The Utica Comets had another three-game week. This time around they picked up a victory in two of the three games. The first came against a decent Rochester team while they ended the week taking a shootout decision over the second-best team in the league in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
For last week’s review, click here.
Weekly Results
Comets 3, Americans 2; Dec. 17
Utica began the week off strong with a 3-2 victory over Rochester. This snapped a short two-game losing streak for the Comets.
The Comets actually fell behind in this one early, as Isak Rosén struck on the power play for Rochester. Utica answered back with two straight goals. The first was courtesy of Matyas Melovksy late in the first period and the second was a Jonathan Gruden tally 52 seconds into period two. Prospects Lenni Hämeenaho picked up the assist on the Melovksy tally and Cam Squires on the Gruden goal.
Rochester did answer back pretty quickly after the Comets took the 2-1 lead. After Zac Jones tied the game, Topias Vilén scored on the power play which was the third goal in the game’s second period. The power-play tally, which was the game’s last score, was assisted by Thomas Bordeleau and Squires, once again.
The game remained scoreless for the duration of the second and all of the third period. With that, the Comets notched the 3-2 victory. Nico Daws only needed to make 19 saves in the victory. Utica only had 19 shots of their own. The Comets also went 1-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Squires was the lone Comet with multiple points, as he had two assists.
Penguins 4, Comets 2; Dec. 19
The Comets suffered their lone loss of the week on Friday on home ice. They started out strong, but three straight goals to end the game by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the league’s second-best team, spelled a two-goal defeat for Utica.
Kyle Criscuolo scored twice, one shorthanded and one on the power play, in the game’s first period. Hämeenaho picked up an assist on both, as his scorching hot stretch continued. There was a Penguins’ goal sandwiched in between, but after one, the Comets led 2-1.
Unfortunately, for Utica, it was all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the rest of the way. The Penguins scored the game’s last three goals which sent them on to a 4-2 victory. Despite this, Utica outshot Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 25-24.
Daws started once again, stopping 20-of-23. Criscuolo and Hämeenaho were the Comets with multiple points, two each. Utica held the Penguins scoreless on the power play (four attempts).
Comets 3, Penguins 2 (SO); Dec. 20
The Comets ended the week with a strong 3-2 shootout decision against the same Penguins team they played the night before. It capped off a successful four-point week for the Comets.
All of the game’s scoring came in the second and third periods. Cam Squires scored to get things started, his tally was assisted by veterans Kyle Criscuolo and Jonathan Gruden. After a Penguins goal, Josh Filmon scored his first AHL goal of the season late in the second frame. Seamus Casey picked up his 11th assist on the even strength goal.
Avery Hayes got the Penguins level 8:07 into the final frame. The score held at 2-2 through the end of the third period and overtime. In the shootout, with Utica shooting first, Lenni Hämeenaho scored on his first attempt and the Penguins went scoreless against Jakub Málek the rest of the way.
Málek was strong overall, stopping 31-of-33, then the three attempts in the shootout. Utica had 33 shots of their own in the game as well. Both teams went scoreless on the power play, combining to go 0-for-7. Six different Comets picked up a single point in the game.
Statistics Update
Utica’s goaltenders are trending in opposite directions. Nico Daws has posted a save percentage below .900 in two of his last three games and six of his last nine. On the season, he is at a .888 save percentage across 17 games.
Meanwhile, after struggling so bad to begin the season, and being sent down to the ECHL, Jakub Málek has posted a .917 save percentage or higher in three of his four games since returning from Adirondack (ECHL). Overall, since returning on December 5, Málek has a .930 save percentage and, specifically, a .943 save percentage across his last three games. He has been comfortably outplaying his counterpart.
Offensively, Lenni Hämeenaho has been scorching hot. After being held scoreless through his first nine games, he has exploded for 11 points (six goals) over his last 16 games. This includes five points across his last five games and seven across his last eight. He is also doing it while playing in any situation as he had both a power-play and penalty-kill point this past week.
Additionally, 20-year-old, and former fourth-round pick, Cam Squires, has really picked it up as of late. He began the season in the ECHL, where he had three points in eight games. In his first 10 AHL games this season, he has five points. Specifically, he has the five across his last seven contests.
Lastly, veteran Kyle Criscuolo had a big week. The Southampton, New Jersey native had three points in the final two games of the week. He was brought to Utica after the season began and has eight points in 17 total games. The 33-year-old has played in 517 career AHL games.
Standings Update
With their four-point week, Utica improved to 7-15-3-1 on the season. Their 18 points trails the Toronto Marlies by 10 for the final playoff position in the North Division. The Comets have one more point than the Iowa Wild who are dead-last in the AHL in points. Encouragingly, the Comets are still tied for the fewest games played in the league.
Upcoming Schedule
With the holiday on the horizon, the Comets only have two games this week, each divisional matchups. They play at home against the Toronto Marlies on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, they play the Belleville Senators at 3:00 pm ET in Belleville. The Senators are currently atop the North Division while the aforementioned Marlies occupy the fifth and final playoff spot in the division.
ECHL Update
The New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets ECHL affiliate is the Adirondack Thunder. The Thunder currently own a 13-8-3-1 record which sits them sixth in the Eastern Conference. Since they sit in the top four (third) of the North Division which would qualify for the playoffs if the season were to end today.
Offensively, the Thunder has been led by forward Brannon McManus. McManus has 22 points in 25 games. This figure not only leads the Thunder, but also ranks 11th in the league as a whole. McManus, 26, played in college at the University of Minnesota and the University of Nebraska-Omaha from 2017-2022. He has since played in 216 ECHL games posting 139 points. He only has a seven-game sample in the AHL, all in 2021-22 with Abbotsford.
Matt Salhany (15 points), Justin Taylor (13 points), and Dylan Wendt (13 points) rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, in scoring. Wendt, as a result, has been called up and has been on Utica’s roster. Defenseman Jeremy Hanzel, who was acquired in the Erik Haula trade in the offseason, leads Adirondack defensemen with 12 points in 25 games.
Adirondack’s strong suit has been in net. Jeremy Brodeur has started 14 games and has a very strong 2.17 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Tyler Brennan, who started the season off well, has seen his save percentage drop off to a .893 mark across nine games.