Scouting report
The Falcons were shutout in Game 3, just the third time this season that Springfield has failed to crack the scoreboard.  One of the two shutouts against the Falcons in the regular season was also in the War Memorial on Feb. 23 when Cedrick Desjardins stopped 26 saves in a 3-0 Crunch win.  Springfield did settle down defensively in Game 3.  After surrendering five goals in Game 1 and Game 2, Curtis McElhinney gave up three goals on 25 shots.  Former Crunch player Nick Holden leads Springfield with three assists in the three games.  Ryan Craig (1g-1a) and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (2a) are the only other players with multiple points through three games.

Ondrej Palat recorded a goal and two assists on Wednesday and now leads the AHL in playoff scoring with 15 points (4g-11a) in just six games.  Last year Norfolk's Alexandre Picard and Trevor Smith led the AHL with 16 points in 18 playoff games.  Tyler Johnson added a third period shorthanded goal to extend his scoring streak to all six playoff games, plus the three games he played at the end of the regular season after returning from his stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He has 21 points in that nine game stretch.  J.P. Cote chipped in with an assist, his first point of the Calder Cup playoffs this season.  Cedrick Desjardins made 24 saves for his second career playoff shutout.  He's now 6-0 in the playoffs.

Both teams have had 18 power play chances.  The Crunch have converted on 4-of-18 (22.2%) while the Falcons have gone 2-for-18 (11.1%).  The Crunch scored two shorthanded goals in Game 3 and now have three this series and four in the playoffs while no other team has more than two. 

ECSF Game 3 Recap: Palat and Desjardins lead Syracuse to 3-0 win vs. Falcons
Richard Panik scored late in the first period and then the Crunch scored two shorthanded goals to beat the Falcons 3-0 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the War Memorial Arena.  Cedrick Desjardins made 24 saves to record his second career playoff shutout and the eighth in Crunch postseason history.

With the series shifting to Syracuse for Game 3, the first period was played a lot tighter than the opening periods in Game 1 and Game 2 in Springfield.  It stayed tight for the first 15 minutes, until a bad Springfield line change coupled with a turnover at the Crunch blueline allowed Ondrej Palat to send a lead pass ahead to Richard Panik for a breakaway.  He took the pass and beat Falcons goaltender Curtis McElhinney  with a quick wrist shot to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead 15:15 into the first period.

The second period opened up a bit more, with the Crunch generating 12 shots to Springfield's 11.  The most dangerous opportunity for the Falcons came on a power play.  With J.P. Cote in the penalty box on a tripping penalty, the Falcons controlled the puck in the offensive zone for nearly a full two minutes, but could not find the back of the net.  Nick Holden did hit the post early in the power play, but the Crunch were able to recover and hold on to a 1-0 lead through two periods.

Springfield would have a carry-over power play to start the third period, but right off the opening faceoff, a Falcons turnover to Ondrej Palat resulted in a Palat shorthanded goal.  He took the puck down the left wing side and zoomed behind the net, tucking the puck in on a wraparound to give the Crunch a 2-0 lead just eight seconds into the period.  It was the fastest goal to start a period for the Crunch this season.  Later in the period, with the Crunch shorthanded once more, Palat rushed up the ice, spun at the blue line, and centered one for Tyler Johnson, who one-timed it past McElhinney to give the Crunch a 3-0 lead at 7:24 of the third.  Cedrick Desjardins stopped seven shots in the third to preserve the shutout and put the Crunch ahead three games to zero in the series.    The Falcons went 0-for-5 on the power play while the Crunch went 0-for-4.