Joe Carroll’s ninth goal of the season came with one second left on the clock and was the difference as the Syracuse Crunch defeated the Utica Comets 5-4 in overtime on Monday. Eleven different Crunch players recorded a point while Matt Tomkins stopped 17 of 20 shots for the win.
All three of the players that were re-assigned by the Lightning on Sunday were in the line-up. Phil Myers scored while Gage Goncalves had an assist.
The Crunch got things going early as Phil Myers scored just 10 seconds into the game. After Justin Dowling scored for the Comets, Devante Stephens reestablished the Syracuse lead. Ryan Schmelzer tied it back up with the rare 3-on-6 goal:
With Tomkins back in net, Mitchell Chaffee scored on the power play to make it 3-2. Topias Vilen tied it in the second and then Jack Finley and Brian Halonen traded goals in the third to send it to overtime before Carroll’s game-winner.
Other Hockey News
Inside Alex Killorn’s emotional return to Tampa [Tampa Bay Times]
Honestly, I’m still not ready to talk about Alex Killorn playing for another team inside Amalie Arena. Still, it was nice to see him be a pain in the side of Florida Panthers last night:
Merzlikins confirms he requested trade [Sportsnet]
The Columbus goaltender made a rare start on Monday (and picked up a win against the Canucks), however the real fun started in his postgame comments when he confirmed that he has asked to be traded after being relegated to a back-up role for the Blue Jackets. Moving his $5.4 million cap hit may be problematic considering it runs through the 2026-27 season.
Marc-Andre Fleury passes Patrick Roy for second place on NHL wins list [Minnesota StarTribune]
Congratulations to The Flower as he posted a 21-save shutout for his 552nd career win. That win moves him out of a tie with Patrick Roy and into second place by himself. The chances of him catching Martin Brodeur’s 691 are kind of slim so he’ll have to be happy with second. He does have a chance to move into the top 10 of all time shutouts if he can pick up three more. That will move him past Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito who have 76.
Valeri Nichushkin enters Player Assistance Program [Mile High Hockey]
Nichushkin is the second Avalanche player to enter the program this year following Sam Girard. No details were given as to why he entered the program.
League announces PWHL 3-on-3 rosters for All-Star Thursday [NHL.com]
The PWHL season may only be a couple of weeks old, but they already have their first all-stars ready to go. They teamed up with the NHL to announce the rosters of the 3-on-3 teams that will be competing on Thursday, February 1st. There are some elite names on those rosters.
