GAME STORY: Lehigh Valley - 4 at WB/Scranton - 3 (1/14/22)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (10-11-7), through a ton of extenuating circumstances involving COVID protocols, a lack of practice time and the inability to meet as a team leading into Friday night's game in Wilkes-Barre against their in-state rival Penguins, found a way to turn an ugly game into a 4-3 win to extend their points streak to nine games (7-0-2).

Despite being out-shot by a 42-16 margin and largely out-chanced, the Phantoms found themselves in a 1-1 game heading to the third period thanks in large part to the play of goaltender Garrett Metcalf (39 saves) and a timely power play goal from Linus Sandin.

Though the Penguins controlled play in the third, the Phantoms were opportunistic and got a bit of puck luck in tallying three goals (Sandin, 2nd of game, Cal O'Reilly and Adam Clendening) in the final frame en route to a wild win despite the Penguins twice scoring to make it a one-goal game, with 3:37 left and with an extra attacker goal with 6.5 seconds left, but were unable to break through and finish the job after a strong opening 40 minutes.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes

Five remain on the AHL's COVID list as assistant coaches Riley Armstrong and Jason Smith, goaltender Pat Nagle, defenseman Logan Day and forward Hayden Hodgson are in enhanced protocols at the direction of team medical staff and the AHL. Nagle was recently named as one of three goaltenders selected to represent Team USA at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing next month.

Former Flyers forward Danny Briere helped head coach Ian Laperriere behind the bench Friday night as an assistant with both of the team's assistant coaches in COVID protocol.

Garrett Metcalf got the start in net for Lehigh Valley Friday in Wilkes Barre. Felix Sandstrom, recently reassigned from the Flyers taxi squad, served as the Phantoms' backup.

On defense, Egor Zamula returned from the Flyers taxi squad and Mason Millman entered the lineup as a defenseman after playing forward on Jan 5 in the team's last game.

Up front, Wade Allison returned to the lineup after injuring his elbow and missing three games. Newly signed forward Alex Kile made his Phantoms' debut after tallying 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven ECHL games with Maine this season.

Phantoms Scratches: Samuel Ersson (injured), Pat Nagle (COVID list), Logan Day (COVID list), Nick Lappin (injured), Ryan MacKinnon, Hayden Hodgson (COVID list) and Tyson Foerster (injured)

Lines/Pairings

Maksim Sushko - Cal O'Reilly - Charlie Gerard Garrett Wilson - Connor Bunnaman - Wade Allison Isaac Ratcliffe - Matthew Strome - Linus Sandin Brennan Saulnier - German Rubtsov - Alex Kile

Linus Hogberg - Adam Clendening Egor Zamula - Wyatte Wylie Mason Millman - Cooper Zech

Garrett Metcalf - Felix Sandstrom

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Roster Notes

Alex D'Orio got the start in net for the Penguins Friday night at home.

The Penguins signed former Phantoms forward Pascal Laberge to a PTO, but Laberge was among the Pens' scratches against Lehigh Valley.

Scratches: Filip Lindberg, Chris Bigras, Patrick Watling, Niclas Almari, Michael Chaput and Pascal Laberge

Lines/Pairings

Felix Robert - Sam Houde - Valtteri Puustinen Alex Nylander - Sam Poulin - Jan Drozg Nick Hutchison - Jordy Bellerive - Nathan Legare Jamie Devane - Jonathan Gruden - Kyle Olson

P.O. Joseph - Mitch Reinke Matt Bartkowski - Taylor Fedun Cam Lee - Will Reilly

Alex D'Orio - Tommy Nappier

GAME RECAP

1st Period

The Phantoms looked very much like a team playing its first game in nine days coming out the other end of a COVID shutdown with still five members of the team on the AHL's COVID List.

The Penguins dominated the early portion of the period, getting an early goal from Felix Robert at 3:16 to put the Phantoms in a 1-0 hole. Penguins' captain Taylor Fedun tried to fire a shot to the net with the intention of setting up a teammate at the net-front, but the pass was blocked down into the slot, where Robert was able to corral the loose puck first and fire off a quick shot that eluded Phantoms' netminder Garrett Metcalf.

