The AHL regular season comes to a close Sunday, as does the 22nd campaign in Syracuse Crunch franchise history. Syracuse has secured a winning record for the 12th time but will miss the Calder Cup Playoffs for the 10th time. Game 76 for the Crunch brings them back to Allentown for the first time since Oct. 10 where they defeated the Phantoms 4-3 in the season's first game.
Last Time Out
The Crunch and Comets traded goals, but Syracuse never led in a 4-3 overtime loss Saturday at the War Memorial. Brendan Gaunce scored 33 seconds into overtime—a rebound on a Mike Zalewski breakaway—to win the contest for the Comets and secure a season series win for Utica, 6-4, in the third annual Galaxy Cup.
Gaunce, the game's No. 1 star, was plus-3 with three points (1g, 2a) and Zalewski was the No. 2 star with three points (2g, 1a). Zalewski scored 18 seconds into the first, the earlierest Syracuse had allowed a goal in a game this season. Alex Friesen scored a shorthanded goal for the Comets.
Matthew Peca scored twice for Syracuse, his seventh and eighth goals of the season, on a night that he was named the Crunch's rookie of the year. His first career multi-goal game is his 12th multi-point game. At 42 points (8g, 34a), he ranks sixth on the Crunch roster and 14th in the AHL among rookies.
Ben Thomas scored Syracuse's first goal, his first as a pro in seven games with the Crunch. The defenseman from Calgary has four points (1g, 3a).
Jonne Tammela, an 18-year-old Fin playing his second pro game, recorded his first point with an assist on Peca's second score.
Other assists in the contest went to
David Broll (5),
Cameron Darcy (7) and
Jeff Tambellini (20). Tambellini has 47 points, second on the team, with 27 goals, most on the club and tied for fifth in the AHL.
Kristers Gudlevskis (16-12-8)Â suffered the overtime defeat, his eighth in extra time, with 29 saves on 33 shots. Richard Bachman (17-12-5) earned the victory with 32 saves. The Crunch were 0-for-6 on the power play and the Comets were 0-for-3.
Scouting the Phantoms
The Flyers' AHL affiliate ranks seventh in the Atlantic Division at 33-35-4-3. The Phantoms have missed the playoffs in each of their first two seasons in Allentown. The Crunch have a point in each of five meetings (4-0-0-1) since the team relocated from Glens Falls, New York in 2014. Over the last five seasons, Syracuse is 17-6-2-4.Â
Lehigh Valley won six of its last seven games with two shutouts and a 3.71 goals per game average until losing the last two in regulation, 2-1 vs. W-B/Scranton and 4-2 at Hershey. For the season, the Phantoms score 2.80 goals per game, 19th in the AHL, two slots below Syracuse at 2.81.
Veteran Chris Conner, 32, leads the team in scoring at 54 points (16g, 38a) despite missing 17 games. Taylor Leier is second in points (49) and goals (20). Danick Martel owns the team lead in goals, 21, sixth among all rookies, but is minus-14 in 66 games.
Anthony Stolarz, Lehigh Valley's lone All-Star representative, owns a 20-18-7 record. He was winless in six starts March 4-April 9 before winning April 10 in Bridgeport with 27 saves on 28 shots. He saved 51 March 2 at Syracuse, tied for the most saves in an AHL game this year; Linus Ullmark stopped 51 shots Feb. 20, also vs. Syracuse.
Lightning Flash
Tampa Bay plays Game 3 of its first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m. Sunday at Joe Louis Arena. Ben Bishop is expected to start against Petr Mrazek who replaces Game 1 and 2 starter JimmyHoward.Â
The Bolts took a 2-0 series lead with a 5-2 win Friday at Amalie Arena. The Lightning scored three unanswered goals in the third period to claim the victory. Tyler Johnson leads all scorers in the series with six points (2g, 4a), with four of those points coming in Friday's win. Johnson scored twice in the third period Friday to put the Lightning ahead for good.
