-5 defenseman who can clear the front of the net. With McCabe out for the season and Rasmus Dahlin trying to rebound from bad performances under Krueger, Bryson has an opportunity to grow in his new role over the season’s final weeks.

“He’s a fierce, intense competitor with a very high personal standard, which pushes players around him,” Granato said of Ristolainen. “His standard is pushed to them and Bryson embraces that. (Bryson's) got a lot of confidence. He’s got a lot of ability and he’s another player that has some dynamic qualities. There are pieces of the game he knows he can excel at and he’s learning the other pieces of the game through a guy that’s one of the best, I would say, to learn from, so it’s a really good combination in that regard.”

Steven Fogarty impressing Sabres, has opportunity to stick in Buffalo By Bill Hoppe Buffalo Hockey Beat

There was no wild celebration. Not even a fist pump.

When Sabres winger Steven Fogarty scored his first NHL goal on Wednesday, he reacted as if he had done it 100 times. A smiling Fogarty simply raised his stick, pointed to defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and shared a few fist bumps with his teammates.

By the time he started skating back to the bench, his grin had disappeared.

“It just happened so quick and you’re kind of in the moment,” Fogarty said on a Zoom call of scoring the Sabres’ third goal in their 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. “It is something that you envision and dream of your whole life but once it happens, it does happen quick. It was a good point in the game to get a goal so that’s what I was thinking.”

Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert wasn’t surprised Fogarty, his captain, remained so calm after scoring. Appert said Fogarty’s father is a Navy admiral.

“So stoicism, I think, is in the family,” Appert said. “He is a serious person. It doesn’t mean he’s not having fun. Don’t mistake it, he loves the game of hockey. But he is serious, he is business. I really like the way he’s playing up in Buffalo right now.”

Fogarty, 27, might have an opportunity to stick in Buffalo the rest of the season. He has played two straight games and four of the last five entering Saturday’s contest against the at KeyBank Center.

The Notre Dame product has recorded his first three NHL points in the last week. About five minutes after scoring, he assisted on center Casey Mittelstadt’s goal.

Fogarty has mostly skated at right wing this week on the fourth line beside center Cody Eakin and Tobias Rieder.

Interim Sabres coach Don Granato clearly trusts Fogarty. He played him a career-high 13 minutes, 31 seconds in Thursday’s 3- 2 overtime loss to the Rangers.

When Sabres winger Tage Thompson scored the tying goal with 3.6 seconds left in regulation, the 6-foot-3, 204-pound Fogarty was screening goalie Igor Shesterkin.

“I think he probably feels the most comfortable that he’s felt in the NHL,” Appert said. “I think a lot of times when he’s been in the NHL, he’s felt he’s had to run around and go hit everything in sight. He seems to be finding his game right now and finding a balance between having to be a bottom-six type player at that level, having to bring that energy and physical competitiveness, but also using the intelligence that is an underrated asset in his game.”

The Rangers drafted Fogarty in the third round in 2011, 72nd overall. He spent most of the last four seasons with their AHL affiliate, the . He earned 18 NHL games over that stretch, often playing short minutes during his occasional recalls.

“I loved my time in that organization,” Fogarty said. “They’re the organization that drafted me and believed in me and gave me opportunities along the way. Nothing but respect for that organization.”

But so far, the Sabres organization has offered him the opportunity he wanted when he signed a one-year, two-way contract Oct. 19.

Fogarty enjoyed a leading role with the Amerks, scoring five goals and eight points in 10 games. He made his Sabres debut Feb. 15 and has also spent time on their taxi squad.

A rash of injuries over the past two weeks created a chance Fogarty wants to seize.

“Every year I’ve been a pro so far I’ve started down in the minors and I just had a few stints in the NHL,” he said. “Once you get a taste of it, you just want to keep getting back up here.”

