Amerks drop wild Game 1 with Laval

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Oliver Kapanen tipped in the game winner with less than five minutes to play and Laval won Game 1 of the North Division Final in Rochester Wednesday night 5-4.
The game was tied four different times. The last came courtesy an Isak Rosen snipe with 8:42 left that erased a one-goal Amerks deficit. However, Rochester could only muster two shots on goal after Kapanen's go-ahead score.
'We've got to play better,' Rosen said. 'I think there was too much high and lows in our game today, and that's why we lost. When you played against such a skilled group, you've got to be on your toes all the time. I think that's where we lost the game today a little bit.'
Kale Clague got Rochester on the board first with an early power play goal. The Amerks defenseman has now scored in all four playoff games.
'I just think we need to manage the game a little bit better,' Clague said after the loss. 'We know it's a long change in the second period, but we just need to get pucks in, be able to out-change them. Like you said, we got caught a couple times and that cost us, but we'll watch it.'
Following Clague's goal, Laval answered with a power play blast of their own from Logan Mailloux to break Devon Levi's scoreless streak at 166:35. A David Reinbacher goal with less than two minutes to play in the period made it 2-1 Laval.
Rochester got the first two of the second. Clague fed Konsta Helenius in the slot to make it 2-2 less than two and a half minutes into the period. A John Dunne wraparound put Rochester back in front four minutes later.
The Rocket netted two more in the final six minutes of the period. First, Brandon Gignac dented twice all alone the slot to get even at 3. In the final minute of the period, Alex Barre-Boulet punched in a rebound to push Laval in front a goal.
Levi made 29 saves, but allowed five goals or more in a game for the first time since early January. It was also the first ever AHL playoff loss for Amerks head coach Michael Leone.
'The margin for error is really small against a team like that, you know, you don't want to beat yourself when you've got to manage games,' Leone said. 'The first goal was, they're on a change and we turnover the puck, they end up scoring in the first one. That third one, you know, we don't get multiple changes, they get one. Those things are really important at this time of the year.'
Game two is set for Friday night in Rochester.
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