The Utica Comets had an extremely busy week as the New Jersey Devils’ AHL affiliate split four games. Each of the contests were decided by multiple goals. Nolan Foote, the Comets’ leading scorer, had a big week, while Nico Daws picked up a win before he was called up by the Devils and tallied his first career NHL shutout. Despite this, as the season continues, the Comets hopes to regain relevancy in the playoff race continues to dwindle.
For last week’s review, click here.
Weekly Results
Senators 3, Comets 0; Feb. 17
The Comets were shutout in their first game of the week against the team directly above them in the standings. It wasn’t without the effort though, as Utica outshot Belleville comfortably (34-23) in the 3-0 loss.
Despite a very early double minor penalty committed by Belleville’s Garrett Pilon, the Comets were unable to take advantage. Utica outshot the Senators 16-6 in the first period, but the scoreboard was still even at zero at the frame’s end.
Belleville struck twice in quick succession very late in period two to jump out to a 2-0 lead before the final period. For good measure, the Senators tallied an empty-net goal with just seconds left in the game.
Senators goalie Leevi Meriläinen was the star of the game, posting the 34-save shutout. Isaac Poulter was on the losing end of things, stopping 20-of-22 shots faced. The Comets dropped the game 3-0 despite going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Comets 5, Senators 2; Feb. 19
The Comets bounced back in a big way against the same Belleville team they played just two day prior, winning 5-2. The Comets jumped out to a very quick lead in the game after Nolan Foote got his 16th of the season just 1:14 into the contest.
Utica scored once again early in a period, this time in the second, as Brian Halonen got his team-leading 18th of the season. With a 2-0 lead, the Comets looked poised to avenge their Monday loss, however, Belleville struck back with two-straight goals to tie the game at two early in period three.
From that point on, it was all Utica. Nathan Légáre (7) and Mike Hardman (13) scored even strength goals to extend the Comets’ lead back out to two at 4-2. Max Willman got an empty netter to ice things at 5-2 with under a minute left in the game.
Nico Daws got the start for the Comets, as he stopped 30-of-32 in a terrific performance. The only Comet that tallied a multi-point game was Nolan Foote who had a goal and an assist as he extended his team lead in points. Meriläinen was not nearly as strong as Monday’s game, as he only stopped 22-of-26 in the losing effort.
Bruins 4, Comets 2; Feb. 22
The Comets’ third game of the week did not see a score until very late into period one as Providence scored. Utica responded back quickly in the second period, as the captain, Ryan Schmelzer, scored two-straight goals (13, 14). Foote, who had a nice week, tallied his 17th and 18th assists, respectively, on each tally.
It fell apart for Utica from there. Providence got a power play tally late in the second period to knot the game back up. Then, in the third period, the Bruins extended their unanswered goal tally to three as they scored another early power play goal then an empty-netter late to ice the game resulting in the 4-2 final line.
A big deciding factor in the contest was the Providence power play that went 2-for-4. They outshot the Comets 30-24 in the game, as Poulter was only able to stop 26-of-29 in defeat. Both Foote and Schmelzer had two points in the game.
Comets 4, Bridgeport 2; Feb. 22
Utica ended the week on a high note, clinching a split of the four-game week. They took a decisive 4-2 victory over the worst team in the AHL; the Bridgeport Islanders. Much like their first win of the week, Utica jumped out to a 2-0 start, thanks to first-period goals by Brian Halonen (19) and Max Willman (5).
In another parallel to Wednesday’s win, the Comets relinquished a two-goal lead before Xavier Parent scored the game-winning goal just 1:44 into the third period. Nathan Légáre iced the game with a shorthanded, empty-net tally.
Poulter got another start and stopped 23-of-25 in the victory. The final shot total in the game were pretty even at 26-25 in favor of the away Utica Comets. Each power play went 0-for-1.
Statistic Update
It was another very strong week from Nolan Foote. Foote now has 16 goals, 18 assists, and 34 points on the season. He is on pace for a 51-point season which would be the most of his professional career. According to AHL Tracker’s game score per game metric, he ranks in the AHL’s 85th percentile among forwards with at least 15 games played in the AHL this season.
Forward Nathan Légáre usually plays a bottom-six checking role for the Comets, but had an extremely efficient week. He tallied three point, and now has four over his last five games. He is not flashy by any means, but does good work on the penalty kill and plays very physical. Everything you can ask for in a bottom-six forward. He is on pace for 116 penalty minutes which would be by far a career-high in the AHL.
Standing Update
A split does not do much for a Utica team that is still trying to regain legit relevancy in the North Division playoff race. Utica still occupies the seventh and final spot in the North. They trail Belleville by nine points for sixth in the division and are 11 points behind the Syracuse Crunch for the fifth, and final playoff spot, in the division. The Crunch have played one more game than Utica while Belleville has played one game less.
Upcoming Schedule
After the busy four-game week, the Comets have another busy week with three games in three days right at the end of the week. They welcome in the Rochester Americans, the North Division leaders, on Friday. Then, the Comets visit Hartford and the Wolf Pack (26th of 32 AHL teams) for a 6:00 pm ET start on Saturday. Finally, they finish their three-game straight stretch Sunday against the Crunch, who occupy the final playoff spot in the North.