ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Americans (24-22-5-4) are hoping a St. Patrick’s Day weekend homecoming is exactly what the doctor ordered. Tonight, the Amerks return to Blue Cross Arena to host the Toronto Marlies (28-20-4-5) for a 7:05 PM puck drop, marking the first time these North Division rivals have met in Rochester since opening night.
It’s a pivotal “six-pointer” of a weekend as the two clubs kick off a home-and-home set. While Rochester currently holds the final playoff spot in the North, they sit eight points back of fourth-place Toronto. If the postseason started today, these two would actually face off in a best-of-three play-in round.
1. Stopping the Skid
The Amerks are officially out of “cat lives” after a 4-1 loss to the Utica Comets on Wednesday pushed their winless streak to a season-high nine games (0-6-1-2). If Rochester fails to secure a win tonight, they will tie a franchise record for the longest winless skid in nearly 20 years, matching a 10-game slide from the 2007-08 season.
2. Blue Line Blues
The climb back into the win column got a bit steeper this week. Defenseman Jack Rathbone is expected to be “out a while” with an upper-body injury sustained Wednesday. With Rathbone sidelined, the spotlight shines even brighter on Zac Jones.
Jones is currently on the brink of history; with 49 points (8+31), he needs just one more to reach the 50-point plateau. He leads all AHL defensemen in scoring and is the primary engine behind Rochester’s power play, which ranks first in the Eastern Conference at 24.0%.
3. The “Konsta-nt” Threat
While the team has struggled, teenage phenom Konsta Helenius has been a bright spot. The Sabres’ 2024 first-round pick is currently riding a four-game point streak and leads all Amerks forwards with 43 points. Historically, Helenius has feasted on Canadian-based opponents, tallying 35 points in 43 career games against Toronto, Laval, and Belleville.
4. Scouting the Marlies
Rochester catches a massive break tonight as Toronto’s leading scorer, Benoit-Olivier Groulx (50 pts), is currently on recall with the Maple Leafs. However, the Amerks shouldn’t exhale yet. Toronto arrives in Rochester fresh off a 5-1 shellacking of the Syracuse Crunch. The Marlies lineup still features dangerous veteran Logan Shaw and a familiar face in former Amerk Alex Nylander.
5. Between the Pipes
Devon Levi continues to shoulder the load in net. Despite the recent losing streak, Levi turned in a gritty 38-save performance against Utica on Wednesday. On the season, Levi has a .905 save percentage through 40 games. He’ll likely go head-to-head with Toronto’s Artur Akhtyamov, who has 17 wins on the year.
How to Follow:
- Radio: 95.7 FM/950 AM WGR Rochester
- Stream: AHLTV on FloHockey
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