East Notes: Pirates break out of skid

Also see… West Notes

phi_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Adirondack dropped its third straight game on Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to Connecticut and fell to 0-3-0-0 against the Whale this season… Denis Hamel tallied a goal for the Phantoms and needs just two more scores to reach the 300-goal plateau for his AHL career… Rookie Ben Holmstrom has registered five points (1-4-5) in his last two games after totaling six points (5-1-6) in his first 27 contests this year… Defenseman Danny Syvret shows five goals and eight points in just 10 games since joining Adirondack from the Syracuse Crunch… The Phantoms conclude a three-game homestand this weekend against Hershey and Abbotsford.
 
alb06_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Albany is currently on a three-game losing skid and has been outscored 14-5 in that span… The Devils are just 4-11-0-0 at home this season compared with a 7-5-0-0 mark away from the Times Union Center… At 11-16-0-0 for the year, Albany is one of two AHL teams yet to suffer either an overtime or a shootout loss this season (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is the other)… Stephen Gionta scored on Saturday vs. Worcester in his first game back following an NHL stint with New Jersey… Albany heads to Norfolk for a pair of games this weekend.
 
bng_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Binghamton extended its points streak to three games (2-0-0-1) on Sunday with a 6-5 shootout win at Rochester… It marked the B-Sens’ first victory in three tries against the Americans this season (1-1-0-1)… Defenseman Derek Smith is on a three-game scoring streak (2-3-5) and tallied a goal in both ends of Binghamton’s home-and-home set with Rochester last weekend… Corey Locke (4-2-6) and Andre Benoit (1-4-5) are also on three-game scoring runs, and Locke has a goal in all three contests… The Senators host Syracuse and Charlotte this weekend before visiting Rochester again on Sunday.
 
bri06_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Bridgeport has a point in four straight games (3-0-0-1) and nine of its last 10 (6-1-1-2) to climb to 13-12-1-2 for the season… This is the first time the Sound Tigers have had a points percentage of better than .500 since defeating Worcester on opening night, back on Oct. 9… Rhett Rakhshani has put up multiple points in four straight games (3-6-9) and has moved into a tie in the AHL rookie scoring race with 24 points (10-14-24) in 27 games overall… Former first-round draft pick Josh Bailey shows 12 points (4-8-12) and a plus-5 rating in eight games since joining Bridgeport from the parent N.Y. Islanders… The Sound Tigers are home for three divisional games this weekend, hosting Springfield, Worcester, and Portland.
 
Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Charlotte, which is currently riding an AHL season-high five-game road winning streak, embarks on a five-game road trip on Friday in Providence before visiting Binghamton and Hershey to close the weekend… The Checkers will not play at home again until a Jan. 1 date with the Senators… Goaltender Mike Murphy is on a personal five-game winning streak and has not lost since a 5-2 setback to Hershey on Nov. 9… Jacob Micflikier shows four goals and seven points in his last five games… The Checkers are among the AHL’s top-three in both power play (21.8 percent; 3rd) and penalty kill (88.0 percent; 2nd).
 
con_200-1.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Connecticut has won five straight games and is 9-1-0-2 in its last 12 games, following a 4-10-2-2 start to the season… The five-game winning streak is the franchise’s longest since the Hartford Wolf Pack won seven in a row from Feb. 20 to Mar. 4, 2009… The club is 7-0-0-1 since being renamed the Whale prior to its game on Nov. 27 vs. Bridgeport… Connecticut, which topped the three-goal mark in regulation just three times in its first 27 games, has now done so in three straight outings… Kris Newbury has run his scoring streak to seven games (3-11-14), and his 26 assists overall are good for a share of the league lead… The Whale host Worcester on Friday and visit Syracuse on Sunday.
 
her_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Hershey’s season-high four-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday in a 5-3 loss at Charlotte… The Bears, who are now 16-10-0-1 on the year, did not suffer their 10th regulation loss last season until a 5-0 setback at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Feb. 13 dropped them to 40-10-0-2… Jay Beagle has netted a goal in four of his last five games after scoring just three times in his first 19 contests this season… Defenseman Sheldon Souray on Sunday scored his first AHL goal since the 1996-97 season with the Albany River Rats… Hershey visits Adirondack on Friday before hosting Providence and Charlotte to close the weekend.
 
