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Preview: Amerks/Bulldogs in Buffalo

By Melissa Kania

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Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE

After the league took a break Monday, American Hockey League action returns on Tuesday with three games on the schedule, including a match-up between the Rochester Americans and Hamilton Bulldogs at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

THE QUICK LOOK

  • Hamilton Bulldogs: 2-1, 4 points; 8th place in the Western Conference; 8 GF, 9 GA. The Bulldogs’ first game of the season was a 4-3 shootout win over the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 13. After five days off, the team returned to action in a home-and-home with the Marlies. After winning the first game 4-1 this past Friday, the Bulldogs suffered a 5-0 loss to Toronto on Saturday.
  • Rochester Americans: 3-2, 6 points; 5th place in the Western Conference; 20 GF, 21 GA. The Amerks opened the season at home with a 6-5 shootout win over the Syracuse Crunch on October 12. The next evening, Rochester dropped their road opener to Toronto by a score of 3-1. The same result would repeat on Tuesday against Binghamton. The Americans returned home on Friday and defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins by a score of 4-3, then traveled to Hershey the next evening in a wild, high-scoring 8-7 win.

LAST SEASON

  • The teams played each other 10 times last season.
  • The Bulldogs won 7 of the matchups last season, scoring a combined 33 goals and tallying 316 shots. In comparison, the Americans scored 27 goals and notched 294 shots.
  • David Leggio started six of the games last season against the Bulldogs. He also saw 19:03 of ice time in a December 30 loss. Drew MacIntyre, who is now playing overseas in Europe, played the other four games for the Americans.
  • Goaltending for Hamilton was split mainly between Robert Mayer and Nathan Lawson. Lawson is now with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, but Peter Delmas has taken his spot on the Bulldogs’ roster.

THE LEADERS

  • This season for Hamilton: Right winger Aaron Palushaj has two goals and one assist in three games, while center Louis Leblanc has two goals. Leblanc, Gabriel Dumont and Frederic St-Denis are all plus-1, while defenseman Brendon Nash is a plus-2. Right winger Mike Blunden leads the team with 13 penalty minutes.
  • Last season for Hamilton: Aaron Palushaj ranked third on the team in goals (15), assists (20), and points (35).
  • This season for Rochester: Left winger Marcus Foligno has five goals and three assists in five games. Defenseman T.J. Brennan and center Cody Hodgson each have seven points in five games. Defenseman Matt Mackenzie leads the team with a plus-five rating, while center Nick Tarnasky has 23 penalty minutes.
  • Last season for Rochester: Center Phil Varone led the team with 11 goals and 41 assists in 76 points. Marcus Foligno ranked fourth on the team with 16 goals and 23 assists in 60 contests.

A LOOK AHEAD

  • Tonight’s game is the first of 12 this season between Rochester and Hamilton. The teams will next face off in a home-and-home series on November 2 and 3 before meeting again in Rochester on November 14. Other games include a New Year’s Eve match in Rochester, as well as Jan. 11 and 21 and April 20 in Rochester. Hamilton will also host the Americans Feb. 18 and 22, March 30 and April 21 in their regular-season closing game.
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