There were 26 goals and 61 points in the regular season. But that was followed by no goals and two points in 10 playoff games.
So what in the world happened to Jack Quinn during the Rochester Amerks' playoff run?
It was a tough slump at the worst time. There was some bad luck. And it was a product of increased attention, as well. Belleville and Utica, the Amerks' first two playoff foes, were physical teams that looked to knock Quinn off his game and did it effectively.
Laval, which completed a sweep of the Amerks with Wednesday night's triple-overtime victory in Blue Cross Arena, was a run-and-gun outfit. That suited Quinn's game much more, as he piled up 12 shots on goal and numerous other chances in the final two games of the series. He simply couldn't dent the net.
"My game went through some struggles over the last month, so that was frustrating," the AHL's Rookie of the Year said Thursday on a video call as part of the Amerks' locker cleanout day. "It was something you kind of have to keep moving forward and just try to make sure I was helping the team win games, even if I wasn't putting points up."
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For the record, the health status of the Sabres' first-round draft pick from 2020 was asked and answered Thursday. Nothing unusual was revealed, as can often be the case during these sessions once teams are eliminated.
"I was healthy," Quinn said flatly. "Obviously, bruises and banged up and playing through little things. But no, nothing crazy. Everything was fine."
Jack Quinn agreed with the notion he refound his game in the last two vs. Laval. As for injuries, “nothing crazy”. Said he was healthy. Was just struggling to score for a stretch. #Sabres #Amerks pic.twitter.com/QU5JI82AXp
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) May 26, 2022
And the last two games backed up that statement. Quinn had eight shots on goal in Monday's 3-1 loss at Laval in Game 2 and added four more in Wednesday's 6-5 loss. He also had several other shots blocked or just miss the net. He hit a post and one of his shots on goal ticked off the knob of the stick of Laval goalie Cayden Primeau.
"I kind of wasn't playing at the level I expected myself to be," Quinn said. "But the last two games, I thought I really found it and kind of was back to my expectations, even though it didn't translate in the score sheet. I thought I was back to where I wanted to be."
"He was outstanding again tonight, created tons of looks," coach Seth Appert said after the game. "At 5-on-5 and power play, he was dangerous, made plays. Beats Primeau clean and hit the knob. It's unfortunate. It's certainly not the way you want to finish the season after a really dominant campaign here as a rookie. But you know, the sky's the future for that young man. What a remarkable hockey player. Better person. Work ethic is off the charts. Coachability is off the charts."
As Appert pointed out, not many 20-year-olds draw the top focus of opponents in AHL playoffs, but that's what Quinn and JJ Peterka dealt with during these 10 games.
"You get Rookie of the Year and guys key on you. It's one of those things he kind of made himself a marked man," Amerks goalie Aaron Dell said of Quinn. "He's used to scoring, and the teams we played definitely took him away as best they could.
"He had to find a different way to contribute. And I think he adapted to that really well. He found a different way to to be the best he could for this team, and he had some tough bounces with some posts and stuff. Sometimes it just doesn't go in, but he did a great job of finding other ways to help the team win."
Quinn said the disappointment of the defeat was giving way to the memories of what he'll take away from the 4 1/2-hour struggle.
"A crazy game, kind of back and forth, lots of scoring. It was a ton of fun to play in," he said. "To go to triple OT, that was pretty unique, doesn't happen often. I thought we were going to win that game and just ended up not getting the bounce that we needed in overtime. That's just how it goes sometimes."
Quinn said he'll ponder the lessons of the playoffs over the summer, continuing to hone his game with focus on his strength and his skating.
"Pretty much at every level, I've gone through some struggles and been able to keep working on my game and get over them," Quinn said. "So it's just another hurdle. The struggles kind of bring the best out of people. I'm a competitive person. So I think that probably contributes, I want to not accept where I'm at if it's not going well and try to get to the next level of my game."
Come training camp, there is full expectation Quinn will be cracking the Sabres' roster. He got two NHL games in this year and scored his first goal on a January power play against Dallas. The path is open for him to take the spot that's being made available to him.
"Since I was drafted by Kevyn and coming in, I definitely think everything's been really clear," Quinn said of general manager Kevyn Adams. "And that has made things super easy. All we have to do is show up and play and get better. That makes things really easy on us as players."
