Malone proves he can do it all as Amerks inch closer to punching their playoff ticket

As it turned out Saturday night, the goal that gritty winger Sean Malone scored in the second period was the game-winner as the Rochester Amerks completed a huge two-game home and home sweep of the rival Utica Comets.

The fact that the native of West Seneca scored wasn’t all that surprising. After all, it was his 14th goal of the season, one year removed from his career-best 20-goal output for the Amerks.

Malone knows what to do when the puck ends up on his stick, and during a 5-on-3 man advantage, he found himself parked just outside the crease when he took a pass from Lukas Rousek and beat Comets goalie Nico Daws with a slick little backhander that put the Amerks up 3-2 in a game they would ultimately win 4-2 at Blue Cross Arena.

The beauty of Malone, though, is when he isn’t scoring goals, he’s buzzing around the ice being a nuisance to the opponent in all different ways, be it slamming someone into the boards, backchecking, forechecking, winning a draw, setting a screen in front of the goalie, or dropping the gloves if the situation calls for it.

“Yeah, Sean Malone is like a security blanket for a coach,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “He can play first line center, he can play third line checking center, he wins big faceoffs, he’s one of our better power play players, he’s one of our best penalty killers. When you call his name (for a shift), you feel very good about what’s going to happen in the next 40 seconds and that is a very underrated skill to have.”

The Amerks have just about wrapped up a Calder Cup playoff berth, and once they punch their ticket, Malone is going to be one of the guiding forces for a young Rochester team, just as he was last year when the Amerks made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“I think having that experience, I’ve been through it a little bit, played a couple playoff games here and there in my pro career,” Malone said when asked about the leadership he can provide. “It’s the most fun part of the year and the year is so long that once you get in the playoffs and the games actually matter, it’s a lot of fun to look at the guy next to you and know that you know you’re doing the right things to help the team win.”

Sean Malone's career includes two games in NHL

Malone played in all 10 postseason games in the spring of 2022 and scored two goals and seven points. Some of his work helped players like Arttu Ruotsalainen, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, Brett Murray and Peyton Krebs excel, and this spring, Malone will have a similar impact on guys like Rousek, Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, Tyson Kozak and Linus Weissbach.

“Definitely coming in at the start of the season seeing guys like Malone, (Michael) Mersch, (Brandon) Biro, somewhat older guys and just learning from them, how they play each night, just watching them is definitely huge for all of us young guys,” the 20-year-old Kozak said.

“As a coach, we try to teach our young players this: It’s not how talented you are that gets you to the next level, it’s how trustworthy you are mixed with your talent,” Appert said.

Malone’s talent may not be good enough for the NHL - he has played in only two games, one for Chicago, one for Buffalo - but there will always be a place for players like the soon-to-be 28-year-old western New Yorker and Appert loves that he’s here.

The Sabres picked Malone in the sixth round of the 2013 draft after he had played for current Sabres coach Don Granato on the U.S. National Development team that also included current Sabre Alex Tuch, and former Sabre Jack Eichel.

Then 17, Malone chose to use all four years of his college hockey eligibility playing for Harvard where he scored 42 goals and 99 points, then turned pro and played three years for the Amerks, scoring 28 goals and 65 points.

He moved on to the Nashville Predators and played one season for their AHL affiliate in Chicago, was re-signed by Buffalo in 2021 and then again in 2022. This last time, the decision to return was easy for Malone. Sure, part of it was because his family could make the quick trip down the Thruway from Buffalo to watch him regularly, but last season also opened his eyes to what the Amerks had going.

“I just have so much respect for our coaching staff and last year was probably the most fun I’ve had playing pro hockey,” he said. “We just built a good culture around here. I’ve played in other situations where it wasn’t as fun coming to the rink every day. It’s a long season and our coaches and players, everyone’s doing a great job staying upbeat and positive through everything and it’s just a pleasure coming to work every day.”

Rochester Americans have nearly locked a playoff spot

The top five teams in the AHL’s North Division qualify for the playoffs and the Amerks are nine points ahead of sixth-place Belleville with six games remaining. They’re safe, even though Appert isn’t willing to say it yet.

The question is, when will the Amerks start their playoff run? The top three teams avoid the best-of-three play-in series, essentially a first-round bye, and the battle for second and third place (Toronto is going to win the division) is torrid, to say the least. Syracuse (76) leads the Amerks and Comets by two points, which means that Rochester’s next three games are quite important.

Wednesday night the Amerks host the Crunch, then travel to Syracuse Friday night and to Utica Saturday. With a good week, the Amerks could solidify their position in the top three, maybe even jump into second place which would not only get them the first-round bye but would give them home-ice advantage in the second round.

“Yeah, it’s huge,” Malone said of the homestretch. “We like to not think about the standings constantly and just try to focus on each game as it comes. And I think that’s helped us a little bit. We’re not gripping the stick as much. I think we’re still trending in the right direction and we just want to keep honing in on the things that are making us successful.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during the offseason, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester Americans inch closer to playoffs as Sean Malone stands out