**This Week’s Storylines**
**The Amerks return home this week after posting a 3-0-0-1 record during their four-game road swing through the Atlantic Division, which ended with a 4-1 win at Bridgeport on Sunday afternoon to close out their first three-in-three of the season. The team has picked up points in nine straight and 16 of their last 17 games to move within six points of the first-place Toronto Marlies, who are scheduled to make their trip to Rochester on Friday.
**Rochester’s current nine-game point streak is the longest since the Amerks tied a franchise record with 11 straight wins from Oct. 12 to Nov. 10 during the 2009-10 season.
**On the heels of yesterday’s win in Bridgeport, the Amerks have earned at least one point in 13 of their first 14 road games this season with only one regulation loss, a 5-0 setback at Binghamton on Nov. 17. Coming into the week, Rochester owns the AHL’s second-best record on the road with a 8-1-3-2 mark.
** The Amerks’ 3-2 shootout loss to Hartford on Saturday represented the 10th time in the last 19 games that Rochester was forced to play beyond regulation time. The Amerks lead the AHL in games decided after regulation with 11, showing a 3-3 mark in overtime while going 2-3 in shootouts.
**Despite seeing his four-game point streak halted on Sunday, rookie forward C.J. Smith remains a point-per-game player for the Amerks. He paces the team in all offensive categories with eight goals, 17 assists and 25 points while being one of just four skaters to appear in all 25 games thus far this season. His 69 shots and plus-nine rating are also tops on the team. The Des Moines, Iowa, native currently leads all active AHL rookies in scoring and is tied for seventh overall among the league’s top point-getters. His 17 assists tie him for sixth in the league.
**Three of Rochester’s top five scorers are defensemen, all of whom are tied with 15 points entering the week. After recording five points over the weekend, including three goals, Zach Redmond needs just two more goals to match his career-high. He has six goals on the season, placing him tied for third in the AHL in goals by a defenseman. Coming off a season-long five-game point streak, Brendan Guhle ranks second in scoring among all AHL rookie defensemen with 15 points (5+10), all of which have come in his last 20 games. Stuart Percy, meanwhile, has recorded all 15 points (2+13) in his last 16 games dating back to Nov. 3.
**Linus Ullmark boasts an 8-0-3 record over his last 11 games. The former Swedish Goaltender of the Year and reigning team MVP hasn’t lost in regulation since Oct. 28 and has won 10 of his last 14 starts dating back to Oct. 25, including a career-best five straight to open the month of November. He currently leads the AHL in saves (508), and ranks second in wins (11) and minutes played (1,002). His .920 save percentage is tied for 13th-best among all goaltenders. Friday night in Hartford was his 100th game as an Amerk.
