Game 41: Syracuse Crunch (18-15-6-1) at Toronto Marlies (31-8-2-0)7 p.m., Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto
With wins in their last two games, the Crunch head to Toronto Wednesday for their sixth matchup with the Marlies. Syracuse is 1-2-2-0 against the Maple Leafs' affiliate.
To date, the Crunch have not faced any team more frequently than the Marlies. Toronto had a franchise record seven-game win streak snapped Sunday in St. John's, but remains the top team in the AHL with 64 points (.780). The Crunch are eighth in the Eastern Conference at 43 points (.538).
Broadcast Coverage | Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.Radio: ESPN | 97.7FM & 1200AM Syracuse | 100.1FM & 1440AM Oswego |
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AHL Live AppSocial: @SyracuseCrunch for in-game updates and @Dan_DUva for insights from the broadcast booth. | #BelieveInBlueLast Time Out Kristers Gudlevskis earned a win, collected his second career assist and was the No. 1 star in a 2-1 Syracuse win in Rochester Monday afternoon. The All-Star goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots while
Adam Erne and
David Broll solved Amerks netminder Nathan Lieuwen who stopped 28 of 30.
Henri Ikonen notched an assist on Broll's game winner. Ikonen has six points (2g, 4a) and both of Broll's goals have been game winners.
Despite three fights in the game, the Crunch were not awarded a single power play for the first time this year. The Amerks were held scoreless on their pair of man-up chances. The Crunch outshot their opponent for the first time since Dec. 19, a shutout loss vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Syracuse is 5-5-2-0 in the 12 games it's outshot its opponent and 12-10-4-1 when it's been outshot.
Erne's jolt Rookie
Adam Erne has goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his 34-game pro career, something he did 12 times season in his final year of junior hockey with the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL).
He had 41 goals last year, including eight multi-goal games (two hat tricks Oct. 19 and 24), with a five-game goal-scoring streak in February. In 22 playoff contests Erne had 21 goals with seven more multi-goal games.
With Syracuse this year, Erne has seven goals. Only
Jeff Tambellini (16),
Tye McGinn (14) and
Mike Blunden (8) have more. His four power-play goals are second only to McGinn's six. At 14 points he's ninth in scoring, but missed 14 of the team's first 40 games because of injury.
Scouting the MarliesToronto, the top team in the AHL this season, has won four consecutive games against the Crunch since Syracuse took the first matchup, 3-1, Oct. 28. Two of those Marlies' wins came in overtime.
At 31-8-2-0 (.780), the Marlies have seven more points than the second best team in the league. They own the league's highest goal differential (+58) with 3.85 goals per game (1st in the AHL) and 2.44 goals allowed (5th).
T.J. Brennan is tied for the league scoring lead at 38 points (15g, 23a) with Hershey's Chris Bourque and Texas's Travis Morin. Three others have eclipsed 30 points: Mark Arcobello, William Nylander and Josh Leivo. Only Arcobello is expected to play for the Marlies Wednesday. Captain Andrew Campbell leads the league at plus-26, one of five Marlies in the league's top 20.
Among the six goaltenders who've played for Toronto this year, Antoine Bibeau (13-4-0, 3.03) has seen the most action with 18 games followed by Garrett Sparks (8-2-1, 1.90) who's played in 11. Sparks is 3-1 in five NHL games. Sparks lost Sunday in his first AHL game since Nov. 21. Bibeau has won seven of eight.
