ROCHESTER – JJ Peterka didn’t need to have his eyes on Rochester Americans teammate Lukas Rousek to make a play Sunday that drew a roar from the sellout crowd of 10,741 in Blue Cross Arena.
Peterka, a second-round draft pick of the Sabres in 2020, made a behind-the-back, between-the-legs pass through the Utica Comets’ coverage to setup Rousek for the Americans’ go-ahead goal in the first period.
And Peterka wasn’t done. Later, he delivered another tie-breaking effort by firing the puck off Brandon Biro’s skate and in. Under the spotlight of the postseason and fighting through a hit each time he got rid of the puck, Peterka showed why he soon will join the Sabres’ young core in Buffalo.
In the process, he helped the Amerks take control in their best-of-five, second-round series against Utica, defeating the Comets, 4-3 in overtime, in front of a raucous crowd that gathered outside the arena hours before puck drop.
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Arttu Ruotsalainen scored the winning goal on the power play only 1:39 into overtime to give Rochester a 2-1 series lead. The Amerks are one win away from advancing to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Game 3 is Tuesday night in Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 p.m.
"It fits this year," Rochester coach Seth Appert said with a grin. "When you think about this year, and the amount of guys we’ve had out with some injuries, and the lineups we’ve had to muster together to try to survive, and getting in (the playoffs) on the last day of the season, it's fitting."
Rousek, Biro and Sean Malone also scored goals for Rochester, which evened the series Saturday with Peterka delivering the overtime winner. Peterka, like fellow top prospect Jack Quinn, entered the postseason with immense expectations following a regular season in which he was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.
Playoff hockey isn’t easy for young players, as past prospects like Victor Olofsson learned. At only 20 years old, Peterka found a way to make an impact.
"I think just playoff hockey," Peterka said when asked how he's elevated his play. "Every play matters so much and you have to give it that extra 110 percent. … It just motivates me to win a Calder Cup here."
Following Malone’s tying goal in the first period, Peterka made the remarkable pressure-breaking pass to set up Rousek for a 2-1 lead. Utica goalie Akira Schmid made a desperate diving attempt to stop the puck, but he was too late to recognize that the puck went to Rousek. And with the score tied in the second, Peterka set up Biro at the crease. Peterka has four goals and eight points in five playoff games. He delivered a hat trick Saturday in Utica.
In the regular season, Peterka led all AHL rookies with 68 points in 70 games. He was the first Rochester rookie to reach the 60-point mark since Thomas Vanek in 2004-05.
"At any moment, he’s dangerous," Malone said of Peterka. "He can beat guys wide, he’s a good playmaker. He has all the tools. I’m really confident when he’s out on the ice and sometimes he’s even double shifting. It’s incredible to watch him."
The Sabres want their prospects to experience adversity in Rochester before making the jump to the NHL. Peterka and the Amerks experienced plenty Sunday.
Utica got the game’s first goal and tied the score twice in the second period, capped by an odd sequence when Quinn accidentally kicked the puck into his own net. The Comets were crowding the crease on the play, preventing goalie Aaron Dell from attempting to make a save. Dell and Appert argued the call to no avail, as the Comets made it 3-3.
The Amerks controlled play in the third period, outshooting Utica 13-5 during the frame. Ruotsalainen almost gave Rochester the lead in the final seconds with a shot from the slot. The Amerks went to overtime for the fourth time in five playoff games when Ruotsalainen made his mark.
Peyton Krebs broke Utica's defensive-zone coverage on the penalty kill with a saucer pass through traffic to find Ruotsalainen in the right-wing circle and the ensuing shot sent the crowd into a frenzy.
"That was special," Appert said.
Here are other observations from the game:
1. Setting the standard
The Amerks had four of the AHL’s top-scoring rookies in Peterka, Biro, Quinn and Linus Weissbach. But those first-year players, along with Appert, credit veterans like captain Michael Mersch and West Seneca native Sean Malone for showing the prospects how to be pros.
Malone, who rejoined the Sabres following a stint with Nashville in 2020-21, delivered a momentum-changing play in the first period by diving to get to a rebound following a successful Rochester penalty kill.
Malone’s goal tied the score, 1-1, at 14:34 into the game. He had a career-high 20 goals in the regular season despite an injury that limited him to 39 games and cost him a recall to Buffalo.
"I was going to do whatever it took to get to that puck," Malone joked.
2. Stepping up
With a pair of assists, Krebs has eight in five postseason games. He had the secondary assist on Biro's tiebreaker and made the pass to set up the game-winner. Ruotsalainen joked that he closed his eyes when taking the shot.
"Krebsy made an incredible pass through the PK players," Ruotsalainen said.
Ruotsalainen, a pending restricted free agent, has six goals and nine points in five postseason games. He totaled 18 goals and 51 points in 57 games during the regular season.
3. The Amerks’ lineup
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was scratched with a lower-body injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since the playoffs began, and defenseman Brandon Davidson was held out of the game after playing Saturday in Utica. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Weissbach remain out because of injury, while defenseman Oskari Laakson has yet to appear in a playoff game.
Appert used the same lines that had success Saturday, including a top line of Quinn alongside Malone and Mersch. Peterka was at right wing with Biro and Krebs at center. Mark Jankowski centered Ruotsalainen and Brett Murray.
Rousek has impressed teammates with his playmaking ability since returning from ACL surgery that cost him most of the regular season. He also scored in Game 1 of the first-round series.
"His hockey intelligence is, it's high-end offensive hockey intelligence," said Appert. "Guys love to play with him because he finds plays."
4. Sending thoughts
The Amerks held a moment of silence before the game for the 10 people who were gunned down at a Buffalo supermarket Saturday in a mass shooting that also injured three others. Players wore a decal on their helmets that read, “Buffalo Strong.”