Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the start for Rochester and stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced, but ultimately took the loss to move his season record to 2-3-0.
Krebs was acquired along with forward Alex Tuch, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-round on Thursday, and arrived in Rochester that afternoon.
Krebs did not find his way onto the stat sheet Friday night, but he was able to create some chances off the rush and began to develop chemistry with his new teammates.
"I liked him throughout the whole game," Amerks coach Seth Appert said. "Chemistry takes time. There were moments where he looked really good with a bunch of different guys. There were times he looked good on wing… He made a ton of plays, put himself and his teammates in outstanding positions to score."
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Krebs was lined up between Michael Mersch and Ryan MacInnis for most of the game, but as the game went on, lines were shifted and Krebs was able to get a feel for different linemates.
"The way we play down here is eventually the way we want to play up in Buffalo. Lots of confidence, scoring goals and having fun," Krebs said. "To build that here and get that chemistry to allow us to be successful in the future I think is big."
The 20-year-old forward came into the Sabres organization with some connections already. Krebs, along with Amerks forward Jack Quinn and Sabres center Dylan Cozens, represented Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in January. Having familiarity with them has helped in an almost seamless transition.
"Jack's an unreal player, drafted Top 10 for a reason, and a great guy," Krebs said Friday. "Last night, he took me out for dinner to get a lay of the land… Nothing but great things to say about him, he works his brains out every day and a great guy to be around."
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Krebs, a first-round pick of Vegas in 2019 (17th overall), did admit to having some nervous feelings ahead of his first game with Rochester, but they didn't last long.
"As you get in the groove of things, you start to play and have fun," he said. "I think it was more adrenaline at the start, just ready to play. I want to do my best."
The Amerks will travel to Mohegan Sun Arena to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday before hosting a two-game weekend homestand against the Cleveland Monsters.
Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. game against the Penguins will be the first of only two games this season against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The game will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester, as well as AHL.TV.
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