CRUNCH LOOK FOR REVENGE AGAINST ROCKET
 
The Syracuse Crunch (17-15-2-1) return to Upstate Medical University Arena tonight for a North Division matchup with the Laval Rocket (19-14-3-1).
 
Last Saturday, the Crunch lost, 3-2, to the Rocket in the third meeting between the teams this season; Laval has a 2-1 edge on Syracuse with three games remaining. The Rocket currently sit in fifth place in the North Division (42 points) with the Crunch (37 points) in sixth.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
Despite outshooting the Rocket 35-15, the Crunch dropped a 3-2 decision in Laval Saturday night at Place Bell.
 
Rocket defenseman Xavier Ouellet opened the scoring with a power-play marker in the first period, capitalizing on the Rocket's lone power-play chance of the game.
 
Laval tripled its lead with two even-strength tallies in the first six minutes of the third period, but the Crunch tried to rally later in the final frame. All-Star Alex Barré-Boulet buried a clapper from the left circle for his team-leading sixth power-play goal-and team-leading 14th goal-of the season. Five minutes later, Boris Katchouk finished a net-front feed from Mathieu Joseph to bring the Crunch within one at 3-2, but they couldn't find the tying goal.
 
Zach Fucale became the fifth Crunch goaltender to appear in a game this season and he stopped 12 of 15 shots in his first AHL appearance since March 30, 2019.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH 
 
The Crunch kick off their second three-in-three weekend of the season with a rematch against the Rocket. Tonight's matchup also marks the Crunch's eighth straight North Division duel; Syracuse wraps up the 10-game stretch against divisional rivals with games against Rochester and Binghamton this weekend. With 37 points, the Crunch enter tonight's contest five points behind the Rocket, but they have two games in hand.
 
Alex Barré-Boulet scored his second goal in as many nights  Saturday in Laval. The 2020 AHL All-Star paces the Crunch with 14 goals and 31 points through 33 games. Barré-Boulet has also piled up seven points over his past five games (4g, 3a).
 
Cal Foote is currently riding a four-game point streak, the longest stretch of his pro career. The defenseman has logged seven points in the span (1g, 6a), including three multi-point outings. With 20 points this season (3g, 17a), Foote ranks second among Crunch defensemen behind Cameron Gaunce (23 points). The Colorado native has picked up at least one point in 10 of the Crunch's last 13 games since Dec. 6; his 13 points (2g, 11a) in that span puts him in a tie for the second-most among AHL blueliners.
 
Mathieu Joseph has also logged a point in each of the past four games, picking up two goals and two assists in five games with the Crunch. Joseph also has seven points in 34 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season (4g, 3a). 
 
SCOUTING THE ROCKET 
 
Laval enters tonight's matchup on a four-game win streak, highlighted by a 3-2 victory over Syracuse last time out. The stretch follows a five-game winless streak (0-4-0-1), and in the last four outings, the Rocket have outscored opponents 17-6. The run pulls the Rocket to within one point of Toronto and Belleville for the final playoff spot in the division.
 
Jake Evans leads Laval with 25 points (8g, 17a); the 23-year-old has nine points in his last seven games, including back-to-back three-point outings Dec. 28 and Dec. 31. Charles Hudon paces the Rocket with 16 goals and has scored in eight of his last 11 games. Hudon, a Quebec native, is on pace to surpass his AHL career-high in goals, a mark of 28 set during the 2015-16 season with the St. John's IceCaps. Riley Barber has three points in three meetings against Syracuse this season. As a member of the Hershey Bears last year, Barber tallied four points (1g, 3a) in two meetings with the Crunch. Lukas Vejdemo returns to the Rocket after a four-game stint in the NHL. He did not record a point with Montreal and joins Laval for the first time in nearly a month, where he has 16 points (8g, 8a) in 30 AHL games this season.
 
Goalie Cayden Primeau has split time with Charlie Lindgren so far this year; the pair has a nearly identical goals-against average (2.57 and 2.67 respectively). Primeau has played in one more game and most recently collected a shutout win over Lehigh Valley last Friday. Lindgren is currently with Montreal and Keith Kinkaid has shared the Laval crease with Primeau. He turned aside 33 shots in Saturday's win over the Crunch.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS 
 
The Crunch have scored on the power play in each of their past four games (6-for-18), increasing their man-advantage efficiency to 21.2% (33-for-156), which ranks seventh in the AHL. Laval is not too far behind at 20.7% (34-for-164) on the man-up, and the Rocket have scored a power-play goal in 12 of the last 14 games. Charles Hudon paces the Rocket with 10 power-play goals, followed by Xavier Ouellet with five.
 
Syracuse allowed Laval to score on its lone power-play opportunity last Saturday on a goal from Ouellet, but the Crunch's penalty kill still slots in as the second-best unit in the North Division and 10th overall at 83.6%. The Rocket have struggled while down a man this season, sitting at 80.6%, 22nd in the AHL. Opposing teams have scored power-play goals against Laval in five of the past six games (7-for-28). Syracuse is three goals off the league-lead with eight shorthanded markers, while the Rocket have collected seven shorthanded tallies.
 
KEEPING BUSY
 
While Syracuse begins a three-in-three this weekend, tonight's game also marks the first of a 10-game stretch over the next 16 days before the 2020 All-Star Classic. The span includes eight games against North Division rivals, including three matchups against Binghamton, two tilts against Rochester and another matchup with Laval. The Crunch will also face the Comets for the first time since November in a Monday matinee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
 
The Crunch have five total three-in-three stretches in 2019-20. They posted a 2-1-0-0 record in their first instance Nov. 1-3. The other three come Feb. 21-23, March 20-22 and March 27-29. Laval is also starting a three-in-three tonight.
 
LIGHTNING FLASH 
 
The Tampa Bay Lighting (26-13-4) have won nine consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NHL.
 
This week, the Lightning swept a brief two-game homestand with wins over the Vancouver Canucks and the Arizona Coyotes. In the 9-2 drubbing of the Canucks Tuesday, former Crunch forward Carter Verhaeghe secured his first NHL hat trick. Verhaeghe led the AHL last season with 82 points (34g, 48a) and posted a plus-26 rating. He recorded a hat trick with the Crunch in a 4-3 overtime win over Rochester Jan. 26, 2019.
 
Tampa Bay concludes the week with a pair of games this weekend in Philadelphia and New Jersey.