Buffalo Sabres: AHL affiliate pulling off memorable outings
The Buffalo Sabres are not the only team in the system pulling off some thrilling wins or narrow losses lately
The Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, have stagnated in recent games, unlike their NHL counterparts. But, they’re still putting an entertaining product on the ice.
It’s an exciting time to be following the Amerks, who, despite recent struggles, find themselves with an outside chance of making the AHL playoffs. Led by a daunting trio comprising Jack Quinn, J.J. Peterka, and Mark Jankowski, all NHL-caliber talents, the Amerks can realistically get hot and with a little luck, extend their season into May.
And if the Amerks are to miss out on a playoff berth, they have proven they won’t go down without a fight. Their previous three contests have been one-goal decisions. And while the Amerks have lost two of their last three, they have rallied after subpar showings in the first period two of their last three games.
Besides the continual production shown by Peterka, Jankowski, and Quinn, the Sabres have also seen production from goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Luukkonen, who had a few solid showings at the NHL level earlier this year, logged 29 or more saves in each contest.
Following the debilitating loss to the Cleveland Monsters, Luukkonen has logged 30 or more saves in 12 of his 27 outings in Rochester. His presence has not been stellar since returning from injury, but he has kept games close enough to put the Amerks in a position to win.
While we relived some of the Buffalo Sabres most memorable outings following March 2022, we have talked little about the Amerks. So in case you missed their contests, here is a rundown of just how thrilling their previous three games have been. And what makes them a worthy product to follow if the Sabres have the evening off.
April 1st, 2022: Rochester Americans v. Cleveland Monsters
While the Amerks couldn’t beat the Monsters in this one, it had an eerily similar feel to the Sabres epic comeback win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Within the game’s first 13 minutes, it appeared to be over, with the Monsters scoring four times.
Finally, at the 19:17 mark, J.J. Peterka found twine with an assist from Arttu Ruotsalainen, another player who saw time at the NHL level. Early in the second, Peterka again scored, this time with Jack Quinn providing the assist.
The Amerks continued to claw back, with Mark Alt and Mark Jankowski setting up a scoring opportunity for Josh Teves while Peterka sealed a hat trick and knotted the game at four. Unfortunately, a power play goal from Cleveland put the Monsters ahead at the 17:35 mark in the second and they never looked back.
However, the loss to Cleveland wasn’t because of a lack of trying in the third. The Amerks outshot the Monsters 10 to four. They just couldn’t connect.
What really jumps out is, despite the goal scoring effort, the Amerks could not convert on their power play, finishing 0 for 4 despite receiving three opportunities in the first period. Had they connected on just one opportunity, this game may have gone the other way.
March 30th, 2022: Rochester Americans v. Utica Comets
Despite the Amerks struggles, they further resembled the Sabres in playing spoiler against the Utica Comets. Despite the Comets jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, the Amerks went on a goal-scoring frenzy, finding twine four straight times before the Comets made the final tally a little more respectable with a late goal.
The game marked the fourth time Jack Quinn put up three or more points in March. And what’s more remarkable about Quinn’s overall effort is the fact he saw ice time in just eight contests during the month. If he continues to put up such stellar performances, he will find a permanent home at the KeyBank Center.
Quinn isn’t the only Amerk to keep an eye on. During the win over Utica, Mark Jankowski once again showed why the Sabres need to take another look at him heading into next season. He logged his seventh multi-point game of the AHL season and over his last eight games at the AHL level, has recorded 13 points.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the real hero here. Despite allowing two key goals early in the contest, he got it together and made 15 of his 30 saves in the third period.
March 27th, 2022: Rochester Americans v. Bridgeport Islanders
It was another outing the Amerks could not pull off, but it had a heavyweight fight feel to it, similar to what the Sabres experienced last month against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Once again, Mark Jankowski and Jack Quinn started things off, quickly putting the Amerks ahead 2-0 before the Islanders stormed back with three unanswered.
Despite the setback, the Amerks rallied with J.J. Peterka, Arttu Ruotsalainen, and Linus Weissbach pitching in to give Rochester a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately for the Amerks, it wasn’t enough to ward off a late comeback from Bridgeport, who scored at the 19:53 mark to force overtime.
While the Amerks fell in the extra period, we can’t ignore the effort from Ruotsalainen, who also has an outside chance to call the KeyBank Center home in 2022-23. Besides his own goal, Ruotsalainen assisted on two others, giving him 40 points on the season. Ruotsalainen has since logged three more points, bringing his total to 43 in 45 games.
Once again Jankowski put up another multi-point effort. And since returning to Rochester, you can describe his play as “lights out.”
Hot. Sabres most unforgettable moments in March 2022. light
While the Amerks did not achieve the same level of success as the Sabres in March and early April, their play has shown they’re worth at least keeping tabs on for the foreseeable future. Especially with a plethora of hot prospects seeking to rise back to the NHL ranks.
(Statistics provided by TheAHL.com)