Sabres send two players to Amerks By Bill Hoppe Buffalo Hockey Beat

The Buffalo Sabres this morning sent defenseman Brandon Davidson and forward C.J. Smith to the Rochester Americans.

They’re expected to play for the Amerks tonight against the Syracuse Crunch in Rochester.

Davidson, 29, has played six NHL games this season, compiling zero points and a minus-4 rating. He has spent most of the year on Buffalo’s taxi squad.

Meanwhile, Smith, 26, has shuttled between the Buffalo’s taxi squad and Rochester. He has scored two goals and six points in five AHL outings. He went pointless in his NHL season debut March 25.

Amerks get Crunched 6-2 By Staff Report WHEC

Friday was the second rough night this week for the Rochester Americans, with a loss to the Syracuse Crunch.

From first period, the Crunch had the Amerks in a hole.

"I thought our intentions were really good tonight, we took the penalties in the first period and that hurts you, you're playing catch up, Syracuse is really rolling right now, they have a lot of weapons in their lineup right now, especially on the power play," Head Coach Seth Appert said.

The Amerks' next two games are against the Crunch.

Syracuse Crunch trounces Rochester, 6-2, for fifth-straight win By Staff Report Syracuse.com

The Syracuse Crunch is now on a five-game winning streak after a 6-2 victory over the Rochester Americans tonight at the Blue Cross Arena.

The Crunch had six different goal scorers in Antoine Morand, Grigori Denisenko, Johnny Ludvig, Boris Katchouk, Devante Stephens and Alex Barre-Boulet as the team moves to 8-5-1-0 on the season and 3-2-1-0 in the 12-game season series with Rochester.

Goaltender Sam Montembeault earned the win with 25 saves between the pipes for the Crunch. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 21-of-26 in net for the Amerks before being relieved by Billy Christopoulos late in the third period. Christopoulos stopped 2-of-3 shots he faced. Syracuse went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Rochester was 1-for-4.

The Crunch opened scoring on the power play 8:24 into the first period. Mitchell Stephens, assigned by Tampa Bay to Syracuse for conditioning, faked a shot from the right circle before passing across the slot for Morand to score his first Crunch goal with a quick wrister.

Syracuse scored again at the 14-minute mark when Denisenko grabbed the rebound from Alex Green’s right point shot and sent it in just under the crossbar. At 18:57, Ludvig made it 3-0 from the top of the left circle.

The Amerks stole one back on the power play 1:03 into the third period. Montembeault made the initial save, but Brett Murray found the loose puck and chipped it in during a battle in front of the cage.

Syracuse regained its three-goal lead at 6:05 when Sean Day sped down the right side to the goal line before feeding Katchouk in the left circle for a shot into a wide open net.

Rochester quickly responded when the team capitalized on a turnover. C.J. Smith grabbed the puck along the end boards and centered it for Arttu Ruotsalainen to redirect in.

The Crunch added two more to close out the third period and secure the win. At 13:49, Stephens fired in a long point shot, then Barre-Boulet wristed in a power-play goal from the right faceoff dot at 15:57.

The Crunch rematch the Amerks on Saturday in Syracuse.

Amerks Stumble In 5-1 Loss To Monsters By Staff Report Amerks.com

The Cleveland Monsters scored twice in the opening eight minutes and rode a near-perfect performance from veteran goaltender on their way to a 5-1 win over the Rochester Americans Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.

The loss snaps Rochester’s home point streak at four games (3-0-1-0) and drops the Amerks to 6-4-1-1 on the season.

Veteran forward Michael Mersch provided the lone tally for the Amerks, spoiling Thiessen’s bid for his first since April 3, 2019 with a power-play goal late in the third period. Brandon Biro, coming off a three-point effort Friday against Syracuse, notched an assist as did fellow rookie forward Patrick Polino, who registered his first pro point on Mersch’s third of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen made 24 saves while making his ninth start in 12 games for Rochester.

