By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
Somehow it just seems fitting that, on the final weekend of the regular season, that after 70 games have already been played, this 70th edition of the Rochester Americans still hasn’t clinched what so far has been an elusive playoff berth.
This team has never really done things the easy way, so why wouldn’t their hopes of tearing open the invitation to the American Hockey League’s post-season party take place in the shadow of the finish line.
It didn’t have to be this way, of course. Had the Amerks (31-30-5-4) just earned a point against the Cleveland Monsters in Friday’s home finale, then Saturday night’s game at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Sunday’s matinee at Hershey wouldn’t have had any significance. The Amerks would have clinched a Calder Cup playoff spot.
But by giving up the tie-breaking goal to Jack Williams with just 5:01 remaining and losing 2-1, they instead must find a way to get a point in Pennsylvania. Or, they could still snare the fifth and final playoff spot in the North Division if Utica doesn’t win at Providence on Saturday night.
While the pressure now has certainly been ramped up, goalie Devon Levi said that’s a good situation.
“I personally like playing playoff hockey before you get in,” said Levi, who made several clutch stops on the 30 shots he faced. “Just being in the games that are hard to win – playoff(-like) games that get you ready for when the time comes – are super important. I think it’s a great weekend for us.”
He has a point. If you can’t prove that you’re up to the task now, what’s the point of extending the season.
“We need one point to get in,” Levi said. “If we want to be a team that competes in the playoffs, we should at least get that this weekend.”
Perhaps by Saturday, coach Michael Leone will have forgotten how close they were to clinching in front of Friday’s sellout crowd of 10,662.
But a 1-1 tie and the strong possibility of overtime turned into the 2-1 loss when the Amerks lost an offensive zone faceoff, then lost coverage on the guy who took the draw.
Williams worked to open space near the right wing boards at the blue line and was free to take a long, cross-out outlet pass from defenseman Charlie Elick. Williams then sprinted into the Amerks zone on right wing, angled toward the slot and fired a point-blank shot in off Levi’s left arm.
“In these circumstances, we need to close out games,” said winger Olivier Nadeau, whose 13th goal of the season tied the score 6:05 into the third period.
While the late goal was haunting, so, too, were the missed opportunities by the Amerks. Anton Wahlberg had two great chances in the first 22 minutes yet failed to score and Matteo Costantini misfired on a late second-period breakaway.
During a late first-period power play, Konsta Helenius set up Wahlberg in the right wing circle for a one-timer toward an open net, but goalie Zach Sawchenko read the play and was able to shift across his crease and block the shot.
Then 1:49 into the second period Wahlberg was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked on a breakaway but Sawchenko again won the showdown, this time making a blocker save.
Brendan Gaunce then broke a scoreless tie 4:46 later, thanks to a fortunate carom. Dysin Mayo’s shot from the right point hit the right shin of Cleveland winger Zach Aston-Reese at the top of the crease. The puck bounced out into the left circle and Amerks goalie Devon Levi had no chance to stop the shot by Gaunce.
The Amerks finally tied the score early in the third when Nadeau established position at the top of the crease and redirected Gavin Bayreuther’s shot from the center point.
Cleveland, however, retaliated with the late-period goal by Williams, meaning the Amerks still don’t know if they’re playoff bound.
“Obviously we wanted that point, we wanted to clinch in front of our fans,” Nadeau said.
They’ll attempt to do that either Saturday in Wilkes-Barre or Sunday in Hershey.
“You can’t control what anybody else does, you just have to get a point,” Leone said.
Penalty shot futility: Wahlberg was the second Amerk to take a penalty shot this season (Jake Leschyshyn at Syracuse on March 28), while opponents have been awarded three. Shooters are a combined 0-for-5. Lukas Rousek was the last Amerk to score on a penalty shot, at home vs. Syracuse on Dec. 27, 2023.
Amerks team awards
Fairand/O’Neil Sportsmanship and McCullough Trophy for community service: Riley Fiddler-Schultz
Rob Zabelny Unsung Hero and Most Popular Player: Jagger Joshua
Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player: Olivier Nadeau.
