Brady Austin vs Albany Devils 1/27/17 (Grade B+)

The Amerks continued to their skid Friday night dropping their third strait game. During that stretch they have also managed only one goal per contest. It seems that the absence of Captain Cal has had a profound impact on the scoring output of both Cole Schneider and Nick Baptiste. In what is becoming an all too familiar site, the one-man show of Justin Bailey was not enough. Even with the Ice Caps starting to slide, I fear the lack of organizational depth is an obstacle too big to overcome. In this troubling stretch one of the major bright spots has been the play of the top defensive pairing.

Brady Austin played his usual steady brand of hockey. I am going to rate him a B+. Unfortunately, he was on the ice for both Albany goals or he might have earned my first outright A of the year. In the final two periods he was able to bring a physical aspect that his game has lacked at times.

Austin is not exactly known for his offensive prowess, but tonight was one of his better games. His passes out of the back were measured and resulted in only one turnover all night. As a team the Amerks had a very difficult time getting the puck out of the zone, but Austin was not a part of the problem. He actually made a few very nice passes to set up good odd man rush opportunities. While under pressure he made an amazing lob off the glass in his own zone; it dropped right at the feet of Dupuy, almost leading to a goal for Bailey. He was really starting to feel himself late in the game when he attempted a Rodriguez like pirouette on his own blue line. It resulted in an astonishing lead pass through two defenders and onto the stick of Cattenaci in the offensive zone. However, there were several occasions Brady struggled offensively. His shooting was awful; almost all of his shots tonight were blocked before they made it to the net. The one he was lucky enough to get through rang off the pipe. Because Brady is a much better player without the puck he is a much more efficient player when he has talented forwards on the ice with him. He fits in very nicely with a player like Bailey who excels when skating the puck.

Defensively, Austin excelled both in front of, and behind his own net. He was very watchful of Albany forwards and was a constant protector of Ullmark. Even after the whistle he was quick to protect his net-minder and shepherd players out of his crease. When the puck went behind the net Brady was able to stick with his man and separate him from the puck. However, Austin’s lack of speed was a huge detriment defending on the rush tonight. His inability to keep up with players means one of two things. Either he has to cut down the angle and separate his man from the puck by taking the body early, or gamble on a poke check. In most cases Austin chose the latter, and it almost cost him on a few occasions. When considering the uptick in speed at the NHL level, it makes sense that Brady has not received a call up.

Even though Austin is a better all around defenseman than Nelson or Fedun he is limited to an AHL career based on his speed. This year he has earned his place on in the first defensive pairing, and is a tremendously important piece in Rochester. Unfortunately, I don’t expect him to play in Buffalo. It seems that management has the same opinion if they would rather bring up Casey Nelson.

Daniel Muzito-Bagenda vs Toronto Marlies 1/25/2017 (Grade A-)

In a defensive struggle the Amerks eventually fell to the Marlies in the 7th round of a shootout. Once again the teams top line was held without a point as Fasching secured the only regulation goal. Even though he was electric with the puck, Justin Bailey failed to find the net for the second game in a row. The same excitement could not be found in the game of fellow prospect Nick Baptiste. The player I have been gushing about all season has almost completely disappeared and is showing no signs of improvement. If the Amerks are going to have any chance of making the post season other players will need to step up. Tonight it was Erik Burgdoerfer who played a phenomenal game to help keep the Marlies off the score sheet in the final two frames. He was able to take the body on the rush so efficiently that Toronto was faced with an impossible task creating odd man rushes. He was consistently able to staple his man to the boards and dispossess him of the puck with ease. 

Daniel Muzito-Bagenda was also among players that stepped up. I am going to rate him an A- for his efforts tonight. It looked like DMB would play the role of hero tonight after potting the only Amerk goal in the shootout. Unfortunately, the Marlies were able to extend it on the next attempt and eventually win. In many ways Muzito-Bagenda exceeded expectations; and earned quite a bit of extra ice time as a result. It was obvious he played more than he was used to. By the third period he was exhausted and unable to make the same kind of impact.

Offensively DMB continued to impress with the improvements he has made. He was constantly in great position on the break out, allowing him to get the puck in space and skate it into the offensive zone.  As the game wore on he was a step slower and had issues getting it deep, but for the most part he did a great job. He showed quick hands on the rush and was able create a couple tantalizing chances. However, one area he still has plenty of room for improvement is in his shooting. On the first, after a clumsy exchange with Karabacek he found himself open in the slot. Bagenda took too long to get the shot off allowing the goalie to cut down the angle and give him less room. As a result, he wasn’t able to pick the tight window on the far post. In the following frame he made a sneaky cut from behind the net to find himself all alone in front of goal. He slid the puck to his backhand bringing the Marlie net-minder to his knees but couldn’t lift the puck above the pad to score.  Even though he lacked the polish of a more seasoned player he turned in a performance that far exceeded the expectations of a fourth line winger.

