Crunch have morning match with Marlies
The Crunch (33-18-2-3) conclude their eight-game season series with the Toronto Marlies (39-15-0-1) in a morning matchup at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies have won the last two games against the Crunch and have clinched the series with five wins in seven games.
 
It's the second straight year and third time in the last six seasons that the Crunch play a morning game in Toronto. The Marlies have won the previous two instances, beating the Crunch, 3-2, in overtime Feb. 22, 2017 and 6-3 March 6, 2013.
 
Last time out
Connor Ingram stopped 26 of 27 shots and the Crunch scored three unanswered goals to pound the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-1, at the War Memorial Arena Saturday night.
 
Despite a dominant first period for the Crunch, the Penguins scored the only goal in the opening 20 minutes to steal a 1-0 lead. Freddy Tiffels scooped up the puck in the slot off a Crunch turnover and lifted a shot over Ingram at 4:42. 
 
The Crunch pulled even in the second period with their 11th shorthanded goal of the season, which leads the AHL. Gabriel Dumont took the puck out of the Crunch zone and zoomed down the right wing. He blew past the defender and sliced across the front of the net to tuck in a backhand shot to tie the game at 1:35 with his first goal in his third game with the Crunch this season.
 
Still tied at one in the third, Alex Volkov sprinted down the left wing, picked up the puck and flicked a smooth backhander past Anthony Peters to put the Crunch ahead 2-1 at 6:02. Then at 8:42, Anthony Cirelli deflected a Mathieu Joseph shot for a power-play goal to set the final at 3-1, giving the Crunch their fourth straight win. 
 
Scouting the Crunch
With seven wins in their last eight games, the Crunch (33-18-2-3) have climbed into second place in the North Division, getting within eight points of the Marlies for the top spot. Their 71 points give the Crunch a three-point lead on Utica and Rochester. Since starting the season 4-9-1-2, the Crunch are 29-9-1-1 in their last 40 games, which equates to a 0.750 points percentage.
 
Crunch scoring co-leaders and linemates Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph both snapped four-game point droughts Saturday. Cirelli (12g, 23a) netted the team's first power-play goal since Feb. 9 and he leads the team with six power-play tallies. The four-game scoreless streak was the longest of his rookies season. Joseph (9g, 26a) assisted on Cirelli's goal and is now tied for the team lead with 13 power-play points. His 26 assists lead the Crunch and rank fourth among AHL rookies.    
 
Shutting the door defensively
The Crunch allowed just one goal in each game in Week 21, pushing their current streak of allowing two or fewer goals to eight games, tied for the second-longest streak in Crunch history. It was last done Dec. 6-26, 2014 when the team allowed a total of eight goals over eight games.
 
The Crunch's franchise record is nine straight games Feb. 23-March 14, 2008. Current goaltending coach Karl Goehring started seven of those nine games for Syracuse. 
 
Over the last eight games, Crunch goalies Eddie Pasquale and Connor Ingram have combined to stop 202 of 213 shots against, good for a .948 save percentage. 
 
Pasquale is 10-6-5 in 23 games this season, with a 2.28 goals-against average—sixth in the AHL—and .919 save percentage. With the Crunch, Pasquale's 1.41 goals-against average over seven games would rank first in the AHL, as would his .947 save percentage.
 
Ingram has allowed just one goal in each of his last three starts, stopping a total of 65 shots. His .942 save percentage in his last three starts gives him a .906 save percentage this season, to go with a 15-9-2 record and a 2.49 goals-against average.   
 
Scouting the Marlies
The Marlies have stumbled to four losses in their last six games to drop to 39-15-0-1. Despite that, Toronto still leads the AHL with a 0.718 points percentage and owns an eight-point lead on the Crunch in the North Division entering today's game. While the Marlies own a league-best 24-5-0-1 mark on the road this season, they are just 15-10-0-0 at Ricoh Coliseum.
 
AHL All-Star Andreas Johnsson has blossomed for the Marlies since his natural hat trick against the Crunch just before the All-Star Break. Including that hat trick, Johnsson has recorded a at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games, notching 20 points (6g, 14a) in that span. The Swedish forward leads the Marlies in goals (23), assists (26) and points (49). His hat trick against the Crunch Jan. 27 gives Johnsson nine points (7g, 2a) in the seven games against the Crunch this season.
 
Although they've allowed 23 goals in the last six games, the Marlies are still the stingiest team in the AHL, allowing 2.15 goals per game. Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard have alternated appearances in the last six games. Overall, Sparks leads the AHL with a 1.82 goals-against average and his .935 save percentage is best among active goalies. He has a 21-8-1 record this season. Pickard is fourth in the league with a 2.04 goals-against average and he checks in with a .925 save percentage while posting a 17-7-0 record.
 
Special teams
The Crunch power play snapped an 0-for-26 dry spell with a goal on their fifth and final opportunity Saturday against the Penguins. In the last 13 games, the Crunch are 2-for-46 (4.3%) on the power play, approaching their 2-for-51 start to the season. Overall, the Crunch are 27th at 14.3% this season.
 
The Marlies power play has done some of its best work against the Crunch, going 7-for-36 (19.4%) in the series. That has bumped Toronto to 17th in the AHL at 16.5%. 
 
Syracuse has gone six consecutive games without allowing a goal on the penalty kill, successfully killing 19 of 19 opposing power plays in the process. It's the most consecutive games the Crunch have gone without allowing a power-play goal this season. On the year, the penalty kill unit ranks seventh in the league, at 85.1% (235-for-276). They scored their league-leading 11th shorthanded goal Saturday against the Penguins.
 
The Marlies are the top penalty killing team in the league, operating at 89.5% on the penalty kill this season. Toronto has allowed a league-low 22 power-play goals against.