Amerks Fall Short in 5-3 Loss to Checkers Despite Helenius’ Sizzling Point Streak

The Rochester Americans showed plenty of fight on Wednesday night, but playing from behind ultimately caught up to them. Despite closing the gap to a single goal on two separate occasions, the Amerks suffered a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Charlotte Checkers.

With the loss, Rochester closes out the four-game regular-season series against Charlotte with a 1-1-1-1 record. The Checkers, meanwhile, became just the fifth team in the AHL to cross the 40-win threshold this year.

Here is how the action unfolded at Blue Cross Arena.

An Early Uphill Battle

Charlotte wasted absolutely no time setting the tempo. On the very first shift of the game, Sandis Vilmanis set up Jack Studnicka to beat Devon Levi just 28 seconds after the opening puck drop.

The Checkers kept the pressure on and capitalized on their first man-advantage of the evening midway through the opening frame. A point shot from Ludvig Jansson navigated through traffic and past a screened Levi, sending the visitors to the locker room with a 2-0 advantage and outshooting Rochester 11-7.

Special Teams and Milestones in the Middle Frame

Rochester found its footing early in the second period thanks to a heads-up play by Jagger Joshua. After chasing down a loose puck to negate an icing call, Joshua initiated a sequence that ended with Isaac Belliveau setting up Noah Laaouan. The defenseman hammered home his second goal of the campaign, marking his first time lighting the lamp since late November.

Charlotte answered back halfway through the period when a wide shot from Jack Devine took a strange bounce off the end boards, allowing Ben Steeves to slam the rebound into the net to restore the two-goal cushion.

The Amerks’ red-hot power play stepped up before the intermission. Operating on a 5-on-3 advantage, Zac Jones settled a bouncing puck and fed Konsta Helenius. The 19-year-old highly touted prospect walked down the slot and sniped his 19th goal of the season over the shoulder of Charlotte netminder Kirill Gerasimyuk, trimming the deficit to 3-2.

A Late Push Falls Short

The Checkers managed to stretch their lead to 4-2 midway through the final period, forcing Rochester to dig deep as time ticked away.

With under four minutes remaining in regulation, the Amerks earned another power-play opportunity and opted to pull Levi for a 6-on-4 advantage. The aggressive move paid off. Olivier Nadeau cycled the puck to Helenius, who quickly wired a pass across the slot to Gavin Bayreuther. The veteran blueliner buried the chance, recording his first goal in an Amerks sweater and bringing the home crowd to its feet.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the Amerks would get. After pulling Levi for an extra attacker at even strength, Vilmanis secured a three-point night for himself by sinking an empty-netter in the final seconds to seal the 5-3 Charlotte victory.

SabresHub Game Notes & Takeaways

• Helenius is on Fire: Konsta Helenius continues to prove why he is one of the most exciting teenagers in the AHL. He tallied a goal and an assist, giving him ten points over a five-game point streak. Strangely enough, Wednesday was the first time this season Rochester has lost in regulation when Helenius records a multi-point game.
• Jones Chasing History: Zac Jones picked up an assist on the Helenius power-play goal. He now has six points in his last four games and leads all AHL defensemen with 57 points. He is just three points shy of becoming the eighth blueliner in franchise history to hit the 60-point milestone.
• Power Play Keeps Humming: The Amerks converted on two of their seven man-advantage opportunities. They have now scored a power-play goal in four consecutive contests.
• Crease Check: Devon Levi made 19 saves on 23 shots in his 45th appearance of the season, while Charlotte’s Kirill Gerasimyuk stopped 23 of 26 shots to earn the win.

Up Next

The Amerks will look to bounce back quickly and keep their playoff push on track when they host the Belleville Senators this Friday, April 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena.