Devils fall to Crunch

by Dan St-Jacques // 2.18.2013 // Recap

ALBANY, NY -- An Albany Devils comeback effort was squandered for the second time is as many nights as they suffered a 5-3 setback in a back-and-forth game against the Syracuse Crunch Monday at Times Union Center.

Steve Zalewski registered his second and third points in the last two games with a goal and an assist. Mike Sislo chipped in a goal and Jacob Josefson scored in his return to Albany. Defenseman Alexander Urbom had a pair of assists and Keith Kinkaid made 20 saves on 24 tries.

For Syracuse, which extended its winning streak to four games, Tyler Johnson netted a hat-trick and Dana Tyrell and Brett Connolly added goals. Between the pipes, Cedrick Desjardins stopped 23 shots on 26 attempts for his eighth win of the season and first with the Crunch.

Syracuse jumped out to a 2-0 lead with tallies from Tyrell and Johnson 45 seconds apart in the first. Tyrell scored at 9:40 and Johnson found the back of the net at 10:14.

Albany cut the lead in half on the power play as Zalewski’s backhand feed found a crashing Sislo in tight at 14:32. However, Johnson restored the Crunch’s two-goal lead at 3:45 of the third redirecting a pass from J.T. Wyman.

Zalewski brought the Devils back within one, beating Desjardins low, glove-side at 7:26 of the third. After Johnson completed the hat trick at 14:27, Josefson’s wrist shot gave the Devils new life with 90 seconds to play after pulling Kinkaid for the extra man. After a flurry of chances in the final minute, Albany could not find the equalizer and Brett Connolly sealed the win for the Crunch with an empty-netter at 19:57.

Game Notes 
- Steve Zalewski is now tied for second on the team with 27 points, backed by nine goals and 18 assists. He has three points (2g-1a) in the last two games.

- Alexander Urbom registered his second multi-point game of the season.

- Syracuse’s goaltender Riku Helenius was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 17. He did not play in tonight’s game.

Lineup 
Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Jeff Frazee
Defensemen: Brandon Burlon, Eric Gelinas, Raman Hrabarenka, Dan Kelly, Corbin McPherson, Alexander Urbom
Forwards: Matt Anderson, Phil DeSimone, Cam Janssen, Jacob Josefson, Harri Pesonen, Tim Sestito, Mike Sislo, Joe Whitney, Chad Wiseman, Darcy Zajac, Steve Zalewski

Next Up 
The Devils travel to face the Binghamton Senators Sunday at 7:05 pm. Fans can follow the action on 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio or online at ahllive.com.

Syracuse Crunch 5 at Albany Devils 3 - Status: Final
Monday, February 18, 2013 - Times Union Center

Syracuse 2 0 3 - 5
Albany 1 0 2 - 3

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Tyrell 3 (Hutchings, Angelidis), 9:40. 2, Syracuse, Johnson 24 (Palat, Cote), 10:14. 3, Albany, Sislo 3 (Zalewski, Urbom), 14:32 (PP). Penalties-Angelidis Syr (tripping), 3:02; Hutchings Syr (interference), 11:40; Whitney Alb (slashing), 12:36; Korobov Syr (interference), 12:50; Zalewski Alb (hooking), 16:35.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-4, Syracuse, Johnson 25 (Wyman), 3:45. 5, Albany, Zalewski 9 (DeSimone, Urbom), 7:26. 6, Syracuse, Johnson 26 (Palat, Korobov), 14:27 (PP). 7, Albany, Josefson 9 (Gelinas, Anderson), 18:28. 8, Syracuse, Connolly 22 19:57 (EN). Penalties-Cote Syr (elbowing), 8:56; Urbom Alb (holding), 12:51; Connolly Syr (slashing), 17:14; Sestito Alb (slashing), 17:14.

Shots on Goal-Syracuse 10-5-10-25. Albany 12-6-8-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Syracuse 1 / 3; Albany 1 / 4.
Goalies-Syracuse, Desjardins 8-13-2 (26 shots-23 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 16-11-5 (24 shots-20 saves).
A-2,819
Referees-David Banfield (77), Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Fred Hudy (30), Frank Murphy (29).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 2.18.2013 // Preview

Follow the Action
Online: ahllive.com
Twitter: @albanydevils, @albanydevilspr, #adevils

Storyline 
Consider today’s game the rubber match of the Albany Devils and Syracuse Crunch’s three game set during the last week and a half. The Devils defeated the Crunch, 4-3, on Feb. 9, but lost, 6-0, last Wednesday.

Notables 
- Albany is tied for third in the Northeast Division and tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference at 20-18-1-9 (50 pts.), including an 8-9-0-6 home mark. Syracuse is second in the East Division and fourth in the conference at 29-14-2-4 (64 pts.) with a 19-6-0-2 road record.

- Jacob Josefson could make his first appearance for the Devils since Jan. 6. Yesterday New Jersey returned the third-year pro on loan to Albany after appearing in 15 NHL games this season. Despite playing only 30 AHL games, Josefson is third among active Albany skaters with 20 points, backed by eight goals and 12 assists. Additionally, he is tied for second with a plus-10 rating.

- Corbin McPherson netted his second goal of the season during the Devils 3-2, shootout loss against Binghamton yesterday. In 45 games this year, the rookie defenseman has posted five points and a plus-6 mark.

- Syracuse shutout Wilkes-Barre/Scranton yesterday, 3-0, with the help of 23 saves by Riku Helenius. Kyle Wilson potted a pair of goals and Brett Connolly also scored.

- Tyler Johnson and Brett Connolly lead the Crunch with 45 and 44 points, respectively. Johnson, who is a plus-22, has 23 goals and 22 assists, while Connolly has 21 goals and 23 helpers.

Last Meeting 
Feb. 13, 2013: Albany 0 vs. Syracuse 6 
The Devils could not solve Riku Helenius, who made 24 saves, in a 6-0 Crunch win at Times Union Center. Syracuse was led by Mark Barberio and Radko Gudas, who each produced a power-play goal and an assist. For Albany, Keith Kinkaid, who played 40 minutes, made 10 saves on 16 shots and Jeff Frazee supplied 20 minutes of relief, stopping the six attempts he faced.

All-time Series 
All-Time: 9-12-1-2
Home: 2-9-1-1
Away: 7-3-0-1
2012-13: 1-3-0-0

Puck Drop 
Fans who wear their white Albany Devils hat will be able to purchase tickets at the box office for just $10. Additionally, in honor of the United States’ first President George Washington any person named George can get a ticket for just $1. Tickets can be purchased at the box office by showing proper identification.