CRUNCH OPEN THREE-IN-THREE WEEKEND
 
The Crunch host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first game of their first three-in-three weekend of the season.
 
It is the second and final head-to-head match between the Crunch and Phantoms; Syracuse defeated Lehigh Valley, 3-2, in a shootout Dec. 21 at PPL Center.  
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
In a rescheduled contest from January, the Crunch blanked the Binghamton Devils, 4-0, on the road at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. It was the ninth meeting between the two North Division foes and Syracuse improved to 8-1-0-0 in the regular season series.
 
The Crunch struck first at 13:25 of the first period, when Carter Verhaeghe cut between the circles and scored over Binghamton goaltender Cam Johnson. It was Verhaeghe's 60^th point (24g, 36a) of the season. Only 47 seconds after the opening goal, Syracuse doubled the advantage with Mitchell Stephens potting the rebound off a Nolan Valleau point shot.
 
In the middle frame, the Crunch put together another two-goal period. Only three minutes into the second, Andy Andreoff scored after he forced a turnover in the offensive zone, giving him 19 goals on the season. Later in the period, Boris Katchouk cashed in from a similar position after a takeaway at the right circle, to put the Crunch up 4-0. The goal snapped a 13-game goal and point drought for Katchouk.
 
Eddie Pasquale got the start and made five stops before Connor Ingram relieved him (illness) and made 17 saves.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
The Crunch capped off February with a 4-0 win Tuesday at Binghamton that pushed Syracuse's points percentage to 0.657 (33-16-3-2), tops in the North Division and fourth-best in the AHL. The Crunch do trail the Rochester Americans by two points in the division; the Amerks are idle tonight.
 
Two Crunch goalies combined to blank the Devils: Eddie Pasquale started and saved Binghamton's first five shots before being relieved by Connor Ingram, who made 17 stops to complete Syracuse's league-leading ninth shutout win of the season. The performance marked the second shared shutout the league has seen this season (two Charlotte goalies shut out Hartford Dec. 13).
 
Nine shutouts is tied for the third-most in a single season in franchise history (2014-15). The Crunch have recorded 10 or more shutouts in a season twice in 25 seasons; they had 10 in 2012-13 and a franchise-record 13 in 2001-02, including one from current goaltending and video coach Karl Goehring.
 
With a goal against Binghamton on Tuesday, Carter Verhaeghe reached 60 points for the first time in his AHL career (24g, 36a); his previous best was 48 points in 58 games last season (17g, 31a). The 23-year-old forward's 60 points rank second in the AHL behind Chicago's Daniel Carr (70). He is the sixth Crunch player to reach 60 points in a season during the team's affiliation with the Lightning; Jonathan Marchessault (2014-15) has the most points in a single season during the Lightning era with 67.
 
MANIC MARCH
 
Tonight kicks off the Crunch's busiest schedule of the season. Syracuse has 16 games-eight home games and eight road games-jammed into the 31 days of March.
 
It ties for the most games in a single month in franchise history; the Crunch also had 16 games in December 2007 and March 2002, but this is the first time it has been done since the AHL switched to its current 76-game schedule.  
 
"If someone is watching you in the crowd, and you're tired," Syracuse defenseman Cameron Gaunce said, "they're not writing down, 'Oh, Gaunce didn't make that play. Well, you know, he's had 15 games [in a month].' So the best thing you need to remember is you're not special. No one cares—get over it.''
 
Last season, the Crunch played 13 games in March, but 10 of them were at the War Memorial Arena. This March, the Crunch have road games in Rochester, Utica, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Laval, Charlotte (2), Bridgeport and Belleville.
 
SCOUTING THE PHANTOMS 
 
The Phantoms (27-22-3-3) have dropped four in a row, including a pair of losses to the AHL-leading Charlotte Checkers. In their last 10 games, Lehigh Valley is 3-6-0-1. The team currently ranks fifth in the AHL's Atlantic Division with 60 points, and has not won a road game since Feb. 1, a 7-5 victory in Bridgeport—since that win, the Phantoms are 0-4-0-1 away from the PPL Center.
 
Greg Carey leads the way offensively for Lehigh Valley with 49 points (23g, 26a), a mark that is tied for 11^th in the AHL. The Hamilton, Ontario native is in his third season with the Flyers' organization, and was tabbed an AHL All-Star for the first time in his career. In the lone meeting between the Crunch and Phantoms this year—a 3-2 Syracuse shootout win on Dec. 21—Carey led all players with two points (1g, 1a) and was named the third star of the game.
 
Lehigh Valley goalie Alex Lyon is tied with Crunch goalie Eddie Pasquale for ninth in the league with a 2.50 goals-against average, a career-best in his third AHL season. The Phantoms have used seven different goaltenders this season, with Lyon seeing action in 24 games. In his latest stop, former Crunch goalie Mike McKenna has seen four games between the pipes for the Phantoms this season; he has also appeared in games for Philadelphia, Ottawa and Belleville. McKenna was the goaltender for the Crunch during their run to the 2017 Calder Cup Finals, posting a 13-9 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The Crunch failed to capitalize on three power-play opportunities against the Devils, marking the third straight game the team was held scoreless on the man advantage (0-for-9). With a 4-for-38 power-play performance in February (10.5%), Syracuse's man advantage dropped to sixth in the AHL and is now operating at a 21.0% success rate (48-for-229).
 
Lehigh Valley's power play also went 0-for-3 in its last matchup against Charlotte, rounding out an 0-for-5 weekend against the Checkers. The Phantoms sit 11th in the AHL with a 19.7% success rate (42-for-213). In its first meeting against Syracuse this season on Dec. 21, Lehigh Valley was held scoreless on two power-play opportunities.
 
Syracuse was perfect on the penalty kill against Binghamton, stopping each of the Devils' five power-play chances. Despite taking 19 penalties over the past three games, the Crunch have allowed just one power-play goal (18-for-19). Syracuse holds the top spot in the North Division and is tied for fourth in the AHL with an 84.0% success rate.
 
The Phantoms went a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Lehigh Valley brings the AHL's top penalty kill to the War Memorial tonight, operating at 86.3%. The Phantoms and Crunch have been jockeying for the best road penalty kill all season; Lehigh Valley currently ranks second (90.1%) behind Syracuse (90.2%).