Crunch back in action against Hartford
The Crunch (26-17-2-2) and Wolf Pack (22-20-4-3) conclude their two-game season series tonight at the War Memorial Arena. For Syracuse, the match begins a three-in-three weekend, just the second of four on the Crunch's schedule this season. 
 
On Jan. 6 at the XL Center, the Crunch topped the Wolf Pack, 3-2, in the midst of their nine-game winning streak. Connor Ingram recorded the win with a 31-save effort and Mitchell Stephens collected the game winner. 
 
Last time out
The Crunch dropped their third straight game Saturday, 4-2, against the Utica Comets. 
 
Syracuse struck first with 2:46 remaining in the opening frame, when Olivier Archambault found a loose puck in front and tucked it behind Comets goaltender Richard Bachman for his second goal with the Crunch.
 
In the second period, Alexander Volkov scored his 13th goal and doubled the lead for the Crunch with a spinning wrist shot from the left circle. 
 
Late in the second, the Comets scored two goals just 16 seconds apart off the sticks of Philip Holm and Dylan Blujus to tie the game heading into the final 20 minutes. 
 
Just under halfway through the final stanza, Holm cashed in on the power play for Utica to give the Comets a 3-2 lead. It was the defenseman's second two-goal performance of the season. Wacey Hamilton added an empty-net goal to solidify a 4-2 win for the Comets. Utica now leads the series with five wins in eight games.
 
Scouting the Crunch
The Crunch's top three scorers on the active roster are all rookies; Syracuse is the only team in the league that can claim that distinction.
 
Mathieu Joseph leads the way with 31 points (8g, 23a) this season, including five assists over his past three games. Anthony Cirelli (9g, 20a) and Mitchell Stephens (16g, 12a) follow in second and third place, respectively. Joseph turns 21 years old today, while Stephens' 21st birthday was Monday.
 
Cirelli is still 20, as is Alexander Volkov, who ranks sixth on the team in scoring with 27 points (13g, 14a). Volkov has shown up on the scoresheet in three of the Crunch's last four games, including Saturday against Utica, when he scored one of Syracuse's two goals. The Crunch have seven players who have not yet hit their 21st birthday.
 
Goaltender Connor Ingram, also 20, has started seven of the last eight games for the Crunch and 13 of the last 16 since Dec. 30. He has 12 wins, tied for fourth-most among first-year AHL goalies. Eddie Pasquale, acquired by the Lightning Jan. 31, has not started yet for the Crunch. He played 16 games for Bakersfield and posted a 6-5-4 record, 2.60 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.    
 
Scouting the Wolf Pack
Hartford enters the weekend owning a 22-20-4-3 record, good for a .520 points percentage and sixth place in the eight-team Atlantic Division. The Wolf Pack have not lost in regulation in their past eight games (7-0-1-0), with five of their wins coming by one goal.  Hartford is one of six teams in the Atlantic Division with a record above .500.
 
Peter Holland paces the Wolf Pack with 33 total points (13g, 20a) this season, but he's on recall with the New York Rangers. Scott Kosmachuk leads active players with 30 points (11g, 19a) over 48 games.
 
Cristoval "Boo" Nieves has eight points (3g, 5a) in 15 games with Hartford this season. The Baldwinsville native has also skated in 28 games with the New York Rangers this season, totaling nine points (1g, 8a). Nieves is one of two Baldwinsville natives to earn an NHL recall this season; Alex Tuch has spent time with both the Chicago Wolves (AHL) and the Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) this season.
 
Alexander Georgiev has spent the bulk of time in the Hartford cage this season, posting an 11-11-6 record in 30 games. The Russian, who turns 22 on Saturday, has started each of the Wolf Pack's last seven games, totaling a 1.65 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage to go along with his 6-0-1 record.
 
Nearing full strength
The Crunch are expected to receive an infusion of players who have missed time into tonight's lineup. 
 
Mathieu Joseph has missed the last two games due to injury, the first two games he's missed this year with an injury. He is tied for the team lead with 31 points (8g, 23a) over 44 games. The Crunch are 13-5-1-1 when he records a point.
 
Kevin Lynch has missed the last seven games with an injury; Syracuse went 2-5-0-0 over those seven games and is 2-8-0-0 when he's not in the lineup this season. In 37 games, Lynch has set AHL career highs in goals (9), assists (10) and points (19).
 
Michael Bournival rejoins the Crunch following a stint with Tampa Bay. At the time of his recall, Bournival was second on the Crunch in scoring with 27 points (13g, 14a). The Crunch are 16-2-0-0 when he registers a point.
 
Special teams
The Crunch power play has not scored in the last four games (0-for-15), the most consecutive games without a power-play goal this season. Overall, the Crunch rank 20th with the man advantage at 15.5% (34-for-220). The Crunch were 1-for-6 in their first match against Hartford. 
 
The Wolf Pack's power play operates at 19.7%, (41-for-208) good for eighth in the AHL. In their last game, they lit the lamp twice in three opportunities. They were 0-for-5 against the Crunch Jan. 6.
 
On the penalty kill, Syracuse ranks seventh, successfully killing 208 of 246 penalties (84.6%). They pace the AHL with nine shorthanded goals, tied with the Springfield. 
 
The Wolf Pack have allowed 33 goals over 195 chances while down a man, good for an 83.1% penalty kill and placing them 14th in the league. At home, Hartford sits atop the AHL with a kill percentage of 88.7%, however that drops to 27th on the road at 77.6%. 
 
Lightning flash
The Lightning returned to Amalie Arena after a season-long eight-game road trip Thursday and cruised past the Canucks, 5-2. The win protected Tampa Bay's standing as the top team in the NHL; the Bolts maintain a one-point edge over Vegas, who also won Thursday.
 
The three stars all went to former Crunch forwards. Yanni Gourde took the first star with one goal and one assist, while Nikita Kucherov claimed the second star with the same scoring line. Adam Erne, who was recalled from Syracuse on Thursday, found the net in his first NHL game of the season to earn the third star.