LOOKING BACK:
The road team won all three games on Tuesday’s AHL schedule… Rookie Adam Henrique scored twice and Dave Caruso posted a 37-save shutout as Albany blanked Charlotte, 3-0… Keith Aucoin’s sixth game-winning goal of the year sent Hershey to a 2-1 triumph at Norfolk… Rookie netminder Ben Scrivens stopped 34 of 35 shots to help Toronto edge Manitoba, 2-1… On Monday, Lake Erie scored once in each period en route to a 3-2 victory over Texas.
Mon 2/14
LAKE ERIE 3, Texas 2
Tue 2/15
Albany 3, CHARLOTTE 0
Hershey 2, NORFOLK 1
Toronto 2, MANITOBA 1
LOOKING AHEAD:
Worcester puts its five-game winning streak on the line tonight as the Sharks make their first-ever visit to Rochester… Worcester has played just once in the last 10 days, posting a 5-0 win at Springfield on Friday, and sits one point back of Connecticut for the Atlantic Division’s third and final guaranteed playoff spot… The Sharks have recorded back-to-back shutouts – one apiece by rookie Carter Hutton (20 saves vs. Providence on Feb. 5) and newcomer Daren Machesney (25 saves on Friday) – since losing starting netminder Alex Stalock to injury… Andrew Desjardins, who put up 2-1-3 in Friday’s win, has recorded seven points (4-3-7) in his last six games for the Sharks… Benn Ferriero has a point in all three games (1-3-4) since returning from parent-club San Jose, and All-Star defenseman Justin Braun shows a point in three straight (0-3-3) and four of his last five (2-3-5)… The Amerks are coming off wins over division rivals Hamilton and Grand Rapids last weekend… Defenseman Clay Wilson registered two assists in both victories on the weekend, and his 28 helpers for the year (8-28-36) rank third among AHL rearguards… Chris Taylor notched a pair of goals in the Amerks’ 4-3 win at Worcester back on Oct. 29, the teams’ only prior meeting this season… Rochester (13) and Worcester (10) have combined to surrender 23 shorthanded goals this year.
North Division foes Toronto and Manitoba are set to wrap up a two-game set tonig
ht in Winnipeg, after the Marlies collected a 2-1 victory on Tuesday… Despite a 1-4-0-0 mark in their last five games, the Moose still lead the North by two points over Lake Erie (pending the Monsters’ Wednesday matinee outcome), while Toronto checks in two points back of a postseason spot… Marlies forward Matt Caruana notched the game-winning goal on Tuesday, sending Toronto to its first win in four tries against Manitoba this season (1-3-0-0)… Mike Zigomanis continues to lead the Marlies in scoring with 33 points (8-25-33) in 47 games but is currently on his first three-game points drought since mid-December… Rookie Nazem Kadri is without a point in his last two games after recording one in four of his previous five outings (2-3-5)… Manitoba rookie Bill Sweatt has totaled 13 goals (13-23-36) in 53 games this season and has netted three of the 13 vs. Toronto… Guillaume Desbiens snapped a nine-game goal-scoring drought with the Moose’s lone tally in Tuesday’s loss… Sergei Shirokov has recorded five assists – four of them on Saturday vs. San Antonio – in 10 games since returning from an NHL stint with Vancouver… Manitoba (87.2 percent) and Toronto (87.0) boast the AHL’s top two penalty-killing units.
Looking to inch closer to first place in the Atlantic Division, Portland hosts Providence tonight in the rivals’ seventh meeting of 2010-11… The Pirates (32-15-4-1, 69 points) are three points back of front-running Manchester and hold four games in hand on the Monarchs, including tonight… Portland is riding a three-game winning streak and has won 14 of its last 18 contests (14-4-0-0)… Corey Tropp (1-4-5), Mark Parrish (2-1-3), Luke Adam (1-2-3), and defenseman T.J. Brennan (3-3-6) all have a point in three straight games for the Pirates, and Brennan has netted a goal in each of those three contests… Fellow rearguard Marc-Andre Gragnani shows 1-3-4 totals in his last two outings, and Mark Mancari continues to lead the AHL in goals (29) while ranking third in points (55) through 49 games played… Mancari has racked up seven goals and nine points in five clashes with Providence this season… The Bruins, who sit nine points shy of a playoff berth, are looking to halt a six-game losing skid during which they’ve been outscored 26-10… Jamie Arniel continues to lead the B’s in goals (15) and points (32), and former first-round draft pick Zach Hamill (3-25-28 in 44 GP) is back following a three-game NHL stay with Boston… Trent Whitfield has five points (2-3-5) in just two appearances vs. Portland on the campaign.
(all times Eastern)
Wed 2/16
Texas @ Lake Erie, 10:45am
Providence @ Portland, 6:30
Bridgeport @ Springfield, 7:00
Syracuse @ Adirondack, 7:00
Hamilton @ Grand Rapids, 7:00
Worcester @ Rochester, 7:05
Peoria @ Rockford, 7:35
Toronto @ Manitoba, 8:30
Thu 2/17
Chicago @ Houston, 12:05pm
ALUMNI WATCH:
Recalled from AHL Portland earlier in the day, goaltender Jhonas Enroth made 32 saves before prevailing in a 10-round shootout as Buffalo rallied past Montreal, 3-2, on Tuesday… Elsewhere, 2009 AHL goaltender of the year Cory Schneider stopped 28 of 29 shots as first-place Vancouver topped Minnesota, 4-1… Rookie James Reimer made 32 stops and 2007 Calder Cup champion Mikhail Grabovski scored twice – including the game-winner – as Toronto defeated Boston, 4-3.
BY THE NUMBERS:
12 — Shorthanded goals scored by Grand Rapids this season – most in the AHL – after the Griffins totaled eight shorthanders during all of 2009-10… The Griffins tonight host a Hamilton club which has surrendered only three shorthanded goals on the year.
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