SYRACUSE, NY – You’ll be hard-pressed to find a series that’s any closer than these two, and how fitting that this could be the springboard to the eastern finals? With a Toronto Marlies team questionable for the start of round two, it opens the door for these heavyweights to go deep.
Regular Season Records:
Syracuse – 35-26-7-4 (2nd in North)
Rochester – 36-27-6-3 (3rd in North)
Series Schedule:
Friday, April 21: Rochester at SYRACUSE – 7:00 pm ET
Saturday, April 22: Rochester at SYRACUSE – 7:00 pm ET
Friday, April 28: Syracuse at ROCHESTER – 7:05 pm ET
Sunday, April 30: Syracuse at ROCHESTER – 3:05 pm ET
Saturday, May 6: Rochester at SYRACUSE – 7:00 pm ET
Season Series:
I wasn’t lying when I said that both of these teams couldn’t get much closer. Their 6-6 split means that both teams will have to look up and down their lineups to find a hero on the bench.
That hero in Syracuse could be Simon Ryfors. The team’s second-place scorer proved that he was the man of the hour in their 12-game series. His 10 points (two goals, eight assists) proved he was a force to be reckoned with during their season series.
Malcolm Subban also proved to be the star of the show, grabbing points in five of his six starts during the season series. His performance during the series published a 2.71 GAA and a .927 SVS%.
Their last three games all went to extra time, with the most recent crowing the win to Rochester in a 3-2 contest.
How Syracuse Wins:
Play three periods. This is a team that is 1-15 when losing going into the second intermission. In a best three-of-five series, every period counts and making sure you not only come out of the gate swinging, but ending the third in that same fashion, could get lady luck on your side.
The shot differential for Syracuse in the first is far worse than any other period, with 762-745, compared to 779-665 in the second and 745-681 in the third.
How Rochester Wins:
Use your speed to your advantage; while I can’t pull some fancy stat line for exactly HOW fast Rochester is, there’s a science to it. Moving the puck, north-south can be how they climb away from this series. Being able to use that to turn on the ignition into the offensive zone will be the name of the game. Lukas Rousek, Jiri Kulich, and Brandon Biro should help with that.
