Crunch Fall to Penguins 5-3
Published on November 15, 2013 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release
Syracuse, NY - Vladislav Namestnikov extended his league-leading point streak to 13 games but the Syracuse Crunch fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-3 tonight at the War Memorial Arena.
The Crunch drop their overall record to 9-4-1-0 and fall to third in the East Division with 19 points on the season. The Penguins now lead the season series against the Crunch 2-0-0-1.
Crunch goaltender Riku Helenius stopped 22 of 27 shots in defeat while former Crunch goaltender Jeff Deslauriers stopped 24 of 27 shots for his second win against the Crunch this season.
The Penguins took an early lead with a low shot from Despres at the left circle 2:26 into the first period.. Despres then set up Jayson Megna who beat Helenius with a one-timer from the slot at the 11:23 mark of the period. Megna's was a four-on-four goal with the Crunch's Artem Sergeev and Penguins' Brian Dumoulin serving minor penalties.
The Penguins extended their lead with a power-play goal from Chris Conner with 16 seconds remaining in the first period. Despres' slap shot bounced off Conner's leg into the net for a 3-0 lead.
Namestnikov got the Crunch on the board 7:29 into the second period. Nikita Kucherov made a cross-ice pass to Namestnikov at the left circle, who ripped a low shot past Penguins netminder Deslauriers. JP Cote picked up the secondary assist, extending his point streak to four games.
The Penguins responded with a goal from Tom Kostopoulos at the 12:55 mark of the second period. Helenius made the initial save on a slap shot from Scott Harrington, but Kostopoulos found the rebound for a 4-1 Penguins lead.
Evan Rankin cut the Penguins lead to two with 18.2 seconds remaining in the middle frame. Rankin picked up the puck during a scramble in front of the net and beat Deslauriers with a wrister from the slot. Cedric Paquette had the lone assist.
Brian Gibbons put the Penguins back on top by three with his sixth goal of the season 1:41 into the third period. The Crunch retaliated with a goal by Danick Gauthier halfway through the final frame.
American Hockey League Stories from November 15, 2013
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- Rampage Cruise to 5-2 Win at Iowa - San Antonio Rampage
- Griffins Roll Past Rockford, 5-3 - Grand Rapids Griffins
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- Heat Drop Barons for Ninth Straight Win - Abbotsford Heat
- Bulldogs Fall to Monsters 5-3 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- 50 Shots Not Enough in Binghamton - Adirondack Phantoms
- Admirals Hold off Bruins for 4-3 Road Victory - Norfolk Admirals
- San Antonio Tops Iowa 5-2 - Iowa Wild
- Pirates B-Rule over Monarchs - Manchester Monarchs
- Crunch Fall to Penguins 5-3 - Syracuse Crunch
- Special Teams Fuel Falcons Win - Springfield Falcons
- B-Sens Post 1st Win over Phantoms 4-2 - Binghamton Senators
- Monsters Win in Hamilton 5-3 - Cleveland Monsters
- Wolves Make It Four in a Row - Chicago Wolves
- Jurco Tricks Hogs, Rockford Falls 5-3 - Rockford IceHogs
- Comets fall to Rochester - Utica Comets
- Despres, Gibbons Help Penguins Outpace Crunch - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Devils blank Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- P-Bruins Fall to Admirals 4-3 - Providence Bruins
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- Sateri Sharp in 9 Round Shootout Win in St. John's - Worcester Sharks
- Coyotes Recall Murphy from Portland - Portland Pirates
- Anaheim Reassigns Peter Holland to Norfolk - Norfolk Admirals
- Monarchs Sign Dell and O'Brien - Manchester Monarchs
- Detroit Assigns Eaves and Glendening - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Worcester Sharks Host Online Jersey Auction to Benefit Autism Resource Center of Central Massachuset - Worcester Sharks
- Crunch Sign Defenseman Jordan Henry to PTO - Syracuse Crunch
- Rampage Host "Cool School Education Day" on Tuesday - San Antonio Rampage
- Penguins Assign Zlobin to Nailers - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Canadiens Assign Christian Thomas to Bulldogs - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Comet Tales: A Rivalry in the Making - Utica Comets
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- Florida Panthers Acquire RW Jimmy Hayes & D Dylan Olsen from Chicago - San Antonio Rampage
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- Texas Stars Return Goaltender Josh Robinson to Idaho - Texas Stars
- Morin and Broadhurst Back to Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Hayes and Olsen Dealt to Florida - Rockford IceHogs
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