ROCHESTER – Even in defeat, the fans who stuck around for four and a half hours of playoff hockey across three overtimes gave a rousing standing ovation to thank the first Amerks team to reach the third round of the playoffs since 2004.
A postseason run that included memorable, galvanizing comebacks, individual heroics and depth-depleting injuries had just ended in Blue Cross Arena on Wednesday night with the Rochester Americans losing 6-5 to the Laval Rocket in triple overtime.
The Amerks’ players were still catching their breath when the Rocket celebrated J-S Dea’s game-winning goal 1:51 into the third extra period. Laval swept the best-of-five series to advance to the conference final, where it will play Springfield or Charlotte.
Rochester had to accept that its season was over only six days after it won in Utica to eliminate the top-seeded Comets. Tears were shed. Many of the 10,662 fans who filled the arena stuck around to watch the exhaustive effort. JJ Peterka still had his skates on when he spoke to the media 45 minutes after it all ended.
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“This is a great group that went through so much adversity, never gave up on each other,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said.
On two occasions Wednesday night, Rochester seemed destined for a quiet exit. Leading 2-0, it allowed four goals in a span of three minutes, 56 seconds late in the second period to trail by two at the intermission.
Brett Murray scored two of the Amerks’ three goals in the third-period rally that gave them a 5-4 lead, but Jesse Ylonen sent the game to overtime on his tying marker with an extra attacker on the ice during a power play when only 67 seconds remained in regulation.
“There were a lot of momentum changes,” said Murray. “It was emotional to be a part of, for sure.”
The Amerks had opportunities to extend their season. During the first overtime, they started on the power play and later, Ethan Prow’s shot went off goalie Cayden Primeau before the puck barely missed the right post. Winger Brendan Warren hit the cross bar in the second overtime, followed by a Jack Quinn one-timer that struck the knob of Primeau’s stick.
But in the end, a controversial penalty led to the winning goal. Rochester defenseman Brandon Davidson was called for delay of game when his clearing attempt went over the glass. Appert expressed confidence that the puck was deflected by a Laval player.
Thirty-one seconds into the ensuing power play, Dea scored his second goal of the game to end the marathon.
“We created plenty of chances to win,” said Appert. “There’s no doubt about that, whether it was late in the third or the overtimes. We had plenty of looks to win the game. We just didn’t get it done from an offensive perspective.”
This game, like most this postseason, showed the Amerks’ resolve. They endured a tumultuous regular season in which injuries forced Appert to use makeshift lineups and sent them tumbling down the standings. Rochester qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
There were come-from-behind wins in the playoffs, starting with Game 1 against Belleville in the play-in series. Twenty-one of Rochester’s final 56 games went to overtime. They played their final game without Michael Mersch, the team’s captain. Appert deployed seven defensemen and 11 forwards throughout the playoffs.
“It’s tough to even think about it so quickly,” said Murray, choked up when recalling what he and his teammates endured. "You don't see a lot of teams sort of bond, coming together the way we did through adversity the entire season. ... This is an extremely special group."
Still, this situation seemed dire at the second intermission.
Peterka and Mark Jankowski scored in the first period to spot Rochester a 2-0 lead. Then, the Rocket took over with goals by Brandon Gignac, Danick Martel, Xavier Ouellet and Dea.
Gignac tipped a shot from the point, Martel scored when he was left open in the slot and Ouellete tied it with his shot through traffic. Finally, Dea got to a loose puck around the crease when Dell was slow to reach after being hit in the mask by the initial shot, as Laval quieted the crowd by making it 4-2 with 2:12 left in the second period.
“Everybody believes in everybody in that room,” Prow said. “Everybody’s giving it their all, and we all believed we could do it.”
The Amerks’ rally began with Murray scoring his first of two goals only 13 seconds into the third period. Peterka then finished a Peyton Krebs centering pass to tie it, and Rochester took the lead again when Murray redirected Prow’s shot from the point with 11:25 remaining.
Goalie Aaron Dell made 54 saves to try to stave off elimination. Quinn finished the postseason without a goal, but he had another outstanding performance Wednesday night.
This team won’t return intact next season. Quinn and Peterka might graduate to the NHL. Krebs and Casey Fitzgerald will return to the Sabres. Veterans will sign elsewhere. Arttu Ruotsalainen’s future appears uncertain. But they'll always have this playoff run that had the building filled with pride when it all ended.
“It’s a resilient group,” said Appert.
Here are other observations from the game:
1. Adjustment made
Murray and Ryan MacInnis, both power forwards who get to the front of the net, were at the center of Rochester's plan to create offense. Primeau, a prospect of the Canadiens, allowed only two goals in the first two games of this series while Rochester failed to create traffic in front. He saw too many shots, including all eight of Quinn’s in Game 2.
MacInnis was moved to the top line and screened Primeau on Peterka’s goal that made it 2-0 on Wednesday. Then, Murray made a significant impact in the third period.
2. Back at it
Oskari Laaksonen, a 22-year-old defenseman, wasn’t pleased with the Amerks’ coaches’ decision to scratch him after he totaled 34 points in 71 regular-season games. An AHL all-star as a rookie in 2020-21, he was suddenly behind non-prospects like Mitch Eliot and Josh Teves on the depth chart.
Laaksonen, a third-round draft pick of the Sabres in 2017, finally made his postseason debut in Game 2 on Monday and he helped Laval’s forecheck on the breakout. Appert explained that Laaksonen’s deficiencies defensively, particularly when handling a physical opponent, led to the scratch in rounds one and two.
Laaksonen played only six shifts in regulation Wednesday and struggled handling the puck in overtime.
"I was not happy with the decision and probably everybody else who's in the stands is not happy," said Laaksonen. "But this is a team, the coach decides who plays and we’re this far, so I'm not looking back. It's my chance now to be involved and try to help the team as best I can."
3. Sitting out
Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was unable to return from a lower-body injury for Game 3, but he’s “really close,” said Appert. Luukkonen, 23, hasn’t played since the regular-season finale April 29, when he was injured on a collision with Utica’s Ryan Schmelzer. The injury occurred at a time when Luukkonen was playing well for Rochester, bolstering his season save percentage to .900.
Luukkonen returned to practice with the Amerks over the weekend and skated on his own Tuesday afternoon after the team returned from Laval.
“Uppie is close, really close,” Appert said following the morning skate. “It’s just an interesting one. Having played the position, it’s hard because it’s not like a forward or defenseman where you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m only at 80 percent and I can go out and play and if I’m not playing that well, we have other guys.’ If you’re a goalie, and you’re not 100 percent confident that you can help your team win, then you’re really putting your team at a disadvantage.”
