AHL PLAYOFF GDT - Amerks @ Crunch - Saturday, May 4, 2024 - 7:05 PM (EDT) AHL TV, 950/95.7 WROC

[PromoTheRobot]

 

6 minutes ago, OverPowerYou said:

I wish I was able to watch these games. Went to an Amerks game in 1999. My first ever hockey game 

Wait till tomorrow. They will post extended game highlights. https://theahl.com/videocenter

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

Now we wait 6 days for game 5 in Rochester.

[PerreaultForever]

40 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I hope @PerreaultForever sees the highlights.

Too busy watching the Bruins beat the Leafs. Why, were they good? Did they outplay the Crunch or were they saved by Levi? 

(Levi, by the way I have always been high on and do think he will eventually be NHL ready. Just not sure that is next year or not. No one else on that roster impresses me but I also do have high hopes for Wahlberg.)

 

[PromoTheRobot]

14 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Too busy watching the Bruins beat the Leafs. Why, were they good? Did they outplay the Crunch or were they saved by Levi? 

(Levi, by the way I have always been high on and do think he will eventually be NHL ready. Just not sure that is next year or not. No one else on that roster impresses me but I also do have high hopes for Wahlberg.)

 

Never mind. Don't watch. Nothing happened.

[PerreaultForever]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Never mind. Don't watch. Nothing happened.

lol. I will get around to it. 

[K-9]

1 hour ago, French Collection said:

Levi with over 100 saves the last two games.

101/106. Not too shabby. 

[TheAud]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Just like the old days back at Northeastern.

You mean way back in the 2022-2023 season?  😉

[Porous Five Hole]

Well that was FUN! Crunch fans were gracious and confused. A combination of Syracuse backing off to protect the lead and ROC pressing made all the difference.  Halverson (Crunch goalie) lost the mojo and the Amerks made them pay. The Amerks vets (Biro & Murr) came through. Excited for game five in our barn!

[thewookie1]

Quite honestly the Amerks are an oddity in the AHL since they are very much akin to what the AHL is supposed to be, a developmental league. A lot of youngsters (19 to 26) with NHL aspirations and a few vets to shepherd them along. During the regular season it works for the most part because player are constantly getting sent down/called up and thus keeps teams developing primarily. 
 

The AHL playoffs are a different animal altogether. Whereas the NHL becomes less likely to make calls than usual but still generally resembles normal NHL play. The AHL playoffs turn into a no holds bar cage match and the Amerks aren’t exactly equipped to dominate a competition where skills mean less than how good you might be at playing dirty. This series has been much like the Bears series last year. A team of career AHLers and tweeners with a couple youngsters versus Rochester’s team of youngsters led by a few career AHLers and tweeners. As such they get bullied year round but whereas in the regular season they can use their speed and skill as well as PP to fight back; the playoffs practically let teams wrestle which is both absurd and unfair to the Amerks and multiple similar teams. A fast player can’t skate away if the opposing player can trip him without penalty. It’s why teams like the Hershey Bears are always near the top of the league; half of them are lifers that know this is their Stanley Cup and the other half are either being called up or developed for a future call up. When their NHL teams are eliminated, suddenly their teams play max experience allowed and while typically less refined in skill have a lot of pent up anger at the youngsters on the opposing side. Add to that refs that pretend to be blind and you get the Amerks struggles because they are more rule abiding and meant for the NHL versus pure AHL success. 

[PerreaultForever]

50 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Quite honestly the Amerks are an oddity in the AHL since they are very much akin to what the AHL is supposed to be, a developmental league. A lot of youngsters (19 to 26) with NHL aspirations and a few vets to shepherd them along. During the regular season it works for the most part because player are constantly getting sent down/called up and thus keeps teams developing primarily. 
 

The AHL playoffs are a different animal altogether. Whereas the NHL becomes less likely to make calls than usual but still generally resembles normal NHL play. The AHL playoffs turn into a no holds bar cage match and the Amerks aren’t exactly equipped to dominate a competition where skills mean less than how good you might be at playing dirty. This series has been much like the Bears series last year. A team of career AHLers and tweeners with a couple youngsters versus Rochester’s team of youngsters led by a few career AHLers and tweeners. As such they get bullied year round but whereas in the regular season they can use their speed and skill as well as PP to fight back; the playoffs practically let teams wrestle which is both absurd and unfair to the Amerks and multiple similar teams. A fast player can’t skate away if the opposing player can trip him without penalty. It’s why teams like the Hershey Bears are always near the top of the league; half of them are lifers that know this is their Stanley Cup and the other half are either being called up or developed for a future call up. When their NHL teams are eliminated, suddenly their teams play max experience allowed and while typically less refined in skill have a lot of pent up anger at the youngsters on the opposing side. Add to that refs that pretend to be blind and you get the Amerks struggles because they are more rule abiding and meant for the NHL versus pure AHL success. 

So just like the NHL playoffs vs. regular season right? 

You see where I'm going with this? The one constant I've always had on this board is I want the Sabres to build a team properly. A team that is built for the playoffs and not just the regular season. After over a decade of no playoffs I do not want another decade of Leaf style exits after it (if and when it finally ends). 

