ROCHESTER – The Laval Rocket has won seven of its nine meetings with the Americans this season, including Wednesday’s opener in the AHL North Division final.
The Amerks, of course, have ranked among the AHL’s heavyweights all season, boasting a deep and skilled lineup. However, Laval, having finished first overall, is the class of the AHL, which it proved again in Game 1 of the best-of-five series in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Rocket erased two one-goal deficits and scored 15:51 into the third period to break a tie and defeat the Amerks 5-4 before a noisy crowd of 6,162 fans in Blue Cross Arena.
Center Oliver Kapanen tallied the winner four minutes after Amerks winger Isak Rosen knotted the game.
“The margin for error’s really small against a team like that,” Amerks coach Mike Leone said.
No kidding. The Buffalo Sabres’ affiliate, fresh off a sweep of the Syracuse Crunch in the semifinal round, might have met its match in the Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate.
The teams answered each other all night, never grabbing more than a one-goal lead.
As Sabres owner Terry Pegula, general manager Kevyn Adams and the team’s brass watched from a suite, Amerks defenseman Kale Clague’s power-play goal opened the scoring at 4:33. Clague has scored one goal in each of the four postseason contests.
Defenseman Logan Mailloux tied it at 10:04, ending Amerks goalie Devon Levi’s shutout streak at 146:41. Defenseman David Reinbacher gave the Rocket its first lead 18:19 into the game.
In about eight minutes, Levi, who was coming off back-to-back-shutouts, allowed as many goals as he did in the entire opening round. Remember, after Syracuse grabbed a 2-0 lead in Game 1, the Amerks scored 11 straight goals to close the series.
“He gave us a chance to win tonight, and that’s all you can ask for,” Leone said of Levi, who made 29 saves.
Rookie winger Konsta Helenius and center Josh Dunne scored for the Amerks in the second before Rocket forwards Brandon Gignac and Alex Barre-Boulet answered before the period ended.
“I think there was too much highs and lows in the game today, and that’s why we lost,” Rosen said. “When you played such a skilled group, you got to be on your toes all the time.”
Game 2 is Friday in Rochester.
