The playoff push is in full gear for the Rochester Americans. In a tight, defensive battle against their intrastate rivals, the Amerks secured a crucial 3-2 victory over the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday night at Upstate Medical University Arena. With their third consecutive win, Rochester now sits just points away from locking up a fifth straight trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Furthermore, the victory ensures the Amerks finish the season series with a winning record against the Crunch for the second consecutive year. Douglas Delivers in the Clutch The story of the night belonged to rookie forward Chris Douglas. With the game deadlocked at 2-2 and just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Douglas buried his first professional goal to give Rochester the lead for good. The game-winning sequence materialized moments after a successful Amerks penalty kill. Goaltender Devon Levi initiated the transition by clearing the puck out of the defensive zone. Following some gritty puck pursuit along the...Read More

Tonight’s Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Initially, our boys struggled with brutal defensive zone turnovers. Furthermore, special teams blunders allowed New York to steal a 3-2 lead in the second period. However, the team completely flipped the script in the final twenty minutes. Ultimately, a dominant third-period effort, highlighted by two rapid-fire goals and absolute shutdown defense, allowed Buffalo to escape with a massive 5-3 victory. Let’s break down exactly how this wild matchup unfolded! First Period of Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers: Our Boys Grab a 2-1 Lead The Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers matchup at Madison Square Garden kicked off with an early advantage for our boys. However, it certainly wasn’t a perfect opening twenty minutes. Right out of the gate, Buffalo struggled with careless puck management. In fact, they turned the puck over twice deep in our own zone. Thankfully, our brick wall,...Read More

Way back in October, this magical Buffalo Sabres season kicked off against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. It ended in a disappointing four-goal shutout loss. It is incredibly easy to forget that opening night stumble given the drastically different trajectories these two franchises have taken since. While the Rangers, a perennial playoff fixture over the last few years, were mathematically eliminated from contention last month, our Sabres are currently battling for the Atlantic Division title with just four games left on the schedule. Buffalo received a massive favor on Tuesday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning dropped their game to Columbus. However, Montreal secured a victory, creating an absolute logjam at the top of the standings. Heading into tonight, the Sabres, Lightning, and Canadiens are all deadlocked at 102 points, and all three squads have exactly four games remaining. Incidentally, those 102 points represent Buffalo’s highest single-season total since the record-breaking 2006-07 campaign. These final matchups will determine...Read More

The Rochester Americans are currently sitting on a 30-27-5-4 record as they head into Upstate Medical University Arena tonight. They are looking to conclude their season series against the Syracuse Crunch, who hold a 39-21-3-4 mark. The Playoff Push The postseason is firmly within reach. Rochester is steadily marching toward a fifth consecutive playoff appearance, with their magic number to secure a spot currently standing at just six points. Depending on how things shake out, the squad could officially lock up a playoff berth as early as Friday in Springfield, provided they get some assistance from the Toronto Marlies facing Utica. Speaking of Toronto, Rochester is applying heavy pressure on them in the standings. The Marlies have dropped four straight games, leaving the Amerks just five points behind them for fourth place in the North Division, plus Rochester holds a game in hand. The ceiling for the Amerks is third place, though catching Cleveland will be tough since the Monsters...Read More