Devils drop 4-2 decision

by Kevin Zalaznik // 2.15.2013 // Recap

GLENS FALLS, NY -- The Albany Devils three-game winning streak at Glens Falls Civic Center came to an end with a 4-2 loss against the Adirondack Phantoms Friday. Despite the setback, the Devils still own the Time Warner Cable Cup with a 6-2-0-1 overall record against their Northway rival this season.

Chris McKelvie and Harri Pesonen both netted goals and Dan Kelly supplied a season-high two assists. Tim Sestito also registered a helper. In goal, Jeff Frazee made 27 stops on 30 tries.

The Phantoms received scoring from Andrew Johnston, Brandon Manning,  Rob Bordson and Eric Wellwood. Between the pipes, Scott Munroe posted his 11th victory by stopping 31 shots on 33 attempts.

An action-packed first period carried the majority of the scoring. Johnston gave Adirondack a short-lived 1-0 lead at 1:50. His tally was followed by a shorthanded goal by McKelvie 39 seconds later at 2:19 with the help of Zajac and Kelly.

The Phantoms answered less than two minutes later at 3:38 thanks to Manning’s power-play tally. Pesonen pulled the score even, scoring off a rebound at 6:42 with assists going to Sestito and Kelly. Before the end of the period, Rob Bordson gave the Phantoms a 3-2 lead at 11:13.

Wellwood concluded the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:15 remaining in regulations.

Albany, which owned a 33-31 shots advantage, was 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Game Notes 
- The Devils move to 20-18-1-8, while the Phantoms improve to 20-24-2-1.

- Chris McKelvie’s shorthanded goal was Albany’s seventh of the season and first since Darcy Zajac scored with the man down against Adirondack on Jan. 26. It marked McKelvie’s second goal on the year.

- Harri Pesonen netted his 10th goal, giving him 21 points. He is tied for second among active Devils for goals and fifth for points.

- Dan Kelly registered two assists for the third time in his career -- Mar. 2, 2012 vs. BRI and Mar. 1, 2011 at BNG.

- Mattias Tedenby returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 12. He missed 13 game due to a New Jersey recall and a lower-body injury. Tedenby, who left in the third after being hit up high, had entered the game with six points (4g-2a) in his last four AHL contests.

- Jeff Frazee, who supplied 20 minutes of relief Wednesday, made his 17th start.

Lineup 
Goaltenders: Jeff Frazee, Keith Kinkaid
Defensemen: Brandon Burlon, Eric Gelinas, Raman Hrabarenka, Dan Kelly, Corbin McPherson, Alexander Urbom
Forwards: Matt Anderson, Cam Janssen, Andrei Loktionov, Chris McKelvie, Harri Pesonen, Tim Sestito, Mattias Tedenby, Joe Whitney, Chad Wiseman, David Wohlberg, Darcy Zajac, Steve Zalewski

Next up
The Devils welcome the Binghamton Senators to the Times Union Center Sunday at 3 pm. Fans can take advantage of the “Dunkin’ Donuts Family 4 Pack” and receive four tickets, four hats and a $10 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.

Albany Devils 2 at Adirondack Phantoms 4 - Status: Unofficial Final
Friday, February 15, 2013 - Glens Falls Civic Center

Albany 2 0 0 - 2
Adirondack 3 0 1 - 4

1st Period-1, Adirondack, Johnston 2 (Noebels), 1:50. 2, Albany, McKelvie 2 (Zajac, Kelly), 2:29 (SH). 3, Adirondack, Manning 6 (Gustafsson), 3:38 (PP). 4, Albany, Pesonen 10 (Sestito, Kelly), 6:42. 5, Adirondack, Bordson 7 (Laliberte, Gustafsson), 11:13. Penalties-Sestito Alb (roughing), 2:13; Lauridsen Adk (interference), 19:29.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Urbom Alb (interference), 3:43; Harper Adk (slashing), 10:50.

3rd Period-6, Adirondack, Wellwood 5 (Harper, Bordson), 18:45 (EN). Penalties-Tedenby Alb (goaltender interference), 7:47; Anderson Alb (hooking), 10:39; Sestito Alb (fighting), 14:30; Zajac Alb (fighting, game misconduct - secondary altercation), 14:30; Manning Adk (fighting, game misconduct - secondary altercation), 14:30; Slater Adk (instigating, fighting, misconduct), 14:30; served by Alb (bench minor - too many men), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Albany 13-10-10-33. Adirondack 12-6-13-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 3; Adirondack 1 / 5.
Goalies-Albany, Frazee 4-8-4 (30 shots-27 saves). Adirondack, Munroe 10-11-0 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-3,745
Referees-Trent Knorr (44).
Linesmen-Steeve Lemay (64), Frank Murphy (29).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 2.15.2013 // Preview

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

Storyline 
The Albany Devils have already wrapped up the Time Warner Cable Cup title with a 6-1-0-1 record against the Adirondack Phantoms, but there is still four games remaining between the clubs. The Devils have had success at Glens Falls Civic Center, going 3-1-0-0.

Notables 
- The Devils are tied for fourth in the Northeast Division and tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference at 20-17-1-8, including a 12-8-1-3 road record. The Phantoms are fifth in the division and 15th in the conference at 19-24-2-1 with a 10-11-0-1 home mark.

- Joe Whitney leads the Devils with eight points in six games against Adirondack. He has posted five goals and three assists with a plus-6 rating. Matt Anderson is next with seven points in eight games with four goals, three helpers and a plus-6 showing. Adirondack’s Jason Akeson leads his team with seven points in five games with two tallies and five assists.

- Keith Kinkaid faced the Phantoms six times, going 4-1-1 with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. Jeff Frazee has appeared in two games, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage.

- Mattias Tedenby could return to the Devils lineup for the first time since Jan. 5. He has missed time due to a recall to New Jersey and because of a lower-body injury. He has points in his last four AHL contests, posting four goals and two assists.

- Jason Akeson and Danny Syvret are tied for first among active Phantoms with 24 points. Akeson has seven goals and 17 assists in 32 games, while Syvret has three goals and 21 assists in 46 outings.

Last Meeting 
Jan. 26, 2013: Albany 5, Adirondack 2 
Not only did the Devils secure the Time Warner Cable Cup with a 5-2 victory against the Phantoms, but they did so in front of a record crowd of 10,218 at Times Union Center. Harri Pesonen’s two goals led the charge and Steve Zalewski, Bobby Butler and Darcy Zajac also scored. Phil DeSimone, Eric Gelinas and Tim Sestito each posted a pair of helpers. In goal, Keith Kinkaid improved to 14-8-4 by turning aside 26 shots for his second consecutive victory.

The Devils took control of the game with goals early and often. Zalewski scored at 4:02 and was followed by Pesonen at 10:55 and Butler at 14:30. After Pesonen’s second tally at 4:07 of the third was sandwiched between a pair of Adirondack goals, Zajac finished the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:47.

All-time Series 
All-Time: 19-16-5-4
Home: 13-4-2-3
Away: 6-12-3-1
2012-13: 6-1-0-1

Puck Drop 
The Devils, who lost against Syracuse Wednesday, are 8-4-1-3 when coming off a loss.