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 only need four points to bypass the play-in round.
Riding High After Monday
The team kicked off this road swing with a gritty victory on Monday against Cleveland. After building a 3-1 advantage heading into the closing minutes of regulation, the Monsters fought back with two late tallies to push the game to a shootout. Despite falling behind early in the breakaway competition, goals from Vsevolod Komarov and Carson Meyer flipped the script, sealing a 4-3 triumph for Rochester. All three of Rochester’s most recent victories have required extra time.
Goaltender Devon Levi was stellar once again, turning aside 35 shots in regulation and overtime before stopping three of four shootout attempts. That effort marked his 22nd victory of the campaign and the 30th overall for the team.
The offense was sparked early in the second period when Trevor Kuntar and Matteo Costantini found the back of the net barely a minute apart. Kuntar added his second of the evening early in the third period, which remarkably ended up being Rochester’s only shot on goal in the final frame while Cleveland unleashed 14.
Roster Reinforcements
The prospect pipeline is flowing for the Buffalo Sabres organization. As the season winds down, collegiate additions are bolstering the lineup. The team is still anticipating the debut of blueliner Maxim Štrbák following his amateur tryout signing last week, and now forward Liam Valente has joined the fold.
Valente signed a professional tryout for the rest of this season and agreed to a one-year AHL deal for the upcoming 2026-27 schedule. During his senior year, he racked up 35 points and 20 goals, helping Western Michigan secure their fifth straight NCAA tournament bid. Valente previously won a national title alongside current Amerk Matteo Costantini. Last season, the Swedish forward tallied 33 points, eight power-play goals, and earned the Fargo Regional Most Outstanding Player honors. He followed that up this season by leading his conference with 10 power-play markers while being recognized as an NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, the blue line gets another reinforcement with Radim Mrtka being reassigned to Rochester from the WHL.
These young additions join a roster already led by standout performances. Konsta Helenius is pacing the team with 59 points in 57 games, while Zac Jones continues to dominate from the back end with 58 points.
Scouting Syracuse
Syracuse enters Wednesday with some notable absences. The Tampa Bay Lightning recently called up the Crunch’s three top scorers: Jakob Pelletier, Conor Geekie, and Dylan Duke.
Pelletier’s absence is massive, as he leads the entire AHL with 75 points. He was in the middle of a historic 18-game point streak, racking up eight goals and 25 points since late February. That run is the longest the league has seen since the 2016-17 season. He had also recorded a point in 28 of his 30 home appearances. Duke leaves a significant void on the power play, having scored an AHL-best 17 times on the man advantage while sitting third in the league with 31 total goals. The Crunch have struggled recently, dropping three straight games including a 4-3 shootout defeat to Springfield on Saturday, where Nick Abruzzese provided the game-tying marker in the third period.
Head-to-Head History
Tonight is the 61st meeting between these two rivals dating back to the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Rochester has a 5-5-0-1 record in the 11 matchups so far this year. The Amerks have consistently found ways to beat Syracuse, securing at least five victories against them in each of the last eight seasons.
Rochester won their most recent clash on March 29 with a 3-2 shootout win, though Upstate Medical University Arena has been a tough venue, with Syracuse winning four of the last five meetings there.
Levi is expected to make his 49th start tonight. He boasts a 10-7-5 career record in 22 games against the Crunch. After starting the year winless in four tries against Syracuse, he picked up a victory on November 28. He then recorded his second career shutout over them in mid-January. Over his past seven starts against the Crunch, Levi has been dominant, stopping 187 shots and earning a 5-1-1 record.
The Hub Rules
Be a good teammate — let’s keep the conversation Blue & Gold.