Last Time Out

The Crunch offense was in sync again last night at the War Memorial, propelling Syracuse past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-0. With the win the Crunch have won three consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 6-9. Goaltender Anders Lindback dazzled with a 30-save shutout in his Crunch debut. Lindback hadn't played an AHL game since 2012. The shutout was Syracuse's eighth of the season, the most in the AHL.

Tanner Richard opened the scoring with his second goal of the season just two minutes in to the opening period. It stood as the game winner, his first as a pro. Matt Taormina extended the lead, netting his fifth and sixth goals of the year, one in the first and one in the second, his first multi-goal game since 2009 with the Lowell Devils. Just 1:27 after the Crunch gained a 3-0 lead, Drew Olson capped the scoring with his third goal of the year in his first game since Jan. 29.

Richard Panik added helpers on each of Syracuse's first two goals, earning him seven points (2g, 5a) during the three-game winning streak. Friday was also his second straight multi-point game, his 21st in the AHL. Dana Tyrell  had an assist Friday for four points in the last two games. Mike Angelidis extended his scoring streak to a season-high four games with a helper on Taormina's second marker.

Welcome Anders Lindback

In yesterday's win, Syracuse netminder Anders Lindback stopped all 30 shots, earning a shutout in his Crunch debut. The 6-6, 210-lb goaltender hadn't appeared in an AHL game since 2012 as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals, a stretch lasting 782 days. The Gavle, Sweden native has played in 18 games with the Lightning this season, his second with Tampa Bay, posting a 5-11-1 record with a 3.23 goals-against average and .880 save percentage. The 25-year old was sent down from Tampa Bay to Syracuse on Wednesday on a conditioning assignment. In 80 career NHL games with Nashville and Tampa Bay, Lindback is 31-34-3 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 draft by Nashville.

Three-Straight Wins

With a victory Friday Syracuse has won three straight for the first time since Nov. 6-9. The Crunch have not won four consecutive games this season, and only did so four times last year, three times in the regular season and once in the playoffs; Syracuse won seven consecutive to start the playoffs. The last time the team won at least four consecutive regular season games was Feb. 13-26, 2013 when the team won eight straight.

Panik Production Part Two

Richard Panik recorded a second straight multi-point game on Friday with two assists. In four games since returning from Sochi the Slovakian forward has recorded seven points (2g, 5a). Last night marked the 21st time that Panik has recorded a multi-point game in the AHL. Prior to leaving for Sochi the forward had two assists in seven games. In the NHL, Panik has 11 points (2g, 9a) in 39 contests.

Balanced Scoring

The 14 goals netted by the Crunch in the last three games ties a season high set Jan. 3-8. Eighteen players have registered a point in that span and six recorded multi-point games. With his first-period goal last night Tanner Richard became the third different player to score a game-winning goal in the last three games. Only two Crunch skaters have not registered a point in the last three games, Cedric Paquette and Nikita Nesterov.

Scouting the Phantoms

Adirondack (23-27-0-3) snapped an eight-game losing streak Friday defeating Utica, 3-2, in the first of three games this weekend. The Phantoms, 49 points, sit in fifth place in the Northeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. 

Goaltender Cal Heeter was recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers Friday night after an injury to goaltender Ray Emery. Heeter has appeared in 35 games for the Phantoms posting a 15-19-0 record. The St. Louis, Mo. native was the goalie of record in the lone meeting between the two teams earlier this season, a 1-0 loss to the Crunch on Nov. 30. Yann Danis has appeared in 23 games, including last nights 3-2 victory over Utica, posting a 7-7-3 record with a 2.65 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. Danis, 31, was 52-29-8 the last two seasons with Oklahoma City. Rookie Carson Chubak has posted a 1-1-0 record in four games with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.

In 53 games Jason Akeson has 49 points (18g, 31a) to lead the Phantoms. Kris Newbury is second with 33 points (13g, 20a) and Tye McGinn is third with 27 points (16g, 11a). Defenseman Brandon Manning's 195 penalty minutes are tied for the fourth most in the AHL. 

Special Teams

The Phantoms have tallied just one goal on the power play in the last five games (1-for-27) and are 29th in the AHL (12.9%), only better than Chicago. On the other hand, Adirondack's penalty kill ranks second in the AHL (87.1%), trailing only Springfield. Although the Phantoms are just 1-4-0-0 in their last five games, they've stopped 25 of 28 power-play opportunities. Last night marked the first time in 14 chances that the Phantoms allowed a power-play goal.

Despite scoring four goals last night, Syracuse was shut out on the man advantage on three chances. The Crunch power play currently ranks 23rd in the AHL (15.9%), but at home Syracuse is slightly better (17.3%). The Crunch stopped all four Penguins power plays last night and have not allowed a power-play goal in seven consecutive penalty kills. Over the last five games the Crunch have allowed just three power-play goals (18-for-21) and rank 11th in the AHL at 83.5%. At home the Crunch rank 28th at 78.5%, better only than Hartford and Rockford.