CRUNCH MATCH UP WITH WOLF PACK
 
The Crunch continue their five-game road trip with their only visit to Hartford to take on the Wolf Pack at XL Center.
 
It's the first of two matches between the clubs this season, with a return engagement in Syracuse scheduled for March 15.  The teams split their two-game series last season.    
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch tied the game in the third period and defeated the Rochester Americans, 2-1, in a shootout at Blue Cross Arena Wednesday night.
 
The Amerks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period, breaking the ice at the conclusion of an unsuccessful Crunch power play. Kevin Porter carried the puck up ice and dropped it off to Taylor Leier at the right circle. His shot tipped off Cal Foote and got past Connor Ingram at 13:14 of the first for a 1-0 Rochester lead.
 
That goal held up as the only marker until the third period, when Cory Conacher tied the game at 11:47. Defenseman Jan Rutta carried the puck down the right boards and took a shot from the near the right faceoff dot. Scott Wedgewood made the save, but Conacher was there to stash it in for a 1-1 tie. 
 
After neither team scored during the remainder of regulation or overtime, which included a Rochester power play, Conacher and Alex Volkov both scored in the shootout and the Amerks went 0-for-2 as the Crunch won the shootout and the game.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH  
 
The Crunch (28-13-2-1) are on a seven-game winning streak for the second time this season; they went 7-0-0-0 Nov. 11-24 and also had a five-game winning streak Dec. 21-29. They are one of two teams (Charlotte) with three winning streaks of at least five games this season. With 59 points, the Crunch are two points behind Rochester for the North Division lead, but the Crunch have two games in hand on the Amerks.
 
Syracuse snapped a season-long four game road losing streak Wednesday night, improving to 11-8-2-0 on the road this season. The Crunch are in the midst of a five-game road trip, which is tied for the longest of the season.
 
Wednesday's win was the Crunch's third win when trailing after two periods (3-11-1-0) and their second on the road (2-5-0-0). Six teams have more wins when trailing after two periods, but all of them have had more opportunities to do so than the Crunch.
 
During their current seven-game winning streak, the Crunch have outscored their opponents 29-13. Carter Verhaeghe paces the Crunch during the winning streak with 11 points (6g, 5a), bumping his season total to 54 points (22g, 32a). Cory Conacher is next with seven points (1g, 6a), followed closely by a pair of defensemen—Jan Rutta and Cameron Gaunce—and Alex Volkov at six points.
 
COMEBACK CRUNCH  
 
The Crunch's win Wednesday in Rochester was their 11th comeback win of the season, and their second in the last two games. Saturday's win over Cleveland was their fifth win when trailing by at least two goals; their other four were Nov. 14 vs. Binghamton, Nov. 17 vs. Laval, Dec. 22 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Dec. 26 at Binghamton.
 
In addition to those 11 comeback wins, Syracuse has also collected three additional points by getting to overtime when trailing at any point. 
 
CONACHER'S PLACE IN CRUNCH HISTORY
 
Cory Conacher's game-tying goal Wednesday in Rochester moved the 29-year-old forward into a tie for 10th place in franchise with 149 career Crunch points in 150 games. He is tied with Brian Loney (in 191 games) and Mathieu Darche (205 games). Next on the list is Larry Courville at 152 points.
 
Now in his fourth season in Syracuse, Conacher is the second-leading Crunch scorer during the Lightning affiliation; Yanni Gourde's 157 points (67g, 90a) in 215 games are the most. Conacher also ranks 10th in Crunch history with 97 assists.
The Burlington, Ontario native has played more games (150) for the Crunch than any other team over the course of his 520-game pro career.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK  
 
Winless in their last eight games (0-6-1-1), the Wolf Pack have sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Division with 44 points (19-23-3-3) in 48 games. The eight-game winless streak is tied for the longest in the league this season with the San Antonio Rampage. They have been defeated by three or more goals in six of the eight games; the only two one-goal games were both decided past regulation. Hartford's last win was Jan. 18 vs. Lehigh Valley, a 6-5 overtime win.
 
Despite their record, the Wolf Pack are still a dangerous home team, going 12-9-2-1 at XL Center compared to a 7-14-1-2 mark on the road. They have a -5 goal differential at home versus a -23 on the road.
 
Peter Holland leads the team offensively with 45 points (17g, 28a) in 46 games. It's his most prolific AHL season since his 60-point rookie campaign (23g, 37a) for the Crunch in 2011-12; this is the first time in his pro career that he hasn't seen any NHL action. Defenseman John Gilmour is second on the Wolf Pack with 36 points (15g, 21a), tied with the Crunch's Cameron Gaunce and Toronto's Calle Rosen for second among AHL defensemen in scoring.
 
Dustin Tokarski and Marek Mazanec share the net for the Wolf Pack. In 20 games, Tokarski is 10-6-2 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Mazanec has appeared in 19 games and is 7-7-4 with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The Crunch went 0-for-5 on the power play Wednesday night and they are now 5-for-28 (17.9%) during their seven-game win streak. The Crunch's 22.8% conversion rate ranks third in the AHL (46-for-202), but they are just 16-for-108 (14.8%) since the start of December.
 
Hartford's power play has connected just once in the last eight games, going 1-for-31 (3.2%) during their eight-game winless streak. Despite the slump, the Wolf Pack rank 17th in the AHL at 17.9% (35-for-195).
 
Syracuse did not face a power play in regulation against Rochester, but did kill off a penalty late in overtime Wednesday night. The Crunch are 11-for-11 on the penalty kill over the last three games; it's the second time this season they've gone at least three straight games without a power-play goal against. The Crunch are seventh in the league on the penalty kill at 83.1% (177-for-213). They continue to possess the second-ranked road penalty kill at 89.9% (80-for-89).
 
The Wolf Pack penalty kill is a perfect 15-for-15 in the last four games, rising to 20th in the league at 80.7%. They have scored six shorthanded goals, tied for the seventh-most in the AHL.