Jake Christiansen (1+2) and Adam Helewka (0+2) each turned in multi-point efforts while Gavin Bayreuther, Tyler Sikura, Josh Dunne and Zach Jordan rounded out the scoring for the Monsters, who improved to 5-2-0 in their last seven games. Thiessen stopped all but one of the 23 shots he faced to collect his second straight win and third in his last four appearances.

Cleveland needed just 3:47 into the contest to take a 1-0 lead on Christiansen’s first of the season. As former AHL Rookie of the Year Nathan Gerbe carried the puck into the Rochester zone along the right-wing wall, the former Buffalo Sabre sent a cross-ice pass to Christiansen, who was trailing the play. The Monsters defenseman caught the pass in stride just inside the Amerks blueline before picking the upper corner from the left face-off dot to give Cleveland the early advantage.

It was the 12th time in 13 games this season the Monsters scored the first goal of the game.

The Monsters doubled their lead just over four minutes later on a play that began and ended with Bayreuther scoring his first pro goal. Bayreuther, who came into the matchup coming off a franchise-record four-assist performance against Texas on Sunday, led the rush out of the Cleveland zone and advanced the puck to Evan Polei at center ice. As the Monsters gained the offensive zone, the team exchanged a series of slick passes before Bayreuther tapped home a centering feed from Carson Meyer atop the crease at the 8:00 mark.

Shortly after, Rochester had its best chance of the night to get on the board with 1:12 worth of a two-man advantage following consecutive penalties to Cleveland, but Thiessen managed to keep everything in front of him.

The visitors appeared to increase their lead to 3-0 early in the middle frame, but the apparent goal from Helewka was waved off for what was later determined as goaltender interference by the Monsters forward. Cleveland, however, would eventually get its third of the night after Sikura swatted in a bouncing puck off an initial offering from Christiansen.

With time starting to dwindle, the teams exchanged power-play goals in the latter half of the third period, beginning with Dunne notching his first of the season at 9:59 before Mersch answered at 16:09, effectively ruining Thiessen’s shutout bid to make it a 4-1 game.

Rochester pulled Luukkonen in the waning minutes in favor of the extra attacker, but Jordan added an empty-netter with 1:36 to play to seal the 5-1 for Cleveland. The Amerks close out their three-game homestand on Friday, April 2 when they host the Syracuse Crunch in the first leg of a home-and-home series at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester and AHLTV. The North Division matchup will also be tape-delayed on CW Rochester beginning at 10 p.m.

W rong approach dooms Amerks in loss to Cleveland By Kevin Oklobzija Pickin’ Splinters

If Wednesday night was the audition for the auditions, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams couldn’t have liked too much of what he saw.

With Adams sitting high atop Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial to evaluate prospects, the Rochester Americans didn’t give him much to appreciate in a 5-1 loss to the Cleveland Monsters.

The Sabres intend to use their remaining 21 inconsequential games to see what younger players such as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and first-year forwards Jack Quinn and Arttu Ruotsaainen can do at the NHL level.

None were all that great on Wednesday, although Luukkonen and Ruotsalainen were playing for the first time in three weeks. Luukkonen allowed four goals on 28 shots and Ruotsalainen had just one shot on goal and was a minus-two in plus/minus.

Then again, not many Amerks were good, or even OK.

“The fact we scored seven against them last time (a 7-3 win at Cleveland on Feb. 12) had guys thinking offense instead of just playing the game the right way and offense will come,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “That’s being immature. I thought some of the younger guys had immaturity in that approach, it felt like.”

Combine that wrong approach with a Monsters team that played exceptionally well and you end up with a lopsided 5-1 loss.

“Cleveland was really good tonight,” Appert said. “Their forechecking pressure, we struggled with it. And then we just didn’t establish enough O-zone time so they kept coming at us.”

As a result, the Monsters led 2-0 after just eight minutes and buried the Amerks with a two more goals in the first 10 minutes of the third period.

