GAMEDAY: Game 40 - Lehigh Valley (21-15-3) at Hartford (18-17-4) 7:15 p.m. ET
A New Interactive Feature To Follow All The Action Of Lehigh Valley Phantoms' Games!
Editor's Note: All of our post-game extra stories covering Lehigh Valley Phantoms road games (exclusive coverage you cannot find elsewhere!) is restricted those subscribing readers of Inside AHL Hockey. To sign up for extra access to all the latest on the Phantoms, subscribe for $3/month on Patreon or show your support of dedicated original journalism with a full-year subscription via Paypal here.
HARTFORD, CT -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (21-15-3), with a few new faces and a familiar one returning on a conditioning stint, kick off a two-game weekend Friday night at the XL Center against the Hartford WolfPack (18-17-4) at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Roster Notes
Anthony Stolarz will get the start in net for Lehigh Valley Friday against Hartford, reassigned from Philadelphia on a conditioning stint upon his return from injury. Alex Lyon serves as Stolarz's backup, while - for the time being - Branden Komm has been loaned to ECHL Reading.
Defenseman Frank Hora was recalled from Reading, but sat as a healthy scratch as the team's seventh defenseman. T.J. Brennan remains out of the lineup due to illness, missing his second straight game.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres swapped AHL forwards who both are pending restricted free agents after the season. Taylor Leier has been shipped out for Justin Bailey, and Bailey will make his Phantoms' debut tonight in Hartford.
Phantoms' Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Greg Carey - Connor Bunnaman - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Justin Bailey - Mikhail Vorobyev - Colin McDonaldCarsen Twarynski - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Tyrell Goulbourne - Steven Swavely - Mike Huntebrinker
Philip Samuelsson - Phil MyersZach Palmquist - Reece Willcox James de Haas - Mark Friedman
Anthony Stolarz - Alex Lyon
Scratches: Frank Hora (healthy), Cole Bardreau (injured - out long term), German Rubtsov (shoulder surgery - out for season), Alex Krushelnyski (healthy), David Kase (injured) and T.J. Brennan (illness)
Hartford WolfPack Roster Notes
WolfPack Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)
Matt Beleskey - Peter Holland - Ville Meskanen Tim Gettinger - Lias Andersson - Bobby ButlerConnor Brickley - Gabriel Fontaine - Vinni Lettieri Dawson Leedahl - Terrence Wallin - Ryan Gropp
Rob O'Gara - Chris Bigras Libor Hajek - John GilmourSean Day - Brandon Crawley.
Dustin Tokarski - Alexandar Georgiev
GAME STORY
1st Period
A fast start by Hartford on their opening two shifts saw them put four quick shots on Anthony Stolarz, making his first appearance since December 15th in the NHL with the Philadelphia. Stolarz stood in and made four quick saves, looking sharp in the early going.
Making his Phantoms' debut tonight, Justin Bailey made an instant impact. It won't show up on the score sheet, but his hustle to back-check and break up a Hartford rush in the Phantoms' zone - and his eventual win of a board battle - sprung Colin McDonald up ice on an odd-man rush that would lead to the opening goal of the hockey game.
McDonald got it to Mikhail Vorobyev, who came down the left wing and opened up the middle for a late-breaking Mark Friedman to join the rush. Vorobyev pulled up, fed an open Friedman in the high-slot for a shot that beat Tokarski blocker side 6:40 into the contest to put Lehigh Valley ahead 1-0. It marked Friedman's fourth of the season, and his third point (two goals, one assist) in his last five games plus one period.
Hartford responded shortly thereafter, tying the game at 1-0 less than two minutes later when John Gilmour's pass from the center point down low to the right-wing faceoff dot resulted in a quick one-timer by Vinni Lettieri that beat Stolarz to the spot at 8:31.
The back-and-forth continued later in the period after a pair of Hartford penalties 26 seconds apart gave Lehigh Valley an extended five-on-three power play.
The Phantoms cashed in, with Chris Conner going behind the net and doing his patented pass across the grain to Connor Bunnaman for a quick shot to the short side that caught ex-Phantoms goalie Dustin Tokarski leaning the other way. Bunnaman's 11th of the season was also his third straight game with a goal.
Again, Hartford responded to tie the game back up.
This time, it was Peter Holland extending his points streak to eight games (nine goals, seven assists) with a goal that was an intended pass across the top of the crease on a late developing 2-on-1 down low. The pass across banked in past Stolarz off the Phantoms' defender in front to even the game at 2-2 with 2:36 left before the first intermission, sending the two teams to the middle frame in a 2-2 deadlock.
SECOND PERIOD
The back-and-forth game continued in the middle frame, but not before a strong start to the period for Hartford allowed them to take their first lead of the night. After the Phantoms let an early-period power play go by the wayside, the WolfPack made the most of their first power play opportunity of the contest.
