(WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Rochester Americans have gotten up off the mat quite a few times this season, and they did it again on Friday in their most important game of the season.
The Amerks stave off elimination with a 5-1 win over the Laval Rocket to force a winner-take-all Game 5 of the North Division Final on Sunday in Quebec. The winner will face the Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference Final of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Amerks goalie Devon Levi had struggled in two of the three games in the series, but he was at his best on Friday, stopping 22-of-23 shots faced.
Levi is now 5-2 in this year's playoffs with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. In this series, he’s 2-2 with a 3.29 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage.
It wasn’t Jiri Kulich or Isak Rosen doing the damage in this game for Rochester. It was Josh Dunne, who had two goals and two assists for four points. Tyson Kozak also had a goal and an assist for the Amerks.
Rochester opened the scoring on the power play midway through the first period when Lukas Rousek did what he does best: Threaded a perfect pass in the slot to a wide-open Dunne, who beat Rocket goalie Jacob Fowler.
On the second goal late in the first period, Rocket defenseman Logan Mailloux turned the puck over to Dunne on the left wall. Kozak went to the net and tipped in his first of the playoffs to make it 2-0.
Early in the second period, Laval foolishly gave Rochester a 5-on-3 man advantage, where Rousek went to Dunne, who in one motion shoveled it to Rosen alone in front to give the Amerks a three-goal lead.
Joshua Roy got behind the Amerks defense in front of the net to put Laval on the board and cut the deficit to 3-1.
However, Amerks defenseman Kale Clague found Dunne in the deep slot, and it looked like Fowler was screened by his own defenseman. Then end result was Dunne's second tally to make it 4-1, and the end of the night for Fowler.
Fowler ended up playing just 29:22, giving up four goals on 14 shots faced.
In five playoff games this year, Fowler is 3-2 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. In this series, though, he’s 0-2 with a 5.45 goals-against average and an .837 save percentage.
The kid is only 20-years-old, and played three regular season games after finishing his three-year collegiate career at Boston College. Fowler was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
Meanwhile, Cayden Primeau played 30:38 for Laval and stopped 6-of-7 shots faced.
In this series, Primeau is 2-0 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. In the playoffs, he’s 2-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
I don’t understand why Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent would go with Fowler after Primeau pretty much stole Game 3 for Laval. Fowler also played Game 2 back in Rochester and lost, 5-3.
Rochester scored two power play goals, going 2-for-6, and also went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. That also included a shorthanded goal in the third period.
A couple of youngsters combined for the shorthanded tally, as 21-year-old defenseman Nikita Novikov scooped up a rebound in front of his net and took off with 19-year-old Konsta Helenius. Novikov used his speed to come right down the slot and dish off to the open Helenius. The 2024 first-round pick made no mistake, wiring a shot past Primeau to make it 5-1, Rochester.
By the way, Novikov doesn't play like a sixth-round pick, which he was in the 2021 NHL Draft. After just two seasons in Rochester, he looks like a player that will play in the NHL one day.
With two assists, Clague now has points in six of his seven games. His five goals and six assists for 11 points is third overall, with two games in the Western Conference still going on.
Faceoff for Game 5 on Sunday is slated for 4:30 p.m. in Laval.
As for the Checkers, they finished second to Hershey in the Atlantic Division by two points this season, but beat the Bears in the Division Final in a three-games sweep. In the second round, they took out the Providence Bruins in five games.
Charlotte had two more points than the Amerks in the regular season, and seven points fewer than the Rocket.