Crunch face off with Phantoms
The Crunch (14-9-1-2) wrap up a two-game week with a trip to Allentown for their first match with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-9-1-2) at PPL Center. The Crunch won both games of last season's two-game series. 
 
Last time out
The Crunch scored four times in the first period to extend their winning streak to 10 games with a 5-3 win over the Providence Bruins Friday at the War Memorial Arena.
 
The Bruins, who entered with an eight-game winning streak, jumped on Syracuse with a shorthanded goal by Anton Blidh at 2:13 of the opening frame. The Crunch would respond just over a minute later on a left circle snipe by Carter Verhaeghe for his seventh goal of the season. He was the beneficiary of hard board work by Alex Gallant and Kevin Lynch, although neither would get an assist on the tying goal. The Bruins would strike back to grab a 2-1 lead 21 seconds later.
 
The Crunch would make a decisive run during a four-minute spurt over halfway through the first. Adam Erne tied the game by banking in a shot off the skate of a Bruin at 11:20. A minute later Michael Bournival potted a rebound for his eighth goal and a 3-2 Crunch advantage. The run ended on a blistering one-timer by Erne, his second goal of the night and eighth of the year, staking the Crunch to a 4-2 lead.
 
After a scoreless second, Lynch upped the lead to three by banging in a rebound for his sixth of the year. Providence would get one back late, but Louis Domingue stopped 24 of the final 25 Bruins shots, after giving up two goals on two shots to start the game, earning his seventh straight win.   
 
Scouting the Crunch
Syracuse is on an AHL-high 10-game winning streak, which started with their 6-5 overtime win over Rochester Nov. 22. It matches their second-longest winning streak in franchise history, trailing only the 15-game streak which ended the 2007-08 season. Only one team (San Jose, 14) won at least 10 straight games last season. The run has moved the Crunch (14-9-1-2) to third in the North Division with a 0.596 points percentage.
 
The Crunch have scored at least five goals in five straight games, a stretch unmatched in the 24-year history of Crunch hockey. Syracuse is up to sixth in the AHL by scoring 3.35 goals per game, aided by a 4.70 goals per game average in their 10-game winning streak.
 
Adam Erne netted his second multi-goal performance in the last four games to extend his scoring streak to a career-high six games. Including a hat trick Dec. 6 vs. Utica, the third-year pro has 10 points (7g, 3a) in his six-game streak and 12 points (7g, 5a) during the team's 10-game winning streak. He is second on the team with 19 points (8g, 11a) in 26 games.
 
Matthew Peca notched his team-leading fifth multi-point performance with two assists last night. Four of the five have come during the Crunch's winning streak as Peca has 12 points (3g, 9a)—tied with Erne—during the 10 games. The 24-year-old's back-to-back multi-point games leave him with 17 points (3g, 14a), which is third on the Crunch.
 
Michael Bournival led the Crunch with three points (1g, 2a) last night, his first three-point game since he was a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs Dec. 6, 2014. In his second year with the Lightning organization, the 25-year-old winger has 16 points (8g, 8a) in 24 games after he had 19 points in 38 regular season Crunch games last year. His career high is 30 points, set as a rookie for the Bulldogs in 2012-13. The Crunch have had at least one player log three points in their last four games.
 
Scouting the Phantoms
Lehigh Valley is one of three teams in the AHL with over 100 goals scored and they are third with the league averaging 3.68 goals per game; the Phantoms only trail Manitoba (3.93) and Charlotte (3.74).
 
Phil Varone leads the attack and is second in the AHL with 30 points (9g, 21a). Varone is a longtime nemesis for the Crunch, playing parts of five years for Rochester and the last two years with Binghamton. The 27-year-old was held off the scoresheet in Lehigh Valley's last game Wednesday vs. Charlotte, but he has recorded at least one point in 17 games this season.
 
Danick Martel is off to the best start in his third season with the Phantoms, pacing the AHL with 15 goals over 25 games. His career high is 22 goals set as a rookie in 2015-16. The 23-year-old scored seven of his 15 goals during an AHL-high six-game goal scoring streak spanning from Oct. 27 to Nov. 8. That earned him a four-game call up to the Philadelphia Flyers in late November, but he did not record a point in his first stint in the NHL.
 
Former Crunch goaltender Dustin Tokarski and John Muse combine to form the current tandem in Lehigh Valley with opening night starter Alex Lyon on recall with the Flyers. Tokarski was lifted in his last start after allowing three goals on seven shots Tuesday vs. Charlotte and he's given up at least three goals in four of his five December starts. The lone exception was his first shutout of the season and Tokarski, who started the season but did not appear in a game with San Diego, is 7-2-2 with a 3.36 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage. Muse has spent the majority of the season with ECHL-Reading, but has appeared in the last two games for the Phantoms, winning in relief and losing the next night; he made 48 saves on 52 shots in his two appearances.
 
Special teams
The Crunch's run of power-play goals in four straight games came to an end with an 0-for-4 last night against the Bruins. Despite that they are 5-for-21 (23.8%) over the last five games. Over their 10-game winning streak, the Crunch are 7-for-38 (18.4%). 
 
Lehigh Valley has three power-play goals in their last two games (3-for-9) after going six games without a man-advantage goal (0-for-21). The Phantoms are 23rd in the AHL at 15.3% on the power play.
 
The Crunch penalty kill went 21-for-21 in the last four games, the longest stretch of games without allowing a power-play goal this season. They are eighth in the league with an 84.4% penalty kill.
 
The Phantoms have allowed five power-play goals in the last three games, including two in back-to-back games. They rank 27th in the AHL with a 78.6% penalty kill. They have allowed a league-low six power-play goals at home, where their penalty kill is second at 88.5%.