Metcalf, to his credit, was far and away the Phantoms' top player in the opening period - stopping 15 of the 16 shots he faced in the first frame to keep Lehigh Valley afloat and in a one-goal game heading into the waning moments of the stanza.

A Valtteri Puustinen slashing minor with 6:18 left before the first intermission gave the Phantoms a chance to get the game even, and Linus Sandin did just that - setting up shop in the slot and getting a pass from Cal O'Reilly for his second goal in as many games to tie the game at 1-1. Adam Clendening added a secondary assist from the center point, getting the puck down low to O'Reilly for a quick tic-tac-toe passing play that ended with Sandin ripping one in from the slot.

So, despite being outplayed and out-chanced in the first period, the Phantoms found themselves even where it counted heading into the middle frame.

2nd Period

Things were much more even to start the middle frame, as the Phantoms held the Penguins without a shot in the opening five minutes. That was until an Isaac Ratcliffe elbowing minor 5:36 into the period tilted the ice back in the Penguins' favor, albeit momentarily.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a few chances on the ensuing man advantage but were unable to break the tie due to several more saves from Metcalf as the Penguins out shot the Phantoms by as wide a margin as 13-3 at one point late in the period.

Lehigh Valley had a power play chance of their own cut short by a slashing minor forced after a Phantoms forward tripped at the defensive zone blue line and the puck was turned over. The Phantoms killed off the ensuing penalty, but spent most of the period defending and thus were out-shot 32-11 through 40 minutes of play in a game where the Penguins had the majority of the chances.

Third Period

The Penguins kept their foot on the gas in the third period, nearly breaking the 1-1 tie on the opening shift of the period after a chance by Houde at the Phantoms' net front.

On the next shift, the Pens had two more point-blank chances that Metcalf was able to keep out of his net - leading to a puck coming out to the Phantoms' defensive zone blue line. From there, Sandin pounced on the Penguins' defenseman attempting to keep the play alive and went the other way - scoring off the ensuing rush to give the Phantoms their first lead of the night with 17:46 left in regulation.

Cal O'Reilly extended the Phantoms' lead to 3-1 with 11:07 left in the third, re-directing a Linus Hogberg point shot past Penguins' goalie Alex D'Orio and giving Lehigh Valley an insurance marker.

To their credit, the Penguins didn't let their frustration get the better of them trailing in a game they clearly dominated. They instead went back to work and made it a one-goal game on their 37th shot of the hockey game as Puustinen ripped one in on a play that Metcalf had no chance to stop with 3:37 left to play.

The Pens later pulled their goalie with just under 2:40 left to play, and Clendening was able to send a rink-long, cross-ice clearout that banked off the far-side boards and caromed into the empty net to put Lehigh Valley back in front by 4-2, though the Pens scored with the extra attacker with 6.5 seconds left on Alex Nylander's first goal in a Penguins uniform to complete the 4-3 final score.

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:16: WBS - Robert (7) - Fedun 4:22: LV - Sandin, minor (high-sticking) 4:22: WBS - bench minor, too many men (served by Hutchison) 13:42: WBS - (PP) Puustinen, minor (slashing) 14:10: LV - PPG Sandin (2) - O'Reilly, Clendening

2nd Period

5:36: LV - (PP) Ratcliffe, minor (elbowing) 9:22: WBS - (PP) Legare, minor (boarding) 11:08: LV - (PP) Clendening, minor (slashing)

3rd Period

2:14: LV - Sandin (3) - unassisted 4:46: WBS - (PP) Drozg, minor (slashing) 8:53: LV - O'Reilly (5) - Hogberg, Clendening 16:23: WBS - Puustinen (10) - Houde, Robert 17:34: LV - ENG Clendening (5) - O'Reilly 19:53: WBS - Nylander (9) - Poulin, Robert

BOXSCORE

Lehigh Valley   1 - 0 - 3 = 4 W-B/Scranton   1 - 0 - 2 = 3

Shots

Lehigh Valley   6 - 5 - 5 = 16 W-B/Scranton   16 - 16 - 10 = 42

Goalies

LV: Garrett Metcalf (39 saves - 42 shots) WBS: Alex D'Orio (12 saves - 15 shots)

Power Play

LV: 1-for-3 WBS: 0-for-2

Penalty Kill

LV: 2-for-2 WBS: 2-for-3