GAMEDAY: Game 30 - Lehigh Valley (17-9-3) at W-B/Scranton (15-12-5)
WILKES-BARRE, PA -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-9-3) are back from their holiday break with a post-Christmas matchup in Wilkes-Barre against Atlantic Division rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (15-12-5).
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Alex Lyon is expected to get the start in net tonight for Lehigh Valley, with Branden Komm serving as his backup.
James de Haas took the warmup skate, but was the last scratch on defense.
Cole Bardreau (upper body) had surgery to clean up something minor, per head coach Kerry Huffman. Bardreau is NOT expected to be out long term. David Kase (undisclosed) remains out with injury as well, though the way Huffman made it sound he also isn't expected to be out much longer. Time will tell.
Scratches: James de Haas (healthy), Cole Bardreau (injured), Michael Huntebrinker (healthy) and David Kase (injured)
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Alex Krushelnyski - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Carsen Twarynski - Mikhail Vorobyev - Taylor Leier Tyrell Goulbourne - Steven Swavely - Colin McDonald
T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Philip Samuelsson - Phil Myers Zach Palmquist - Reece Willcox
Alex Lyon - Branden Komm
GAME STORY
FIRST PERIOD
The opening minutes seemed very much like a game between two teams returning from the holiday break.
A pair of penalties on the Phantoms in the opening half of the period allowed the Penguins to get on the attack, and although they were unable to capitalize on the power play they made it 1-0 anyway later in the period.
Adam Johnson got a step on a Phantoms' defender and came in on a mini-breakaway, opting for the power move to the net from the circle. Alex Lyon came up with a strong save, but Johnson was able to flutter the rebound back to the net - bouncing the puck off Lyon's left post and into the top of the crease where Ben Sexton was able to put home the rebound for his first goal of the season.
Lehigh Valley responded well, getting some scoring chances and extended pressure in the offensive zone, but a deflating goal against in the final seconds of the period put the Phantoms in a 2-0 hole heading into the first intermission.
It was Sexton, who went goalless in 23 games, firing a bad angle shot from the corner with under three seconds left. The puck had eyes, somehow eluding Lyon at the left post and sneaking through to light the lamp for Sexton's second of the night. Johnson picked up his second assist of the period, while Matthew Abt added a secondary apple on the play.
SECOND PERIOD
It was tough sledding for the Phantoms in the middle frame, no pun intended. They had trouble breaking the puck out of their own end due to an aggressive Penguins' forecheck. Even when they did, the offensive scoring chances were few and far between. The 2-0 deficit seemed insurmountable.
After the teams traded power play chances late in the period, a Penguins' line change gave the Phantoms an opportunity to transition to the attack - and they did just that.
Zach Palmquist got a puck up ice to his defense partner Reece Willcox, and the stay-at-home defenseman led a rush into the offensive zone. Willcox left one in the slot for Tyrell Goulbourne, who sniped one past Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry to make it a one-goal game with 2:02 left before the second intermission. It marked Goulbourne's fourth of the season, and his third in his last two games.
Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, a bad bounce in the final seconds of the period allowed the Penguins to restore their two-goal lead heading into the third.
Kevin Czuzcman appeared to be sending a puck down low, but a weird bounce saw it pop out in front for Teddy Blueger for an easy empty net tap in with goalie Alex Lyon anticipating the puck going behind the net. Lyon went behind the net to retrieve the puck, only to have it bounce from the corner into the slot. A tough break with 5.3 seconds left before the period ended halted the Phantoms' momentum.
THIRD PERIOD
The Phantoms didn't pack it in and call it a night after allowing another last-second goal to finish up the second period. Instead, they went to work and made it a one-goal game once again 2:38 into the final frame.
Carsen Twarynski got a puck back to Phil Myers at the right point, and Taylor Leier - from atop of Jarry's crease - got a piece of Myers' shot on its way past Jarry for Leier's seventh of the season.
The intensity picked up with every shift, much as you'd expect in the third period of a one-goal game.
Still, the Phantoms never quit. Their resiliency paid off in the final seven minutes of regulation, as they turned a 3-2 deficit into a big come-from-behind win on the road.
Phil Myers had lost his stick in the defensive zone, but as he was retrieving it a loose puck was heading his way. In one swift motion, Myers picked up his stick corralled the loose puck and fired a perfect stretch pass from the top of the circle in the defensive zone to the far blue line to spring Connor Bunnaman on a breakaway. After being stoned by Jarry in the second period on a chance in close, Bunnaman made the most of the breakaway - picking the corner on Jarry's glove side and tying the game at 3-3 with 6:37 left in regulation.
They weren't done there either.
The fourth line's strong play continued, and after being "absolutely robbed" on a chance out in front, Goulbourne got a second chance on it after captain Colin McDonald - from behind the Penguins' net - fed the puck back in front for Goulbourne's second of the night to give the Phantoms the go-ahead goal with 1:02 left.
Off the ensuing center-ice face-off, the game ended with yet another strange goal. Steven Swavely won a face-off back to Philip Samuelsson, who lobbed a puck on net from center ice that somehow bounced over Tristan Jarry's stick and into the net for a center-ice, game-sealing goal to complete the 5-3 Phantoms' win.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
5:19: LV - (PP) Myers, minor (tripping) 9:50: LV - (PP) Leier, minor (slashing) 14:45: WBS - Sexton (1) - Johnson, Erixon 19:57: WBS - Sexton (2) - Johnson, Erkamps
2nd Period
0:24: WBS - (PP) Erixon, minor (slashing) 2:13: LV - (PP) Vecchione, minor (holding) 15:04: WBS - (PP) Burton, minor (cross-checking) 17:58: LV - Goulbourne (4) - Willcox 19:54: WBS - Blueger (11) - Czuczman
3rd Period
2:38: LV - Leier (7) - Myers, Twarynski 13:23: LV - Bunnaman (7) - Myers, Aube-Kubel 18:58: LV - Goulbourne (5) - McDonald, Myers 19:05: LV - Samuelsson (3) - Swavely
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 0 - 1 - 4 = 5 W-B/Scranton 2 - 1 - 0 = 3
Shots
Lehigh Valley 9 - 9 - 14 = 32 W-B/Scranton 10 - 12 - 10 = 32
Goalies
WBS - Tristan Jarry (27 saves - 32 shots) LV - Alex Lyon (29 saves - 32 shots)
Power Play
LV: 0-for-2 WBS: 0-for-3
Penalty Kill
LV: 3-for-3 WBS: 2-for-2
Attendance: 5,349
