Game 7: Syracuse Crunch (2-3-0-1) at Toronto Marlies (5-2-0-0)7 p.m., Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has joined to the Crunch in time for Wednesday's game at Toronto. The Lightning's No. 2 goalie has been unavailable since a Sept. 3 surgery to repair a blood clot near his left collarbone and to treat a type of Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. His conditioning assignment with the Crunch was announced by Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman today.Broadcast Coverage | Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.Radio: ESPN Radio | 97.7 FM Syracuse | 100.1 FM Oswego |Â
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Last time outSunday in Rochester, Syracuse suffered its first shootout loss since April 16, 2014. The Amerks had leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in regulation but needed a shootout to defeat the Crunch, 4-3. Despite gaining one standings point, the Crunch slipped below Rochester in the North Division to sixth (.417).Â
Yanni Gourde,Â
Mike Blunden andÂ
Anthony DeAngelo scored the Syracuse goals. Gourde's was his first of the year and DeAngelo's was the first of his professional career. Blunden and DeAngelo are tied withÂ
Jonathan Marchessault andÂ
Jeff Tambellini for the Syracuse scoring lead at four points each.Â
The matchupWednesday's meeting between between the Crunch and Marlies is the first of eight matchups for the new North Division foes. The teams did not meet last season, but the Crunch took both meetings in 2013-14 by a margin of 6-3 each time. The Marlies have five wins in their first seven games, a .714 points percentage for fifth in the Eastern Conference, while the Crunch are winless in four and have a .417 points percentage for 12th in the conference.Scouting the MarliesToronto finished last season seventh in the Western Conference and lost a first-round series to the Grand Rapids Griffins in five games. The Marlies new head coach is former Lightning winger Sheldon Keefe.
Former Lightning and Crunch forward Richard Panik has three assists in six games. Connor Brown, the AHL's top-scoring rookie last year (21g, 40a), has four assists in six games this year.  T.J. Brennan ranks in the league's top-10 scoring defensemen with a goal and four assists. The Marlies leading scorer is William Nylander, a 19-year-old center from Sweden, who has three goals and three assists. The eighth overall pick in 2014 collected 32 points (14g, 18a) in 37 Marlies games last year.
Goaltender Antoine Bibeau, who was 15-10-5 as a rookie last year, has a 1.97 goals-against average in four games—all wins. Garrett Sparks, a fourth-year pro who's mostly played in the ECHL, is 1-2-0 with a 3.27 goals-against average.
Lightning FlashThe Lightning were shut out for the second time in as many games Tuesday in St. Louis, 2-0. Ben Bishop took the loss versus the Blues after
Kristers Gudlevskis took the overtime loss, 1-0, Saturday in Chicago. The Bolts next play Thursday at home vs. Colorado.
