AHL: Syracuse Crunched

The Syracuse Crunch blew a 3-1 series lead in the second round of the AHL playoffs by allowing the Toronto Marlies to take the final three games to win the series. The Crunch wasted a fine goaltending display in Games 1 and 2 by veteran Karl Goehring, while the Marlies caught fire in Game 3 winning by a score of 8-2 before Syracuse came back from a 4-2 deficit in Game 4 to tie it up and win in overtime. Goehring looked normal in the remaining games, as did the Crunch, keeping it tight against a determined Marlies crew, but could not pull off the vital fourth win. McKeen's correspondent, Gus Katsaros, was on hand for games at the Ricoh Coliseum and took notes on the following Crunch players over the course of the series.

Derick Brassard C, Columbus

Looked less energetic as the series dragged on, yet maintained his feistiness .. very noticeable on the ice both ways, with the puck and when his energy wanes .. excellent skater, with a powerful stride, as he is quick on his feet with a hunched-over stride .. utilizes good lateral agility to move quickly side-to-side to maneuver around defenders in one-on-one situations .. distributes the puck with soft hands and shoots very well at high speeds .. battles along the wall protecting the puck very well before dishing it off or driving to the net, although there is a physical element missing to his game .. makes safe decisions when there is not a clear outlet or a play to be made .. excellent defensive awareness, coming back deep on the backcheck and always finding a man in the defensive zone to cover .. also kills penalties .. quick release and a sharp, hard shot that is able to get good velocity with little wind up .. very sneaky when following up the play, getting behind opposition players without notice before unleashing a deadly wristshot .. hard to tell if he was over-aggressive or just frustrated in Game 7 .. still lacks consistency shift-to-shift, although he generally was a distinct presence on the ice .. on his way to becoming a top-six forward for the Blue Jackets.

Marc Methot D, Columbus

Defensive rearguard that takes care of his own zone first, before attempting any offensive forays .. decent skater forwards and backwards, although he loses balance in turns especially from the outside .. limited lateral agility .. can be caught scrambling in the defensive zone because of his balance/agility issues .. in close coverage he looks solid, with a long reach and long stick .. however, his focus is on one man and he neglects passing lanes for easy puck movement around him .. takes care of the man in front of his own net very well with a lot of physical work without taking a penalty .. game-saving coverage, tying up Battaglia efficiently with the puck lying in close on a clear opening that would have resulted in a goal if left free .. space and urgency needs upgrading, as he can fall a step behind the play .. good coverage in one-on-one rushes, although he still struggles with faster players.

Clay Wilson D, Columbus

He is patient with pressure in the offensive zone patrolling the blueline while attracting opposition forwards for quick flicks deep into the zone .. was not wandering into the slot to press offensively as the series progressed, paying more attention to defense, an obvious feature missing from the Crunch attack .. when he did this in Games 1 and 2, it culminated in decent scoring chances or goalmouth scrambles .. is not physical enough to contain forwards down low in the defensive zone, although he plays the rush very well .. often lets his man go in the defensive zone due to shoddy physical attempts .. can cough it up when pressured in defensive zone, especially with physical pressure along the boards .. could shorten his shifts and looks tired and easy to beat .. a decent skater and main puck rusher with the man advantage, which does not really suit his forte .. he is better at sneaking into the slot behind coverage off the point getting quick shots on goal, which either find the back of the net or cause rebound problems in front .. good vision and passer, he can hit long-range targets for outlets, something he did less and less as the series progressed focusing on a team breakout instead of finding the breaking man .. has to upgrade his defensive game and physical work to be considered an NHL talent.

Gilbert Brule RW, Columbus

Steadily improved over the series, getting into more dirty areas and sneaking in to find open ice, although he stopped moving his feet while waiting for the puck .. he still took too many shifts off, skating around .. should keep his stick on the ice instead of at hip level .. excellent one-on-one skills, with slick, mesmerizing hands, especially with speed to the outside, although he could create better space and limit being too cute .. good decision-making on fast breaks on shooting/passing .. needs an upgrade in defensive zone coverage where he is too deep to cover the point, and not deep enough to make a difference in down low pressure .. has to maintain intensity, which ebbs shift-to-shift .. not used on the first powerplay unit, and saw little powerplay time early in Game 7 .. could work on faceoff ability .. excellent speed, both startup and ability to execute at high speed, especially on the outside, where he utilizes excellent control dangling the puck far from his body, teasing the defender and bringing it in, attracting the opposition for a quick move around or a good hard shot .. visibly frustrated at Picard, scolding the winger for not getting to the net when he let one go from the point with no traffic in front .. drove into dirty areas as Game 7 progressed and scored the second goal between the faceoff dots with a wicked one-timer .. a dangerous forward, but can look ordinary if caught up in a perimeter game.

