Kuntar reaches 20 goals, Jones hits 60 points in Amerks loss

Rochester left MassMutual Center with two milestone performances and no points, a reminder that late-season growth only matters if it shows up on the scoreboard. Trevor Kuntar scored his 20th goal and Zac Jones hit 50 assists and 60 points, but the Americans still fell 3-1 to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night.

Springfield controlled the game early and never really let Rochester settle in. Dillon Dube scored twice and finished with three points, Chris Wagner added his team-leading 24th goal, and the Thunderbirds built enough of a cushion to stay ahead the rest of the way. Rochester did not put together a sustained push until late, and even then the Amerks could not turn Kuntar’s goal into the kind of surge that changes a road game in April. Springfield outshot Rochester 28-23.

Scott Ratzlaff got the start in goal for Rochester for the first time since March 28 and stopped 25 of 27 shots, but the Amerks could not back him with enough offense. Will Cranley earned the win for Springfield with 22 saves and came within two minutes of a shutout. The Thunderbirds also did the little things required to protect a lead, which mattered as much as the scoring margin in a game between teams separated by just one point in the standings entering the night.

The loss did not erase the individual markers Rochester collected. Kuntar became the Amerks’ third different skater to reach 20 goals this season, another sign of how much the scoring load has been spread across the roster. Jones’ point total was even more notable in context: he and Konsta Helenius became the first pair of Rochester teammates since Clay Wilson and Jamie Johnson in 2009-10 to both reach 40 or more assists and 60 or more points in the same season. Anton Wahlberg also picked up an assist for his 35th point of the year.

That kind of production still carries value because Rochester remains close to clinching its fifth straight Calder Cup Playoff berth, and the AHL regular season ends April 19. The Amerks entered at 31-28-5-4, the Thunderbirds at 30-29-6-2, and the race is tight enough that every empty night hurts. Rochester has earned at least a point in seven of its last 11 games in Springfield and has finished .500 or better against the Thunderbirds in each of the last nine seasons, but this one was another example of how milestone nights can feel bigger than the result only if the result follows.