“I thought we were too cute tonight, we didn’t have a shooting mentality,” Appert said. “We’re a team that wins the hard way. We’re not blessed with a lot of easy offense. The last time we scored seven against them and it seemed like we wanted it more easy tonight.

“I thought Cleveland was fantastic tonight and made the game hard on us and then we made it hard on ourselves.”

Nathan Gerbe, now in his 12th pro season and eight years removed from his last game with the Sabres, set up rookie defenseman Jake Christiansen for the game’s first goal just 3:47 into the first period.

Gerbe moved deep into the right winger circle, then threaded a pass between the legs of Remi Elie to Christiansen at the left point. With space and time to move toward the top of the left circle, Christiansen snapped a wrist shot into the very open top right corner of the net for his first pro goal.

Fourth-year veteran Gavin Bayreuther, a St. Lawrence University alum, pushed the lead to 2-0 at 8:00, leading, and then putting the finishing touches on, a four-on-two fast break with the Elie-Jack Quinn-Brandon Biro line stuck in the Cleveland zone.

“They play a heavy game and when you get down on them and they’re wearing you down and you’re not able to come up the ice as a five-man group, it becomes hard,” said Amerks center Michael Mersch, who ended Brad Thiessen’s shutout bid with a power-play goal with 3:51 remaining.

Adam Helewka – as well as everyone on both teams – thought he had given Cleveland a 3-0 lead at 4:07 of the second period when, with position at the top of the crease, he steered a Gerbe pass between Luukkonen’s legs and into the back of the net.

Since the AHL has opted against the use of goal judges this season (as well as video review), the goal light did not come on and referee Brandon Schrader somehow never saw the puck enter the net. He instead blew the whistle to signal a faceoff, which elicited a very loud “You’ve got to be kidding me” – edited for use on this site — from one of the Monsters.

The four officials huddled to discuss what they saw and stuck with Schrader’s ruling, even as the video board was showing the puck hit the back of the net.

The Monsters scored a third goal again, 4:18 into the third period, and this one counted. Christiansen’s shot from the left-wing half wall caromed up in the air, dropped behind Luukkonen in the crease and Tyler Sikura tapped it in.

Josh Dunne pushed the lead to 4-0 with a power-play goal at 9:59, establishing inside position at the top of the crease on defenseman Griffin Luce before steering home Tyler Angle’s centering pass.

The goal came after Luukkonen’s best sequence of saves. After blocking a Gerbe slap shot from the slot, he jumped back into position to stop Sikura’s rebound try at 7:53. Ninety seconds later, he leaped across his crease to rob Helewka’s one-timer toward an empty net.

Mersch scored on a Brandon Biro rebound during a power play, then Zach Jordan’s empty-net goal with 1:36 remaining inflated the score.

Sabres plan to give prospects an NHL audition in season's final w eeks By Lance Lysowski Buffalo News

Amid all the phone calls ahead of the April 12 trade deadline, General Manager Kevyn Adams drove across Interstate 90 on Wednesday to take a closer look at possible reinforcements for the Buffalo Sabres.

During a livestream at the morning skate in KeyBank Center, Adams told Sabres television analysts Brian Duff and Martin Biron that he planned to step away from the NHL team in order to watch the Rochester Americans’ game Wednesday night in Blue Cross Arena against the Cleveland Monsters.

In addition to evaluating top prospects, Adams wanted to have extensive conversations with players. A trip to Rochester was not possible during the first three months of the Sabres’ season because there was little time with the truncated schedule.

This fact-finding mission will be used to determine which prospects can help the Sabres following the deadline. Interim coach Don Granato confirmed to the media following the morning skate that the organization plans to give Amerks players an NHL opportunity in the final weeks of the season.

“We know that we want to do that,” said Granato. “And that's part of the plan moving forward. The timeline has not been set. But the motor is moving for me, certainly. And I'm excited for that. I think it's a valuable time for players to gain some experience, internalize that experience. It's what we're about right now.”