Defensively, Bagenda played a very inconsistent game from zone to zone. His fore-checking was fantastic; his pressing made passing very difficult on the breakout. He showed very impressive hand eye coordination to knock a stretch pass out of the air that eventually led to his first chance.  He even did a great job back checking forwards. He made a heads up play late on the rush to lift the stick of his man all the way through the defensive zone, eliminating him from the play. However, once the Marlies set up position in the offensive zone DMB looked like a lost puppy. He gave defenseman way too much space on the point and was consistently caught in “no mans land” unable to block shots. Things only got worse for Muzito-Bagenda in the third when he started to run out of steam. He was so flat-footed that he was more of a screen than a defender. Fortunately in the closing moments of the game he was able to redeem himself and help force a shootout. He finally got all the way out to the point and poked the puck away from his man and out of danger.

Even though there were obvious holes in the game DMB played tonight, the progress he has made this season is staggering. I am also going to cut him a little slack for his stamina issues because it was probably the most ice time he has received so far. Aside from Baily’s blazing speed, Bagenda reminds me of 95 last season. He plays vey hard, but lacks the extra polish that would take his game to the next level. He is slowly turning into a key player for the Amerks and it looks like his role with the team will be expanded going forward.

Hudson Fasching vs Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins 1/13/17 (Grade B+)

Tonight the Amerks will feel shortchanged taking no points from their match up against the AHL’s best, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. They outscored the penguins 2-1 when at full strength, but surrendered two power play goals. Muse played a solid game; but if Linus Ullmark had not been opening doors in Buffalo, I think the Amerks get two points. Baptiste had another frustrating night featuring several turnovers and a terrible penalty where he chose to chop down his man instead of attempting to play defense. The funk he has entered immediately after Bailey got called up is an even greater indicator of his immaturity issues. However, Daniel Muzito-Bagenda seems to be taking the roster moves being made in stride. He rebounded from a healthy scratch on Wednesday with a fantastic game adding another goal to his resume. I was most impressed with his ability to skate the puck into the offensive zone through traffic; it is not something I previously thought to be in his bag of tricks.  

 

Bagenda’s line mate Hudson Fasching played a very steady game. Despite a disappointing stat line, I am going to rate him a B+.  He seemed to have a very solid mental game plan that governed his play, which resulted in a very positive style of hockey. The three pillars of his game were physicality, pressure on point men, and net drive.   

 

Fasching did not find himself on the puck very often but he was still able to make an impact. Early on he set up shop right in front of the net creating a great screen for Strachan. The resulting rebound led to a tap-in goal for Bagenda. He was able to crash the net hard and create chances all night long. His best opportunity came on a puck that he picked out of the air in front. Unfortunately, he batted the flying puck just wide. Fasching had one final chance late in the game created by some quick stick work behind the net. He weaved between both Marlie defensemen, but fired a centering pass into an empty slot. Even though it was a tough angle I would have liked to see him try and pick the top corner of the near side post.

Defensively, Fasching played a very conservative game. The stats will tell you that he was on the ice for all three of the Penguins goals, but I can’t point out anything that he did wrong.  On the first, he closed out on the point preventing a shot and forcing the puck low. Then Dupuy lost track of his man watching the puck behind the net and he scored on a backdoor cut. On the second power play goal Dupuy lost the draw clean and couldn’t get out to his point in time to block the shot. It was not a good night for 39. On the last goal he did a great job to eliminate the shot angle of his man forcing a tough pass. In what was a brutal break, the puck deflected off Geiger’s skate and between the legs of Muse.

The style of hockey Fasching plays is unlike any other forward the Amerks have. He plays hard and finishes checks with a consistency that very few teammates exhibit; but he also has the quick hands and skill to make a difference with his net-front game. I would like to see him get some time on the power play going forward. The increase of screened shots would help tremendously.

Kyle Bonis vs Hartford Wolf Pack 1/11/17 (Grade D)

Tonight’s game against the Hartford Wolf Pack was a huge letdown. From the first line to the fourth the Amerks played an unacceptable game. Captain Cal led the charge; he was dominated in the face-off circle and his body language was deplorable. A player slamming his stick and shrugging his shoulders all night should not be wearing the “C”. Lead goal scorer Nick Baptiste was mentally and physically taken advantage of. He continuously turned the puck over in every zone of the ice and spent far too much time after the whistle engaged in hostile conversations. The young prospect has accumulated multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties already this year. I worry that his immaturity might threaten the progress he has made. The Cornel-Bonis-Vaive line made such a minuscule impact they barely played in the 3^rd period. Together they combined for only one of the Amerk’s thirty-one shots.

