Powering down: Albany postgame

Too many power-play goals against, sure, though they saw more bounces and breakdowns doing it to them there than anything. Some of those aspects from last night that we talked about, they showed up again Sunday.

Six more power plays against, a night after eight?

“Discipline’s going to be an issue moving forward,” Brent Thompson said. “Part of it is we can’t control what the refs call. Sometimes they invent calls.

“But discipline is going to be an issue. It’s going to be a difference-maker in the playoffs. It always is.”

Mike Sislo left open, Scott Timmins left open, a juggling-act pinball, and the Devils score three power-play goals against a team that hadn’t allowed two in a game in its first 11 games, that had allowed five in all in those 11.

But they managed. The third period included another Alan Quine goal, bouncing it off Scott Clemmensen’s stick and Seth Helgeson’s body and in, and another Harry Zolnierczyk goal, deflecting in Mike Halmo’s shot.

This remains the only AHL team for whom three-on-three solves nothing — a couple of two-on-ones each way for naught — so they had to win it in a shootout. No big deal. On they go.

……………..

Thompson said Reinhart’s last play last night wasn’t the play where he got hurt. Reiterated day-to-day, not serious.

Kevin Poulin remains hot, so hot that now he’s succeeding in the other end: An assortment of scoring changes from Saturday night’s game include a Poulin assist on Mike Halmo’s goal. That’s Poulin’s first AHL point. He’s out of last place overall for Bridgeport. (TV star Steve Valiquette “reclaims” that spot, no points in 54 games. But in his day job, Poulin has been fine. He’s stopped 165 of 173 in the past five games, since and including the shootout loss at St. John’s, a .954 save percentage. In his first five AHL games of 2012, which began with three shutouts, he stopped 124 of 129, a .961 SP. (He was called up for a couple of weeks after the fourth one.)

We’ll be keeping an eye tonight on Anaheim, where Brandon DeFazio could make his NHL debut for Vancouver if the Canucks’ injury situation so requires. Toronto called up Trevor Smith today, too; he’s in tonight for the Leafs in Ottawa.

http://theahl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1013632″>Prescout. Dallas Jackson with his first two assists for the Wolf Pack, on the tying and winning goals.

Team’s off tomorrow, so more Tuesday.

Michael Fornabaio