COMETS FACE AMERKS FOR FINAL TIME AT HOME
Feb 27, 2019UTICA COMETS (29-20-5-2) vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (33-17-3-2)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #ROCvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Rochester Americans. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets battled but saw their eight-game point streak come to an end following a 4-1 loss to the Binghamton Devils on Saturday at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. Kyle Thomas scored the lone goal for the Comets. Michael Leighton made 39 saves in the loss.
Head-to-Head: This is the ninth meeting between the Comets and Americans this reason. Rochester leads the season series 5-3-0-0 and won the most recent matchup 4-3 in overtime last Friday. The Comets have been outscored 31-22 through eight games this year.
Scouting the Americans: Rochester comes in with a record of 33-17-3-2 and sits in first place in the North Division. They most recently fell to the Belleville Senators 5-3 this past Saturday. Victor Olofsson leads the offense with 46 points, followed by Zach Redmond with 45 points. Scott Wedgewood is the top netminder with a record of 20-9-2, a 2.70 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
Zack Attack Is Back: Zack MacEwen will look to pick up where he left off before being recalled to Vancouver earlier this month. MacEwen had six points in two games prior to his recall. While in Vancouver, he played in four games and tallied an assist. MacEwen has 42 points (17-25-42) in 49 games with the Comets this year.
Special Teams Showdown: Special teams will play a huge role in tonight’s game. Rochester boasts the fifth best power play in the league (21.5%) and the seventh best penalty kill (83.2%). Utica comes in with the 20th ranked penalty kill (80.3%) and 10th ranked power play (19.8%). However, the Comets have struggled against the Amerks special teams, only converting on 17.1% of their power plays and killing off 63.6% of their penalties.
Stepping Up: Reid Gardiner and Kyle Thomas are making the most of their latest opportunity. Gardiner has two points in his last three games and has been noticeable in all three zones. Thomas has also made a good impression, picking up a goal and an assist in his first two games with Utica. Keep an eye on these two to make things happen as the Comets look for more secondary scoring.
Chasing History: Reid Boucher is closing in on another Comets record. He is one goal shy of tying his own record for goals scored in a single season and 12 points back of tying the record for points in a single season. Cal O’Reilly holds the record with 62 points. Boucher has 50 points (24-26-50) in 44 games this year.
Next Game: The Comets are back in action Friday night against the Hershey Bears. Puck drop at the Adirondack Bank Center is at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.