With the Tampa Bay Lightning’s season ending earlier this week, some roster moves will aim to help the Syracuse Crunch try to get a step ahead of the Rochester Americans.
Syracuse hosts Game 3 of the teams’ best-of-five North Division semifinal series tonight. The Crunch evened the series last Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 2.
Tampa Bay has assigned goaltender Matt Tomkins and defensemen Emil Lilleberg and Max Crozier back to Syracuse; all three made their NHL debuts with the Lightning this season.
Tomkins, a seventh-year pro, went 15-12-2 in 29 games with the Crunch while posting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 2023-24. The 23-year-old Lilleberg had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 33 games for Syracuse while also appearing in 37 regular-season games and all five Stanley Cup Playoff contests for Tampa. Crozier, 24, registered 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 49 games as a rookie with the Crunch, and also dressed for three Stanley Cup Playoff games after notching two assists in 13 regular-season outings with the Lightning.
The Texas Stars have added a first-round pick to their lineup as they open their best-of-five Central Division semifinal series at home tonight against Milwaukee, as Lian Bichsel has been reassigned to Texas from Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League.
The 19-year-old Bichsel, who is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, started the season in the AHL, picking up a goal and six assists in 16 games for the Stars.
The Swiss-born defenseman went 18th overall to Dallas in the 2022 NHL Draft.
― with files from Patrick Williams