Crunch look for bounce back in Charlotte
The Crunch (29-18-2-3) wrap up their two-game series against the Charlotte Checkers (30-20-0-3) from Bojangles' Coliseum this afternoon. It's the third of four games between the teams this season. After Charlotte's shutout win over the Crunch last night, the teams have split their first two meetings, scoring five goals apiece. 
 
Last time out
Alex Nedeljkovic denied all 23 Crunch shots and the Checkers shut out the Crunch, 2-0, last night at Bojangles' Coliseum. It was the first time this season the Crunch were held without a goal. 
 
Trevor Carrick netted what would become the game-winning goal 7:25 into the second period. Marcus Kruger pushed a pass across the crease and Carrick squeezed one over the shoulder of Eddie Pasquale for a 1-0 Checkers lead.
 
Carrick's goal was the only to beat Pasquale, who denied 24 of the 25 shots he faced. Jake Chelios put the game out of reach with a rink-long empty-net goal to set the final at 2-0.
 
Scouting the Crunch
The Crunch had their three-game winning streak and four-game point streak snapped in last night's loss to the Checkers. The Crunch (29-18-2-3) remain in fourth place in the North Division with 63 points, two shy of Rochester and three behind Utica.
 
Rookies Anthony Cirelli (11g, 23a) and Mathieu Joseph (9g, 25a) lead the Crunch with 34 points apiece. Cirelli has 11 points (5g, 6a) in the last 12 games since Jan. 19 and Joseph has eight points (1g, 7a) in eight games since Jan. 24.
 
Eddie Pasquale has started four straight games for the Crunch, winning three, and is 3-1-1 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .941 save percentage with the Crunch. Those numbers alone would rank first and second respectively in the AHL. He is 9-6-5 in 22 games, including his time with Bakersfield, with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.  
 
Held off the scoreboard
The Crunch were blanked for the first time this season last night against the Checkers. Syracuse entered the night as one of just four AHL teams without a shutout loss, but their 2-0 defeat leaves Utica, Iowa and Tucson as the three teams in the league without a shutout loss. Last night was also just the second time all season the Crunch were held scoreless through the first two periods; the only other instances was in the very first game of the season against Rochester.
 
Syracuse was shut out three times in 2016-17. The last time the Crunch were shut out in a game was Apr. 5 at Albany, a 3-0 loss to the Devils. It was 56 regular season games between shutout losses for the Crunch.  
 
Scouting the Checkers
Charlotte has won five straight games for the first time this season. The Checkers have outscored opponents 23-4 over the five games, with three shutouts . With at least five goals in five of the last eight games, the Checkers boast the AHL's best offense, averaging 3.49 goals per game. They have scored 103 goals in 27 home games (3.81 goals per game). Charlotte (30-20-0-3) is fourth in the Atlantic Division with 63 points and a 0.594 points percentage.
 
Andrew Miller not only leads the Checkers in scoring, but he also leads the entire AHL with 51 points (15g, 36a) in 53 games. The fifth-year-pro has already established a new career high in assists and is approaching his career high of 60 points set with Oklahoma City in 2014-15. He has 11 points (5g, 6a) in the last seven games, including four multi-point games and two three-point games. He left last night's win over the Crunch with an injury in the first period and he did not return to the game. 
 
Valentin Zykov is next on the Checkers with 41 points and his 25 goals lead the AHL. An AHL-high 14 of Zykov's goals have been scored on the power play. Rookie Warren Foegele is second in the AHL with 23 goals and he is tied for the AHL lead with four shorthanded goals.
 
Alex Nedeljkovic has seen action in 37 Checkers games this season, including the last 12 games, logging a 23-9-2 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. His 23 wins are most in the AHL and his five shutouts are tied for the most in the league; he had back-to-back shutouts Feb. 10-13 and has three in his last four starts. In those four games, he's allowed just two goals on 94 shots, a .979 save percentage. 
 
Special teams
The Crunch power play is 1-for-33 (3.0%) in the last nine games since Jan. 26. They started the season in a 2-for-51 (3.9%) funk over the first eight games of the season. Excluding those 17 games, the Crunch power play is 32-for-154 (20.8%), but including the combined 3-for-84, Syracuse ranks 25th in the league at 14.8%.
 
Charlotte's power play went 0-for-2 last night, but remains one of six clicking at over 20% in the AHL. The Checkers are fourth in the league and second in the Eastern Conference at 20.7%. They have they Eastern Conference's top home power play (25.6%). Their 32 home power-play goals are most in the AHL.
 
The Crunch penalty kill stopped both power plays against last night for the second straight game. It's the first time they have been successful in back-to-back games since going 28-for-28 over a five-game span Jan. 10-17. They rank seventh in the AHL at 84.3% and pace the league with 10 shorthanded goals.
 
Charlotte's shorthanded unit is tied for 19th in the league at 81.8% after stopping two Crunch power plays last night. The Checkers only trail the Crunch among leaders with nine shorthanded goals.