Syracuse Crunch vs. Providence Bruins preview: AHL Eastern Conference final Game 5

The bottom line: Syracuse Crunch vs. Providence Bruins, game 5

When the Crunch play a full 60 minutes, they are a very dangerous team. Their total domination of the P-Bruins last night pretty much confirmed that. Syracuse’s 7-2 win allowed them to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the AHL’s Eastern Conference Final. The Crunch have the chance to close out the series tonight.

To do that, they’ll need another repeat performance of the effort they showed Friday.

Bournival: "We need to focus for the full 60 minutes and that is how we're going to win games.”

🔊: https://t.co/qgIVxVpML1 pic.twitter.com/llkTe7MGb2

— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 27, 2017

Providence has proven in previous rounds that they can win under extreme pressure. The P-Bruins have already made AHL history with their 4th straight elimination game win in a single Calder Cup playoff year. The Bruins can absolutely react when the chips are down, so it will be up to Syracuse to play their game and stick to their system for a full 60 minutes if they want to win.

Gourde on the team: "It's fun to see everybody contributing offensively. Everyone is chipping in.”

🔊: https://t.co/EiGDqLwWai pic.twitter.com/MlJGgsvIqv

— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 27, 2017

The Crunch is now 8-0 at home over three playoff rounds. Their final home game of this round is tonight. Hopefully Crunch fans will continue to show up and support their team as they push for their second Conference championship in team history.

Conacher on the fans: “It was easy to play in front of them. They get involved right out of the get go.”

🔊: https://t.co/zQuke6sEur pic.twitter.com/Kx3JkeXSRl

— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 27, 2017

Pre-game reading, listening, and viewing:

• My playoff previews for round three so far: game 1, game 2, game 3, game 4
• Game recaps of round three so far from Brandon Curtis: game 1, game 2, game 4
• Game recap of round three so far from Geo: game 3
• Round preview from Stanley Cup of Chowder.
• The Crunch’s SoundCloud is a great place to go for player interviews and tidbits.
• ESPN Syracuse has an Audio Vault that has a lot of quality Crunch stuff from the past few days, including interviews with Matthew Peca and Matt Taormina.
• Be sure to check out Syracuse’s YouTube channel if you’re looking for highlights, interviews, and recaps.
• You can find coverage from the team’s beat writer and others, including our friend Brent Axe, over at Syracuse.com.
• Is history on Syracuse’s side for winning a championship this year? It just might be.
• When the barn is packed, the place vibrates. It’s pretty incredible: /

Wow you guys!

Without a doubt, best fans in the league! #FillTheBarn #FIN15H pic.twitter.com/dU0hwrTg7r

— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) May 27, 2017

Game night essentials:

• The pre-game radio broadcast with Dan D’Uva will start at 6:45 EST on ESPN Syracuse. You can stream the game in its entirety for free.
• The game is also being aired on Sirius XM:/

Reminder: Game 5 of the ECF between the @AHLBruins and @SyracuseCrunch will be aired on @SiriusXMNHL tonight. Puck drops at 7pm ET pic.twitter.com/Ox56Oo8Cvp

— AHL (@TheAHL) May 27, 2017

• Puck drop is at 7:00 ET.
• 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 for updates if you’re away from other options./

Potential lines and pairings for Syracuse:

Starting netminder:

Mike McKenna

Potential lines:

Michael Bournival - Yanni Gourde - Cory Conacher

Adam Erne - Gabriel Dumont - Joel Vermin

Tye McGinn - Matthew Peca - Erik Condra

Kevin Lynch - Byron Froese - Mitchell Stephens

Potential defensive pairings:

Matt Taormina - Dominik Masin

Slater Koekkoek - Ben Thomas

Jake Dotchin (?) - Mathieu Brodeur

Injury updates/news:

-Daniel Walcott was hurt during Sunday’s game 2. He has not played since. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

-Jake Dotchin was hurt during last night’s game 4. He left the game and did not return:

Groulx didn't have an update on Dotchin, but thought hit was to head. Wanted to see it again himself before asking for league review.

— Jeremy Houghtaling (@JGHoughtaling) May 27, 2017

Potential lines and pairings for Providence:

Potential lines:

Danton Heinen - Jordan Szwarz - Wayne Simpson

Jake DeBrusk - Austin Czarnik - Chris Porter

Colton Hargrove - Colby Cave - Zach Senyshyn

Anton Blidh - Ryan Fitzgerald - Tyler Randell

Potential pairings:

Alex Grant - Tommy Cross

Chris Casto - Matt Grzelcyk

Chris Breen - Linus Arnesson

Starting goalie:

Zane McIntyre (?)

Malcolm Subban

Update:

Malcolm Subban starts tonight for backs-against-the-wall @AHLBruins, per Kevin Dean

— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) May 27, 2017