COMETS CONCLUDE HOMESTAND AGAINST MARLIES
Dec 22, 2017UTICA COMETS (12-11-5) vs. TORONTO MARLIES (21-8-0)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHL Live | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK, Desktop or Mobile
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Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets battle the Toronto Marlies. Puck drop at Adirondack Bank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets defeated the Toronto Marlies by a score of 5-2 Wednesday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Jayson Megna struck 36 seconds into the game. Philip Holm tallied the assist. Dymtro Timashov tied the game three minutes later. Holm regained the lead with a power play goal at the 7:05 mark of the opening frame. Megna and Bancks picked up the assists. Ben Smith tied the game at two with 12:51 to go in the second period. Michael Carcone put the Comets back on top at the 18:20 mark of the middle frame. Zack MacEwen earned the assist. Alexis D’Aoust extended the lead to 4-2 with 6:06 remaining in regulation. Ashton Sautner and Bancks picked up the assists. Patrick Wiercioch made it 5-2 on the power play three minutes later. Dylan Blujus and D’Aoust collected the assists. Thatcher Demko finished with 32 saves and his record improved to 10-6-3.
Head-to-Head: The Marlies lead the season series 3-1-0, but the Comets won the most recent matchup 5-2 on Wednesday night. The Marlies are outscoring the Comets 14-11 through four games.
Scouting the Marlies: The Marlies come in with a record of 21-8-0 and sit in first place in the North Division, but have lost their last three games. Ben Smith is the leading scorer with 24 points, followed by Andreas Johnsson with 19 points. Garret Sparks leads the goaltending tandem with a record of 11-4-0, a 1.64 goals-against average, and a .943% save percentage.
Power Play Dominance: The Comets power play has been lights out against the Marlies. In four games against Toronto, Utica’s man advantage is 5-17 (29.4%), which included a 2-4 performance Wednesday night. The Comets rank eighth in the AHL with a 19.1% conversion rate.
Riding High: The Comets continue to roll along after Wednesday’s win. Utica has collected points in 10 of their last 12 games to hold a firm grip of fourth place in the North Division. The Comets have also racked up points in three straight games on home ice.
Answering the Call: Michael Carcone really elevated his game lately. Carcone has totaled five points over his last six games after being held pointless in nine straight. The forward has also tied his goal total from last season with five goals in 21 games.
Marlie Killer: Alexis D’Aoust has torn up the Marlies this season. D’Aoust recorded his first pro point with a power play goal against Toronto on October 8. He also recorded a goal and an assist on Wednesday and has arguably played his best games this season against the Marlies.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action tomorrow night for game three of the Galaxy Cup series against the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL Live.