GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS AND CRUNCH FACE-OFF ON BLACK FRIDAY – Rochester Individuals

5 issues to know as Rochester continues vacation homestand in opposition to Syracuse
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
On the opposite facet of Thanksgiving, the Rochester Individuals (11-9-0-0) proceed their three-game homestand on Black Friday with an intrastate showdown in opposition to the Syracuse Crunch (12-6-0-0) at Blue Cross Enviornment.
 
Listed below are 5 issues to notice forward of tonight’s rivalry sport.
 
 
Forward of the Thankagiving vacation, the Amerks have been sluggish out the gate and have been unable to match Cleveland’s efforts in a 3-1 loss to the Monsters Wednesday night.
 
Jake Leschyshyn scored the lone purpose for Rochester with a power-play tally within the second interval to even the rating on the time, however the Monsters would return in entrance 4:01 later, then tack on within the last minute of the sport with an empty-net purpose.
 
Rochester was outshot, 40-26, permitting probably the most pictures they’ve in a single sport this season. Devon Levi made 37 saves in his finest begin of the month. The totals weren’t only a season-high for Levi, but in addition marking the primary time the third-year professional has made greater than 35 saves since Mar. 15, 2024 in opposition to Toronto, the place Levi turned away 41 pictures.
 
Levi has made 80 begins as an Amerk. His 37 saves Wednesday marks the sixth time the Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native has made no less than 37 stops.
 
Syracuse started its vacation feast a day early throughout its go to to Utica, the place Conor Geekie scored twice and posted three factors en path to a 5-3 win over the Comets. Brendan Furry additionally had a two-goal sport for the Crunch, who skate into the Flower Metropolis having received their final three contests.
 
 
The highest 4 groups within the all-too-close North Division are separated by simply two factors because the AHL enters the ultimate weekend of November. At 22 factors, Rochester sits in a tie with Belleville for third and fourth within the standings, although the Amerks personal a number of tiebreakers, most notably regulation wins, the place Rochester has 9 in comparison with Belleville’s eight.
 
In entrance of them are Laval and Syracuse, every sporting 12-6-0-0 information with 24 factors and 11 regulation wins. Each the Rocket and Crunch personal two video games in hand on Rochester.
 
The subsequent closest division with this little separation is the Pacific, the place groups one by 4 are separated by a six-point margin. Again to the North, a pair of groups behind the Amerks aren’t far off both. Fifth-place Toronto sit 4 again of the Amerks with two video games in hand, whereas the Monsters are six factors shy of Rochester with half a dozen video games in hand.
 
 
Fourth-year professional and Amerks ahead Graham Slaggert skated in his 200^th AHL sport Wednesday evening in opposition to Cleveland. The South Bend, Indiana, native has seen 135 of these 200 contests are available an Amerks jersey, as Slaggert started his profession in Toronto earlier than becoming a member of the Amerks in the beginning of the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
 
Slaggert has 25 targets to match his 25 assists for 50 factors all through his profession. His finest season thus far got here final 12 months, when Slaggert amassed 12 targets and 24 factors. 5 of his dozen conversions got here shorthanded to complete the season in a tie for the league lead in shorthanded targets, subsequently turning into the primary Amerk in 30 years to attain 5 shorthanded targets in a single season.
 
The 26-year-old turned the third completely different Amerk this season to succeed in 200 AHL video games, becoming a member of fellow forwards Isak Rosén and Brendan Warren. Of his 200 video games performed within the league, 37 have come in opposition to Syracuse. Slaggert has confronted the Crunch greater than every other staff in his profession.  
 
 
In becoming style, the Amerks face-off with Syracuse greater than every other staff within the AHL this season. Tonight is assembly 4 of 12, with the Crunch having fun with a 2-1-0-0 mark on the season collection thus far. Rochester received final 12 months’s season collection with a 7-3-1-1 file in opposition to Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate.
 
Rosén (9+12) leads all Amerks in scoring in opposition to the Crunch relationship again to 2023-24 season, having appeared in 24 video games in that span. In 48 profession video games versus Syracuse, the Sabres prospect, who appeared in 10 video games with Buffalo this season, has tallied 31 factors (13+18), his most in opposition to every other AHL staff.
 
Viktor Neuchev leads the collection to begin the 12 months with 4 factors (1+3) in opposition to the Crunch. Leschyshyn is the one Amerk with a number of targets going through Syracuse this season.
 
Tonight is the ultimate time the Amerks play Syracuse within the calendar 12 months. As soon as flipping to 2026, Rochester will meet the Crunch 3 times in January and a season-high 4 conferences in March. The intrastate rivals have additionally matched up in three consecutive North Division Semifinal rounds within the Calder Cup Playoffs.
 
 
Newcomer Jakob Pelletier has been climbing the AHL’s scoring charts to begin the season with Syracuse, main the Crunch with 20 factors (6+14) over his 16 video games performed. The fifth-year professional was acquired within the offseason after splitting final 12 months largely within the NHL between Calgary and Philadelphia.
 
A former first-round decide of the Flames in 2019, Pelletier has amassed 11 targets and 29 factors over 87 NHL video games. He was known as up as soon as earlier within the season for Tampa Bay, showing in a single sport with the Lightning. When within the AHL, the 24-year-old is working at practically a point-per-game tempo, producing 150 (57+93) throughout 155 video games.
 
Pelletier enters Friday on a four-game level streak with a purpose and 6 assists over that span.
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