CRUNCH BATTLE BRIDGEPORT 
 
The Crunch begin the second half of their schedule and start a stretch of five games in nine days when they face off against the Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena.
 
The teams will go head-to-head twice in a week; the rematch is in Syracuse next Friday. It's been over a calendar year since the teams last played (Nov. 14, 2023). The Crunch won both matchups last season, including a 5-4 win at Bridgeport.
 
BROADCAST COVERAGE
 
Countdown to Crunch Time at 6:45 p.m.
Streaming: Pay-to-watch video via AHLTV on FloHockey | www.syracusecrunch.com/watch
Radio: ESPN Radio Syracuse | www.espncny.com
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Crunch came up short in a five-round shootout and lost a back-and-forth game against the Providence Bruins, 3-2, Wednesday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
 
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Georgii Merkulov slid home a rebound under the pad of Brandon Halverson at 9:18. The Crunch controlled play for a large stretch of the second period and tied the game when Logan Brown fired home a turnaround shot from the top of the right circle. It marked his fourth goal of the season.
 
Syracuse took the lead midway through the third period when Jujhar Khaira (2) slammed home a rebound at 10:29. The Bruins equalized at 16:36 on a Tyler Pitlick strike.
 
The Crunch scored on their first shootout attempt but were stoned on their final four chances. Pitlick extended the game by scoring in the third round and Riley Tufte got the winner in the fifth round. The Crunch lost their seventh straight overtime contest on home ice.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUNCH
 
The Crunch finished their three-game homestand with a 1-1-0-1 record after taking a shootout defeat on Wednesday. They have just one win in the last five games (1-2-1-1) after winning the previous four games. Syracuse hits the halfway point the schedule with a 16-11-5-4 record. The Crunch are in fifth place in the North Division with 41 points. 
 
Veteran Jujhar Khaira has fit right into the Crunch lineup after making his season debut last weekend. Khaira missed the first 35 games of the season due to injury. He has a point in his first three games of the season. The center potted his second goal of the campaign to give the Crunch a 2-1 lead in the third period Wednesday against Providence. 
 
HALFWAY THERE
 
The Crunch begin the second half of their regular season schedule tonight in Bridgeport. They are 16-11-5-4 at the midway point of the season for a 0.569 points percentage. They have 41 points at the halfway mark this season after earning 44 points through the first 36 games last year (0.611).
 
Their first-half success has been fueled by their defense. The Crunch rank second in the AHL with 2.47 goals allowed per game, which is not far off their franchise record for a single season (2.41, 2001-02). 
 
Goals have been harder to come by this season. The team is tied for 28th in the AHL with an average of 2.69 goals per game.
 
The Crunch have also played an even number of home games (7-4-3-4) and road games (9-7-2-0). They have a plus-8 goal differential on the road and they are even at home.
 
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
 
Defenseman Derrick Pouliot missed Wednesday's shootout loss to the Bruins due to illness, leaving the Crunch with only two players who have appeared in all 36 games so far this season. 
 
Jesse Ylonen and Joel Teasdale are the only players who have been in the lineup each game since opening night. Ylonen has 20 points (8g, 12a) in 36 games while Teasdale has notched 14 (5g, 9a) in that span.
 
The Crunch have been ravaged by injuries all season to the tune of 230 man games missed since opening night.
 
SCOUTING THE ISLANDERS
 
After failing to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs last year, the Islanders have struggled through the first half of this season. Bridgeport is last in the AHL with 20 points and has a league-low eight wins (8-23-2-2) this season. Three of those wins have come in the last eight games (3-5-0-0) following a nine-game losing streak.
 
The Islanders have the worst home record in the AHL. Their 5-0 win against Lehigh Valley on Sunday was only their second home win of the season (2-14-0-2).
 
Despite their lack of wins, the Islanders do have some dangerous offensive weapons, led by veteran Chris Terry. He has 29 points (7g, 22a) in 34 games this season. The 35-year-old ranks 18th all-time in AHL history with 770 points and his 318 goals rank 15th all-time.
 
The Islanders have allowed a league-high 3.91 goals per game this season.
 
CLOCKING OVERTIME
 
After going a season-high seven straight games without playing an overtime game (Dec. 14-Jan. 3), the Crunch have gone past regulation twice in the last five games. Syracuse has played 12 overtime games this season, which ranks second to Lehigh Valley (14); the Crunch and Phantoms went to overtime in their one matchup on Jan. 4.
 
The Crunch are 3-9 overall in games requiring overtime for a 0.250 win percentage. They won their first two overtime games this season, but they are 1-9 in the last 10 instances. Syracuse is 2-7 at home and 1-2 on the road in overtime games. 
 
Their nine overtime losses have already matched their total from last season. They were 9-9 in 18 overtime games in 2023-24.
 
Bridgeport has played only four overtimes games this season and they are 0-4. Their last overtime contest was Dec. 6 at Springfield (OTL, 5-4).