Teaching our kids how to play that type of hockey and how to battle through it should be part of the learning process and veterans on Rochester should be there to help them through it. 

[thewookie1]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

So just like the NHL playoffs vs. regular season right? 

You see where I'm going with this? The one constant I've always had on this board is I want the Sabres to build a team properly. A team that is built for the playoffs and not just the regular season. After over a decade of no playoffs I do not want another decade of Leaf style exits after it (if and when it finally ends). 

Teaching our kids how to play that type of hockey and how to battle through it should be part of the learning process and veterans on Rochester should be there to help them through it. 

I both agree and disagree; it is certainly similar to the NHL's playoff lack of penalties but it feels as if it takes a whole further level in what is effectively thuggery on the ice. The typical AHL hockey is somewhat akin to NHL playoffs relatively due to the refs not being as competent as a baseline but also a degree of leeway is given due to the lesser players. 

Essentially the best way to describe it would

NHL Regular Season: Touch his hands with your stick and its a penalty when seen frequently in most cases

NHL Playoffs/AHL Reg: Touch his hands with your stick while in a scoring situation (like on a scoring chance) and its a penalty when seen usually

AHL Playoffs: You likely can practically hook the opposing player's shirt off and it can be seen but still not called.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

 

[Jorcus]

6 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Quite honestly the Amerks are an oddity in the AHL since they are very much akin to what the AHL is supposed to be, a developmental league. A lot of youngsters (19 to 26) with NHL aspirations and a few vets to shepherd them along. During the regular season it works for the most part because player are constantly getting sent down/called up and thus keeps teams developing primarily. 
 

The AHL playoffs are a different animal altogether. Whereas the NHL becomes less likely to make calls than usual but still generally resembles normal NHL play. The AHL playoffs turn into a no holds bar cage match and the Amerks aren’t exactly equipped to dominate a competition where skills mean less than how good you might be at playing dirty. This series has been much like the Bears series last year. A team of career AHLers and tweeners with a couple youngsters versus Rochester’s team of youngsters led by a few career AHLers and tweeners. As such they get bullied year round but whereas in the regular season they can use their speed and skill as well as PP to fight back; the playoffs practically let teams wrestle which is both absurd and unfair to the Amerks and multiple similar teams. A fast player can’t skate away if the opposing player can trip him without penalty. It’s why teams like the Hershey Bears are always near the top of the league; half of them are lifers that know this is their Stanley Cup and the other half are either being called up or developed for a future call up. When their NHL teams are eliminated, suddenly their teams play max experience allowed and while typically less refined in skill have a lot of pent up anger at the youngsters on the opposing side. Add to that refs that pretend to be blind and you get the Amerks struggles because they are more rule abiding and meant for the NHL versus pure AHL success. 

 

The first paragraph is a myth. The Amerks in general are about the same as any other AHL team age wise. They have a few very young players because they are high draft picks but they had more older players on the ice than Syracuse did last night. If you include Levi Amerks had 7 players who were born after 2000. Syracuse had 9. We also had 3 very old AHL players on the ice (born in 1994 or before) in Prow, Jobst, and Mersch where Syracuse had 1  in Walcott. 

Syracuse has almost no Grade A prospects because Tampa has been good and they have traded many first round picks away. At the end of the day it was our older players that won the game last night. They started to skate and jamb the net. Biro, Rousek and Murray were the ones who pulled this game out for Amerks.

 

[Night Train]

I'll take it. The parent club would have been rushing to the golf course. 

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Jorcus said:

 

The first paragraph is a myth. The Amerks in general are about the same as any other AHL team age wise. They have a few very young players because they are high draft picks but they had more older players on the ice than Syracuse did last night. If you include Levi Amerks had 7 players who were born after 2000. Syracuse had 9. We also had 3 very old AHL players on the ice (born in 1994 or before) in Prow, Jobst, and Mersch where Syracuse had 1  in Walcott. 

Syracuse has almost no Grade A prospects because Tampa has been good and they have traded many first round picks away. At the end of the day it was our older players that won the game last night. They started to skate and jamb the net. Biro, Rousek and Murray were the ones who pulled this game out for Amerks.

 

This was last night’s game.

Johnson and Levi were key players for the Amerks. Novikov, Kulich and Rosen got regular shifts. The other kids were non-factors.

Mersch/Jobst/Murray Biro/Rousek/Weissbach were the guys who carried the water.

 

[K-9]

It was nice of the Crunch to go into Alamo mode in the 3rd period. They simply stopped sending forecheckers and the Amerks enjoyed clean breakout after clean breakout; something they hadn’t been able to do pretty much the entire series to that point. And once the Amerks got rolling, Syracuse was unable to recapture the momentum, which is often impossible in sports. 

Any chance that Stillman and Clague might return next Friday? 

[dudacek]

52 minutes ago, K-9 said:

It was nice of the Crunch to go into Alamo mode in the 3rd period. They simply stopped sending forecheckers and the Amerks enjoyed clean breakout after clean breakout; something they hadn’t been able to do pretty much the entire series to that point. And once the Amerks got rolling, Syracuse was unable to recapture the momentum, which is often impossible in sports. 

