CRUNCH HOST MARLIES ON BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS
 
Syracuse plays Toronto tonight at the War Memorial Arena in the second of three meetings between the teams this week.
 
On Monday, the Crunch fell, 5-3, after surrendering four goals in the third period-the Crunch's first regulation loss when leading after two periods. The Marlies have won three of the four meetings between the teams this year. 
With four points on the line this weekend, the Crunch lead the Marlies by two in the North Division.  
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch rolled past the Laval Rocket, 4-2, Wednesday night at the War Memorial Arena. The victory extended Syracuse's home points streak to nine games and kept the team in second place in the North Division with 66 points.
 
The Crunch jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Gabriel Dumont scored on a redirection off a feed from Carter Verhaeghe at 15:54. Less than a minute later, Cory Conacher blasted a one-timer off the draw to double the advantage. Laval grabbed one back 22 seconds after Conacher's strike, with Maxim Lamarche flicking a shot past Eddie Pasquale.
 
Syracuse's offense found a response, as Alex Volkov broke away to bring the Crunch lead back to two goals. His 12^th goal of the season gave the Crunch a 3-1 lead at 10:40 of the second period, but the Rocket pulled back within one on a power-play goal at 12:32.
 
In the third, Alex Barré-Boulet converted on a power-play chance to push the Crunch advantage back to two and give the rookie goals in back-to-back games.
 
Pasquale earned his 16^th win of the season for the Crunch, stopping 25 shots. The 28-year-old has made 25 or more saves in each of his last three starts.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
Syracuse (31-16-2-2) remains three points behind Rochester for first place in the North Division, although the Crunch have played two fewer games. With 51 contests completed, Syracuse has the fewest games under its belt in the entire Eastern Conference; their 25 games remaining are the most in the AHL.
 
With Wednesday's win, the Crunch extended their season-long home points streak to nine games (7-0-0-2). Syracuse won seven consecutive games inside the War Memorial Arena between Nov. 2 and Dec. 7. The Crunch hold an AHL-best 0.760 points percentage while playing at home (18-5-0-2); they are 18-2-0-2 at home since Nov. 2.
 
In his first year with the Crunch, defenseman Cameron Gaunce has set a career high in goals (9) and points (40), leading all Syracuse blueliners in both categories. On Wednesday, Gaunce recorded his 13th multi-point performance with two assists, including a helper on Alex Volkov's game-winning goal. Gaunce's 40 points rank third in the AHL among defensemen, behind Rochester's Zach Redmond (41) and Toronto's Calle Rosen (44).
 
Crunch rookie Alex Barré-Boulet continued his impressive campaign, picking up his AHL-leading 13th power-play goal Wednesday. His 45 points (23g, 22a) rank second among first-year skaters, four points behind Belleville's Drake Batherson-who was just recalled by the Ottawa Senators. Barré-Boulet's 23 goals tie him with Carter Verhaeghe for the most in a Crunch uniform this season. They also tie him with Peter Holland (2011-12) and Alex Volkov (2017-18) for the sixth-most by a Crunch rookie in franchise history; he and Volkov have the most by a rookie during the Lightning affiliation (since 2012-13).
 
Cory Conacher's goal against the Rocket pushed him into sole possession of ninth place in Crunch franchise history in scoring with 153 points (54g, 99a). The marker broke his tie with Larry Courville. Next up above Conacher is Derek Walser at 154 points and then Yanni Gourde at 157 points.
 
SCOUTING THE MARLIES 
 
Toronto enters its final weekend in Syracuse this season riding a three-game winning streak. After the Marlies beat the Crunch 5-3 on Monday, they topped the Manitoba Moose 4-3 Wednesday morning. Toronto (28-18-5-3) is currently tied with Utica for third place in the North Division with 64 points, four points ahead of Belleville for the final playoff spot. The Marlies are 1-0 at the War Memorial this season, with a 5-3 win Jan. 5.
 
Offensively, the Marlies are paced by Jeremy Bracco and Chris Mueller, who have both registered more than 50 points this season. Toronto and Syracuse (Carter Verhaeghe and Cory Conacher) are the only teams in the AHL with two 50-point scorers this season. Bracco, 21, has points in three consecutive games; he tallied three assists against the Crunch on Monday-his 16^th multi-point game of the season. The Freeport, New York native has 54 points (15g, 39a), up from his 32 as a rookie last season. Mueller has secured a goal and an assist in four-straight games, but hasn't played since Feb. 10.
 
In goal, Michael Hutchinson made 27 saves in a winning effort against Manitoba. Hutchinson also got the win Monday against the Crunch after relieving teammate Kasimir Kaskisuo. Overall, Hutchinson is 9-5-4 on the season with a 3.10 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. He's split time with Kaskisuo, who has recorded a 3.47 goals-against average with an .879 save percentage in 20 appearances.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
Alex Barré-Boulet's power-play dagger Wednesday snapped the rookie's 10-game man-up goal drought and gave him sole possession of the league lead with 13 power-play goals this season. The Crunch finished the night 1-for-2 on the power play for the second straight game; Cory Conacher capitalized against the Marlies Monday. Syracuse has converted on 21.8% of its man-up chances this year, fifth-best in the AHL.
 
The only team in the North Division whose power play has clicked at a higher clip this season comes to the War Memorial tonight. The Marlies' 23.5% conversion rate ranks second in the league, behind Springfield (25.4%). Two of the AHL's top three scorers on the man advantage play for Toronto: Jeremy Bracco (5g, 21a)—the only skater with more power-play assists than Conacher's 19—is tied for the league lead with 26 points, and Chris Mueller (11g, 14a) is right behind him with 25. Bracco assisted on Michael Carcone's power-play goal that opened the scoring in the Marlies' 4-3 win over the Manitoba Moose Wednesday.
 
Toronto has cashed in on 5-of-13 (38.1%) power-play chances over its last three games, including a 2-for-3 outing against Syracuse Monday. It marked the second straight meeting in which the Marlies scored multiple man-up goals against the Crunch after they buried three in a 5-2 win in Syracuse Jan. 5. Syracuse has converted once in each of the last three showdowns with the reigning Calder Cup champions.
 
The Crunch pace the North Division and rank sixth in the league on the penalty kill at 83.2% this season. The Marlies, meanwhile, sit fifth from the bottom: their 78.5% clip on the penalty kill ranks 27th in the league.