Crunch square off with Marlies

The Crunch and Toronto Marlies meet up for their first regular season match tonight at Coca-Cola Coliseum. It is the first of six head-to-head games this season. Tonight is the first regular season meeting since the clubs met up in last season's North Division Finals.
 
Syracuse last played Saturday, a 4-3 loss to the Utica Comets at the War Memorial Arena. The Crunch return home tomorrow against the Charlotte Checkers.
 
The Marlies opened their week with a 2-1 overtime win at home against the Laval Rocket. This is the final game of the week for Toronto; the Marlies play five straight on the road starting next Friday in Cleveland.   
 
Last time out

The Crunch failed to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a 4-3 setback against the Utica Comets at the War Memorial Arena Oct. 20. 
 
The Comets scored the only goal in the first period. Zack MacEwen converted on a Comets power play to give Utica a 1-0 lead at 10:57 of the opening period.
 
Less than 10 minutes into the second period, the Comets opened a three-goal advantage. Lukas Jasek scored on a 2-on-1 rush at 6:24. Two and a half minutes later, a left-circle shot from Michael Carcone tipped off Darren Archibald for a power-play goal.
 
Syracuse's attempted rally began with Cameron Gaunce's first Crunch goal on a shot from the left point at 10:10, pulling within two. Just over two minutes later, Cory Conacher was awarded a penalty shot and scored for his first career shorthanded goal. Utica halted the Crunch's momentum in the final minute of the period on Jamie Sifers goal at 19:10.
 
In the final frame, the Crunch threw 18 shots on goal, but only one found the back of the net. Andy Andreoff potted his third goal in two games with a tip in from the slot for a power-play goal at 12:41. The Crunch could not find an equalizer, dropping the game, 4-3.
 
Playoff foes

The Crunch and Marlies have represented the Eastern Conference in the Calder Cup Finals the last two seasons. The clubs have also collided in the last two North Division Finals. Syracuse prevailed in a seven-game series en route to claiming the Eastern Conference Championship in 2017. Toronto responded with a four-game series win over the Crunch in the first of back-to-back sweeps heading into the Calder Cup Finals.
 
There are 12 players—10 skaters and two goalies—on this year's Crunch roster who appeared in last season's North Division Finals. Of the 10 skaters, three—Gabriel Dumont, Olivier Archambault and Otto Somppi—are currently out with long-term injuries.
 
The Marlies have 13 skaters on their roster that dressed in last year's North Division Finals, but neither goalie from that series is back with the Marlies. Trevor Moore's five points (2g, 3a) tied for the series lead and is most among returning Marlies while Carter Verhaeghe had four points (1g, 3a) to lead the Crunch.
 
Scouting the Crunch 

The Crunch have played the fewest games in the Eastern Conference and they are 2-3-0-0 in their first five games. Syracuse has at least two games in hand on every team in the North Division; the Crunch have as many as four games in hand on North Division teams.
 
Andy Andreoff's three-goal week last week puts him first on the team with three goals in five games for the Crunch. He is tied with Gabriel Dumont, who is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with an injury, for second on the team with four points (3g, 1a).
Andreoff and Dumont only trail Alex Barré-Boulet, who paces the Crunch with five points (2g, 3a). Four of those points (2g, 2a) have come on the power play; he is tied for third among AHL rookies with four power-play points.
 
"He has some of the most skill I've seen in a player throughout my pro career," said Crunch forward Cory Conacher, who skated on a line with Barré-Boulet Saturday night.
 
"When I saw them [Conacher and Barré-Boulet] play, I had the vision of Gourde and Conacher two years ago," said Crunch head coach Ben Groulx.
 
Conacher posted two points (1g, 1a) in his Crunch season debut Saturday. His penalty shot goal in the second period was the first shorthanded goal of his career.
 
Scouting the Marlies

The defending Calder Cup Champions enter tonight's match in fifth place in the North Division with a 3-4-0-1 record in eight games. The Marlies have points in their last three games (2-0-0-1) after a 1-4-0-0 start.
 
Third-year-pro Trevor Moore had a breakout postseason for the Marlies in 2018, recording 17 points (6g, 11a) in 20 games after producing 33 (12g, 21a) in 68 regular season games. The 23-year-old is tied for the team lead in scoring through the first eight games of the season, notching eight points; his six goals lead the team and are tied for third in the AHL.
 
Sam Gagner, a veteran of 770 NHL games, was loaned to the Marlies from the Vancouver Canucks prior to the season. The sixth overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft is playing in the AHL for only the second time in his career; he played nine games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2015-16. Gagner is tied with Moore for the team lead with eight points (4g, 4a).
 
Last season the Marlies set a franchise record and led the league by allowing only 170 goals, 2.24 goals against per game. Without goaltenders Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard—the duo that backstopped the Marlies defensive efforts—Toronto is near the bottom of the AHL in goals against. The Marlies have surrendered 35 goals in eight games, a 4.38 goals against per game, which ranks 29th in the league.
 
Special teams

The Crunch's power play connected once in eight tries Saturday against the Comets. Syracuse now has a power-play goal in four of its five games this season. The Crunch's 21.4% conversion rate (6-for-28) is 12th in the AHL.
 
Toronto's two-game power-play goal streak was cut down in Tuesday's overtime win against Laval, with the Marlies going 0-for-4. Despite that, the Marlies rank 14th in the AHL at 20.6% (7-for-34). 
 
Syracuse allowed at least two power-play goals for the third time in five games, giving up two in five chances Saturday. At 69.6%, the Crunch's penalty kill ranks 29th of 31 teams. Syracuse is tied for the league lead with three shorthanded goals. The Crunch have scored a shorthanded goal in back-to-back games.
 
The Marlies had a near-historically good penalty kill last season, finishing first in the league with an 88.9% success rate; the AHL record is 90.7%. In eight games this year, the Marlies have allowed seven power-play goals and rank 18th in the league on the penalty kill at 78.8%.