The Syracuse Crunch (and Anthony Angello) were back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and after surrendering the opening goal, reeled off four in a row to take the victory, 5-1. As the Crunch readjust to their new line-up and try to move up in the standings, they’ve now picked up points in three of the four games this month going 2-1-1. Angello, who was originally drafted by the Penguins and spent parts of five seasons with WBS, had a goal and an assist for Syracuse.
Also scoring for the Crunch was Conor Geekie. The 21-year-old recorded his third goal with the Crunch on a nifty little move to deke goaltender Filip Larsson. Geekie is now up to six points in twelve games since being assigned to the AHL and has scored in back-to-back games.
After a rough stretch of play where he picked up just two wins in his last eight appearances, Brandon Halverson stopped 26-of-27 shots for his 14th win on the season. With the win the Crunch move into a fifth-place tie with Belleville in the North Division and drop their magic number to make the playoffs to 37 (yes, the AHL has begun posting their Playoff Primer).
Lightning Round
Getting trade acquisitions comfortable is important on and off the ice [Tampa Bay Lightning]
Under the Vinick ownership tenure, the Lightning have been known for making life easy for players added either in free agency or at the deadline. Ryan McDonagh has taken the lead in helping Oliver Bjorkstrand acclimate to his new city.
Crunch trade Jujhar Khaira to Abbotsford for future considerations [Syracuse Crunch]
While the NHL Trade deadline has come and gone, the AHL trade deadline isn’t until this Friday. The Crunch freed up a forward spot with the trade while Khaira gets an opportunity with another club. The big forward dressed for 18 games with Syracuse this season and recorded three goals while adding six assists.
Twenty-five moments that swung Lightning history [Tampa Bay Lightning]
It’s a solid list, but personally we would add the Lightning trading for Nikolai Khabibulin and Art Williams buying the team. Sure his ownership stint was chaotic at best, but he cleared the organizations debt and made it an attractive investment for The Davidson Group.
One player, one card – Ruslan Fedotenko [Hockey Bay Cards]
Let’s remember an old friend.
Hockey News
Mitch Marner responds to rumored trade proposal to Carolina [Sportsnet]
Before he was traded to Dallas, there was a possibility that Mikko Rantanen could have gone to Toronto in a blockbuster deal. The sticky widget in completing the deal was Marner declining to wave his no-trade to make it happen. Instead, Rantanen went to the Stars while Marner gets to deal with the Toronto media for a few more months before possibly becoming the top unrestricted free agent on the market this summer.
Connor Ingram enters NHL’s Player Assistance Program [Salt Lake Tribune]
Following the death of his mother Ingram, a former Lightning prospect, realized that he hasn’t been himself and has entered the program to seek assistance in dealing with the fallout.
Wyatt Johnston signs 5-year extension [Defending Big D]
Announcing contract extensions during the trade deadline frenzy always seems like odd timing, especially when a team also made the biggest move of the deal. That was the case in Dallas where they picked up Rantanen (and extended him) while also announcing a new extension for one of their home-grown stars. Wyatt Johnston doesn’t have to worry about being a RFA or going through an arbitration battle anytime soon as the 21-year-old signed a deal that will take him to unrestricted free agency.
Another one – Ovechkin scores again and hits a milestone [RMNB]
Alex Ovechkin backhanded his 886th goal into an empty net to seal the Capitals win against the Kraken. Not only does it move him to within nine of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record, it was also his 1600th point. He is the 11th player in league history to reach that plateau and leaves him just 1,258 away from catching Gretzky’s other impressive record.
