CRUNCH OPEN TWO-GAME SET WITH CHECKERS
 
The Crunch return home to open a back-to-back series against the Charlotte Checkers tonight at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Tonight is the third game of the teams' four-game regular season series, which concludes tomorrow. They split a two-game set in Charlotte Nov. 4-5.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch bested the Utica Comets in a seven-round shootout to win, 4-3, Wednesday at the Adirondack Bank Center.
 
After the Comets took a 1-0 lead into the third period, the teams combined for five goals in the third to send the game into overtime. The Crunch scored three times in a four-minute span to take a 3-1 lead by the 6:20 mark of the third. Darren Raddysh tied the game with his 12th tally of the season. Alex Barré-Boulet made it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 5:11 and Trevor Carrick capped the run with a left circle shot at 6:20. 
 
The Comets rallied back with a pair of goals in the final four minutes to force overtime. Once in the shootout, the Crunch received goals from Jaydon Dureau and Lucas Edmonds, while Hugo Alnefelt stopped six Utica attempts to earn the win. 
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Crunch are 8-1-1-0 in the last 10 games to improve to 21-14-3-3 this season. The Crunch are in third place in the North Division with 48 points; they are three points behind Utica and five points ahead of Rochester. 
 
The Crunch, however, have lost their last two home games. They have had two previous three-game losing skids on home ice this season. Their 1-0 loss last Friday was the first time they were shut out on home ice since Jan. 21, 2017, a span of six years that saw the Crunch score at least one goal in 216 consecutive home games.  
 
Five different skaters have logged at least a point in all three games during their current winning streak. Phil Myers (2g, 3a) and Alex Barré-Boulet (3g, 2a) lead the way with five points apiece. Barré-Boulet needs one more point to reach 50 for the fourth time in his AHL career. He is tied for third in the AHL with 49 points (13g, 36a) and he has 98 career AHL goals.
 
CARRICK STAYS STEADY
 
Former Checker Trevor Carrick continues to be a rock for the Crunch since returning from a month absence due to injury. Carrick extended his scoring streak to three games with a goal Wednesday against the Comets. He has three points (1g, 2a) in the last three games and seven points (2g, 5a) in 10 games since returning to the lineup Jan. 13. The Crunch are 8-1-1-0 in 10 games since he returned.
 
Carrick spent five seasons with the Checkers, culminating in a Calder Cup championship in 2019. In his first season with the Crunch, the 28-year-old has 23 points (6g, 17a) in 29 games.
 
SCOUTING THE CHECKERS
 
The Checkers also enter with a three-game winning streak as they arrive in Syracuse. They swept a three-game week last week with a win at Utica and two wins in Rochester. They have scored at least four goals in four of the last five games, including a 9-0 drubbing of Cleveland two weeks ago. 
 
Charlotte is third in the Atlantic Division with 50 points and a 23-15-2-2 record. The Checkers are on an 11-4-0-1 run in the last 16 games, which started on the heels of a five-game losing streak in mid-December.
 
In his return to Charlotte, Riley Nash has been the Checkers top scorer all season. He paces the team with 36 points (16g, 20a), which is 12 more than the next closest Checker (Aleksi Heponiemi, 24). In addition to his 5-on-5 prowess, Nash is a key special teams contributor. He has 12 power-play points (4g, 8a) and four shorthanded points (2g, 2a).
 
Mack Guzda leads Charlotte goaltenders with 10 wins (10-4-2), and he has a 2.55 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
 
ONE DAY AT A TIME
 
Crunch defenseman Sean Day is in line to play his 200th career AHL game tonight. The fifth-year-pro has 81 points (15g, 66a) in 199 career AHL games. 
 
Day joined the Crunch ahead of the 2020-21 season. He has 63 points (11g, 52a) in 137 games for the Crunch. He has eight points-all assists-while playing to a plus-5 rating in 39 games.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD
 
The Crunch and Checkers go toe to toe for a pair of games for the second time this season. The clubs split two games in Charlotte in early November. The Checkers broke a 2-2 tie in the final 10 minutes of regulation for a 3-2 win in the opener. Hugo Alnefelt made 28 saves for his first AHL shutout in a 4-0 Crunch win the next night.
 
The Crunch had three players score two goals for their six strikes in Charlotte. Declan Carlile netted a two-goal game in their win, while Darren Raddysh and Simon Ryfors scored a goal in both games. Zac Dalpe (2) and Logan Hutsko scored the goals in Charlotte's victory.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The Crunch have scored power-play goals in consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 6-7. Syracuse is tied with Rochester for 19th in the AHL with the power play operating at 18.8%. The Crunch's 133 total power-play chances is the third fewest in the AHL ahead of Utica (132) and Manitoba (130).
 
Charlotte's power play is just a hair ahead of the Crunch at 19.0%. The Checkers are 3-for-7 during their three-game winning streak.
 
The Crunch's penalty kill has improved to 80.5%, which ranks 16th in the league. At home, however, they are 85.2%, which is sixth-best on home ice.
 
The Checkers have allowed only 25 power-play goals, which is the fourth fewest in the AHL. They rank fourth overall with an 85.0% penalty kill this season. 
 
Charlotte was 2-for-7 and Syracuse was 0-for-6 over the two games at Bojangels Coliseum.