GAME STORY: Binghamton - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 2 (5/1/21)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (15-5-4) found themselves on the wrong side of a see-saw battle with the Binghamton Devils Saturday night in a 4-2 loss.

Devils forward Mason Jobst (two goals, two assists) recorded a game-high four points, while linemate Fabian Zetterlund tallied assists on three Devils' goals before AJ Greer (one goal, one assist) added the empty net insurance marker. Gilles Senn, who allowed five goals in the first period to the Phantoms the last time he faced Lehigh Valley, stopped 27 of 29 in the win.

Isaac Ratcliffe and Max Willman tallied goals in the loss for the Phantoms, who now face Hershey three straight times beginning Sunday afternoon at Giant Center.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Felix Sandstrom will need to be on the Flyers' taxi squad on their game days, with Carter Hart ruled out of the season and the rule this season being that you need to carry three goaltenders. After tonight's game, the Phantoms and Flyers only share a game night on Saturday, May 8 so you can probably pencil in Zane McIntyre in the Phantoms' net for that one.

McIntyre got the start in net for Lehigh Valley Saturday. Eamon McAdam served as the team's backup.

Cam York is expected to miss his second straight #LVPhantoms game due to injury. On Thursday, NSCSports Flyers beat reporter Jordan Hall first-reported York is dealing with a lower-body injury that isn't considered to be serious. Saturday, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Ed Barkowitcz reported via Flyers' assistant GM Brent Flahr that York skated with the Phantoms at practice on Friday and is close to returning. York last appeared on April 26 vs. Binghamton, tallying a goal and two assists in the 1st period of that game - a wild 6-5 win over the Devils.

Linus Hogberg returned to the lineup on defense, his 1st game since April 5 - the Phantoms' final game before the team's COVID-related hiatus.

Egor Zamula returned from Philadelphia after a two-game showing with the Flyers - the first NHL games of his career.

Ryan Fitzgerald also returned to game action for the Phantoms up front, apparently suffering a minor injury in the team's first game back from their COVID-related pause.

Lines/Pairings:

Ryan Fitzgerald - Cal O'Reilly - Tyson Foerster Garrett Wilson - Chris Mueller - Linus Sandin Isaac Ratcliffe - Connor Bunnaman - Pascal Laberge Max Willman - Tanner MacMaster - Zayde Wisdom

Tyler Wotherspoon - Linus Hogberg Derrick Pouliot - Chris Bigras Egor Zamula - Logan Day

Zane McIntyre - Eamon McAdam

Phantoms' Scratches: Mason Millman, Maksim Sushko, Brennan Saulnier, Ralph Cuddemi, David Kase and Cam York

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The Phantoms seemed to have their legs going in the first period, getting seven of the game's first 10 shots on goal in the opening half of the period.

Lehigh Valley had an early penalty to kill when Egor Zamula made a sliding attempt to break up a 2-on-1 rush and ended up taking out the legs of a Devils forward.

But it was the Phantoms getting the best chance on that Devils' power play after a miscue at center ice allowed Chris Mueller to nudge a puck ahead for Max Willman, who was robbed on his ensuing breakaway attempt by a right skate save by Gilles Senn.

Despite the early edge in play, it was the Devils striking first on a rebound putback by Brett Seney at 10:16 to give Binghamton a 1-0 lead.

A blooping clearout by a Devils defender landed at the Phantoms' defensive zone, and Fabian Zetterlund was able to get control of the bouncing puck - firing a quick shot from atop the right-wing circle and forcing Phantoms' goalie Zane McIntyre to push the rebound to the far side corner.

From there, it seemed Binghamton got some momentum and continued to gain an edge in play in the waning moments of the period. Thankfully for the Phantoms, the Devils were unable to extend their lead before the first frame expired.

2nd Period

Garrett Wilson gave the Phantoms a spark when he, legally, lined up Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk and blasted him with an open ice hit in the Phantoms' offensive zone.

The hit drew the ire of Okhotiuk's Devils teammates, and Ben Thomson dropped his gloves and engaged Wilson in a grappling match. Thomson was assessed four minutes for roughing compared to just two minutes for roughing on Wilson, giving the Phantoms their first power play of the contest.

