Players to watch: Erie – RW Nick Palmieri (season debut), LW Ryan O’Reilly (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points), C/RW Justin Hodgman (2-0-2, 1 short-handed goal), RW Shawn Szydlowski (2-3-5), G Jaroslav Janus (2-2-0-0 record, 2.73 goals-against average, .933 save percentage, 1 shutout); Plymouth – G Jeremy Smith (0-1-0-0, 5.00, .884), D Michal Jordan (2-2-4 in 2 games), C Chris Terry (1-0-1 in 2 games), LW R.J. Mahalak (3-0-3), C Tyler Seguin (0-4-4)

Fast facts: Erie – Palmieri, who requested a trade to an OHL contender in May, joins the lineup after spending nearly a month at New Jersey’s training camp. … Janus posted the club’s first shutout since Feb. 5, 2005, in a 4-0 home-opening win vs. Kitchener on Saturday. … The Otters have scored 10 goals in two wins and one goal in two losses. … The defense, playing without Ds Josh Kidd (AHL Manchester) and Mitch Gaulton (season-ending elbow surgery) has allowed 2.5 goals per game. … Szydlowski has points in three straight games. … The Otters are last in the league on the power play (4.3 percent) and first on the penalty kill (95.5). … Rookie LW Greg McKegg, the No. 2 pick in the 2008 OHL draft, hasn’t recorded a point in four games. … Rookie C Mike Cazzola won’t play this weekend. He declined to offer a reason for his absence, but said it isn’t related to the mononucleosis that cost him a month of training time this past summer. Plymouth – The Whalers played without Terry (Carolina camp), Jordan (Carolina), Smith (Nashville), LW A.J. Jenks (Florida) and D Brett Bellemore (Carolina) in a 6-1 home loss to the Otters Sept. 20. … Bellemore, who has signed with the Hurricanes, is at AHL camp in Albany, N.Y. … Jenks (strained knee) and Ds Christian Steingraber (four-game league suspension) and Leo Jenner (five-game league suspension) won’t play, a club official said. … Smith allowed five goals on 43 shots in his season debut, a 5-3 loss to Guelph on Saturday. … RW Patrick Lee scored two goals in his last game against his former team at Tullio (3-2 win on March 3). … The club acquired LW Cory McGillis from Barrie on Tuesday. He isn’t expected to play because of an apparent concussion, a club official said. … The Whalers began Thursday tied for 18th on the power play (9.1 percent) and 17th on the penalty kill (73.3).

Up next: vs. London (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Peterborough (Thursday, 7 p.m.)
— Victor Fernandes