Rousek looking to carry confidence into Amerks' matchup with Cleveland

The AHL playoff picture is becoming clearer with nine games remaining for the Rochester Americans. Wednesday night, the Amerks host the Cleveland Monsters and are looking to solidify their place in the North Division standings with their fourth straight win.
"Last week was a good week and we're a little closer to second than we were a week ago," Rochester coach Seth Appert said. "A good week, you're close to second and a bad week, you're close to seventh. We just have to keep our foot on the throttle and stay focused on what we can control."
The Amerks earned seven out of a possible eight points last week after closing out their second three-win weekend of the season. Rochester has earned points in each of its last four home games, going 3-0-0-1 over that span.

Rochester sits in fourth place in the North Division standings, six points ahead of the Monsters, who currently trail Laval by one point for the fifth and final playoff spot. The Amerks need a total of ten points to clinch a playoff berth for what would be the team's fourth straight playoff appearance dating back to the 2018 postseason.
The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena.
"Our commitment without the puck to being a winning hockey team has just risen tremendously," Appert said. "It has to again tonight. They're (Cleveland) an extremely talented team. You could probably argue that they have the best lineup in our division right now."
Lukas Rousek will be back in an Amerks sweater after being loaned to Rochester on Tuesday. Rousek scored on his first shot of his first shift in the Sabres 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens on Monday.
"I think he gained confidence from that and hopefully now he comes back and shows that with us tonight," Appert said.
Rousek's phone was buzzing with congratulatory texts all night. When he woke up the next day, he even had a few messages from his Czech friends back home. His father was the first person he called when he left KeyBank Center as the reality of what Rousek accomplished began to set in.
"It was a little surprise to me," Rousek said following the Amerks morning skate Wednesday. "First game, first shift, first shot, first score. It's amazing for everybody, myself, my family, my close friends, my friends."

His teammate Jiri Kulich made the drive to Buffalo to see his fellow countryman make his NHL debut.
"I think it says a lot about both of them," Appert said. "It says a lot about Jiri, what a good teammate he is. What a great young man he is, how much he looks up to Lukas. But I also think it says a lot about Lukas and how Lukas treated Jiri. The kind of teammate he's been to him, the kind of friend he's been to him that Jiri felt he needed to be there for him."
Appert is hopeful Rousek's successful debut can have a trickle-down effect in the Amerk's dressing room. The 23-year-old forward headlines a handful of players at the AHL level who could be plucked by the big-league club at a moment's notice.
"To see a guy go up that they consider probably a peer at this level and perform as well as he did probably helps create more buy-in," Appert said. "The things they're doing here matter and they're working, and they'll be ready when they get called."
Rousek kept his game simple during his brief call-up, focusing on the little details that allow his skill and intelligence to shine: hunting pucks and competing on the forecheck.
"For me, nothing changes. I play the same way," Rousek said. "It doesn't matter if it's the NHL or AHL. Same game, play hard."