 

Kyle Bonis played the worst game I have ever seen from him. I am going to rate him a D. I think he is in serious danger of loosing his roster spot. If Grant had cleared waivers then his days in Rochester would have surely been numbered. The only positive impact Bonis had tonight was his 4-2 record in the center circle.

 

Offensively he did not contribute anything tonight. Whenever he got the puck, he dumped it into the zone chasing after it with his trademark hustle. Unfortunately, he was consistently unable to retrieve the puck in the battle on the boards. On only one occasion was he able to dig it out and send it up the boards to Geiger who was still not able to get a shot through. Halfway through the third during a 3 on 2 the struggling line had a chance to score. Bonis let the centering pass from Vaive run past his feet and onto a Hartford stick. It resulted in a 2 on 1 the other way and a pivotal goal to make it 3-0, and put the game out of reach.

 

It was not the only Wolf Pack goal that goal that Bonis was involved in tonight. When playing on the kill he gave far too much space to point men allowing them to fire at will. He was sunk in so deep that he was unable to get his body or even his stick to multiple shots. Eventually Muse was overpowered on one of many slap shots that came from his side. Unlike most nights, 22 was not the tip of the spear in the fore-checking game. Part of this was because O’Reilly was caught out late so frequently that Bonis was not able to change in time to challenge the breakout. As a result he only made one play to turn the puck over (this actually led to the only shot his line produced). Had Kyle led the fore-check more often, maybe his line would have received more ice time in the third period.

 

There are too many fringe players competing for time for Bonis to play this poorly. With Fasching and Karabacek returning from injury, the only thing tying him to the roster is his face-off ability. If the Sabres had any kind of depth at center, Bonis would not have seen his PTO extended. After 27 games, I would rather see a checking line featuring Vaive, Kea, and Muzito-Bagenda. Kea is five years younger and provides a physical aspect that Bonis does not. If Bonus was cut tomorrow it would not hurt the organization.

Evan Rodrigues vs Syracuse Crunch 1/6/2017 (Grade 4)

The Amerks were able to secure a fourth win in their last five games at home against the Crunch.  Cal O’Reilly scored the lone goal in a shootout and the Amerks were able to hang on by the skin of their teeth. With Bailey and Fedun missing from the lineup fringe players were able to step up. Kyle Bonis made a very compelling case to play AHL hockey past his 25 game PTO. In this his 24^th tilt he was able find the net, and was a team best 10 of 14 in the face-off circle. Muzito-Bagenda also scored on a nice wrap around attempt.  For the first time since returning from injury Vaclav Karabacek was able to make a difference in the fore-checking game. He made several gritty plays in the corner that led to turnovers. He assisted both Bonis and Bagenda’s goals.

Evan Rodriguez played a very solid game on all fronts. I am going to rate him a 4 tonight, because I now think he will be good enough to play 4^th line minuets in the NHL. In the past Rodrigues has struggled to make an offensive impact; relying only on his fore-checking and instigating abilities to effect the game.  This year he has taken on much more offensive responsibility and is even growing into his role on the power play as a point forward.

Early in the year Rodrigues struggled to hold the point and I was shocked that Lambert continued to show faith in him. Tonight it seemed like the game had finally slowed down for him. All three times he led the breakout the Amerks were able to get clean zone entry. Rodrigues was able to skate the puck all the way into the offensive zone on his first attempt, and find a tape-to-tape pass on the other occasions. The thing that impressed me most about his point play was that it was tailored around creating chances for Baptiste. He was able to draw the defense away form 13 and feed him in the slot twice. The first time Baptiste fanned on the shot. On his second attempt, in costmary fashion Baptiste laced a slap shot into the top corner of the net. 

However, Rodrigues wasn’t just creating chances with a man advantage. He did a good job of leaking out of the zone to start the breakout. With a head start he was able to use his blazing speed to create chances on the rush. After pushing the defense onto their heals he made drop passes to O’Reilly and Schneider to set up open shooting lanes in the slot. He also executed one of his trademark spinning backhands to give Tim Kennedy a shot right in front of the net. He has an element of flair to his game this year that he never had before. Instead of looking confused,  he is playing with confidence. He has certainly come a long way from mindlessly pumping rubber from odd angles.

The addition of a strong offensive game is supplemented by his intense defensive effort. Night in and night out you can count on Rodrigues to pester the opposition. Tonight was not an exception. He feverishly back checked Syracuse forwards all game, and was able to keep defenseman in the zone and win the puck a few times too. He has a very rare ability to get under the skin of enemy players, and you could see frustration begin to manifest for the Crunch. He was at the center of a spirited exchange at the end of both the first and second period.

Rodrigues exhibits a style of play that is tailor made for a NHL 4^th liner. The speed that he is improving at rivals only the lightning speed he pursues the puck with. If he can continue to grow and develop in Rochester, I think he will see more time in Buffalo, and eventually challenge for a permanent spot.