Syracuse Crunch 2/24/2013 11:30:00 AM

Crunch and Whale play Sunday matinee

Preview

Game 53: Syracuse Crunch (32-14-2-4) vs. Connecticut Whale (25-22-5-2)
3:00 p.m. at War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.

The first-place Crunch, winners of six straight, host the Connecticut Whale Sunday afternoon, the second and final time the Crunch and Whale tangle this regular season. Syracuse won the first meeting this season, a 4-3 overtime win Dec. 1 in Hartford.

Coverage
Listen to live play-by-play on The Score 1260 with pregame coverage starting at 2:45 p.m. Pay-to-watch video is available on AHL Live. After the game, join Dan D'Uva and a guest in the War Memorial basement for “The Shootout Show” airing on The Score 1260. For in-game updates on Twitter, follow @SyracuseCrunch and broadcaster @Dan_Duva. For post-game recap, visit SyracuseCrunch.com and join the conversation on Facebook.

Where They Stand
The Whale hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 25-22-5-2. They are one point behind seventh-place Hershey and three points ahead of ninth-place Worcester. Connecticut earned a point Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, losing to the Penguins in overtime, 2-1. The New York Rangers' AHL affiliate has points in eight of its last ten games (5-2-2-1) and is 12-10-3-1 on the road.

The Crunch have won six consecutive games, their longest win streak of the season topping the Springfield Falcons at the War Memorial Saturday, 3-0, the team's seventh shutout victory of the season. In a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, Syracuse extended its lead over Springfield to three points and the best points percentage in the conference (0.673) at 32-13-2-4. Only the Texas Stars of the Western Conference have more wins and points.

Scouting Report
Connecticut is led by center Kris Newbury (17g-29a-46pts), right wing Brandon Segal (15g-14a-29pts), and defenseman Logan Pyett (5g-21a-26pts). Goaltender Cam Talbot is 19-21-1 with a 2.56 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He's had won four straight starts, but lost Saturday to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Tyler Johnson is tied for the AHL's active scoring lead, posting 49 points including a league-best 26 goals. Mark Barberio is the AHL's top scoring defenseman among active players, notching his eighth goal of the season Saturday, his third game-winner. He scored the overtime game-winner in Hartford when the Crunch overcame a 3-0 deficit. Riku Helenius started in goal the last time these teams met. He allowed three goals on 27 shots in the victory.

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