In a word, the Rochester Americans are….. struggling.
The team is currently in a slump, having lost the past four games. They haven’t won since October 31 and have been outscored 15-5 since then. They’re in the midst of a five-game homestand, and so far, it hasn’t gone so well.
After a pair of losses this weekend, the Rochester Americans return to action Monday as they host the Adirondack Flames in the third of five straight home games at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.
Heading into tonight’s game, the Rochester Americans are sitting at eighth place in the AHL’s Western Conference.
The team is 6-6-0-0 on the season with 12 points. Compare that to the raging Utica Comets, who have burst out this season with a 10-1-2-0 start. The Amerks have zero goal differential, having both scored and allowed 35 goals.
They’re also the most penalized team in the conference with 287 penalty minutes.
Adirondack sits barely below Rochester, in 10th place. The Flames are 5-6-1-0 on the season and are tied with the Toronto Marlies with 11 points so far this season. The Flames, unlike the Amerks, have been winning lately; they’re on a two-game winning streak heading into tonight.
One thing we’ll probably see a lot of in tonight’s game: penalties. While the Amerks have 287 penalty minutes this season, the Flames aren’t far behind with 278, second-most in the conference.
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Leading the team for Adirondack is rookie defenseman Ryan Culkin, who has seven points in eight games. Left winger Bryce Van Brabant, another rookie, has a team-high four goals; Ben Hanowski, Corban Knight and Ken Agostino each have six points on the season so far.
Defenseman Dustin Stevenson has 28 penalty minutes on the year.
One player we won’t see in tonight’s game against the Amerks is Max Reinhart – brother of Sam Reinhart – as he was recalled by the Calgary Flames.
For the Rochester Americans, it’s a four-way tie with players leading the team in points. Phil Varone, Joel Armia, Luke Adam and Chad Ruhwedel each have 10 points in 12 games. Varone and Mikhail Grigorenko lead the team with five goals each, while Adam and Ruhwedel’s eight assists each are most on the squad in that category.
Akim Aliu leads the team with 49 penalty minutes on the season.
The Rochester Americans come into tonight’s game off losses to Binghamton and Utica. First up was a 3-1 loss to the Senators on Friday; Grigorenko had the lone goal, with Nathan Lieuwen stopping 32 of 35 shots faced. Shane Prince, Alex Guptill and Ryan Dzingel scored for Binghamton, while Andrew Hammond had 24 saves.
Captain Drew Bagnall was injured in the loss.
Following Friday, the Amerks then fell to the Comets 3-2 on Saturday. Adam and Zac Dalpe notched the goals for Rochester, with Andrey Makarov racking up 30 saves in the loss. Bobby Sanguinetti, Ronalds Kenins and Wacey Hamilton scored for Utica, while Jacob Markstrom had 33 saves.
Tonight’s Rochester Americans game is a 7:05 p.m. puck drop. It’s also Military Appreciation Night. Military veterans, active and retired military personnel can request complimentary tickets here; regular-priced tickets can be purchased online here or at the arena box office.