Game 33: Syracuse Crunch (14-14-4-1) at Toronto Marlies (26-7-2-0)3 p.m., Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario
The Crunch have a rematch Sunday with the Marlies, a day after Toronto came from behind to beat Syracuse, 3-2. Toronto leads the seasons series with Syracuse, 3-1, and holds the best record in the AHL. Head coach
Rob Zettler said that
Jonathan Drouin will not be with the Crunch until the team returns to Syracuse for practice Tuesday.
Broadcast Coverage | Countdown to Crunch Time at 2:45 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. | #BelieveInBlueDrouin joins Crunch
Tampa Bay's 2013 first-round pick Jonathan Drouin is back on the Crunch roster for the first time since October of 2014. He will not be available for Sunday's game in Toronto.
Drouin had three points in two games with the Crunch before playing 70 games with Tampa Bay. He totaled four goals and 28 assists in his rookie year. The 20-year-old has eight points in 19 games this year, missing several games due to injury. Drouin totaled 242 points (77g, 165a) in 128 QMJHL games with the Halifax Mooseheads, plus 102 points in 50 career postseason games.Last Time Out Jeff Tambellini and
Tye McGinn both scored their 12th goals of the season and
Kristers Gudlevskis made 32 saves, but the Marlies scored the last two goals for a 3-2 win over the Crunch.
McGinn assisted on Tambellini's score 3:20 in the first, along with
Matthew Peca. McGinn has 10 points in nine games (8g, 2a) with his third multi-point effort. Tambellini moved into a tied with
Anthony DeAngelo for the Crunch scoring lead at 20 points.
DeAngelo also had his first professional fight vs. Sam Carrick in the third period.
Jake Dotchin recorded an assist, his first since Nov. 25 and fourth of the year.
Scouting the MarliesHeld below their season average of 3.88 goals per game Saturday, the Marlies slipped to 3.86 goals per game, relinquishing the AHL lead to the Texas Stars who have 3.94 goals per game. Toronto retains the AHL's best record with a .771 points percentage with 26 wins and 54 points, four more wins and nine more points than second-place W-B/Scranton.
T.J. Brennan (12g, 16a) is the Marlies active scoring leader, with William Nylander (14g, 20a) at the World Junior Championships and Mark Arcobello (12g, 15a) in the NHL. Josh Leivo has moved into a points tie with Arcobello for 10th in the AHL at 27 (9g, 18a) after an assist Saturday.
Six goalies have seen action for Toronto. Antoine Bibeau (10-3-0, 3.28) is 1-1 vs. Syracuse but was recalled the Maple Leafs Dec. 30. Veteran Ray Emery is 1-1 with the Marlies since being acquired from the Kings organization. Rob Madore is 3-0 since joining the Marlies from the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears including Saturday's game vs. Syracuse. The team's 2.43 goals-against average is fifth in the AHL.
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Lightning FlashAndrei Vasilevskiy earned a shootout victory, 3-2, Saturday vs. Minnesota. He made 30 saves, plus three shootout stops, and was the game's first star. Ondrej Palat recorded an assist in his first game since Dec. 12, his first point since Nov. 5.
Nikita Kucherov extended his Lightning-season-best point streak to eight games with his second-period goal. Kucherov has three goals and nine assists over that stretch. The Bolts visit Calgary Tuesday to start a four-game road trip.
