GAMEDAY: Game 18 - Providence (6-8-3) at Lehigh Valley (10-5-2) 7:15 p.m. ET
ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (10-5-2) look to finish the weekend strong with another home contest tonight against Atlantic Division foe Providence Bruins (6-8-3) at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Flyers GM Ron Hextall confirmed that Alex Lyon is day-to-day with a lower body injury, necessitating Anthony Stolarz's call up prior to last night's Phantoms' game. With Stolarz up with Philadelphia, the Phantoms added goaltender Austin Lotz on a professional tryout contract (PTO) to back up Carter Hart.
Hart is expected back in the net Saturday versus Providence.
After Friday night's game, head coach Scott Gordon - when asked if he was expecting to be without German Rubtsov for awhile - said "Yeah, he's out for the year."
Rubtsov's season-ending injury comes just as the first-year forward was really excelling and starting to take his game - particularly his offensive acumen - to a whole new level as he was adjusting to the AHL.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Phil Varone - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Taylor Leier - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Cole Bardreau - Colin McDonaldRadel Fazleev - Mikhail Vorobyev - David Kase
T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Philip Samuelsson - Phil MyersZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox
Carter Hart - Austin Lotz
Scratches: James de Haas, German Rubtsov (injury) and Connor Bunnaman
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
For as sloppy as the Phantoms were on Friday night in the opening period, they came out guns blazing for the opening minutes Saturday - jumping ahead 2-0 in the first 67 seconds of the contest on back-to-back goals from the recently reunited top line.
First it was Greg Carey, getting a puck in the high slot and absolutely unloading on a slap shot that sent the puck whistling past Bruins goalie Dan Vladar 38 seconds into the first period. The goal marked Carey's 100th career AHL tally, with 71 of those 100 coming in a Phantoms' uniform over the past two and a quarter seasons.
On the next shift - and next shot of the game - Nicolas Aube-Kubel took a pass from Mark Friedman at the offensive blue line and carried the puck to the net-front before muscling the puck past Vladar at the 1:07 mark.
For just the fifth time in 18 games, the Phantoms opened the scoring - and the second one wasn't far behind. Exactly the start the Phantoms were looking for.
Providence started to play better as the period wore on, turning a 4-0 shots deficit into a 13-6 shots advantage by the end of the first frame - getting a goal late in the period on a rebound goal from former Phantoms' forward Austin Fyten.
With the Phantoms unable to get the puck out of their defensive zone, Providence pounced on a potential Phantoms' clearing attempt. Zach Senyshyn intercepted a puck in the slot and although his shot was stopped by Hart, Fyten was all alone atop the crease and was able to deke a rebound past the Phantoms' goalie to get Providence on the board and in a one-goal game heading to the middle frame.
SECOND PERIOD
As the game continued along in the middle frame, the PBruins continued to have the edge in play - tying the game 2:42 into the second stanza after Jordan Szwarz sneakily picked the pocket of an unsuspecting Reece Willcox as the Phantoms' defender brought the puck out from behind his net to start a breakout.
The Phantoms re-gained the lead a little over two minutes later on a broken play turned goal when Carsen Twarynski's centering feed for Cole Bardreau skipped off the top of Bardreau's skate and in past Bruins goalie Dan Vladar. It was Bardreau's fourth of the season.
Still, the PBruins were out-shooting and out-chancing Lehigh Valley by a two to one margin in the opening half of the period - again tying things up after Ryan Fitzgerald avoided detection and set up shop atop the right-wing circle before getting a pass from Wiley Sherman for a quick - and uncontested - shot that beat Hart to the spot with 10:19 left before the second intermission.
Providence took their first lead of the game less than four minutes later as Cameron Hughes battled his way up ice with the puck, fending off Taylor Leier before getting it to the net and chopping one over Hart amidst a pileup of players atop the crease. Leier tried to swat at the loose puck with his glove, but accidentally deflected into Hart's net with 6:38 left before the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
Down by a goal heading to the third, the Phantoms managed just four shots in the entire third period in what turned into a frustrating 6-3 loss to Bruins.
Fyten, the former Phantoms forward, burned his former team again for his second tally of the night 2and things didn't get any better as frustration mounted and the home team was unable to get enough chances to get back into the game.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
0:38: LV - Carey (12) - unassisted 1:07: LV - Aube-Kubel (4) - Friedman 7:36: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (holding) 17:14: PRO - Fyten (2) - Senyshyn, Pond
2nd Period
2:42: PRO - Szwarz (3) - Fitzgerald 4:46: LV - Bardreau (4) - Twarynski, McDonald 9:41: PRO - Fitzgerald (5) - Sherman, Zboril 13:22: PRO - Hughes (7) - unassisted 14:50: PRO - (PP) Cehlarik, minor (high-sticking) 19:34: LV - (PP) Bardreau, minor (unsportsmanlike)
3rd Period
2:59: PRO - Fyten (3) - unassisted 7:14: PRO - Hughes (8) - Kuhlman 7:53: PRO - (PP) Fyten, minor (cross-checking) 7:53: PRO - Fyten, minor (roughing) 7:53: LV - Friedman, minor (roughing) 12:16: LV - (PP) Carey, minor (cross-checking) 14:35: LV - (PP) Carey, minor (high-sticking) 17:20: PRO - (PP) Pond, minor (hooking)
BOXSCORE
Providence 1 - 3 - 2 = 6 Lehigh Valley 2 - 1 - 0 = 3
Shots
Providence 13 - 13 - 12 = 38 Lehigh Valley 6 - 11 - 4 = 20
Goalies
LV: Carter Hart (32 saves - 38 shots) PRO: Dan Vladar (18 saves - 21 shots)
Power Play
PRO: 0-for-4 LV: 0-for-3
Penalty Kill
PRO: 3-for-3 LV: 4-for-4
Attendance: 7,619
