By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
If you just look at the raw numbers, you’d say the Rochester Americans were continuing to play quite well.
Sure, they lost 2-1 in a shootout in Monday’s Martin Luther King Day matinee against the visiting Utica Comets, but they still earned a point in the standings for the 29th time in the past 35 games.
That is a rather remarkable stretch, and it’s why they still have the second-best record in the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference (23-10-4-3, 54 points).
Except Amerks coach Chris Taylor doesn’t see it that way. He sees an overall effort that has tailed off. He sees upper-end talent performing at mid-range levels. He sees — but can’t necessarily say — prospects taking away ice time from guys who maybe won’t ever see the NHL but who give him a high-end work ethic every night.
And that’s what has been noticeably absent of late for the Amerks.
“Our 50/50 battles (for pucks) have not been good,” said Taylor, whose club played poorly in Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Syracuse. “Syracuse, they work hard. Utica, they work hard. We don’t play well against them because of that, and that bugs me.
“We’re supposed to be going upwards, not downwards, and we’re going downwards right now.”
That’s why it’s not easy for Taylor to sit out guys like Colin Blackwell and Dalton Smith. They give him work ethic and battle. But because all the draft picks, the guys with more talent, are healthy, they get the lineup spots right now.
“And that’s the biggest thing,” Taylor admitted. “Those guys work hard, they chip pucks behind the ‘D,” they wear them down.”
Meanwhile, second-year winger Alex Nylander is playing — though not on the power play — with little passion and even less productivity from his spot on the fourth line with Eric Cornel and Justin Bailey.
Nylander didn’t have a shot on goal Monday, when the Comets outshot the Amerks 42-28 but were stonewalled time and time against by All-Star goalie Linus Ullmark.
Taylor made it clear that no one is simply given playing time because of their status on the depth chart.
“I’m rolling four lines, they can’t say it’s ice time,” Taylor said. “They’re judged and if they’re not performing they go down the lineup (from second line to third, from third line to fourth). They lose power play and penalty killing minutes.”
And if they still don’t perform, or battle, then they’ll be out of the lineup, Taylor said.
Seth Griffith scored the Amerks only goal, tying the score 1-1 at 14:19 of the second period. That was one time when the Amerks looked sharp, with Kevin Porter, Brendan Guhle and Zach Redmond all playing a role in setting up the shot from high in the left-wing circle.
But the Amerks weren’t dangerous offensively very often. Utica goalie Thatcher Demko was required to make just four other saves in the second period and nine in the third. They Amerks were outshot 8-2 in overtime and then couldn’t score in the shootout (though Griffith hit the post after his deke froze Demko).
Ullmark’s 41 saves are why the Amerks earned that point in the standings.
“Every night he gives us a chance to win,” Griffith said.
The Amerks play the next five games on the road, starting with a Wednesday night game in Utica. They aren’t home again until after the Jan. 28-29 All-Star break for a Feb. 2 meeting with the division-leading Toronto Marlies.
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