Zenon Konopka C, Columbus

Upright skater, back straight, keeps his head up helping with on-ice vision .. sometimes tries to do too much with the puck, especially with clear outlets for a better scoring opportunity .. strong on his feet, difficult to contain, uses his body well, positioning himself against the opposition in the defensive zone, but does not break away from coverage in the offensive zone very well .. good skater, with excellent balance and agility used in tight along the boards .. always moving, rarely keeping his feet stationary .. took most of the important faceoffs in all three zones as the go-to guy, winning most of them giving his team the ability to start with the puck at the beginning of the play .. could have shot the puck more instead of taking it in deep and cycling, as well as using a shoulder fake move frequently becoming too predictable.

Adam Pineault RW, Columbus

Good skater, fluid backwards and forwards .. can leave the zone too early in anticipation of quick breakouts that do not materialize - leaving his teammates to scramble in the defensive zone .. slowly lost icetime as the series progressed, hardly making an appearance in Game 7 .. works hard when inclined, using quick stops/starts and change of direction, although he generally looked disinterested in this series .. glimpses of creative puckhandling and passing .. stops moving his feet in the offensive zone if not controlling the puck/play .. has some maturing to do before he can be considered an impact player.

Tom Sestito LW, Columbus

Moved around the lineup, with mid-series audition on the first line, eventually finding his way back to the fourth .. has to keep his feet moving and increase his pace/urgency, with a tendency to take an extra moment on the attack, and stays a step behind on the backcheck .. agitator type, gets under the opposition's skin, also coming to the aid of teammates when challenged .. deceptive shot, although not disguised very well .. shoot-first mentality, can have tunnel vision at times, neglecting a better outlet for a shot/scoring opportunity .. similar to Pineault, he exhibited creative passing and a deadly shot .. maturing into a power forward with a tall lanky build, and when he bulks up and develops an inside game, he could be a force .. has to decide whether he is an agitator, or a shooter.

Derek Dorsett RW, Columbus

Chippy player, agitator type .. second unit penalty-killer .. average skater, average speed .. really physical, can go too far for the hit, taking himself out of position, or even out of the play .. a defensive first forward, does not generate much on offense, but does create turnovers by hurrying the opposition with physical pressure .. cannot be defending the rush in the neutral zone while standing still without momentum, or moving his feet .. likes to line them up against the wall, and finishes his checks with zeal.

Joakim Lindstrom LW, Columbus

Quick on his feet and in tight, down low or when pressured .. excellent positioning offensively, aware of his position on the ice in relation to his linemates and makes a good effort to backcheck .. broke free of checkers very well, either distributing the puck and moving to open ice, or fighting off a defender, only he kept it too long and lost it in the next sequence of checking .. good agile skater, with a wide stride allowing for quick lateral movements and balance to fight off checks down low .. similar to Brule, plays in dead spots in defensive zone coverage and loses his man in the zone .. was more effective when moving his feet looking for open ice than when he tried to be too cute .. used his NHL experience to increase his attentiveness in the offensive zone, with a good sense of urgency .. could get a decent shot with Columbus next season, but needs to shore up defensive zone awareness to be considered for a top-six role in the NHL.

Alexandre Picard LW, Columbus

Not a gracious skater and stops moving his feet, coasting a lot, but can surprise sometimes with a deceptive change of pace and second gear .. missing first-step explosiveness .. needs upgrade to his stops/starts and balance .. caught easily due to lack of foot speed when carrying the puck .. good passing ability and a great shot .. can be caught waiting for the play to come to him instead of dictating the play .. battles hard through checks .. not timid and mixes it up during the play, showing off a physical edge, and not backing away from intimidation after whistles .. has to increase his pace and urgency, as he lags the play a lot on both sides of the puck.