ROLLERCOASTER RIDE ENDS IN DEVILS LOSS

by Kevin Zalaznik // 12.30.2011 // Recap 

ALBANY, N.Y. – Vladimir Zharkov and Steve Zalewski led the Albany Devils in a comeback effort, but the Manchester Monarchs claimed a 5-4 overtime victory Friday at the Times Union Center. The largest crowd of the season of 5,823 witnessed the Devils rally after falling behind 3-0 after the first period.

“I said to them after the first – I kind of gave it to them, which I need to do,” said head coach Rick Kowalsky. “I said to them that there’s still a lot of hockey left. You have a good crowd in the building; get them into it. We scored that first one and grabbed that momentum.”

That first one came off the stick of Zharkov at 11:41 of the second while shorthanded. His slap shot from the left circle beat Manchester’s Martin Jones. Stephen Gionta and Peter Harrold assisted on the goal, which was the team’s third shorty of the season.

Approximately two minutes later, Zalewski cashed in on a follow-up try along the goal line at 13:14. Mike Sislo had the initial wraparound shot after Joe Whitney found him behind the net.

“I think we just stuck to our game plan, which we didn’t do in the first,” Zalewski said. “We were trying to make plays that we couldn’t and over handling the puck in the first period. We simplified it and picked up our tempo a little bit. We really kind of dictated the play and took it to them.”

Kowalsky agreed with Zalewski’s assessment.

“[We] skated and dictated the play,” said head coach Rick Kowalsky when asked what led to the team’s second period turnaround. “Our game is get the puck up, you get in on the forecheck and you force teams to make mistakes. I thought we controlled, got our cycle game going and exposed them a little bit.”

Manchester’s Marc-Andre Cliche halted Albany’s push when he made the score 4-2 at 14:27 of the second. However, the Devils answered at 18:45 thanks to a wrist shot by Brandon Burlon from the right slot. The goal was the first of his career and Zalewski and Eric Gelinas were credited with the assists.

In the third, Zharkov netted his second goal of the game when he picked up a loose puck off an attempt by Alexander Urbom. Zharkov fired from a bad angle but still found the back of the net at 11:17. Zalewski had the second helper.

It only took 1:15 into overtime for Linden Vey to find a hole in the armour of goaltender Keith Kinkaid. Vey snapped a wrist shot from the slot.

Zharkov finished the game with two goals and a plus-2 rating and Zalewski had a goal and two assists for Albany, which outshot Manchester 32-20. Zalewski now leads the team with 21 points (9g-12a).

The Monarchs established their first-period lead with goals by Stefan Legein at 1:42, Robert Czarnik at 14:07 andThomas Hickey at 17:42. Both Czarnik and Hickey's goals came with the man advantage.

The loss moves the Devils to 14-13-4-2, while the Monarchs improve to 20-12-0-2.

The Devils conclude the 2011 calendar year with a Time Warner Cable Cup contest at Adirondack Saturday at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action online at ahllive.com.

*****

Notes: Defenseman Alexander Urbom played in his first AHL game since Dec. 4 (vs. Rochester). He was recalled by New Jersey on Dec. 9 and appeared in five games. He registered a goal and was a plus-1 … Keith Kinkaid made his fourth straight start, which is the longest stretch for any Albany goaltender this season … Matt Anderson, Peter Harrold and Steve Zalewski played in their 33rd game of the season. They are the only Devils to appear in every game this season … Vladimir Zharkov's shorthanded goal at 11:41 of the second period was the team's third shorthanded goal of the season. The last came against Toronto on Nov. 13 with a goal by Steve Bernier … Joe Whitney's assist was his fifth point in four games (1g-4a). He is now second on the team with 19 points … Eric Gelinasextended his scoring streak to three games with his fourth point during that span (2g-2a). Three Stars: 1. Vladimir Zharkov (ALB), 2. Linden Vey (MCH), 3. Steve Zalewski (ALB).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 12.29.2011 // Preview 

Follow the Action 
Listen/Watch: ahllive.com
Tweet: @albanydevils / #ADevs

$10 Tickets & Free Poster
Tickets for the game are just $10 and can be purchased online or at the Times Union Center Box Office. Also, the first 4,000 fans to arrive will receive a free 2011-12 Albany Devils Team Poster.

Red Cross Blood Drive 
The Devils have teamed with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive between 3-7 pm in the Times Union Center Exhibition Hall before the game. As a special thank you for helping their neighbors, every person who comes in to donate blood will receive a voucher good for one ticket to a future Albany Devils home game. In addition, all presenting donors will receive a special “Give Life. Give Blood.” t-shirt.

Storyline
The Devils welcome their return to the Times Union Center where they have posted a 9-5-2-2 record (.611). Of the team’s 33 points, 22 have been earned on home ice. Albany is 8-1-2-2 in its last 13 home outings.

Notables 
- The Devils are second in the Northeast Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 14-13-3-2 record (33 pts.). The Monarchs sit in second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the conference with a 19-12-0-2 mark (40 pts.).

- In the last 12 games, Albany has outshot its opponents 413-339 (34.4-28.3). The Devils rank 10th in the league, averaging 31.0 shots per game. On the other side, the team is ninth, allowing just 28.8 shots against per game.

- Rookie defenseman Eric Gelinas has three points (2g-1a) in the last two games. He scored his first even-strength goal of the season at Binghamton on Dec. 26 and followed with a power-play goal and an assist at Connecticut on Dec. 27. Gelinas leads the team with four power-play goals.

- The Monarchs are on a roll, winning five of their last seven games. They are led by Marc-Andre Cliche and Dwight King with 18 points each. Cliche has a team-best nine goals to go with nine assists and King has produced five goals and a team-best 13 assists.

All-Time Series 
Meetings: 42
All-Time: 19-19-1-3
At Devils: 7-12-1-1
At Monarchs: 12-7-0-2
Season Series: 0-0-0-0

Last Meeting 
Sat., Feb. 5; Albany 0 vs. Manchester 4
Oscar Moller netted a pair of goals, leading Manchester to a 4-0 victory against the Devils at the Times Union Center in front of 4,631 fans. Moller was joined on the score sheet by Dwight King and Bud Holloway. The Devils had their chances. In the first, they had a full two-man advantage followed by a full 5-on-4 power play. Then in the second, Albany held a 12-8 shot advantage and controlled the play until Moller’s second tally.

Puck Drop 
Albany and Manchester will only meet two times this season. The Devils travel to Manchester on Saturday, Feb. 25.