Albany Devils January Review

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Next man up. The rally cry has served the Albany Devils well in January and heading into the American Hockey League All-Star break. Callups of Luke Gazdic, Steven Santini, Seth Helgeson, Karl Stollery and Blake Coleman, along with injuries to Joseph Blandisi, John Quenneville, Jan Mandat and Peter Straka, haven’t deterred the Devils.

At the break, the top affiliate of the New Jersey Devils has an overall ledger of 25-17-1-1 and their 52 points and .591 win percentage place them second behind the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division. The A-Devils posted a mark of 7-4-1-0 in January.

Best Victory

In their most dominating victory of the month, the Devils cruised to a 6-2 win over the St. John’s IceCaps on Jan. 4. Ahead 1-0 through one period, a five-goal surge sparked the Devils to their fourth consecutive victory. Five of their six goals came against IceCaps All-Star goalie Charlie Lindgren. Five Devils players, including Coleman, Brian Gibbons, Blake Pietila, Carter Camper and Ben Sexton registered multiple points.

All-Stars

Forwards Blandisi and Quenneville and defenseman Vojtech Mozik will represent the Devils in Allentown. The rookie Quenneville leads the squad with 19 assists and 29 points. Blandisi is tied for fourth on the club with 23 points. Mozik’s six tallies and plus-13 rating lead all Devils defensemen.

Stepping Up

Ben Sexton

Six of Sexton’s 13 tallies came in January. The Devils forward recorded three multiple-point games. On Jan. 11, Sexton netted the 3-2 overtime winner at Springfield.

Carter Camper

Since his return to the lineup, the Devils have been happy campers. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. In January, Camper dished out eight helpers. The Miami University product has provided veteran clout on a young roster.

Kevin Rooney

The rookie forward out of Providence College has carved out a nice campaign with eight goals. Rooney always hustles and always seems to be involved in the action. On Jan. 18, No. 21 netted a 3-2 overtime winner against the division leading Crunch.

Ken Appleby

The former Oshawa Generals goalie has emerged as the consensus No. 1 backstop for the Devils. In January, the Devils netminder has only yielded three goals on two occasions. Among AHL leaders, Appleby ranks first with a 2.05 goals-against average and ninth with a .920 save percentage.

The Good

Hometown Heroes

On the campaign, the Devils are 14-6-1-0 at Times Union Center. Their home win percentage of .690 is second in the North Division. In January, the Devils finished 3-1-1-0 on home ice.

Penalty Kill

Racking up 365 penalty minutes, the Devils are well versed in skating shorthanded. Their penalty kill has produced four shorthanded goals this season. On the year the Devils’ 84.5% penalty kill rates fifth in the league.

The Bad

Rocky Road

Through 23 road contests, the Devils are 11-11-0-1. Away from Albany, the team went 4-3-0-0 in January. The Devils goal differential is minus-12 in other AHL barns.

Worst Loss

A Jan. 7 tilt at the Lehigh Valley Phantoms had the Devils blanked for the only time during the month. The 2-0 loss marked the first time the Devils lost to the Phantoms since the Philadelphia Flyers shifted their franchise from Glens Falls. The Devils couldn’t generate any offense in this game, sporting an 0-for-7 with the extra attacker.

Look Ahead

Coming out of the All-Star break the Devils will find a loaded schedule in February. They play 13 contests with seven at home and six on the road. In Albany, the Devils start out the month against the division-leading Crunch and the Phantoms make their first visit to Times Union Center. After traveling to Binghamton and hosting Providence, the Devils embark on a three-game road trip to Rochester and two in Toronto.

Following the road swing, the Devils return home for a four-game homestand against the Crunch, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Utica Comets. Rounding out the month the Devils have two contests against the IceCaps.