Calder Cup Finals: Syracuse and Grand Rapids set for 2013 rematch, players to watch

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
June 2, 2017

For the third time in the past six years, the top Tampa Bay Lightning minor league affiliate will play for an American Hockey League championship.

The Syracuse Crunch captured the Eastern Conference championship last week, defeating the Providence Bruins in five games for their second Eastern Conference crown since 2013, the first year of the affiliation between Tampa Bay and Syracuse.

The Crunch will face the Grand Rapids Griffins, the top affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, in the Calder Cup Final. The best-of-seven series begins play on Friday in Grand Rapids in a rematch of the 2013 Final, won by Grand Rapids in six games.

Here’s a look at the series and what to expect:

How Syracuse got here:

Defeated St. John’s 3-1

Defeated Toronto 4-3

Defeated Providence 4-1

How Grand Rapids got here:

Defeated Milwaukee 3-1

Defeated Chicago 4-1

Defeated San Jose 4-1

Crunch player to watch:

Cory Conacher – The former league MVP is the fifth different player in the past 20 years to reach the Calder Cup Final with three different teams (Norfolk in 2012, Utica in 2015, Syracuse 2017). The others are J.P. Cote, Jason Krog and Jay Henderson. Conacher enters the Calder Cup Final as the leading scorer in the playoffs with 20 points and is tied for the league lead with nine goals. In the five-game series against Providence, Conacher had five goals and 11 points and scored the series-clinching goal in the third period. He has five goals and 10 points in the past three games.

Others to keep an eye on: – Defenseman Ben Thomas has enjoyed a strong postseason, equaling his regular season total in goals with four and emerged as a top four blue liner for the Crunch. … Right wing Erik Condra has excelled in his first full season with the Crunch, bring Calder Cup championship experience (Binghamtom) to the captaincy role he was handed late in the season. He is tied for eighth in the league in postseason scoring with 14 points. … Center Yanni Gourde burst on to the scene for the Lightning during the regular season, but was a Crunch MVP during the year. After a slow start to the playoffs, Gourde has been a stronger force and enters the series tied for third in playoff scoring. … Goaltender Mike McKenna was acquired from the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline to provide a veteran presence in net. He has lived up to that billing, even though the numbers don’t jump out (11-5, 2.51 GAA and .912 save percentage) keeping his team in games and providing timely saves.

Griffins player to watch: Right wing Evgeny Svechnikov – On a Grand Rapids team heavy on AHL experienced forwards, the former 19th overall pick in the 2015 draft is the rookie standout. After reaching the 20-goal mark in the regular season, Svechnikov is one of seven Griffins’ players to reach double-digits in scoring during the postseason on a very balanced forward group.

Other Grand Rapids players to watch: Defenseman Dylan McIlrath is a former first-round pick of the New York Rangers and though his offensive numbers don’t stand out, he leads the Griffins with a plus-15 rating in the playoffs and has been a minus-rating just once throughout the postseason. … Left wing Tyler Bertuzzi is a key part of a balanced offensive attack as the nephew of former NHL player Todd Bertuzzi has six goals and 13 points while leading the Griffins with 20 penalty minutes. … Left wing Eric Tangradi leads the experienced Griffins’ forwards, bringing 144 games of NHL experience and 352 games of AHL experience. He is tied for the team lead with 15 points and leads Grand Rapids with 13 assists. … G Jared Coreau has assumed the No. 1 role this postseason and the 6-foot-6, undrafted netminder has carried the load the playoffs, appearing in all 13 games to date while carrying a .922 save percentage.

Calder Cup Final schedule

Game 1 – Friday, June 2 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

Game 2 – Saturday, June 3 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

Game 3 – Wednesday June 7 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

Game 4 – Friday, June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

*Game 5 – Saturday, June 10 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00

*Game 6 – Tuesday, June 13 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

*Game 7 – Wednesday, June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00

*if necessary… All times Eastern

Note All games will be streamed for free on AHLLive.com or on the AHL Live app, available to both IOS and Android users. Visit AHLLive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code FINALS17 . … All games can also be heard on the official Lightning digital station at tblpowerplay.com while select games will be broadcast on Sirius XM NHL Channel.