AHL Quick Hits

LOOKING BACK:
On Tuesday, rookie forward Maxime Sauve tallied a pair of third-period power play goals as Providence doubled up Connecticut, 4-2… Rookie Jacob Josefson (2-1-3) and 2011 AHL All-Star Matt Anderson (1-2-3) each posted three points to lead Albany past Bridgeport, 6-4… Jhonas Enroth made 27 saves on 28 shots as Portland edged Norfolk, 2-1… Three-time AHL All-Star T.J. Hensick nabbed the game-winning goal and added an assist in Lake Erie’s 3-2 triumph over Rockford… On Monday, Greg Rallo’s overtime goal lifted Texas past San Antonio, 3-2.

Mon 1/24
TEXAS 3, San Antonio 2 (OT)

Tue 1/25
PORTLAND 2, Norfolk 1
Albany 6, BRIDGEPORT 4
Providence 4, CONNECTICUT 2
PEORIA 3, Rockford 2


LOOKING AHEAD:
The North Division’s third- and fourth-place teams square off tonight when Toronto (51 points) visits Lake Erie (49 points) for the first time since collecting a 7-4 win in Cleveland on Dec. 11… Only the North’s top three teams are guaranteed a postseason bid, and the Monsters are currently seven points back of Houston to avoid a crossover from the West Division’s fifth-place team… Lake Erie totaled just two goals in losing back-to-back games last weekend, which followed a franchise-record-tying five-game winning streak… Monsters forward Julian Talbot has tallied three of his six goals (6-19-25) this season against Toronto, and team leading scorer Ben Walter (13-21-34) also shows three points (1-2-3) in the season series… David Van der Gulik is currently on a three-game scoring streak (2-1-3) for Lake Erie… Toronto, which beat Peoria and Houston last weekend, is bidding for its first three-game winning streak since a season-high five-game run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 4… Mike Zigomanis has registered a point in three straight games (1-3-4) and six of his last seven (3-6-9) for the Marlies… Toronto rookie Marcel Mueller boasts a team-high three goals vs. Lake Erie in 2010-11… The Marlies currently feature the AHL’s second-ranked penalty kill (86.4 percent).

Houston wraps up a three-game swing up north tonight with its lone visit of the year to Syracuse… The Aeros’ seven-game points streak (6-0-0-1) ended in a 4-2 loss at Toronto on Sunday, but Houston (56 points) is still part of a four-way tie for second place in the West Division race… Warren Peters has found the back of the net in each of his last two games for Houston, which has gone six straight contests without scoring more than three times, dating back to a 4-2 win at Rockford on Jan. 12… Houston’s Jon DiSalvatore, who shows 10 goals (10-18-28) and will need a strong final 31 games to achieve his eighth straight 20-goal season, has a point in five of his last six outings (3-4-7)… Robbie Earl had tallied a goal in three straight games before he was held off the scoresheet in Sunday’s loss… Syracuse, in the middle of a five-game homestand, is just 2-6-0-1 in its last nine contests… Crunch goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur (6-13-3, 2.83, .916) has made 40 or more saves in four of his six victories this season… Rookie John Mitchell scored twice in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Norfolk after totaling two goals in his first 29 games… Fellow Crunch rookie Maxime Macenauer shows 0-3-3 in his last two outings… The teams will conclude their season series on Mar. 4 in Houston.

Charlotte, which racked up a 9-5 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday, returns to Mohegan Sun Arena tonight for another tangle with the league-leading Penguins… The Checkers, coming off their second nine-plus goal effort of the season, sit in a third-place tie with Hershey in the East Division, two points back of second-place Norfolk… Charlotte is an impressive 14-6-1-0 on the road this season… Zach Boychuk (3-1-4) paced the Checkers’ offense in Sunday’s rout but was recalled by parent-club Carolina the next day… Zac Dalpe, who had four assists on Sunday, shows 2-9-11 in five games since returning from the Hurricanes and has taken over the AHL rookie scoring lead with 34 points (14-20-28) despite playing in just 28 games… Oskar Osala is riding a four-game scoring run (2-3-5) for the Checkers, and Jon Matsumoto has recorded 1-3-4 in his last two contests… Wilkes-Barre, which had the AHL’s best team defense before Sunday (2.30 goals allowed per game), now ranks fourth (2.44)… Penguins forward Brett Sterling has tallied two goals in each of his last two games and has collected a point in eight of his last nine (7-4-11)… Wilkes-Barre captain Ryan Craig (10-15-25) shows six assists in his last six games and is one of six Penguins skaters to have reached double-digits in goals thus far.

(all times Eastern)

Wed 1/26
Manitoba @ Hamilton, 10:30am
Abbotsford @ San Antonio, 11:30am
Binghamton @ Adirondack, 7:00
Toronto @ Lake Erie, 7:00
Norfolk @ Manchester, 7:00
Houston @ Syracuse, 7:00
Grand Rapids @ Rochester, 7:05
Charlotte @ W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Chicago @ Oklahoma City, 8:05

Thu 1/27
Lake Erie @ Hamilton, 7:00
Springfield @ Hershey, 7:00


ALUMNI WATCH:
In Tuesday’s action, Paul Byron, who shows 14-17-31 in 43 games with AHL Portland this season, notched his first career NHL goal in Buffalo’s 3-2 overtime win at Ottawa; 2010 AHL Rookie of the Year Tyler Ennis earned an assist on the play… Linus Omark registered a goal in Edmonton’s 4-3 victory at Phoenix… On Monday, 2011 AHL All-Star Ryan Stoa’s first NHL goal of the season was the game-winner as Colorado topped St. Louis, 4-3.


BY THE NUMBERS:
9 — Goals racked up by Portland’s Mark Mancari during his current five-game goal-scoring streak… Only three of his Pirates teammates – Derek Whitmore (18), Paul Byron (14), and Luke Adam (12) have totaled more than nine goals for the entire season.


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