COMEBACK SPOILED IN OT

by Kevin Zalaznik // 11.26.2011 // Recap

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – The Albany Devils (9-7-2-1) rallied from two goals down with less than six minutes remaining, but Jonathon Kalinksi’s overtime goal handed the Adirondack Phantoms (11-7-0-1) a 4-3 victory Saturday at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Time Warner Cable Cup series is now tied, 1-1.

“We weren’t out there to get one point,” said right-winger Nick Palmieri. “We were out there to get two. Not winning the game is obviously a disappointment, but I think we have to be happy coming out of here with one point instead of zero.”

The Devils have now earned at least one point in nine of their last 10 games (6-1-2-1).

Palmieri, who was loaned by New Jersey on Friday, capped the Devils third-period comeback with a wrist shot from the slot with 2:32 remaining. Peter Harrold, who had two assists, and Steve Zalewski had the helpers.

Rookie Joe Whitney had made the score, 3-2, with 5:29 left, scoring on a rebound off the end boards. Nathan Perkovich and Chad Wiseman assisted.

“I think we were pressing a little harder; obviously we were down two goals with less than 10 minutes left,” Palmieri said. “You tend to press a little harder in the offensive zone and I think we fought back well.”

In overtime, Kalinski scored alone in front thanks to a centering pass by Cullen Eddy at 1:01.

The Devils were tested early in the first. They allowed Adirondack’s Garrett Roe to score 55 seconds into the game and relied on their penalty kill unit to kill a pair of 5-on-3s. The first lasted 1:35, while the second was 1:43.

“I thought we were solid tonight,” said head coach Rick Kowalsky. “The two kills in the first – it was a bit of a crazy first period. A 1:45, almost a full two minutes of 5-on-3 that was huge. We had some guys who hadn’t play a lot in the first, but we settled into our game in the second. The difference in the game was our power play.”

Albany went 0-for-8 with the man advantage, while Adirondack was 0-for-5.

Despite being outshot, 12-9, in the first, the Devils outshot the Phantoms, 35-29. Albany unloaded 13 shots in the third period compared to Adirondacks four.

Stephane Veilleux also scored for the Devils, while the Phantoms received additional goals from Kalinski and Brayden Schenn.

The Devils conclude their four-game road span with a 3 p.m. matchup against the Springfield Falcons tomorrow at the MassMutual Center. Due to a conflict on 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio, the game will only be available on ahllive.com.

*****

Notes: Tonight’s game was the second of 10 meetings between the two clubs for the Time Warner Cable Cup. The series is tied 1-1 … Stephane Veilleux returned to the lineup after missing eight games due to injury. His last appearance was on Oct. 29 against Hamilton … Joe Whitney’s goal was his team-leading sixth of the season. He is tied with Matt Anderson, who had an assist, for the team lead for points (11) … Nathan Perkovich extended his point streak to five games (3g-2a) … The Devils have appeared in six overtimes this season. They are 1-2 in games decided in the extra five minutes … Albany is now 4-3-1-1 when allowing the first goal … Three Stars: 1. Jonathon Kalinski (ADK), 2.Brayden Schenn (ADK), 3. Peter Harrold (ALB).

by Albany Devils // 11.26.2011 // Preview 

Follow the Action 
Radio: 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio
Listen/Watch: ahllive.com

Storyline 
For the first time in nearly a month, the Devils are coming off a regulation loss. Before their 4-2 setback at Rochester last night, the Devils last regulation setback came on Nov. 28 at Binghamton (4-1). Albany, which started the season 1-5-0-0, turned their fortune around with a 5-2 win against Adirondack on Oct. 22. Including that game, the Devils have gone 8-2-1-1 in their last 12 outings.

Notes 
- The Devils are tied for fourth in the Northeast Division with a 9-7-1-1 (20 pts.) record and are 3-3-0-0 on the road. The Phantoms are third in the division with a 10-7-0-1 (21 pts.) mark and are 5-2-0-1 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

- Darcy Zajac is on a two-game goal scoring streak with tallies at Hershey on Nov. 19 and at Rochester last night. For the season, he has six points with four goals and two assists.

- Alexander Urbom continues to lead the team with a plus-5 rating. Against Rochester, he netted his first goal of the season and his sixth point of the year.

- Adirondack’s Michael Leighton made 43 saves in his team’s 5-1 win against Springfield last evening. For the season, Leighton is 7-5-0 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

- Denis Hamel leads the Phantoms with 16 points, including a team-high nine goals. In 18 games, he has seven assists and a club-best four power-play goals.

All-Time Series 
Meetings: 27
All-Time: 11-11-2-3
At Devils: 8-3-1-2
At Phantoms: 3-8-1-1
2011-12: 1-0-0-0

Puck Drop 
The Devils lead the Time Warner Cable Cup series 1-0 thanks to their 5-2 win on Oct. 22. Tonight’s game will be the second of 10 contests between the two squads.