GAME STORY: 2019-20 Season - Providence at Lehigh Valley 10/5/19

ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms kick off the 2019-20 season at home against the Providence Bruins in what is the Phantoms' sixth season in the Lehigh Valley as the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Line rushes in warmup:

Matthew Strome - Cal O'Reilly - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Greg Carey - Morgan Frost- Andy Andreoff Mikhail Vorobyev- German Rubtsov - Isaac Ratcliffe Kurtis Gabriel - Kyle Criscuolo - Maksim Sushko

T.J. Brennan - Nate Prosser Chris Bigras - Mark Friedman James de Haas - Reece Willcox

J-F Berube - Felix Sandstrom

Scratches: Tyler Wotherspoon (veteran scratch), Gerry Fitzgerald, David Kase and Pascal Laberge

Power Play

PP1: Carey-O'Reilly-Andreoff, Frost & BrennanPP2: Strome-Rubtsov-Vorobyev, Bigras-Friedman

Penalty Kill

PK1: Vorobyev-Rubtsov, Prosser-Bigras

GAME STORY

1st Period

There were a few ways to tell that this was the first game of the season for both teams. Obviously, you’d know it by looking at the calendar but you’d also know it by how each team played in the first period.

Through all the bouncing pucks, sloppy passes, fanned shots and falling players all over the ice, there were some good things to take out of the period.

It is very clear that this iteration of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is going to be one of the more skilled groups that the Lehigh Valley has seen yet in the six years since the team relocated to the area.

There were multiple players that showed flashes of brilliance early on in the first. Rookie Morgan Frost and second year forward German Rubtsov were perhaps the two who stood out the most in this regard. Rubtsov had a few nice chances on the team’s penalty kill and Frost had a beautiful play where he put the puck between his legs and fired on net. Providence goaltender Max Lagace was able to make the save in both situations.

J.F. Berube looked solid in net although he wasn’t tested all too much in the first period. The Bruins’ goal appeared to deflect in front of the net, so he really didn’t have much of a chance at blocking that one away.

Although they entered the intermission down a goal, they outshot the Bruins 12-6 in the first frame.

2nd Period

The second period wasn’t very eventful until the final five minutes of action.

It all started with some pushing and shoving behind the net between Phantoms defenseman T.J. Brennan and Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen during a Lehigh Valley power play. During the same stoppage, Providence forward Trent Frederic was attempting to lure Rubtsov into a fight. However, it takes two to tango and Rubtsov was not a willing combatant, however, both players were sent to the box for unsportsmanlike penalties.

The Phantoms outshot the Bruins 9-7 in the frame but oddly enough, it was the shots that didn’t hit the net that were their best opportunities.

A great example of this is an opportunity where T.J. Brennan, stationed on the right of Max Lagace’s net, fired a shot high and wide of the open net.

As I tweeted during the period, if the Phantoms -- who clearly look like the better team -- are able to keep generating these opportunities, they’re gonna have to cash in on one of them eventually.

Third Period

One of two things were gonna happen in the third period; either the Phantoms were gonna keep getting opportunities and eventually find the back of the net or their lack of chemistry was going to hinder them from winning the game. The latter was the end result as they dropped the game 3-0 to Providence.

Chemistry was always going to be a problem for the Phantoms out of the gate. They only had six skaters from last year’s opening night lineup suit up on Saturday night. It’s probably not going to be something the team solves by their next game, either.

The third was the first period where they didn’t look like the better team. The Bruins cashed in on two goals, one off the stick of 2018-19 leading scorer Paul Carey and one by forward Brendan Gaunce off a one timer from atop the left circle. J.F. Berube didn’t really have a shot at either of them as Gaunce’s was a perfectly placed slapper and Carey’s came from a deflection at the goalmouth.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

7:27: LV - (PP) Friedman, minor (holding) 13:28: PRO - Bjork (1) - Lantosi, Zboril 15:59: PRO - (PP) Zboril, minor (tripping)

2nd Period

1:28: PRO - (PP) Lagace, minor (tripping - served by Lantosi) 13:19: LV - (PP) Andreoff, minor (cross-checking) 16:22: PRO - (PP) Frederic, minor (delay of game, closing hand on puck) 18:29: LV - Rubtsov, minor (unsportsmanlike) 18:29: PRO - Frederic, minor (unsportsmanlike) 18:59: LV - Aube-Kubel, minor (holding the stick) 18:59: PRO - Gaunce, minor (holding the stick)

3rd Period

7:33: PRO - (PP) Gaunce, minor (tripping) 11:06: LV - (PP) Brennan, minor (roughing) 11:06: LV - Andreoff, minor (roughing) 11:06: PRO - Petrovic, minor (roughing) 12:10: PRO - PPG Gaunce (1) - Didier, Bjork 14:59: PRO - Carey (1) - Steen 18:11: PRO - (PP) Steen, minor (roughing)

BOXSCORE

Providence  1 - 0 - 2 = 3 Lehigh Valley  0 - 0 - 0 = 0

Shots

Providence  6 - 7 - 11 = 24 Lehigh Valley  12 - 9 - 7 = 28

Goalies

PRO: Max Legace (28 saves - 28 shots) LV: J-F Berube (21 saves - 24 shots)

Power Play

PRO: 1-for-3 LV: 0-for-5

Penalty Kill

PRO: 5-for-5 LV: 2-for-3

Attendance: 8,453