MVP: Zac Jones
For the Amerks to miss the playoffs it means they will have had to end the season with 5 straight losses and Utica with 3 straight wins.Already Utica is 2/3 toward that goal and just needs a win in providence tonight to complete the job. Normally this would seem unlikely but Providence has already locked up number 1 overall and so many of the regular players are probably resting so a Utica win wouldn’t be an upset and actually should be very likely. The Amerks best shot should be tonight playing a team that is solidly in second place without any worries of advancing or declining in the standings so they are similar to providence and are likely resting many regular players. That said this Amerks team isn’t great under pressure and being without there mvp jones creates a huge hole in the offensive production as seen last night. A loss tonight by the Amerks and a Utica win wouldn’t create a very intense pressure situation going into Hershey tomorrow, a place where the Amerks notoriously have not played well. Normally Leone wouldn’t play Levi 2 games in a row when the second game is the next day but I’d expect this scenario would be an exception the Amerks need to win tonight and Leone knows it! They start an hour before providence Utica game and so Leone has to go in assuming Utica will win and cannot afford to go in with anything but the best available lineup. And if tomorrow turns into a situation where the Amerks need a point I’d expect Levi would even play 3 days in a row.
Just an awful season. It has nothing to do with call-ups or youthfulness. Its coaching. They play European style hockey in a North American league. They rely on finesse instead of being physical and diffult to play against. Buffalo got better because they got tougher. Hopefully, with Karmanos and Adams gone, Leone will be shipped to Finland or Denmark, where his philosophy will be more effective. Hockey is still Hockey, no matter how Bettman tries to mess with it. “If you cant beat em in the alley, you cant beat em on the ice.” Conn Smythe 100 years ago.
We have become used to being disappointed, a lot, this season. Last nights game was a HUGE disappointment. Why is it one may ask, that Utica could come out and easily beat a Providence team that had virtually nothing special to play for. Yet that same Providence team had nothing to play for last weekend either and they destroyed the Amerks..who most certainly had something to play for and failed miserably.
One team wanted to win desperately and went out and did it. The other apparently is not quite as desperate and for some reason has not gotten up for their last 3 games. We know Amerks have a major problem scoring goals. It was so obvious last night. they had chances, but nobody could finish. Then when Levi HAD TO come up with the big save, he didn’t.
Everyone can have their theories, and thats all they would be, as to why the Amerks have not played with the desperation and resolve needed to finish the job. Last night a huge crowd, last home game, a chance to clinch a playoff spot and celebrate in front of the home fans—none of that seemed to matter. I have to wonder whether the local leadership is not revving these guys up. I wonder if its more important that they are watching Buffalo. I wonder if they aren’t getting the juice needed because it really isn’t important.
Its very unpopular to even suggest those things here. When our coach wears a Sabres hoodie to do press interviews with a playoff spot on the line, thats where it begins and ends with me. Why? Is it really that necessary for our coach to not wear his team’s colors? and if he isn’t doing that, what else is he not doing to motivate his guys to walk the extra miles? Is making the playoffs not a thing with him down here?
We have no captain too. Leadership some may say is overrated. Its not. Its at the heart of success. Vegas was stumbling along just a couple weeks ago. Goodbye coach. Hello Public Enemy #1 in many circles. This morning Vegas is the Pacific Division winner. Some organizations don’t fool around.
Amerks don’t seem to have the win at any cost vibe. Its discouraging. they certainly aren’t the best team in the Conference but heck, there is no way they should be choking away a sure spot in the playoffs. But they are doing it. How could anyone walk away from last nights game the least bit satisfied?
WBS has nothing to play for tonite. Amerks do. But will they? Or don’t they really care.
well we sure found out. Tomorrow around 6pm Leone can pack his bag and Sabres hoodie and catch the last train to Clarksville. To not have his team prepared to compete last night was criminal. How can anyone say that winning here and making the playoffs is important to him when the team has totally fallen apart at the seams.
Utica has done all they can do..which has been IMO, the impossible. It actually would be a shame if they don’t get in now. Our guys so clearly don’t deserve it.
As a Comets fan we have always respected the Amerks organization and fans that travel well to The Aud. (Don’t we all hate the Crunch lol) Utica convincingly dominated Providence at the Aud but the Bruins rested top players like Tufte and best goalie in the AHL DiPietro. Saturday night Providence brought all their players and started DiPietro. Bruins had a chance to break an AHL record for winningest team by percentage points in AHL history. I don’t think the players really care about that crap but the Comets again dominated the Bruins especially the second period in front of a sold out barn. The Comets have the best Northern Division record over the last month and deserve the last spot. Not sure they are a Calder Contender but they sure as a heck have to be considered the most dangerous underdogs if they get in.
Amerks outplayed the Bears but backing into the playoffs by 1 point loss in OT? Well three game mini series vs Toronto next. See you next season.