Winger Taylor Hall and defenseman Brandon Montour are among the pending unrestricted free agents likely to be traded before the deadline. Each will be among the most highly coveted players at his respective position, providing Adams with an opportunity to acquire draft picks and/or prospects rather than receiving nothing in return when they likely sign elsewhere in July.

Those trades, though, will leave significant holes in the Sabres’ lineup. Rather than plugging in players from the taxi squad, Adams can use this as an opportunity to evaluate and develop prospects who are currently in Rochester.

Center Arttu Ruotsalainen, winger Jack Quinn, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen could be candidates for an NHL audition. The Sabres might also want to see if winger Brett Murray, a power forward with skill, can add a physical element to their bottom six.

Evaluation and development will be primary focuses for the Sabres over the final five weeks. Casey Mittelstadt is receiving an opportunity to play center. Granato plans to give Tage Thompson a consistent spot in the lineup. Henri Jokiharju, a 21-year-old defenseman, is again a fixture after he was scratched 10 times by former coach Ralph Krueger this season.

The Amerks’ game Wednesday night was only their second since three positive Covid-19 cases on the team resulted in a two- week pause. Rochester had additional games postponed because the Utica Comets endured a similar outbreak.

“Obviously, we’re in a position where we need our young players to be learning and growing and getting better, but we just have to figure out a way to balance all that,” said Adams. “The veterans know when you’re in a situation like we are there may be guys on the move, and we’ll see where it goes the next couple weeks.”

The Sabres will face a difficult decision with Quinn, a 19-year-old selected eighth overall in the NHL draft in October. Entering Wednesday, Quinn had one goal and three assists for four points in eight games since joining the Amerks. He isn’t physically ready for professional hockey, but a spot in Rochester made the most sense because his junior team, the Ottawa 67’s, are awaiting word on when or if the will launch its season. The Sabres can leave Quinn with the Amerks or see how he responds to facing bigger, stronger competition in the NHL.

Luukkonen, 22, isn’t ready for a full-time job with the Sabres, but introducing the former second-round draft pick to the NHL would make more sense than giving starts to pending unrestricted free agent or Dustin Tokarski, who is currently the backup behind .

Entering Wednesday, Luukkonen had appeared in 55 professional games between Finland and North America, including 19 with the Amerks. NHL teams typically want goaltending prospects to play 100 pro games before a permanent promotion.

Cozens update

The Sabres are hopeful rookie forward Dylan Cozens will only miss one week with an upper-body injury, Granato said.

Cozens, 20, missed a second consecutive game Wednesday after he exited in the first period Monday because of a hit from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman . Cozens, one of the few bright spots in the Sabres’ dismal season, has yet to resume skating with the Sabres.

“He was really angry,” Granato said of Cozens. “He was upset at himself and the fact that he was injured. You guys sense the competitive nature of Dylan Cozens. It is there. He's an intense, intense hockey player. And he was mad that he has to sit out games.

“So, he's a player who's going to push it and be back as soon as he possibly can. We're hopeful that it's next week at some point. And he's just going to keep pushing ahead.”

Cozens has totaled four goals with two assists for six points in 25 games during his rookie season. He began the year at right wing in a move to lessen the growing pains during his introduction in the NHL. However, Jack Eichel's upper-body injury caused Krueger to move Cozens to a top-line center role last month. This is the second time in less than three weeks that the former seventh overall draft pick suffered an injury.

Cozens missed four games after he crashed into the boards because of a blindside hit from winger Zach Aston-Reese in KeyBank Center on March 11.

Sabres notes: Don Granato overw orks players; Buffalo plans to add prospects By Bill Hoppe Buffalo Hockey Beat

Instead of letting the Sabres rest and recover in the midst of their grueling schedule, interim coach Don Granato said he has “overworked” his players.

