CRUNCH HOST PHANTOMS
 
The Crunch continue their three-game homestand tonight against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Tonight is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season. Syracuse picked up a tightly contested, 2-1 win at the PPL Center last month.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch were shut out by the Rochester Americans, 2-0, Wednesday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
Dustin Tokarski made 29 saves for the Amerks after taking over for Michael Houser after only 34 seconds due to an injury. Tokarski was busiest in the second period, making 13 saves to help hold their 2-0 lead.
 
Rochester scored the game's only two goals in less than two and a half minutes midway through the first period. The Amerks took a 1-0 lead when Linus Weissbach found a puck in the slot and whipped it past Matt Tomkins at 8:12 of the opening frame. A few minutes later Ethan Prow took a point shot which was tipped by Jiri Kulich near the crease at 10:36.  
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
Syracuse holds first place in the North Division with a 36-21-4-2 record, totaling 78 points. The Crunch have a two point lead for the top spot in the division, and their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is eight. The Crunch have alternated wins and losses for 10 straight games (5-4-1-0). They have not lost consecutive games since Feb. 24-25.
 
In the last meeting between the teams, the Crunch skated away with a 2-1 victory thanks to Cole Koepke, who scored his third power-play goal and third game-winning goal of the season. Koepke is now up to five in both categories, good for second and tied for first on the Crunch respectively. Koepke is second on the team with 36 points (17g, 19a) in 49 appearances.
 
Alex Barré-Boulet has recorded points in five of six career games played against the Phantoms dating back to the 2018-19 season. He has eight points (2g, 6a), including three multi-point performances against Lehigh Valley. Barré-Boulet has 10 points (3g, 7a) in 14 AHL games played this year. He started the season in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, skating in 36 games and notching nine points (6g, 3a).
 
SCOUTING THE PHANTOMS
 
Lehigh Valley has little margin for error with just a one point cushion for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms are trying to secure a playoff berth for the second straight season for the first time since 2016-17 and 2017-18. Lehigh Valley is 27-26-5-3 this season with 62 points.
 
The Phantoms pack a one-two punch with Tanner Lazcynski and Adam Brooks. Both forwards have five-game point streaks on the line. Lazcynski has racked up nine points (5g, 4a) in his last five games, since returning from an NHL recall. Brooks has 10 points (5g, 5a) in his last five contests, including a five-point night at Providence (March 18). He became only the second Lehigh Valley player to get five points in a single game, joining Colin McDonald. He has also scored goals in four straight games.
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD  
 
The Crunch defeated the Phantoms, 2-1, in Allentown on Feb. 17 in the first game of their two-game regular season series. 
 
All three goals in the game were scored on the power play. Syracuse went 2-for-4 with goals from Gabriel Dumont and Cole Koepke. Koepke broke a 1-1 tie 1:32 into the third for the eventual game-winning goal. Rhett Gardner scored the Phantoms' power-play goal; they went 1-for-4 in the game.
 
Hugo Alnefelt made 25 saves in the win, outdueling Parker Gahagen, who stopped 24-of-26 in the loss.
 
The Crunch are 15-3-0-1 against the Phantoms since their move to Lehigh Valley in 2014-15. They are 8-0-0-1 at home in that span.
 
CROZIER HALFWAY TO THE CENTURY MARK  
 
Max Crozier skates in his 50th AHL game tonight. The defenseman has had an impressive first pro season, seeing action both in Syracuse and Tampa Bay. He has picked up 11 points (1g, 10a) in 40 games for the Crunch and also has two assists in 13 NHL games for the Lightning.
 
Crozier has recorded 14 points (1g, 13a) in 49 AHL games since joining the Crunch late last season. He signed an entry-level contract with the Lightning after four years with Providence College.
 
The 23-year-old is one of seven Crunch players to make an NHL debut this season with the Lightning. He was a fourth round selection (120th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. 
 
LOOKING FOR BETTER STARTS 
 
The Crunch's lone period with a negative goal differential is the first period (minus-5). They've been outscored 8-2 in the first period over the last seven games. They've only scored first twice in the seven games; they actually lost one of those games (March 16 at Hershey), but they are 28-5-2-1 overall this season in 36 games when scoring first.
 
The Phantoms have only scored first 22 times in 61 games this season (13-5-3-1) and they have the second-worst goal differential in the AHL in the opening frame at minus-23.
 
CRUNCH HELD SCORELESS
 
The Crunch were shut out for the second time this season Wednesday night against the Rochester Americans. It was the second time they've been blanked on home ice this season as well. The previous instance was a 4-0 loss to Taylor Gauthier and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Nov. 10.
 
Syracuse bounced back from that shutout defeat with a six-goal performance in a 6-3 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the next night.
 
It's the first time the Crunch have been shut out more than once in a single season since 2018-19 (four times). They hadn't been held scoreless on home ice twice in the same regular season since 2014-15.