**This Week’s Storylines**
**Despite going winless in the last five games for the first time all season, the Amerks have collected at least one point in 33 of their last 42 games dating back to Nov. 1, including 11 of their last 16 games since the turn of the New Year.
**Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Hershey marked the eighth time since Jan. 1 the Amerks were forced to play beyond regulation time. Coming into the week, Rochester leads the AHL in games decided after regulation with 21, showing as 7-7 mark in overtime while going 2-5 in shootouts.
**On Sunday the Buffalo Sabres recalled forward Nick Baptiste for the third time of the season after scoring one goal in eight games during two stints with the team earlier this campaign. Later that night, Casey Nelson, who was recalled on Jan.17, scored his first-career NHL goal for the Sabres. The Stillwater, Minn. native became just the second player in Sabres history record his first goal while shorthanded. Over his last four games with Buffalo, Nelson has three points (1+2), which includes a pair of points (1+1) while shorthanded.
** Rookie forward C.J. Smith continues to pace the team in all offensive categories with 14 goals, 25 assists and 39 points while being one just two skaters to appear in all 50 games thus far this season. His plus-six on-ice rating is second on the team among all active Rochester skaters. The Des, Moines, Iowa native currently ranks third in scoring among all AHL rookies and is tied for 19th overall among the league’s top point-getters. His 25 assists are tied for third-most between all first-year skaters and are tied for 15th in the league.
** The Amerks own three of the top point-producing defensemen in the AHL in Zach Redmond, Stuart Percy and rookie Brendan Guhle, who returned to the Rochester lineup on Sunday after missing the last six games. Redmond leads all Amerks defensemen with 30 points (9+21) through 42 games, placing him fifth among all AHL defensemen in scoring. The veteran blueliner is also tied for sixth in goals by a defenseman with nine, which is a new career-high. Guhle is fifth in scoring among all AHL rookie blueliners with 21 points (7+14), while his seven goals are third among first-year defensemen. Percy has 24 points (3+21) on the season, bringing him within one point of tying a career-high he set with the Toronto Marlies during the 2013-14 campaign.
**The Amerks will induct former goaltender Martin Biron into the Amerks Hall of Fame as the Class of 2018 prior to Friday’s 7:05 p.m. game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Biron was unanimously selected by the Amerks Hall of Fame Committee and will be officially inducted as the 62nd member of the prestigious club on Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino Legends Night.
