Crunch go for seven in a row
Syracuse (42-19-3-4) continues its six-game homestand tonight against the Belleville Senators (26-37-2-3) at the War Memorial Arena. The Crunch have won six straight games, the team's fourth winning streak of six or more games this season. 
 
In seven previous meetings with the Senators this season, the Crunch are 5-0-1-1. The Sens denied the Crunch a 10-game winning streak with an overtime win in Belleville Jan. 17.
 
Last time out
Syracuse increased its win streak to six straight games Wednesday night with a 5-1 win over the Binghamton Devils at the War Memorial Arena.
 
The Crunch took command with a three-goal first period. Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring 6:47 into the opening frame with a power-play goal from the top of the left circle. Syracuse doubled its lead less than three minutes later when Olivier Archambault buried a pass from Kevin Lynch during a 2-on-1 rush. Verhaeghe completed the scoring in the first with another power-play goal with 0.5 seconds left in the period. 
 
At the 5:30 mark of the second period, Binghamton struck for its only goal off the stick of Steven Santini. 
The Crunch converted on another odd-man rush when Alexander Volkov ripped a shot past Eddie Lack from the right circle. Lynch capped the scoring with a backhand shot off the draw to solidify a 5-1 Crunch win. Mathieu Joseph led the way with three assists and Connor Ingram stopped 34 of 35 shots for his 19th win. 
 
Scouting the Crunch
The Crunch are on a six-game winning streak and they've picked up a point in eight straight games (7-0-0-1). They have a point in 19 of the last 21 games (15-2-1-2) since Feb. 9. The Crunch have won their last five home games, including all four to open their six-game homestand. Their longest home winning streak this season is six games from Nov. 11 to Dec. 15.
 
Mathieu Joseph recorded three assists Wednesday, his 11th multi-point game and sixth three-point game of the campaign, both of which are team highs. The rookie has 16 points (5g, 11a) in his previous 12 games and leads the Crunch with 36 assists this season. Joseph is also second among all AHL rookie skaters in assists and tied for third among rookies in points. He is the eighth rookie in Crunch history to eclipse 50 points and the first since Peter Holland in 2011-12.
 
Kevin Lynch had a goal and an assist Wednesday, his fourth multi-point game of the season. The former Michigan Wolverine has six points (4g, 2a) in his last six games; Lynch had zero points in the prior 12 games. In 51 games this season, Lynch has racked up a career-high 25 points (13g, 12a).
 
Connor Ingram won his seventh straight start Wednesday, stopping 34 of the 35 Binghamton shots he faced. The rookie has not allowed more than two goals in any game during his win streak, totaling a 1.15 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage. In 32 appearances this season, Ingram has a 2.32 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. His 19 wins rank third among rookies in franchise history. Eddie Pasquale, who played part of his OHL career in Belleville, is 7-1-2 with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage in 11 games with the Crunch.
 
Hitting the mark
The Crunch's win Wednesday over Binghamton gives Syracuse 91 points this season. It's the eighth time in franchise history the team has reached 90 points. It's also the fourth time in six seasons as the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate that the Crunch have hit 90 points and it's the first time in team history they've done it in back-to-back seasons.
 
The Crunch's franchise record for points is 102 during the 80-game 2005-06 season. Their points record during the Lightning affiliation is 97, which was set in their first season as an affiliate in 2012-13. Those two seasons are tied for the best points percentage in team history at 0.638; their current points percentage is 0.669. 
     
Scouting the Senators
Belleville comes into tonight's game with a 26-37-2-3 record and a 0.419 points percentage, 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Senators have won two straight games and are coming off their highest scoring output of the season in an 8-2 win over Laval Sunday. Against the Crunch this season, the Senators are averaging 2.29 goals per contest in seven games played.
 
Ville Pokka leads the Senators this season with 31 points, and the defenseman also paces Belleville in assists (24). Pokka, who has spent most of the season with Rockford, has nine points (3g, 6a) in 16 games since being traded to the Ottawa Senators organization in February.
 
Max McCormick, one of three Belleville skaters who has played all seven games against Syracuse this season, leads the Senators in scoring against the Crunch with five points. The 25-year-old is on recall in Ottawa and won't play in tonight's series finale. 
 
Over their seven meetings with the Crunch, the Senators have played four different goalies. Among netminders still on the Belleville roster, Danny Taylor has seen the most time, posting a 2.94 goals-against average and a .865 save percentage against Syracuse in two games. Belleville also has two young Swedes in goal, including 2016 second-round pick Filip Gustavsson, who made 37 saves in a win in his AHL debut Sunday vs. Laval.
 
Special teams
The Crunch have power-play goals in five of the last six games after striking twice on three opportunities Wednesday against Binghamton. They are 7-for-29 (24.1%) over the seven games. On the season, the Crunch are 48-for-305 (15.7%), ranking 23rd in the AHL. Against Belleville, the Crunch have tickled the twine nine times in 39 man-up opportunities (23.1%). 
 
In its last two games, the penalty kill for Syracuse is 11-for-11. The penalty kill has jumped to sixth in the league at 84.4% (281-for-333).
 
Belleville's power play ranks 28th—ahead of just Springfield and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton—at 14.1% (38-for-269). In their last outing, the Senators converted twice in four opportunities against Laval. 
 
The Senators penalty kill sits next to last, only above Laval, allowing 66 power-play goals against in 289 shorthanded opportunities (77.2%). Their 66 goals against is second-most in the AHL to Laval's 71.