The down and dirty
The Syracuse Crunch hasn’t done anything the easy way this season, so, really, the way their series with the Toronto Marlies has gone makes complete sense. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s AHL club is completely out of wiggle room and is left with two options for tonight’s game:
Win, and live to fight another day.
Lose, and get the golf clubs ready.
Lynch on facing elimination: “We have our backs up against the wall and it’s going to show what kind of character we have in this locker room.” #TORvsSYR #CalderCup | #GoGetIt👊 pic.twitter.com/gagwQi8FK7
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 7, 2018
What you may have missed
- Justin’s coverage here has been impeccable. His series preview and game one recap were incredibly thorough and contained everything you would need to get caught up in what’s going on. His game three recap was absolutely in the same vein, although many will probably find it painful to read.
- Our staff writer, Hardev, does double duty with Pension Plan Puppets, the Toronto Maple Leafs blog. He did a great job keeping Crunch fans up to date with the things happening in Toronto. His game two recap isn’t to be missed.
- Speaking of PPP, be sure to check out their own series preview for a look at things from the other side of the ice./
Game 3 photo album? Game 3 photo album!
How to follow the Crunch tonight
- The pre-game radio broadcast with Lukas Favale will start at 6:45 EST on ESPN Syracuse. You can listen to the game in its entirety for free.
- AHL Live has special playoff pricing deals for every game of the AHL playoffs, as well as team-specific packages. There’s also a pay-per-view option.
- Be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram for updates if you’re away from other options.
- Look for pre-and-post-game interviews, like the one below, on the Crunch’s YouTube./
Groulx on the Game 3 loss: “It’s one of our worst games of the year, but again, you got to give credit to Toronto. They won a big game [Saturday], they carried that momentum over.” #TORvsSYR #CalderCup | #GoGetIt👊 pic.twitter.com/A2XtqH6SqW
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 7, 2018
Other game information
When this series started, two factors were tabbed as key to the Crunch’s success: a lack of need by the Lightning to recall players, and a roster that was healthy and firing on all cylinders. Fortunately, the Lightning has not needed anyone from the Crunch in weeks, allowing some of the roster pains Syracuse had during the regular season to settle. Unfortunately, the Crunch is clearly struggling on the health front. The number of players on the roster that are actually hurt could be playing a large part in the problems Syracuse has had executing their game plan.
Who is actually fully healthy on the Crunch’s roster is currently a complete mystery. Although guys are usually hiding all sorts of aliments this time of year, many fans are stating to suspect that more than just Gabriel Dumont and Olivier Archambault, two of the Crunch’s most obvious walking wounded, are hurting.
Matthew Peca seemed to struggle taking strides a few times last night. He missed game one of this series with an unknown injury, and is clearly still fighting through something. Archambault was probably dealing with his shoulder long before he went down last night with an apparent injury to his right side. Reid McNeil seemed to be in some visible pain Sunday night at different times, as well. Other players, like Mitchell Stephens, have been uncharacteristically quiet lately on the score sheet, leaving fans to wonder if he’s fighting through some kind of injury, too.
Condra: “Maybe that 7-1 loss is a wake up call for us and I hope it is.” #TORvsSYR #CalderCup | #GoGetIt👊 pic.twitter.com/wYHVkj883P
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 7, 2018
Regardless of whether Sunday night was a wake up call or not, the Crunch’s road doesn’t get easier from here. Down 0-3 in the series, Syracuse will now need to win the remaining four games of this series – two at home and two in Toronto – in order to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The road will be long, and it will be made longer if as many players on the roster are hurt as it seems.
However, it needs to be said that it is still extremely impressive that the Crunch clawed its way from the bottom of the AHL in November to one of the final eight teams in the league left standing in May. The Crunch was the youngest team in the AHL for the entirety of the season, with an average age that wasn’t even old enough to drink in the country it was based in. These guys were – and still are – passionate, talented, and dedicated to giving Crunch fans their all.
Their efforts did not go unnoticed. Whatever happens tonight, there absolutely should still be a sense of pride in that dressing room.
