The six-time champion Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the Sabres, will make their first Calder Cup playoff appearance since 2013-14 when they face the rival Syracuse Crunch in a five-game series that starts Friday at the Syracuse War Memorial.
Here are five keys to Rochester winning its first playoff round since 2004-05:
1. Goalie Linus Ullmark shines
The Amerks got their All-Star netminder back from recall and injury just in time for the playoffs. With Adam Wilcox playing well, Ulmark didn’t need to be overworked this year and enters his first professional postseason with a 21-12-10 record, 2.44 goals against average, .922 save percentage and a fresh body and mind. This should be his last minor-league hurrah before becoming Buffalo's No. 1 goalie. The Crunch are also backstopped well with rookie Connor Ingram (20-11-2, 2.33, .914) earning 35 starts.
2. Match the Crunch crunch for crunch
Syracuse was second in penalty minutes in the AHL with a whopping 1,225 and had to kill a league-high 376 power plays. It’s critical the Amerks have the same physical intensity. “For us, it’s about eliminating turnovers, which is true for everyone, but it’s also establishing the aggressive side of our game so they know it’s not going to be easy,’’ All-Star defenseman Zach Redmond said. “We need to make them dread coming to the rink, even coming out for the next period.’’
3. Age wins over beauty
Syracuse boasts some of the AHL’s top rookies, including six players who scored in double figures, led by Mathieu Joseph with 15-38 – 53 and Alexander Volkov at 23-22 – 45. Rochester counters with solid veteran leadership in Redmond, 29, Kevin Porter, 31, Taylor Fedun, 29, Matt Tennyson, 27, and Nathan Paetsch, 34. The Crunch lost in last year’s finals but the Amerks’ roster is loaded with playoff experience, too.
4. Special teams remain special
The season series between the Amerks and Crunch was incredibly close (Rochester lost four times by one goal and won in overtime and by shootout). That means special teams could very well be the difference, especially in a short series. Both clubs were virtually even in killing penalties, but Rochester had the better power play, led by Redmond with eight goals, C.J. Smith with six and Seth Griffith with six.
5. Rookie coach Taylor makes the right moves
The Amerks made a 24-point jump in the standings under rookie coach Chris Taylor and showed a special grit by playing 29 extra-period games. His counterpart, Benoit Groulx, coached the Amerks in 2008-09 and 2009-10, losing one playoff round. Groulx’s club lost in the finals in six games to Grand Rapids last season and that memory will serve as great motivation.
