The Falcons play at Portland Friday and Hartford Saturday in their last two games before the All-Star break.
Falcons captain Dane Byers takes a shot at Whale goalie Cameron Talbot Jan. 8 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD – When team captain Dane Byers is in the Springfield Falcons lineup, they know they can count on him for leadership and solid all-around play.
The trouble is, he’s not always in the lineup.
That’s because Byers has been called to the NHL four times – twice in December, twice more in January – by Springfield’s parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Jackets returned him to the Springfield roster on Wednesday, just in time for him to record a goal and an assist as the Falcons won 4-2 at Worcester.
“With Dane, there are no excuses. He’s never too tired, always ready to battle, block shots, do whatever it takes,” coach Rob Riley said.
That victory not only stopped a four-game slump for the Falcons, it kept them in the hunt for an American Hockey League playoff berth.
Despite callups, injuries and the losing streak, they stand only five points behind first-place Connecticut in AHL Northeast with two games remaining before the All-Star break.
They play at Portland Friday night, at Hartford on Saturday. A tough schedule? Maybe, but the Falcons have the best road record in their division – 10-8-1-0. Their struggle has been at home, where they stand 9-12-0-2.
Byers takes the approach of a true pro regarding his ups and downs between the Blue Jackets and Falcons.
“That’s all part of the game,” he said. “When you’re in the AHL, you always want to take that next step to the NHL, but wherever you are, you’ve got to be ready to play.”
He lauded another well-traveled teammate, goaltender Paul Dainton, who had 37 saves against the Sharks in his first game back with the Falcons after a couple of demotions to the ECHL.
“Paul came in and was ready right from the start. He played well, the whole team did, and we cashed in on our scoring opportunities,” Byers said.
The victory had its downside for the Falcons – an injury to newly acquired defenseman Greg Amadio. He was sidelined early in the game, so the Falcons had to make it through with five defensemen.
Rookie Anton Blomqvist will replace Amadio in the defensive rotation at Portland.
“We just can’t seem to stay away from bad luck with our defensemen,” Riley said.
Hardest hit on the backline is solid veteran Nick Holden, who is lost for the season. He had surgery on his left shoulder Thursday in Columbus.
“We should get Cody Goloubef back from the injured list after the All-Star break,” Riley said.
ICE CHIPS: Falcons winger Cam Atkinson, their leading goal-getter with 23, was named Thursday as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the Jan. 30 AHL All-Star Game at Atlantic City. He’ll skate on a line with Keith Aucoin of Hershey and Cory Conacher of Norfolk. ... Riley praised Dainton for giving the team a big effort at a crucial time. “The Worcester win started and ended with Paul,” he said. ... Dainton’s stop of a penalty shot came shortly after the Falcons had tied the score. “That kept the momentum in our favor,” Riley said. ... The Falcons aren’t the only AHL team with a puzzling home-road record. St. John’s, leaders of the AHL Atlantic, has gone 10-9-3-0 at home, 15-2-2-1 on the road. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, first in the AHL East, sits under .500 at home (8-9-2-2) but has breezed to a 17-3-0-2 record on the road.