mch06_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Manchester beat Worcester last Friday but then suffered regulation losses to Connecticut and Portland, the Monarchs’ first set of back-to-back setbacks since a three-game skid from Nov. 6-13… Thomas Hickey (1-3-4) and defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov (0-4-4) have each found the scoresheet in three straight games, and Corey Elkins has three goals in his last three games after managing two scores in his previous 15 outings… The Monarchs have been involved in a league-low two overtime games thus far, losing in both overtime and a shootout… Manchester plays a home-and-home with Portland this weekend and then hosts Worcester on Sunday.
 
nor_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Norfolk is on a six-game points streak (5-0-1-0) to move within five points of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the East Division and overall AHL lead… The Admirals are averaging a league-high 4.04 goals per game, a 0.45 per game average better than second-ranked Hershey (3.59)… The Admirals feature a league-high eight players who have scored at least eight goals, headlined by leading goal-scorer Johan Harju (13-10-23), who returned on Thursday from an NHL stint with Tampa Bay… Defenseman Troy Milam has three goals and five points in his last three games… The Admirals host Albany for a pair of games this weekend.
 
por_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Portland broke out of a 1-5-0-1 funk with three road wins in as many days last weekend, beating Providence, Adirondack, and Manchester… The Pirates, who began the year 13-3-1-0 prior to the slump, are now tied with the Monarchs atop the Atlantic Division with 36 points apiece… Rookie Maxime Legault entered the weekend with one goal in 22 contests but scored three times in the three games… Eleven players on the Pirates’ roster have reached double-digit point totals… Rookie Luke Adam (11-8-19, plus-10) was returned by Buffalo on Wednesday… The Pirates play a home-and-home with Manchester this weekend before visiting Bridgeport on Sunday.
 
pro_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Providence suffered two losses in three games last weekend and dipped to 2-4-0-0 for the month of December… Juraj Simek and former first-round draft pick Jordan Caron made their Providence debuts on Friday in a 5-1 loss to Portland; Caron, who had spent the entire year with parent-club Boston, registered an assist in the loss… Defenseman Sean Zimmerman made his P-Bruins debut in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Springfield… Rookie Max Sauve returned to the lineup on Friday after missing the previous 19 games to injury… The Bruins are 8-2-1-0 on the road but just 3-10-1-1 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center… The B’s host Charlotte and Springfield this weekend, with a visit to Hershey in between.
 
spr_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Springfield halted its season-high four-game winless skid (0-3-1-0) on Sunday with a 4-1 triumph at Providence… Matt Calvert tallied his team-leading 13th goal of the year in the victory, but it marked his first game-winner… Calvert (13-9-22) and fellow first-year pro Tomas Kubalik (9-9-18) continue to sit atop the Falcons’ scoring list… Calvert’s 22 points are just two shy of the AHL rookie lead… Defenseman Nick Holden shows an assist in three straight games (0-4-4), and Grant Clitsome has a point in four straight (4-2-6)… The Falcons visit Bridgeport on Friday and Providence on Sunday.
 
syr10_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Syracuse began the season 6-4-1-2 but is just 3-10-0-1 in 14 games since that time… The Crunch have won two games in overtime this season, and Josh Green has tallied the game-winner on both occasions, most recently the club’s 4-3 victory at Norfolk on Dec. 8… Green is on a three-game scoring run (2-1-3) and has a point in six of his last seven outings (4-3-7)… Matt Beleskey shows a point in three of his last four AHL contests (2-2-4) but missed four games while on NHL recall to Anaheim… The Crunch visit Binghamton on Friday before hosting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Connecticut to close the weekend.
 
wbs_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lost consecutive games for the first time all season last weekend but snapped the mini-slump with a 2-1 overtime victory over Abbotsford on Wednesday… Nick Johnson extended his points streak to three games (3-1-4) with the overtime game-winner in that one… The Penguins are 0-3-0-0 against Norfolk this season and 22-3-0-0 against all other opponents… Eric Tangradi’s four-game scoring streak (6-3-9) ended on Wednesday, as did defenseman Corey Potter’s four-game run (0-6-6)… Wilkes-Barre hosts Abbotsford again on Friday before visiting Syracuse on Saturday.
 
wor_200.jpg Schedule/Scores Player Stats
Goalie Stats
Worcester is 5-1-0-1 in its last seven games to climb within a point of Portland and Manchester for first place in the Atlantic Division… The Sharks had lost four of their first five trips to the shootout this season prior to Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Bridgeport… Jonathan Cheechoo has multiple points in five of his last six games (4-6-10) and continues to pace the Sharks with 11 goals, 19 assists, and 30 points for the season… No other Worcester skater has as many as 20 points on the year thus far… The Sharks play three road games in as many days this weekend, visiting Connecticut, Manchester, and Worcester.