The Albany Devils Lose Season Opener To Manchester Monarchs

Last year the Albany Devils struggled with home attendance. That wasn't the case Saturday in their home opener, however, this time the Devils struggled to score goals, losing to Manchester Monarchs 2-1 in front of over 5,000 fans.

An announced crowd of 5,072 watched the Devils get on the board first as Chad  Wiseman scored what turned out to be the lone goal for Albany at 8:18. However the Monarchs struck for two power play goals before the period ended. That was the scoring for the night.

David Kolomatis scored both power play goals for the Monarchs. Kolomatis, ironically, is from New Jersey.

Speaking of New Jersey, the Devils' parent club the NJ Devils, with the league in lock down, sent several of their players to Albany and they suited up. Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, and Adam Larsson all suited up for the Devils. None figured in the scoring or helped the team score.

Last season, Albany didn't make the playoffs. Perhaps their third worst ranked penalty kill was the biggest culprit, and it failed again on Saturday night. The Devils were outshot 27-23 for the contest as well. Manchester clicked on two of three power play chances while the Devils went 0-4 with the man advantage.

After the contest, Henrique who scored the game winner that ousted the New York Rangers from the playoffs last season said of Saturday's loss "it's my first real game in a while. It's always a feeling out process for a little while. We had parts of the game where we played well, but there are little things we can correct."

That correction could start in six days as the Devils get an early long break from their schedule before getting back on the ice on the 19th against the Syracuse Crunch right back at the Times Union Center.