by Kevin Zalaznik // 12.27.2012 // Recap

SPRINGFIELD, MA -- Four different goal scorers helped the Albany Devils to a 4-3 victory against the Springfield Falcons Thursday at Mass Mutual Center. The win ends a four game winless stretch for the Devils, who improve to 6-2-1-1 in December and 10-10-1-6 overall. Springfield, which sits atop the Northeast Division, goes to 16-7-2-3.

Harri Pesonen, Stephen Gionta, Joe Whitney and Steve Zalewski each had goals and Adam Larsson registered a pair of assists. In goal, Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves on 31 shots to improve to 7-7-3.

For Springfield, Ryan Johansen, Matt Calvert and Cam Atkinson scored and Curtis McElhinney made 25 stops on 29 attempts.

Pesonen opened the scoring when a Brandon Burlon shot redirected off his skate and into the back of the net at 19:08 of the first. The play was reviewed for a kicking motion, but in the end the ruling on the ice stood. Pesonen found himself with his fourth goal of the season and Jacob Josefson joined Burlon with an assist on the play.

Albany added to its lead in the second when Gionta deflected a Corbin McPherson shot out of midair at 11:00. The goal was the first for Gionta since signing with Albany on Dec. 3.

After Johansen made the score 2-1 at 15:31, Whitney redirected Larsson’s shot past McElhinney at 16:02, regaining the Devils two goal advantage. The marker was Whitney’s fifth of the season.

In the third, Zalewski had a puck ricochet of his body into the net at 1:53. The two-man advantage goal included assists by Bobby Butler and Larsson. Zalewski registered his third goal of the season. Butler posted his team-high tying 17th point and Larsson registered his team-leading 14th helper.

Springfield fought back during the last couple of minutes of regulation. Calvery scored with two minutes remaining and Atkinkson made it a one goal game with 31 ticks on the clock.

The Falcons outshot the Devils, 31-29. Albany went 1-for-6 on the power play, while Springfield went 0-for-3.

The Devils return to the Times Union Center Friday for a 7 pm contest against the Binghamton Senators. Tickets to that game are just $10 through the arena box office. Additionally, the first 2,000 fans to arrive will receive a free Albany Devils winter hat.

Lineup
Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Jeff Frazee
Defenseman: Brandon Burlon, Raman Hrabarenka, Adam Larsson, Jay Leach, Corbin McPherson, Alexander Urbom
Forwards: Matt Anderson, Bobby Butler, Stephen Gionta, Mike Hoeffel, Jacob Josefson, Harri Pesonen, Tim Sestito, Mike Sislo, Mattias Tedenby, Joe Whitney,Darcy Zajac, Steve Zalewski

Scoring
1st Period-1, Albany, Pesonen 4 (Burlon, Josefson), 19:08.
2nd Period-2, Albany, Gionta 1 (McPherson), 11:00. 3, Springfield, Johansen 11 (Ruth, Erixon), 15:31. 4, Albany, Whitney 5 (Larsson, Zajac), 16:02.
3rd Period-5, Albany, Zalewski 3 (Butler, Larsson), 1:53 (PP). 6, Springfield, Calvert 9 (Atkinson, Erixon), 18:00. 7, Springfield, Atkinson 16 (Calvert, Drazenovic), 19:29.

Albany Devils 4 at Springfield Falcons 3 - Status: Final
Thursday, December 27, 2012 - MassMutual Center

Albany 1 2 1 - 4
Springfield 0 1 2 - 3

1st Period-1, Albany, Pesonen 4 (Burlon, Josefson), 19:08. Penalties-Craig Spr (interference), 14:22.

2nd Period-2, Albany, Gionta 1 (McPherson), 11:00. 3, Springfield, Johansen 11 (Ruth, Erixon), 15:31. 4, Albany, Whitney 5 (Larsson, Zajac), 16:02. Penalties-Drazenovic Spr (slashing), 3:11; Zajac Alb (fighting), 9:17; Calvert Spr (fighting), 9:17; Hoeffel Alb (fighting), 11:55; Smith Spr (fighting), 11:55; Sestito Alb (holding), 16:47; Audy-Marchessault Spr (slashing), 19:22; Pesonen Alb (interference), 19:49.

3rd Period-5, Albany, Zalewski 3 (Butler, Larsson), 1:53 (PP). 6, Springfield, Calvert 9 (Atkinson, Erixon), 18:00. 7, Springfield, Atkinson 16 (Calvert, Drazenovic), 19:29. Penalties-Calvert Spr (interference), 0:31; Joudrey Spr (slashing), 1:29; Pesonen Alb (tripping), 11:16; Savard Spr (holding), 15:19; Gionta Alb (closing hand on puck), 19:57; McPherson Alb (slashing, fighting), 20:00; Calvert Spr (high-sticking, fighting), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Albany 11-11-7-29. Springfield 11-10-10-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 1 / 6; Springfield 0 / 3.
Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 7-7-3 (31 shots-28 saves). Springfield, McElhinney 15-4-2 (29 shots-25 saves).
A-3,444
Referees-Geoff Miller (28), Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Marty Demers (79).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 12.27.2012 // Preview

Follow the Action 
Radio: 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio 
Online: ahllive.com
Tweet: @albanydevils, @albanydevilspr, #adevils

Storyline
The Albany Devils will test themselves against the Northeast-Division-leading Springfield Falcons. The game features one of the league’s best defensive teams against one of the top offensive squads. The Devils are seventh in the AHL with a 2.65 goals-against average, while the Falcons are fifth with a 3.33 goals-per-game mark.

Notables
- Albany is fifth in the Northeast Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10-1-6 record (25 pts.), including a 5-5-1-2 record on the road. Springfield is first in the Northeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference with a 16-6-2-3 showing (37 pts.), including a 6-3-1-3 mark at home.

- Matt Anderson, who leads the team with a plus-8 rating, has registered two goals in the last three games. For the season, he has 12 points with five goals and seven assists.

- Tim Sestito has posted a goal and an assist in the last five games. One of two players to appear in all 26 games, he registered nine points with two goals and seven assists.

- Cam Atkinson, who is tied for third in the AHL with 30 points, including 15 goals and 15 assists, leads the Falcons, while Jonathan Audy-Marchessault is second with 27 points with eight goals and a team-best 19 assists.

- Springfield has leaned heavily on netminder Curtis McElhinney, who has played in 21 of the teams 27 games. With a 15-3-2 record, he ranks first in the league for wins and is third with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. Additionally, he leads the league with six shutouts.

Last Meeting 
Jan. 21, 2012: Albany 5 at Springfield 2 
The Devils established a 4-0 lead in the first period en route to a 5-2 victory against the Falcons at MassMutual Center. Joe Whitney registered his first career hat trick and Kory Nagy potted a pair of goals. Between the pipes, Keith Kinkaid made 27 stops.

All-time Series
All-Time: 22-20-1-3
Home: 10-9-1-3
Away: 12-11-0-0
2011-12: 2-1-0-1

Puck Drop 
Tonight's game will be the only Thursday contest for the Devils this season. Fans can tune into 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio to follow the action.