Game 2: Syracuse Crunch (0-1-0-0) vs. Hartford Wolf Pack (0-0-0-0)
5 p.m., War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y
Following an opening-night loss to the Springfield Falcons, the Crunch host the Hartford Wolf Pack tonight for the first of eight times this season as Northeast Division foes.
 
Broadcast Coverage
Countdown to Crunch Time at 4:45 p.m.
Radio: ESPN Radio 97.7 FM, Syracuse; 100.1 FM, Oswego | Listen Live |
Mobile: Free audio on your mobile device with the TuneIn App
Streaming: Pay-to-watch video on AHL LIve.com and on your mobile device with the AHL Live App
 
Last Time Out
The 21^st season in Syracuse Crunch franchise history opened with a 3-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons last night at the War Memorial. The Crunch dug themselves into an early hole, falling behind 2-0 in the second period. The Falcons' two-goal lead lasted just one minute and 29 seconds before the Crunch got on the board. Mike Blunden redirected a Luke Witkowski shot, beating Falcons' netminder Anton Forsberg. In the third period, Falcons forward Ryan Craig added an empty-net goal with less than one second remaining, earning Springfield a 3-1 victory. Crunch goalie Kristers Gudlevskis stopped 20 of 22 Springfield shots in the defeat. 
 
New Blood
Four players made Crunch debuts last night against Springfield - Matt Corrente, Jerome Samson, Dylan Blujus, and Jake Dotchin. Blujus and Dotchin also made their professional hockey debuts last night after spending 2013-14 in the OHL.  Corrente played last season with the Charlotte Checkers, while Samson was with the St. John's IceCaps. Both Corrente (New Jersey) and Samson (Carolina) have played in the NHL. The four newcomers combined for six shots and 14 penalty minutes against the Falcons.
 
Blunden Calling
Crunch forward Mike Blunden was the lone Syracuse goal-scorer last night, deflecting a Luke Witkowski shot passed the Falcons' netminder in the second period. The tally was his first goal as a member of the Crunch since February 24^th, 2010. The Toronto-born winger is in his second stint with Syracuse, appearing in 64 games with the Crunch from 2008 to 2010. During that time, Blunden amassed 16 goals and 21 assists under former Syracuse head coach Ross Yates.
 
Desjardins Returns
Former Syracuse netminder Cedrick Desjardins is expected to start tonight for the Hartford Wolf Pack against the Crunch. Desjardins signed with the New York Rangers organization this July as a free agent. Desjardins led Crunch goalies with 35 games played last season and had a 2.81 GAA. He holds several Crunch postseason records, including 18 appearances, 13 victories and three shutouts. He had been acquired by Tampa Bay from Montreal in a Feb. 14, 2013 trade for Dustin Tokarski.
Desjardins joins the Rangers, his fourth organization, with 219 career AHL games and a 104-80-18 career record. He is 2-4 in six career NHL appearances.
 
From Russia, With Glove
New Syracuse goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to make his first start for the Crunch tonight. The Tyumen, Russia native is in his first pro season in North America. The 20-year old Vasilevskiy spent the last two seasons in the Russian KHL, recording an 18-9 regular-season record. He helped his Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa reach the postseason last season, playing 18 games, winning nine contests, and recording a 1.99 GAA and .934 SV%.
 
Vasilevskiy was a 2012 Tampa Bay first round pick (19^th overall).
  
Scouting the Wolf Pack
After not facing off during the 2013-14 season, the Crunch and Wolf Pack battle for the first of eight times this year in the hunt for a Northeast Division title. 

The Wolf Pack have been in Connecticut since 1997 and are the AHL affiliate of the defending NHL Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers. Despite the Rangers making the playoffs eight of the last nine years, the Wolf Pack have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, and three of the last five. Those three playoff misses are the only time in the team's 17-year history in Connecticut the franchise has missed the Calder Cup playoffs. 

Today is the first time Syracuse plays Hartford since the 2012-13 season, when the team was known as the Connecticut Whale. The Whale switched names back to the Hartford Wolf Pack (their original name) before last season, but the Crunch did not play the Wolf Pack last year.

Their last meeting, Feb. 24, 2013, at the War Memorial, then-Crunch goalie (and current Wolf Pack goalie) Cedric Desjardins pitched his second-straight shutout in a 4-0 win. Desjardins had shut out the Springfield Falcons the night before at home. 2012-13 AHL MVP Tyler Johnson had two goals, and Vlad Namestnikov had an assist. Earlier in the season, Dec. 1, 2012, at XL Center, the Crunch overcame a 3-0, third-period deficit to defeat the Whale, 4-3, in overtime with Richard Panik scoring twice and Mark Barberio potting the overtime winner. 
 

Special Teams

Syracuse was 0-for-5 on the power play last night. The Crunch were 15^th in the AHL last season on power-play opportunities (17.4%). Syracuse was more successful with the man advantage at the War Memorial, ranking 9^th in the league at home on the power play in 2013-14 (20.6%). Syracuse's penalty kill was 6-for-7 on Saturday night against Springfield, allowing a Falcons power-play goal at the 2:19 mark of the second period. The Crunch's penalty kill ranked 17^th in the AHL last season at 82.2%. Syracuse killed off penalties much more successfully on the road than at home last season; their road penalty-killing percentage was 4^th in the AHL at 86.7%, while their home penalty kill ranked 29^th in the league at 77.9%.

 

Last year, Hartford was 27^th in the league on the power play (15.1%) and 22^nd on the penalty kill( 80.7%).
 
Crunch Weekly returns Thursday
The Crunch's weekly radio show is back at Tully's Good Times on Erie Blvd. on Thursday evenings this season. The show airs on the Crunch's flagship station, ESPN Syracuse (97.7FM), from 6 to 7 p.m. Join broadcaster Dan D'Uva and special guests beginning Oct. 16. A full schedule of dates will be released on the syracusecrunch.com. .