7 p.m., War Memorial Arena, Syracuse, N.Y.
After three games on the road (1-0-2), the Crunch return to the War Memorial for a bout with Toronto, the AHL's second-best team. The Marlies have points in 10 consecutive games (9-0-1-0) while Syracuse has points in three games (1-0-2). The Crunch rank seventh in the Eastern Conference (.594).
Syracuse defeated the Marlies in the first match of the eight-game season series Oct. 25 at Ricoh Coliseum.
made 29 saves in his first game of the year. Antoine Bibeau took the loss and Richard Clune scored a power-play goal.
The Marlies last came to Syracuse April 12, 2014, a 6-3 drubbing by the Crunch.
built a 3-0 first-period lead.
scored twice and Brett Connolly had four points (1g, 3a) while the Marlies served 85 penalty minutes.
Last time out The Crunch battled back from a two-goal, third-period deficit, but lost in overtime Wednesday in Rochester, 4-3.
Matt Taormina,
Mike Angelidis and
Jeff Tambellini provided the Syracuse goals, while
Adam Wilcox stopped 25 shots in his third overtime loss (2-2-3).
Taormina helped the Crunch emerge from a 2-0 deficit in the first with his fourth goal of the year and second goal in as many games. An assist on Tambellini's game-tying score in the final minute of the third give Taormina his second multi-point game of the year. Tambellini's marker gives him six for the year, a team best.
Mike Blunden set up Angelidis's goal earlier in the third, the captain's first marker of the year and Blunden's sixth point (3g, 3a). Phil Paradis and
Jake Dotchin also collected assists.
Tye McGinn notched his third point in as many games (1g, 2a) with the feed to Tambellini from behind the net on the game-tying score; McGinn assisted on Taormina's OT winner Saturday.
Scouting the MarliesToronto leads the North Division at 14-3-1-0 and ranks second in the Eastern Conference (.806). The team suffered one of its regulation losses Oct. 28 vs. Syracuse, 3-1. The Marlies are 9-0-1-0 in their last ten, tied for the second-longest point streak in the AHL this season. They have outscored opponents 11-5 in the last two games, beating Rochester, 5-1, and Binghamton, 6-4. Their 74 goals are the AHL's most and their 4.11 goals per game rank second. The team's 2.50 goals-against average ranks sixth.
William Nylander has points in 10 consecutive games and leads the AHL with 23 points (10g, 13a) while rookie Justin Holl owns the league's second-best plus-minus at plus-12. Former Crunch forward Richard Panik, who played 80 games in a Syracuse uniform from 2012 to 2014, also ranks among AHL leaders with 16 points (4g, 12a). T.J. Brennan is the conference's top-scoring defenseman at 15 points (7g, 8a). Two rookies posted three points Sunday, Zach Hyman (3a) and Kasperi Kapanen (1g, 2a).
Garret Sparks (8-2-1, 1.90) owns the Eastern Conference's top goals-against average and save percentage (.938) with two shutouts. Antoine Bibeau (6-1-0, 3.26) suffered his only loss of the season Oct. 28 vs. Syracuse with 26 saves on 29 shots. He also allowed eight goals in a 9-8 win at St. John's, the highest scoring game in the AHL this year.
Special teamsSyracuse was 0-for-3 on the power play Wednesday in Rochester and has 1 man-up goal in its last 12 chances over the last four games. For the season, the team is 9-for-70 (12.9%), 23rd in the AHL. However, the Crunch are 8-for-42 at the War Memorial (19.0%), 13th in the league.
Anthony DeAngelo, who was a healthy scratch Wednesday, is Syracuse's top scorer on the power play with six assists.
The Crunch penalty kill allowed one goal Wednesday and has surrendered three in the last four games (3-for-11). Syracuse ranks 25th for the year at 79.1%.
The Marlies have scored as many power-play goals as the Crunch have allowed, 14, and rank 14th in the AHL (17.1%). William Nylander has seven power-play points (1g, 6a). Toronto's penalty kill ranks fourth in the league, 88.7%, and better on the road, 89.5%.
Scoring breakdownSyracuse has saved the largest chunk of its offense for crunch time, posting 17 goals in third periods, compared to 11 in the first and 11 in the second. Crunch goalies have also been most stingy in third periods, surrendering only 11 markers, compared to 14 in the first and 17 in the second. Overtimes have been even, 2-2. The Crunch have five first-goals this year but only one in the last six games. Toronto has the AHL's second most first-period goals, 21, and third most third-period goals, 27.
Last season the Crunch also delivered late offense with 80 third-period goals, fourth most in the AHL, while allowing 74. They were outscored in the first period, 66-65, and the second, 69-64. The Crunch scored six overtime goals last season and allowed 10.
Lightning flash Tampa Bay captured a shootout win Wednesday vs. Los Angeles, 2-1. Tyler Johnson scored in his return to the lineup after missing three games.
Jonathan Marchessault assisted on the score, his first in the NHL, and provided a shootout marker. The Lightning had been 0-for-6 on shootout attempts. Ben Bishop was the game's first star with 37 saves, plus two stops on three shootout attempts.
The Lightning have won three straight for the first time since the season's first three games. The Bolts (11-9-3) visit the Capitals today at 5 p.m. trailing conference-leading Montreal by 11 points.
