DEVILS WITHHELD BY WHALE

by Kevin Zalaznik // 2.3.2012 // Recap

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Rookies Eric Gelinas and Joe Whitney each scored, but the Albany Devils fell, 3-2, Friday to the Connecticut Whale at XL Center. The outing concluded a four-game set against these Northeast Divisional opponents. The Devils went 1-2-0-1 against the Whale and move to 19-17-5-3 on the season. Connecticut, which went winless during January, remains ahead of Albany in the divisional ranks with a 20-16-4-5 mark.

Gelinas registered his eighth goal and Whitney potted his team-leading 12th. Stephane Veilleux and Darcy Zajac assisted on both tallies. In goal, Keith Kinkaid, who was coming off his third shutout, made 21 stops.

For Connecticut, Kris Newbury, Jonathon Audy-Marchessault and Wojtek Wolski all had goals, while Brendan Bell and Mats Zuccarello both registered a pair of assists. Chad Johnson won his 11th game by making 20 saves.

Gelinas was responsible for the game’s first goal. He sent a slap shot from the right point past Johnson at 1:39 of the first. The play began with Zajac finding Veilleux at the left point. Veilleux’s attempt was redirected, setting up Gelinas for the blast.

After falling behind 3-1, Whitney’s goal at 5:21 of the third period came from the right doorstep. Veilleux played the puck to Zajac for a shot from the right face-off circle. Johnson made the initial save, but Whitney jammed home the rebound.

Back to the opening period, Nebury began a three-goal run for the Whale less than a minute and a half after Gelinas’ tally. Newbury was setup nicely for a one-timer attempt by Zuccarello at 2:57.

The Whale grabbed a 2-0 advantage before the intermission when Audy-Marchessault scored near the goal line while on the power play at 18:30.

In the second, Wolski made the score 3-0 with another Connecticut power-play goal. His tally came at 16:13.

A quick turnaround for the Devils, who travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for 7:05 p.m. contest Saturday. Fans can listen on 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio or online at ahllive.com.

Notes: Peter Harrold did not dress in tonight’s game, ending his streak as the only Devils to appear in every game this season … The Devils only dressed five defensemen: Mike Banwell, Brandon Burlon, Eric Gelinas, Dan Kelly and Alexander Urbom … Eric Gelinas posted his seventh goal and 16th point of the season. He leads all Devils defensemen in both categories … Joe Whitney now has four goals in the last four games and seven points in the last six outings … Stephane Veilleux is now tied for fifth on the team with 20 points (9g-11a). He now has nine points (5g-4a) in the last 10 outings … Darcy Zajac produced his first points since his three-game scoring streak (Jan. 6-14) came to an end. He has six goals and nine assists in 43 games … Three Stars: 1. Kris Newbury (CT), 2. Mats Zuccarello(CT), 3. Wojtek Wolski (CT).

» Click Here For Complete Box Score

Albany Devils 2 at Connecticut Whale 3 - Status: Final
Friday, February 3, 2012 - XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Albany 1 0 1 - 2
Connecticut 2 1 0 - 3

1st Period-1, Albany, Gelinas 8 (Veilleux, Zajac), 1:39. 2, Connecticut, Newbury 16 (Zuccarello, Bell), 2:57. 3, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 16 (Bell, Deveaux), 18:30 (PP). Penalties-Tedenby Alb (interference), 9:46; Erixon Ct (hooking), 15:03; Palmieri Alb (interference), 17:24.

2nd Period-4, Connecticut, Wolski 1 (Zuccarello, Woywitka), 16:13 (PP). Penalties-Bell Ct (holding), 1:24; Zalewski Alb (high-sticking), 14:29; Parlett Ct (cross-checking), 16:37.

3rd Period-5, Albany, Whitney 12 (Zajac, Veilleux), 5:21. Penalties-Bouchard Ct (high-sticking), 17:40.

Shots on Goal-Albany 5-6-11-22. Connecticut 9-11-4-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 4; Connecticut 2 / 3.
Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 11-12-1 (24 shots-21 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 11-9-5 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-4,028
Referees-Ryan Hersey (46).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Jim Briggs (83).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 2.2.2012 // Preview

Follow the Action
Radio: 104.5 "The Team" ESPN Radio
Online: ahllive.com
Tweet: @albanydevils | #ADevs

Storyline
The Devils and the Whale are battling for the top spot in the Northeast Division and for positioning within the Eastern Conference. Tonight’s game is the last between these two teams in the regular season. In three games against Connecticut, Albany has posted a 1-1-0-1 record.

Notables
- The Devils are third in the Northeast Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 19-16-5-3 mark (46 pts.), while the Whale are second in the division and tied for eighth in the conference with a 19-16-4-5 record (47 pts.). On the road this season, Albany is 8-10-2-0 and at the XL Center, Connecticut is 10-4-2-4.

- Since being returned on loan by New Jersey on Jan. 10, Tim Sestito has registered six points in seven games. During that span, he has produced two goals, including the game winner against Adirondack Saturday, and four assists. For the season, Sestito has nine points with four goals and five assists in 19 outings.

- Rookie Joe Whitney has registered two goals and an assist in three games against Connecticut this season. Overall, the first-year Devil leads the team with 25 points, including a team-best 11 goals.

- The Whale are trying to end an 11-game winless streak, going 0-6-3-2 during that span. The team’s last win was against Springfield (5-2) on Dec. 31.

- Kris Newbury and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault lead the team with 39 and 38 points, respectively. Newbury has produced 15 goals and 24 assists in 33 games and Audy-Marchessault has registered 15 goals and 23 assists in 44 outings.

All-Time Series
Meetings: 37
All-Time: 19-14-2-2
At Devils: 10-7-1-1
At Whale: 9-7-1-1
Season Series: 1-1-0-1

Devils-Whale Last Meeting
Tue., Dec. 27; Albany 2 at Connecticut 3
Playing their second game in as many nights, the Devils couldn’t overcome the Whale, falling 3-2, at the XL Center. Eric Gelinas registered a pair of points with a goal and an assist and Stephane Veilleux also had a goal. The Whale were led by a pair of tallies by Andre Deveaux and a goal by Kris Newbury, who also had two assists. Keith Kinkaid made 24 saves in his third-straight start. At the other end, Cameron Talbot had 35 stops for the win.

Puck Drop
The Devils are near perfect when leading after two periods with a 12-1-1-0 record, but are 3-12-3-2 when trailing after two.