NOTE: Once again it’s a back to back opponent this week. So today will be a normal pregamer, Wednesday’s will be a recap of today and a short preview.
Here’s what you might need to know before the Devils and Crunch square off at Times Union Center:
Season: This is the 6th of 8 meetings between the Thruway rivals this season, with the Crunch holding a 3-2 edge. Last meeting came on January 8th in Albany, a 2-1 Devils victory. The teams square off two more times, on March 16th and March 25th in central New York.
Standings: The Crunch begin the day in 7th place in the East Division with a record of 24-33-3-4 and 55 points. They stand 3 points behind Albany and 3 points ahead of 8th place Adirondack. The Devils stand in 6th, checking in with a 27-34-1-3 record and 58 points. They are 17 points behind 5th place Binghamton and a crossover playoff spot.
Scoring: Syracuse is lead by forward Patrick Maroon with 36 points (18 G, 18 A combined with Crunch/Adirondack), followed by rookie Nicolas Deschamps with 34 points (12 G, 22 A). J.P. Levasseur and rookie Timo Pielmeier split time in the nets, both earning 10 wins apiece. On the home side, no changes at the top…Matt Anderson leads all skaters with 48 points (20 G, 28 A) followed by Adam Henrique with 40 points (21 G, 19 A). Both Mike McKenna and Dave Caruso played well in their starts this weekend, so I’m not sure who will get the nod today…no word on when Jeff Frazee will return to action.
Miscellaneous: Couple of promotions going on today. First, the game will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports for the locals. First 2000 people through the door will be lucky enough to get their very own Devil Dawg Bobblehead doll. Finally, it’s Sunday, that means another postgame autograph session on the concourse.
Game time: 4 PM. I will be on hand with the usual…
Thoughts Inside The Box 