The main talking point of the game didn’t feature any player, coach, or even the officials. It was the terrible state of the ice surface. In order to resolve a double-booking, Albany moved the game back 24 hours — ordinarily no problem, but Times Union hosted an Arena Cross event on Monday, leaving little time to transform the arena back to a hockey rink.
The playing surface was cut up badly during the warmups and the officials wanted to call the game off after 20 minutes of play. You wouldn’t have blamed Sheldon Keefe for wanting to abandon the game, which would have placed the AHL and the Albany Devils in a difficult spot.