“We’re trying to push them harder to develop harder,” Granato said on a Zoom call prior to Wednesday’s 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center. “We know we have to get better. The focus has to be on that. And we have to trust that wins will follow and be a by-product of that.”

So Granato has tried to use what little practice time the Sabres have available – they played a whopping 16 games in March – to his team’s advantage.

“We moved the thought of, ‘OK, let’s just rest and maximize maybe our work-to-rest ratio on the rest side so we can maybe get the next win,’” Granato said.

Granato, who replaced Ralph Krueger on March 17, has embraced a long-term approach. He did not want the Sabres to end what had ballooned to an 18-game winless skid and quickly revert to their old ways.

He said focusing on the marathon streak “drains you.”

“We had to turn our focus to improving even if it costs us in the short term with a little bit longer practices, a lot harder practices, maybe a couple more minutes in meetings or videos or one-on-ones,” Granato said.

He added: “We want to try to get to a point where we can feel we can win any night out, and win with consistency.”

So, for example, prior to Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers, the Sabres’ morning skate was really a full practice.

Sessions under Granato feature plenty of teaching. He, of course, has different ideas than Krueger. His new system has forced the Sabres to play faster.

“We’ve had some pretty in-depth meetings and some really good conversation about the things that we want to do and how we want to play,” Sabres winger Kyle Okposo said. “It’s about getting everybody on the same page that way, because you don’t have (a lot) of practice time in a year like this.”

Granato said he and his staff have introduced things to the team “incrementally.”

“We didn’t want to give them too much,” he said. “To tie it in, we made sure that whatever we spoke of in a meeting or video and showed them, we actually ran drills in practice where they could get the reps to it and get some confidence that way. And that’s still a process. We can only move in increments within that process.”

The Sabres have slowly started performing better for long stretches of games. Having taken leads into the third period in each of other their last two outings, they appear close to winning for the first time since Feb. 23. In Monday’s game, they led 3-0 before imploding late.

“We’re trying to push them harder to develop harder,” Granato said. “We know we have to get better. The focus has to be on that. And we have to trust that wins will follow and be a by-product of that.”

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Granato said the Sabres plan to recall some of their prospects from the Rochester Americans before the season ends May 8.

“The timeline has not been set,” he said. “But the motor is moving for me, certainly. And I’m excited for that. I think it’s a valuable time for players to gain some experience, internalize that experience. It’s what we’re about right now.”

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, forward Arttu Ruotsalainen and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson would probably be the top candidates to play their first NHL games.

Amerks defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and forwards Brett Murray and Andrew Oglevie have also spent time on the Sabres’ taxi squad this season.

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With rookie center Dylan Cozens sidelined by an upper-body injury, the Sabres recalled Steven Fogarty from the taxi squad prior to the game and played him at right wing on the fourth line beside center Cody Eakin and Tobias Rieder.

Fogarty scored the first goal of his 22-game NHL career 9:42 into the second period. He also assisted on center Casey Mittelstadt’s goal later in the period.

The Notre Dame product had recorded one NHL point entering the night.

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Sabres rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson played Wednesday after an upper-body injury sidelined him Monday.

Amerks lose to Monsters 5-1 By Staff Report WHEC

The Rochester Americans were home against the Cleveland Monsters Wednesday night.

The Amerks were down by 2 in the second but firing as best they could. Brad Thiessen made 23 saves for Cleveland.

Rochester had its own power play in the third, Michael Mersch was strong in front of the net but it was too little too late.

It was a tough day at the office for the Amerks. They lost 5-1. Amerks lose to Monsters 5-1 News10NBC

"You know, they were really good tonight, their forechecking pressure, we struggled with it, we really did," Head Coach Seth Appert said. "We struggled breaking the puck out cleanly and then we just didn't establish enough o-zone time because they won too many puck battles in the defensive zone."

The Amerks' next game is scheduled for Friday at 7:05 p.m. at home against the Syracuse Crunch.