It was a successful weekend for the Syracuse Crunch as they swept the Toronto Marlies on Friday and Saturday. With two more wins, they moved within three points of the Cleveland Monsters with a game in hand. They also managed to add a little distance between them and the third-place Belleville Senators.
On Friday, it was Gabriel Dumont who scored the first goal and the third goal in a 3-2 victory. Daniel Walcott also scored while Hugo Alnefelt stopped 28 of 30 shots. Alex Barré-Boulet added another assist and the team went 1-for-3 on the power play.
After the win in Syracuse, the two teams headed north (or west, I’m not great with geography) for a rematch. Again, it was the Crunch emerging victorious as they scored two early in the first period and two more in the third for the 4-2 victory. Gage Goncalves scored less than a minute into the game (with an assist from ABB). Gabriel Fortier doubled the lead with a power play goal midway through the period.
Dumont scored again and now has 14 on the season. After Joseph Blandisi cut it to a one-goal lead with five minutes to go, Cole Koepke ended their comeback hopes with an empty-net goal. Waltteri Merelä had two assists on the night. In net, Matt Tomkins stopped 22 of 24.
Since returning to the Crunch, Barré-Boulet has pointed in every game, collecting 1 goal and 4 assists.
Other Hockey News
What to expect at the NHL Trade Deadline [Tampa Bay Times]
We’re into the final week of the trade deadline madness. Outside of some signings of junior players, the Lightning have been quiet. Will that change this week?
Flames’ Hanifin appears to have Lightning as top choice [Sportsnet]
Hanifin doesn’t have a lot say as to where he can get traded (he has an 8-team no-trade list) but can he steer the Flames into trading him to the Lightning even if they don’t have the best deal on the table?
Kuznetsov clears waivers, assigned to Hershey [RMNB]
Evgeny Kuznetsov was cleared to return to practice by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and then promptly placed on waivers on Saturday. On Sunday, he cleared (it was doubtful that anyone would pick up his $7.8 million AAV) and was assigned to Hershey. While he may not report, if he does head coach Todd Nelson is ready to welcome him to the Bears.
Rangers extend Jonathan Quick for one more season [Blue Shirt Banter]
After it seemed like he was washed at the end of the season, Quick has bounced back to serve as a quality back-up to Igor Shesterkin. He’ll be sticking with the Rangers for another year at $1.275 million. He’s just 12 wins away from 400 for his career. With another solid season he could get there.
