With the Tampa Bay Lightning's season ending earlier this week, a move will aim to help the Syracuse Crunch try to take a step ahead of the Rochester Americans.
Syracuse hosts Game 3 of the best-of-three North Division semifinal series tonight. The Crunch evened the series last Sunday with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2.
Tampa Bay offered a goaltender Matt Tomkins and defenders Emil Lilleberg again Max Crozier back to Syracuse; all three made their NHL debuts with the Lightning this season.
Tomkins, a seventh-year starter, 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 appearing in 37 regular-season games and all five of Tampa's Stanley Cup Playoff contests. Crozier, 24, registered 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 49 games as a rookie with the Crunch, and dressed in three Stanley Cup Playoff games after notching two assists in 13 regular season appearances with the Lightning.
The Texas Stars added a first-round pick to their roster as they open their Central Division semifinal series at home tonight against Milwaukee, as Lian Bichsel reassigned to Texas from Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League.
The 19-year-old Bichsel, who is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, began the season in the AHL, posting 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
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