Game 61: Syracuse Crunch (35-16-8-0) at Bridgeport Sound Tigers (22-31-6-1)
3 p.m., Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Conn.

The Crunch skate into Bridgeport for the first time since splitting a pair at Webster Bank Arena Jan. 17 and 18. Syracuse has victories in its last two games and leads the Northeast Division at 76 points, third in the Eastern Conference. Bridgeport has lost its last two games and ranks last in the Northeast Division at 51 points, 15th in the Eastern Conference. 

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Last time out
Jonathan Marchessault scored a power-play goal at 15:55 of the second period and assisted on Carter Ashton's empty-net goal at 19:56 of the third to reach 50 points on the season and lead the Crunch to a 2-1 win Saturday in Albany. Allen York earned first-star honors with 33 saves on 34 shots. His only blemish came with 3.6 seconds left in regulation when Raman Hrabarenka snuck a point shot through traffic to spoil the shutout.

Syracuse stopped each of seven Albany power plays, including a stretch of 5-on-3 hockey early in the second. The Crunch converted on one of its seven man-up chances. Joel Vermin and Ryan Martindale assisted on Marchessault's 17th marker which came 30 seconds into a five-minute power play following a match penalty against Devils' leading scorer Joe Whitney.

Head to head
Syracuse is 1-1-1 against the Sound Tigers with Bridgeport winning the last two. The Islanders' affiliate took the most recent affair Feb. 6, 2-1 in overtime, with Kael Mouillierat providing the game winner. Mouillierat also had an assist in that game and a goal in Bridgeport's 2-1 victory over Syracuse Jan. 18 at Webster Bank Arena. The Crunch won the night before in the first meeting, 6-2. Four Syracuse players had multiple points in that win: Blujus (2a), Angelidis (1g, 1a), Marchessault (3a), Blunden (1g, 2a). Former Sound Tiger Justin Courtnall scored one of his four goals against Syracuse in the Jan. 17 game.

Scouting the Sound Tigers
Bridgeport enters the weekend last in the Northeast Division with 51 points. The Sound Tigers snapped a 10-game losing streak with a road win over Worcester Saturday but lost to the Sharks 5-1 Wednesday. Bridgeport has scored more than three goals in a game once since Jan. 31, a streak that spans 15 games. 

Alan Quine (16g, 29a) and Dustin Jeffrey (19g, 25a) are the team leaders in scoring. Jeffrey has two goals and an assist in four games since being acquired from Utica March 2 in exchange for Cory Conacher. The Crunch acquired Justin Courtnall (4g, 3a)  from Bridgeport Monday.

Kevin Poulin (15-16-7) has been Bridgeport's workhorse in goal, posting a 2.82 goals-against-average and a .915 save percentage in 39 games. The Montreal native has won just once in his last eight games. Kent Simpson is the new backup since David Leggio was traded on March 2. Simpson lost both of his starts for Bridgeport at the end of January, allowing six goals on 33 shots.

Special Teams
Syracuse ranks 26th in the AHL on both the power play (13.1%) and penalty kill (80.2%). Saturday's 7-for-7 effort on the penalty kill was the strongest for the Crunch all year; surviving the most times shorthanded without allowing a goal. Marchessault's power-play goal give him 16 power-play points (4g, 12a), most on the team.

Bridgeport's power play has slipped to fifth in the league at 19.6% (54-for-275), having been best in the AHL earlier this year at 24.3% in January. The Sound Tigers penalty kill ranks 27th in the AHL at 79.6% with 64 goals allowed on 314 times shorthanded. No other AHL team has given up more than 60 power play goals or been shorthanded more than 300 times. Alan Quine leads Bridgeport's special teams with 21 power-play points  along with Harry Zolnierczyk who has 17 power-play points and four shourthanded points.