By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
There was a time when three-on-three overtime in the NHL and AHL was nothing but unbridled chaos on skates, an end-to-end demonstration of speed and skill that often produced a half-dozen or more prime scoring chances in the five-minute extra period.
Today it often is a strategic chess match where possession of the puck is paramount and action is methodical and measured.
Don’t have a great shot? Then circle back to center and start over. Turn the 200-foot playing surface into a half-court game of keep-away until you finally wear down the opposition.
The Utica Comets worked that game plan to perfection on Wednesday night, when they squandered a 3-0 lead but still managed to defeat the Rochester Americans 4-3 at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
Thanks to an ability to win seemingly every faceoff, the Comets deployed that circle-back, half-court strategy at least four times before an attack by Xavier Parent, Brian Halonen and Seamus Casey finally produced the winning goal.
“Overtime is all about possession and having the puck and I thought they did a really good job,” Amerks coach Michael Leone said. “If you’re a really good faceoff team, you try to half-court them and you can’t get a change.”
Which is precisely what happened to the Amerks. Isak Rosen and Konsta Helenius – the scoring stars for the Amerks – and defenseman Zach Metsa were worn down and couldn’t derail the charge of Parent into the deep slot that produced the winning goal 3:21 into OT.
“It’s frustrating; they had puck possession almost the whole overtime,” Helenius said.
The Amerks (12-9-1-0) did earn the loser’s point for reaching overtime, a bit of an accomplishment considered they spotted Utica a 3-0 lead.
“At the end of the day it’s really important to get points and we found a way to get a point,” Leone said.
Rosen wasn’t quite as content, especially considering the Comets have just three wins this season (3-12-2-1).
“Maybe tomorrow, not right now; you always want to win,” said the third-year winger, who scored the Amerks first two goals and now has 8-8-16 in 11 games.
Since returning from a three-week recall to the Buffalo Sabres, Rosen has produced 3-1-4 in three games after scoring 3-4-7 in 10 NHL games. That production with the Sabres on the game’s biggest stage gave him a boost of confidence, especially since he was given prime playing time and not just used as a fourth-line fill-in.
“That’s my game and it helps to get more touches on the power play,” Rosen said. “It’s nice to see them use me like that.
“I felt like I belonged there and I just wanted to bring that down with me and keep getting better so I’m ready the next time.”
After a scoreless first period, the second period became a festival of goals. The Comets scored three times in the first 5:44, which had most of the crowd of 3,509 booing, but by the 14:56 mark it was tied 3-3.
Halonen opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the period by driving a one-timer from the left circle past Levi to the far side. Nathan Legare swept home a Casey rebound at 2:57 before Ryan Schmelzer’s first goal of the season – in his 18th game – gave the Comets the 3-0 lead at 5:44.
But just as Halonen started the Utica uprising, he triggered the Amerks rally as well. His senseless trip of Rosen in the Amerks zone gave Rochester a power play at 6:42 and they converted 43 seconds later.
Helenius worked out of the left wing circle and passed across to Rosen, who moved toward the right hash marks before zipping a wrist shot off the cross bar and down into the net.
“Usually when you get that much time you think too much,” Rosen said.
Rosen scored again at 12:24, this time zipping a wrister from the middle of the slot past Halonen and in off the left post.
“He has an elite shot, he’s an elite scorer,” Leone said.
Another offensive-zone penalty by the Comets – this one a slash by former Amerks Kyle Criscuolo – led to a power-play goal by Helenius at 14:56.
After extended offensive-zone pressure, Zac Jones found Helenius free at the top of the right circle. He angled into the slot, deked his way past Ethan Edwards, then fired a shot past the blocker of goalie Nico Daws for his sixth goal.
“(Carson) Meyer had a two-on-one in the first period and shot glove (which Daws stopped) and after everyone said the blocker is open,” Helenius said.
Amerks goalie Devon Levi, who made a breakaway save on Xavier Parent at 10:10, came up big again by stopping an Angus Crookshank penalty shot with 2.7 seconds remaining in the second period.
Faceoff woes
Leone had praised the effort of his group after Friday’s 4-3 victory over Syracuse, especially since they’re without any natural centers. Helenius has played far more on the wing, as has Anton Wahlberg, while the position is very new to Riley Fiddler-Schultz and Graham Slaggert.
It showed on Wednesday. Leone estimated they may have lost 75 percent of the draws, and that was a critical factor in puck possession in overtime.
“I think at one point (during regulation) we lost 16 in a row,” Leone said. “It’s something we have to keep working on, guys just getting reps at it and us possibly changing they way we pressure pucks after losses.”
I’ve said this before. Watch the videos of the first 3 home games of the season (the Marlies, the Crunch, and Laval). We played those games with an edge. We were physical in the dirty areas. We were beyond “pesky.” The opposing players were looking over the their shoulders. When the pucks were along the wall, we led with our bodies instead of swinging our sticks. We hit in the open ice. The opposition was uncomfortable. The intensity was there for most of those 60 minutes. Since then, for the most part, we have abandoned that part of our game. No one fears us now. Not even the Bridgeports and the Uticas. We have the skill, we have 1 solid goalie, but we sure don’t have 20 young men who are committed to doing the rest of the work; the grinding. At the moment, these guys are in a free fall. They are unwatchable- although for some reason I go to the games- like I have for 60 years.
I felt this was going to be a trap game, and it definitely turned out to be. When a team enters December with just 2 wins, you know they will eventually have to win a game. Even though our guys staged that nice little comeback after a brutal start to the 2nd period, for some reason they just stopped competing. Utica had the better of the play the entire 3rd period and as kevin so aptly described, the OT was all Comets.
We started to realize in the Syracuse game that Amerks weren’t winning any faceoffs. At one point Crunch iced the puck 4 straight times and Amerks lost every draw. Last night it continued and in the OT when winning a faceoff could have allowed for puck possession and player changes, Amerks couldn’t get it done.
Comets deserved this win. I really thought after Amerks tied it up that they would continue the onslaught, but instead they let Utica dictate the game for the entire 3rd period. Then the miserable OT when Amerks accomplished zilch.
You can’t afford to lose games like this, no matter who the opponent is. Wednesdays have not been kind to our guys this season. Maybe its the very small crowds? Even though they had been off since Friday night’s game, the team looked totally gassed last night, except for the 3 goal outburst.
The loser point was no consolation. The night ended unhappily.
Yes, it’s all relevant to puck possession, beginning with faceoffs. Oft times, the winning team may get outshot, but quality scoring chances are what matter!