Game 40: Syracuse Crunch (17-16-2-4) at Hershey Bears (20-14-3-3)
7 p.m., Giant Center, Hershey, Pa.
After a 4-1 loss to Hershey at the War Memorial Friday, the Crunch visit the Bears Saturday for the middle game of a three-in-three weekend. Now trailing the Bears by six points, the Crunch are last in the East Division standings and 12th in the Eastern Conference at 40 points. Syracuse has lost consecutive tgames while the Bears have three straight, last suffering a defeat Jan. 17 at Syracuse. With three more contests against Hershey, including tonight, The Crunch are 2-1-0-1 against the Bears.
Broadcast Coverage
Panik returns to Syracuse
Winger
Richard Panik was reassinged to Syracuse by the Tampa Bay Lightning Friday to begin his first stint in the AHL this year. Panik last played for the Crunch in the Calder Cup playoffs, appearing in 16 of 18 games and scoring a goal in each of the last five Calder Cup Final games. He led all postseason scorers with four game-winning goals while his 14 points (9g, 5a) were fourth most on the Syracuse roster; half of thos points came on the power play (4g, 3a). Last regular season Panik played 51 games with Syracuse (22g-19a-41pts) and 25 with Tampa Bay (5g-4a-9pts). In 2013-14 the 22 year old appeared in 39 of Tampa Bay's first 51 games before the reassignment collecting two goals and nine assists but no points in the last nine games. Panik was drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2009 draft and helped the 2012 Norfolk Admirals to a Calder Cup championship.
Last time out
Patrick Wellar and Matt Watkins each scored twice to lift the Hershey Bears over the Syracuse Crunch, 4-1, Friday at the War Memorial, Hershey's first regulation victory against Syracuse this season in four meetings.
Jon DiSalvatore didn't manage Syracuse's first goal until the midway stages of the third when Syracuse already trailed by three.
Brett Connolly created the play, skating from defensive zone to offensive zone, attacking the left post. His centering pass was banged in by DiSalvatore, the veteran's third goal and 10th point with Syracuse since arriving 13 games ago. Connolly's 15th assist improves his season scoring total to 27 points, one shy of
Vladislav Namestnikov's team-best 28 points.
Dmitry Korobov had the second assist on the Crunch's lone goal, his 16th, tied for the team lead with Namestnikov.
Two fights featured
Eric Neilson meeting Patrick Wellar in a rematch of last Friday's bout.
Philippe Paradis, in his first game since an injury Dec. 28, fought Dane Byers after a crushing check on Cameron Schilling.
Kristers Gudlevskis suffered the loss, dropping to 10-6-2, with 21 saves on 24 shots. Neither side managed a power play goal, with Syracuse 0-for-3 and Hershey 0-for-5, leaving both sides scoreless on special teams in the season series.
Scouting the Bears
With an assist against Syracuse Friday, Brandon Segal extended his team lead in scoring, now at 34 points (13g, 21a), 15th in the AHL; he had a seven-game scoring streak snapped last weekend. Center Jeff Taffe has 26 points (9g, 17a) and left wing Nicolas Deschamps has 24 points (11g, 13a). Taffe is on a six-game scoring streak (2g, 7a) after an assist on Wellar's second goal Friday. Defenseman Chay Genoway has ten points (2g, 8a) this season, but he has seven points (1g, 6a) in his last eight games, including a goal and an assist Jan. 17 against the Crunch; he was scoreless last night.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt was recalled by Washington Tuesday, after posting seven points (1g, 6a). In his place, the Capitals sent down Steve Oleksy, who played 33 games with Washington (2g, 8a). He last played for the Bears Mar. 3 last season against the Crunch.
David Leggio has played 26 games in goal for the Bears. He has a 12-12-2 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He earned his 100th career AHL victory with Sunday's win over Albany.
Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was returned to the Bears from Washington earlier in the week and notched the victory against Syracuse Friday, his first for Hershey since Nov. 23 vs. Binghamton. In his first nine games with the Bears, Grubauer was 4-4-1 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. With the Capitals he had a 6-4-5 record in 16 games but only one win in his last eight appearances and was pulled in his last two starts.
The two goalies started the season as a tandem for Hershey, with Grubauer getting nine starts and Leggio seven in the first 16 games.
Special Teams
Syracuse remains scoreless on the power play vs. Hershey this season after an 0-for-3 Friday. For the year, Syracuse is 19th in the AHL at 16.8%. The Bears also have not registered a power play goal against the Crunch this season, following an 0-for-5 effort Friday, and rank 20th at 16.6%.
The Crunch penalty kill has allowed power-play goals in just two of the last eight games, both against Binghamton. For the year Syracuse stops 81.5% of opposing man-up chances, 17th in the AHL. The Bears PK has been perfect in seven of the last nine games, going 28-for-30 (93.3%). They haven't allowed a power play goal against Syracuse and are eighth in the AHL at 84.2%
