Amerks find winning very difficult with talent-stripped lineup

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

There are stretches during the American Hockey League season when a whole lot must go right for a team to win.

For the first 2 ½ months, the Rochester Americans played teams experiencing real-life AHL problems but never went through it themselves. They could overcome defensive-zone miscues, goaltending mistakes or foolish penalties simply because of their talent.

In the 24 games from October through December, the Amerks were averaging nearly four goals a game. Eight times they scored five goals or more.

Their young guns – Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka – were putting on a show nearly every night and the veteran forwards – like Michael Mersch, Mark Jankowski, Sean Malone and Ryan MacInnis – provided the perfect complement.

Now, however, with half of their regulars either on recall to the Buffalo Sabres or out with injury, life is a whole lot different for the Amerks. Scoring goals is a struggle. So, too, is preventing them.

Which is why, since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Amerks have won just eight of 22 games (8-9-3-2) and were swept in a three-game set over the weekend against North Division foes.

After a 4-2 setback in Utica on Friday and a 6-3 loss at Syracuse on Saturday, the Amerks fell 5-1 on home ice to the Laval Rocket on Sunday afternoon when they were playing their fourth game in six nights.

Ryan Scarfo scored the only Amerks goal and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was just so-so in front of season-high crowd of 6,576, the byproduct of a Kids Day promotion.

Shawn St. Amant, Peter Abbandonoto and former Amerk J-S Dea scored first-period goals for Laval, which was playing for just the second time in the week.

“They did what you need to do to a team that’s in a four-in-six,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “They put us on our heels early and they were fresh and they took advantage of that.

“And then we made the game a little difficult on ourselves. The first goal is a real innocent mistake defensively; it was a nothing play. And I think UPL would probably want two of those back as well. But credit to Laval for taking advantage of the schedule and putting us on our heels early.”

Appert said he had been satisfied with the Amerks ability to win ugly of late, that the group was doing its best to adapt to a defense-first, shut-it-down style. They’re well aware they won’t outgun anyone with this lineup.

Quinn (although hurt), Krebs and Jankowski are in Buffalo, along with defensemen Casey Fitzgerald and Mattias Samuelsson. Malone, MacInnis and Mersch (added to the injured list after Saturday’s game with a lower body injury) are hurt. Defenseman Brandon Davidson can’t play every night as he is eased back into full-time duty after a serious upper-body injury.

So it’s play stingy and try to win ugly.

“That is where we’re at right now with all the guys out of the lineup,” Appert said, “but this weekend we were unable to.

“We can’t chase the game with the guys we have out. We’re not going to be able to outscore our problems, so we’re going to have to win the way we have since Christmas, 2-1, 3-2. This weekend unfortunately teams got the lead on us and that makes the game hard on us right now.”

Falling behind early, and big, was the biggest problem on Sunday.

“It’s three-in-three but we still have to find a way to show up,” veteran defenseman Ethan Prow said. “Obviously there’s no excuses. We know it’s a Sunday at 3. The start kind of got us in a hole and we ended up fighting from behind.”