COMETS TAKE ON DEVILS FOR SECOND TIME THIS WEEK
Nov 9, 2019UTICA COMETS (8-4-0-0) vs. BINGHAMTON DEVILS (5-7-2-0)
Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, 7:05 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsBNG
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets look to stay undefeated on the season as they face off against the Binghamton Devils. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
Last Game: Utica jumped out to an early 1-0 lead but it would not be enough as the Comets were tripped up by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Mitch Eliot scored his first professional goal in the loss. Michael DiPietro made 29 saves.
Head to Head: This is the fifth meeting between the Comets and Devils this season. The Comets lead the season series 3-1-0-0, but Binghamton won the most recent contest 4-2 Wednesday night. Utica has outscored Binghamton 14-9 through three games. Reid Boucher leads all scorers with six points.
Scouting the Devils: Binghamton comes into tonight’s game with a record of 5-7-2-0 and sits in seventh place in the North Division. They most recently beat the Rochester Americans 4-3 in a shootout last night. Ben Street leads the offense with 15 points, followed by Brett Seney with 14 points. Gilles Senn is the top netminder with a record of 3-2-1, a 2.93 goals-against average, and a .895 save percentage.
Close Quarters: Expect another close contest tonight. Dating back to last season, six of the last eight games between the Comets and Devils were decided by two goals or less. The lone exception this season was Utica’s 5-1 drubbing of Binghamton back on October 25.
Dynamic Duo: Francis Perron and Kole Lind have played exceptionally well against the Devils so far this season. Both Lind and Perron have tallied five points each against Binghamton and have combined for seven assists against the Devils. Overall, Perron has eight points (2-6-8) this season, while Lind has racked up 10 (3-7-10).
Ready to Blow: Tyler Graovac hasn’t recorded a point yet this season, but he’s on the verge of breaking through. The big forward showed flashes of his offensive prowess last night against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, threading the needle on several passes and creating a number of chances offensively. It’s only a matter of time he starts to show why he put up 24 goals and 50 points last season with Stockton.
Just Killin’ It: The Comets penalty kill continues to be a strong suit. Utica’s penalty has only allowed two power play goals on the road this season and have killed off six penalties in a row away from home. Overall, the Comets’ penalty kill ranks fifth in the AHL at 91.1%.
Next Game: The Comets return to the ice Monday afternoon when they host the Syracuse Crunch on Military Appreciation Day. Puck drop is at 3 p.m., preceded by a wreath laying ceremony on the Plaza at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.