Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! 2019-20 Season: Charlotte - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 5 (OT)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (8-5-5) improved to 3-0-1 on the season in four games against the Charlotte Checkers (6-8-2) following a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime win Friday night at the PPL Center.

David Kase tallied two goals and added an assist on Mark Friedman's overtime winner, while the Phantoms also got goals 2:11 apart from Greg Carey and Cal O'Reilly to erase a 4-2 deficit in the third period to force the extra session. Tyler Wotherspoon tallied three assists on the night while appearing in his 400th professional game.

Tonight's Game Story -> http://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-2019-20-season-charlotte-at-lehigh-valley-112219

Three Things

1. Kase Stole The Show

David Kase played his best game of the season tonight, tallying two goals and an assist on the OT winner, helping the team round the corner on some recent offensive woes and playing a large factor in the outcome of the game.

"I felt pretty good the whole game, but we didn't have a good first period," Kase told InsideAHLHockey.com after the game. "We have to be more focused in the first periods, but everybody worked hard today Alex in the net was amazing. I'm happy we were able to win today."

Down 1-0 late in the first period in an opening frame largely dominated by Charlotte, Mark Friedman exited the penalty box and started a fast break opportunity the other way. Kase cut to the front of the net entering the zone, allowing Friedman and Mikhail Vorobyev space to execute a give-and-go before Friedman centered it in front for Kase to tap it in to tie the game up 1-1.

Trailing 2-1 in the second, Kase picked up a rebound of a Tyler Wotherspoon shot and quickly put the puck in at the side of the net just seconds before the net became dislodged. After a quick review, the call on the ice of a good goal was confirmed - Kase's second of the night.

Though he didn't complete the hat trick in the third, he was darn close on more than one occasion - notably with just over five minutes left in regulation on a net-front play where he was stopped by Checkers' goaltender Anton Forsberg and the goalie proceeded to grab a hold of Kase's stick to prevent him from getting at the loose puck in the crease.

"I thought he played a decent game Wednesday, but yeah that was his best game," head coach Scott Gordon said after the game. "It's been slow for him to start the year here. He's one of the guys that I thought tonight was the best I've seen him play in awhile."

In overtime, Cal O'Reilly fed Kase at the center point and his shot got past Forsberg and lay waiting in the crease for Mark Friedman to tap in the game-winner to give the Phantoms the 5-4 OT win.

2. Phantoms' Power Play Woes Continue

Through 18 games, the Phantoms have tallied seven power play goals on 68 attempts (10.3%) which is 29th out of 31 teams in terms of efficiency.

To make matters worse, if you take out the game they went a perfect 3-for-3 on the power play on October ()th against () that percentage would drop even lower to just four for 64 (6.25%).

You start to wonder how many of the team's one-goal games might have been avoidable, or even winnable, with some better luck on the man advantage. Still, the team is above .500 with Saturday night's game marking the end of the 1st quarter.

3. 'Steady Eddie' Plays 400th Pro Game

The word coming from anyone who talks about Tyler Wotherspoon's game with the Phantoms? Steady.

"For me, he's been a real welcomed addition," Gordon said, adding he wasn't overly familiar with Wotherspoon prior to this season. "He's been everything and more. He plays a real solid game, you know what you're going to get from him every game. I think he brings some real steadiness to our back end."

In his seventh pro season, and first with the Philadelphia Flyers organization after several years out west, Wotherspoon skated in his 400th career pro game Friday night and made the most of it - tallying three assists on the night and extending his points streak to three games (six assists).

"Yeah it's a pretty good accomplishment," Wotherspoon said of playing in his 400th pro game. "I've been around the league for a little bit here and it's nice to be able to experience it on this side of the country and it's great to be able to achieve with this group of guys."

Post-Game Reaction

Head coach Scott Gordon

On tonight's come-from-behind win

It was a huge win, being down almost the whole game - and down two in the third period. Great job by our guys. A lot of big efforts from some players that we probably haven't seen their best yet and they came through for us tonight.

On the overall process tonight

First period and probably the first 2-3 minutes of the second period, it was a struggle. We were just late on everything. We didn't forecheck effectively, we didn't defend well. Alex, quite honestly, it could have been 4-1. We score a goal late in the period and then we give up a goal late in the period. You don't have your best period and it's 1-1 and you should be able to get through the period and that was disappointing. I didn't like the first few shifts of the second period and then we started to pick up momentum I thought we did a lot better job of forechecking and not allowing them to make the clean plays throughout the first period.