By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
As 2017 ends and 2018 begins, there are two pressing needs for the Rochester Americans:
1) To figure out how to win at home with something resembling consistency;
2) To figure out how to get rookie left winger C.J. Smith scoring again.
They couldn’t do either on Saturday night, when the Laval Rocket came into downtown Rochester and skated away victorious for the second time in four nights, this time 4-2.
Thus, after posting an impressive 2-0 victory in Friday’s showdown for first place at Toronto, they again stumbled on home ice.
No team in the American Hockey League has earned more points on the road than the Amerks, who have 29 (12-1-3-2). But at home they are just 8-7-0-1.
File that under the strange-but-true heading.
“We have to be better here,” defenseman Stuart Percy said matter of factly. “We play to our strengths on the road and we have to do that here.”
Indeed, in Toronto the Amerks played with precision puck control. They turned the puck over just 15 times in the game. In a game of mistakes and forced errors, that’s a pretty impressive number.
But on Saturday at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, Amerks coach Chris Taylor said they turned the puck over 25 times through the first two periods.
“In Toronto we keep it simple, nothing fancy, we don’t turn the puck over,” said defenseman Zach Redmond, who scored the Amerks first goal on Saturday. “We come here and we tend to be a little more loose, a little more fancy.”
Part of the problem is a couple of key forwards aren’t scoring. Smith has gone six games without a point. Before the slump, he hadn’t gone more than two games without a goal or an assist. And those two games came in October.
While he’s still third in AHL rookie scoring and tied for 10th overall with 10 goals, 20 assists and 30 points in 34 games, he had been leading all rookies and sat fifth in the scoring race on Dec. 14.
Few players, if any, stay hot for an entire season.
“Slumps happen, you can’t get frustrated,” Smith said. “All the best players in the world go through them. I just have to keep doing what I was doing.”
And Taylor said the coaching staff must keep giving Smith quality minutes. His line with center Kyle Criscuolo (pointless in four games) and Nick Baptiste produced seven shots, including four by Smith.
“We have to stick with him and that’s the biggest thing with giving him his confidence,” Taylor said.
Smith certainly could have ended his scoreless drought late in the third period when he was tripped on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot. But goalie Charlie Lindgren wasn’t fooled by Smith and turned away the shot with his blocker.
The Amerks have a chance to find a way to win at home twice next weekend. Bridgeport and Greece native Stephen Gionta come to town Friday and Lehigh Valley is here on Saturday.
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