Despite depleted lineup, Rosen, Levi help Amerks blank Utica

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

No Konsta Helenius. No Zac Jones. No Jack Rathbone. Still no Vsevolod Komarov.

And yet, no problem.

Despite somewhat of a patchwork lineup, especially on defense where ECHL call-ups Aidan Fulp and Peter Tischke played big minutes and big roles, the Rochester Americans blanked the Utica Comets 3-0 on Friday night.

Nikita Novokov, Isak Rosen and Ryan Johnson scored the goals and Devon Levi made 23 saves, then afterward thanked the 5,667 fans after he posted his second consecutive shutout at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

“There’s just like an atmosphere – pretty packed barn, energy,” Levi said. “The city is rallying around us.”

That was easy for them to do on Friday after watching the Amerks rally around themselves. They hardly possessed an abundance of firepower, and they only had two regulars on the blue line, Novikov and Johnson.

Yet as a team they limited the Comets to 23 shots and perhaps only five or six Grade-A chances while they scored once in each period against Utica goalie Jakub Malek.

“It speaks to our coaching, our structure and our next-man-up mentality,” said winger Jagger Joshua, whose net-front presence allowed Novikov to score the game’s first goal and who was posted up again when Johnson scored the clinching goal midway through the third period.

It also epitomized their willingness to worry about their own end first, about protecting the puck, about making sure they were in advantageous positions when battling for the puck.

“This was a great representation of what this group has been,” coach Michael Leone said after his team improved to 20-13-4-2 (46 points). “You need guys to step up; guys probably haven’t played this many minutes since U-18 or junior.”

Joshua may be one of those players. He ruled the net front, which is how the Amerks took the lead 16:49 into the first period.

As the puck came to Novikov at the left point, Joshua was able to fight off defenseman Calen Addison and post up in the deep slot. While the two continued their battle for position, Novikov’s wrister sailed past goalie Jakub Malek.

“I think that’s some of my identity,” Joshua said. “Any way you can help your team score.”

Of course, while several key pieces weren’t in the lineup, they did still have Rosen, who dazzled again in scoring his 19^th goal in just his 25th game.

The franchise’s only three-time All-Star since the AHL restored the midseason festival in 1995, Rosen first showed off his skating before putting his sniper-like shot on display.

He soared out of the Amerks zone and up the right wing and then, as he neared the right circle, hit the breaks and instantaneously sliced past Ryan Schmelzer and into the slot before lasering a high wrister past Malek’s glove.

Suddenly there was a two-goal cushion on scoreboard.

“His ability to change the game is as high level as anyone in this league,” Leone said.

With 19 goals and 11 assists, Rosen ranks eighth in the AHL in points per game (1.20). When it comes to goals among all AHL players, only John Leonard of Grand Rapids is scoring with greater frequency (25 in 29 games).

And his goal on Friday was the entire Rosen package.

“It’s always fun when you get the puck in the D-zone with a lot of speed,” Rosen said. “I had great speed and (Carson) Meyer made a great play to take the D-man and Wally (Anton Wahlberg) drove hard to the net.”

Leone, however, talked more about Rosen’s simple play in the third period than he did about the goal. With about six minutes remaining, rather than try to beat defenseman Dmitry Osipov as he entered the zone, he instead flipped it into the left corner and then sped in on the forecheck, preventing Osipov from getting possession.

“I’m really proud of Rosie, I think his game is in a really good place,” Leone said. “To me that’s a left of physicality to Rosie’s game. He stays on the puck, second effort, and we get a great O-zone shift out of that.”

The clinching goal came at 10:07 of the third period, on a power play. Johnson took a drop pass from Viktor Neuchev, wheeled through the right circle and tried to find Joshua at the left post with his past.

The puck instead caromed off the stick of defenseman Ethan Edwards and past Malek.

“I was really impressed with how hard we played,” Rosen said. “Beast (Levi) was obviously really good and we played hard in front of him.”