John Gilmour, who set up Lettieri in the first, got a puck to Lias Andersson at the top of the left-wing circle. Andersson's high-rising shot was tipped past the glove of Stolarz by none other than Holland - his 16th of the season and second of the contest - to give Hartford the 3-2 lead with 13:05 left in the 2nd period.
Then, Stolarz came up with a big and possibly game-changing save - stopping Connor Brickley on a clean breakaway to keep his team within a goal shortly after Holland's goal put the Phantoms in the 3-2 hole.
Not long after, back-to-back penalties - the second of which was drawn by Justin Bailey in front of the WolfPack net - allowed Lehigh Valley to tie the game back up, this time at 3-3.
Phil Myers, from the center point, got a puck back to Greg Carey atop the right-wing circle for a hard blast that beat Tokarski clean just after the midway mark of regulation. Conner picked up his second assist of the night on Carey's team-leading 18th of the season.
Then, off the ensuing face-off, Justin Bailey burned down the left wing before centering one for captain Colin McDonald. McDonald got a stick on the centering feed, and it trickled just past the red line to give the Phantoms a 4-3 on two goals scored just nine seconds apart.
Still, Hartford didn't get rattled. In fact, after being stoned on his breakaway attempt earlier in the period, perhaps some poetic justice for Brickley as he took a feed from Holland after he got behind the Phantoms' defense and slid a backhander under Stolarz's pads to tie the game back up at 4-4 with 27.9 seconds left before the second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
Some early Hartford pressure to start the period had Lehigh Valley hemmed in their own zone for a bit, and some fortunate Lehigh Valley bounces kept the game tied at 4-4 in the early stages of the final frame.
First, Matt Beleskey had a rebound attempt with an empty side of the net staring him down but the puck hopped over his stick and went into the corner. Moments later, a point shot beat Stolarz but hit off the crossbar and stayed out of the net. The goal horn sounded, but the referee in position waved it off immediately and play continued. The play wasn't reviewed at the next stoppage.
Hartford's relentless pressure in the offensive zone eventually allowed them a go-ahead goal 6:37 into the period as John Gilmour got a rebound in the middle and beat Stolarz to make it a 5-4 Hartford lead. Bobby Butler had the initial shot, and defenseman Libor Hajek picked up a secondary assist on the play.
In fact, Hartford dominated the opening half of the period and held a definitive 14-3 edge in shots in the third up to the final media timeout of the night with 5:46 left in regulation.
But, like Lehigh Valley tends to - never count them down and out no matter the circumstance. Especially in a one-goal hockey game.
Bailey's impressive Phantoms debut continued with five minutes left in regulation, as he teetered on the offensive blue line and kept a puck in before floating one on net that tied up the hockey game at 5-5. The puck looked to be deflected by Vorobyev, but Bailey was given credit for his 10th of the season with exactly 5:00 left in regulation.
With less than a minute to go, Mike Vecchione went for a stick lift on WolfPack defender Rob O'Gara - forcing a turnover and looked to be leading a 2-on-1 into the offensive zone. Instead, Vecchione's stick also caught O'Gara and the Phantoms' forward was whistled for a double minor for high-sticking with 41.7 seconds left.
The Phantoms got it to OT and got one point, but with three plus minutes of power play time to start overtime Hartford won the game in the opening minute of the extra session.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
6:40: LV - Friedman (4) - Vorobyev, McDonald 8:31: HFD - Lettieri (9) - Gilmour, Fontaine 12:04: HFD - (PP) Tokarski, minor (tripping - served by Butler) 12:30: HFD - (PP) Holland, minor (slashing) 12:57: LV - PPG Bunnaman (11) - Conner 17:34: HFD - Holland (16) - Brickley, O'Gara
2nd Period
3:27: HFD - (PP) Beleskey, minor (tripping) 5:26: LV - (PP) Bailey, minor (elbowing) 6:55: HFD - Holland (17) - Andersson, Gilmour 8:09: HFD - (PP) Crawley, minor (cross-checking) 10:12: HFD - (PP) Bigras, minor (high-sticking) 10:26: LV - PPG Carey (18) - Myers, Conner 10:35: LV - McDonald (4) - Bailey, Vorobyev 19:32: HFD - Brickley (8) - Holland, Gilmour
3rd Period
6:37: HFD - Gilmour (11) - Butler, Hajek 15:00: LV - Bailey (10) - McDonald, Willcox 19:18: LV - (PP) Vecchione, double-minor (high-sticking)
Overtime
0:31: HFD - PPG Lettieri (10) - Holland, Gilmour
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 2 - 2 - 1 - 0 = 5 Hartford 2 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 6
Shots
Lehigh Valley 9 - 13 - 6 - 0 = 28 Hartford 10 - 16 - 16 -1 = 43
Goalies
LV: Anthony Stolarz (37 saves - 43 shots) HFD: Dustin Tokarski (23 saves - 28 shots)
Power Play
LV: 2-for-5 HFD: 2-for-2
Penalty Kill
LV: 0-for-2 HFD: 3-for-5
Attendance: 4,595