Though Lehigh Valley didn't score on the power play, they tied the game up at 1-1 shortly after - buzzing at the tail end of the power play after Isaac Ratcliffe set up Logan Day on the back door for a tap in that just missed.

Zayde Wisdom was able to get to the loose puck along the right-wing wall, sending it down low to the corner for Chris Mueller. Mueller looked over his shoulder and saw Ratcliffe breaking to the slot wide open and spun a backhand pass right on his tape for a quick shot past Senn for Ratcliffe's second tally of the season.

Ratcliffe nearly got his second of the period moments later after Egor Zamula forced a turnover at the Phantoms' offensive zone blue line to keep a puck alive in the offensive zone. Ratcliffe got the puck in behind the Devils defense on a mini-breakaway, but his shot was stopped by Senn to keep the game tied at 1-1.

The teams traded unsuccessful power play attempts in the middle part of the period, and it wasn't until the late stages of the middle frame that the 1-1 tie was broken.

Max Willman took a pass from Tyler Wotherspoon on the left wing and used a nice toe-drag move to get to the middle of the ice before firing one past Senn to give the Phantoms a 2-1 lead with 2:40 left before the second intermission. Logan Day added a secondary assist on Willman's eighth of the season.

The Phantoms' lead was shortlived, however, as the Devils fought back and tied it right back up just 70 seconds later, with Mason Jobst accepting a feed from Zetterlund and beating a sprawling McIntyre to send the two teams to the third period even at two apiece.

3rd Period

The Phantoms were buzzing to begin the third period, nearly taking the 3-2 lead several times in the opening minutes of play if not for some hectic stops by Senn to keep Lehigh Valley from tallying the go-ahead goal.

The Devils themselves had a few Grade-A's of their own in a back-and-forth pace of play, but McIntyre was also equal to the task - keeping the game deadlocked at 2-2.

Lehigh Valley found themselves in penalty trouble in the middle of the period, with Tyler Wotherspoon and Connor Bunnaman assessed minor penalties 1:56 apart. The Phantoms were able to kill of the first of two minor penalties, but the Devils took the 3-2 lead with a power play goal on the second Phantoms' penalty - with Jobst getting his second of the game and fourth of the season with 7:25 left in regulation.

Down 3-2 with 2:29 left in regulation and an offensive zone face-off upcoming, Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon opted to pull McIntyre for the extra attacker. The Phantoms won the face-off, but the puck bounced over a Phantoms' defender's stick and AJ Greer was later able to hit the empty net to pull the Devils ahead 4-2 to complete the final score.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

4:59: LV - (PP) Zamula, minor (tripping) 10:16: BNG - Seney (4) - Zetterlund, Jobst

2nd Period

1:35: LV - Wilson, minor (roughing) 1:35: BNG - Thomson, minor (roughing) 1:35: BNG - (PP) Thomson, minor (roughing) 4:00: LV - Ratcliffe (2) - Mueller, Wisdom 5:44: LV - (PP) Ratcliffe, minor (hooking) 10:29: BNG - (PP) St. Denis, minor (hooking) 17:20: LV - Willman (8) - Wotherspoon, Day 18:30: BNG - Jobst (3) - Zetterlund, Greer

3rd Period

9:26: LV - (PP) Wotherspoon, minor (tripping) 11:22: LV - (PP) Bunnaman, minor (holding) 12:35: BNG - PPG Jobst (4) - Zetterlund, White 17:47: BNG - ENG Greer (4) - Jobst

BOXSCORE

AHL Devils   1 - 1 - 2 = 4 Lehigh Valley  0 - 2 - 0 = 2

Shots

AHL Devils   5 - 5 - 11 = 21 Lehigh Valley  8 - 9 - 12 = 29

Goalies

BNG: Gilles Senn (27 saves - 29 shots) LV: Zane McIntyre (17 saves - 20 shots)

Power Play

BNG: 1-for-4 LV: 0-for-2

Penalty Kill

BNG: 2-for-2 LV: 3-for-4