Any chance that Stillman and Clague might return next Friday? 

Pretty sure Stillman is out for the season.

I don’t think Clague was returned when the Sabres were done. Not sure about that though, and no idea why.

Edited May 5 by dudacek

[K-9]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

Pretty sure Stillman is out for the season.

I don’t thing Clague was returned when the Sabres were done. Not sure about that though, and no idea why.

Sucks about Stillman, but the Amerks can really use Clague. The Lightning saw fit to return two Dmen to Syracuse for their playoff run and the Sabres should have done that with Clague at least. 

[dudacek]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

So just like the NHL playoffs vs. regular season right? 

You see where I'm going with this? The one constant I've always had on this board is I want the Sabres to build a team properly. A team that is built for the playoffs and not just the regular season. After over a decade of no playoffs I do not want another decade of Leaf style exits after it (if and when it finally ends). 

Teaching our kids how to play that type of hockey and how to battle through it should be part of the learning process and veterans on Rochester should be there to help them through it. 

A. The bold is a motherhood statement that most on here would agree with.

B. That the Sabres are the worst franchise in the NHL over the past decade is a fact.

I don’t agree with the implication that B means A isn’t happening.

This is the 6th playoff series Rochester has played in over the past 25 months.

Mersch/Jobst/Murray Biro/Rousek/Weissbach Cecconi/Davies/Prow are AHL veterans “helping the kids through it.”

Rochester has graduated Krebs, Quinn, Peterka, Samuelsson, and Luukkonen during this process. Johnson and Levi will almost certainly join them.

Not trying to change your mind, just sharing a different view. I already know the response to this will be some version of “well the Sabres missed the playoffs again” because that’s all the really matters.

[Flashsabre]

I was in Belleville two years ago when Murray scored the OT winner to win that series. He seems to have a clutch flare for the dramatic.

[PromoTheRobot]

53 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Sucks about Stillman, but the Amerks can really use Clague. The Lightning saw fit to return two Dmen to Syracuse for their playoff run and the Sabres should have done that with Clague at least. 

I thought Clague was playoff eligible.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I thought Clague was playoff eligible.

Clague and Jost were both called up on deadline day.  While it might have been after the 3pm AHL roster deadline, it appears the Sabres told them they weren’t in the long term plans…and each opted to head home for the summer.  

Also, that presale code hooked me up again.  Thank you!

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I both agree and disagree; it is certainly similar to the NHL's playoff lack of penalties but it feels as if it takes a whole further level in what is effectively thuggery on the ice. The typical AHL hockey is somewhat akin to NHL playoffs relatively due to the refs not being as competent as a baseline but also a degree of leeway is given due to the lesser players. 

Essentially the best way to describe it would

NHL Regular Season: Touch his hands with your stick and its a penalty when seen frequently in most cases

NHL Playoffs/AHL Reg: Touch his hands with your stick while in a scoring situation (like on a scoring chance) and its a penalty when seen usually

AHL Playoffs: You likely can practically hook the opposing player's shirt off and it can be seen but still not called.

I know and I don't disagree. I've heard many an ex player on podcasts and interviews etc. say it's harder to win the cup in the AHL and it's a hard league to play in and that's how it should be. But we know this. It is reality, and it's a training ground for what can and will come, so the make up of your AHL team should be designed for that. You should have your own tough guys and thugs to surround your talented kids and teach them how teams stand up for each other and every role matters and so forth.

It's where culture building needs to start. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

A. The bold is a motherhood statement that most on here would agree with.

B. That the Sabres are the worst franchise in the NHL over the past decade is a fact.

I don’t agree with the implication that B means A isn’t happening.

This is the 6th playoff series Rochester has played in over the past 25 months.

Mersch/Jobst/Murray Biro/Rousek/Weissbach Cecconi/Davies/Prow are AHL veterans “helping the kids through it.”

Rochester has graduated Krebs, Quinn, Peterka, Samuelsson, and Luukkonen during this process. Johnson and Levi will almost certainly join them.

Not trying to change your mind, just sharing a different view. I already know the response to this will be some version of “well the Sabres missed the playoffs again” because that’s all the really matters.

Ultimately there's optimism vs. pessimism and so forth and in sports you can look forward or backward and there's always next season and so it goes. I will admit to having a more pessimistic view. I've bought in a couple times thinking it would turn but they always find a way to disappoint. So I'm a cynic, absolutely. 

I have optimism over Ruff being hired. At the same time I kind of feel like it's now or never. If he can't get it done what then? Restart again? No answer there aside from Pegula selling it. 

I'd be more optimistic if Rochester was a dominant team and we had a number of guys there who looked like they can play good NHL hockey. We have a couple, but overall considering how many picks we've made they disappoint me. There's no muckers and grinders there we can realistically call up next year to round out our roster either. KA is going to have to find those guys somewhere.

Cause ya, in the end you're right, missing the playoffs is all that really matters.