Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (2/20/22)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (17-19-9) ran into another first place team Sunday afternoon when they hosted Springfield (26-14-7), and the Thunderbirds showed why they are among the AHL's best in a close, yet convincing 3-1 win.

Sunday's game story: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-springfield-3-at-lehigh-valley-1-22022

Three Things

1. Tough Tests This Weekend

Back-to-back home games on consecutive nights in February didn't look daunting when the regular season schedules initially were unveiled prior to the 2021-22 season, but hosting Utica (30-9-5) and Springfield on the weekend meant facing the top team from each division in the Eastern Conference.

"Yeah, it's not gonna get any easier down stretch," Wilson told InsideAHLHockey.com after Sunday's game. "Those are two of the top teams in the league, and I feel like every team's gonna start playing harder, so we have to be ready to go find a way to get the two points."

While the Phantoms clawed their way to a point in Saturday night's shootout loss, Sunday's "close" game on the scoreboard - a 1-1 tie into the middle of the third period - never really felt that close in terms of the way the Thunderbirds possessed the puck for long stretches and forced the Phantoms into spending most of the night defending.

"We did defend a lot, but that's a pretty good team on the other side. They're on top of the division for reason," Laperriere said of Springfield.

"I thought we had a good stretch in last 10 minutes of the second period and we started the third right way, but we gave up that goal and found a way to lose the game today," he added, bluntly.

2. Laczynski Continues To Impress

The talk amongst the scouts in attendance at PPL Center this weekend was "is #10 the real deal?"

Obviously it's only his first two games back, but Tanner Laczynski looked good in all three zones Sunday after seemingly shaking off most of the rust in the first period of Saturday's game.

He tallied the lone goal Sunday, his first of the season, coming off of some pressure on the forecheck from Charlie Gerard - who ended up forcing a turnover with the puck darting out to Laczynski in the slot for a quick rip to the top shelf.

"I mean, anytime you score, it's a good feeling. But, you know, having that significant time off, and then coming back and scoring? It definitely, definitely felt good," Laczynski told InsideAHLHockey.com Sunday. "But at the end of the day, we still lost sohat doesn't sit well with me," he added.

The Phantoms haven't had a player of his ilk for much of the season. His ability to defend well while also being able to use his speed and power skating to take the puck to the net and create offense is fun to watch.

How long will he be with the Phantoms, though?

"He's going to be a big part of our team as long as he's here," Laperriere said of Laczynski and his continued role of playing big minutes in all situations while he's in the AHL. "I mean, I don't know how long he's gonna be here - he might be here the rest of the year, or a couple more games. Who knows? But for sure, he's going to be a big part of it."

3. Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre = Pre-"Playoff" Hockey?

The cliche used by coaches and players alike is often to take it day-by-day and not to look too far ahead.

While Wednesday's game in Wilkes-Barre is the next game on the schedule, the Phantoms are well aware of the fact that they're neck and neck with the Penguins for what is currently the final postseason spot in the Atlantic Division.

"It's in our minds for sure," Wilson said of knowing where they are in the standings and being on the outside looking in. "We know the teams we have to catch and when you're playing the those teams, you know they're four points swing so they're big. So yeah, we have to be ready to go Wednesday and have a have a good effort."

Entering the week, the Phantoms trail the Penguins by two points in the standings with one fewer game played. Both teams are scheduled to play 76 games this season.

Penguins: 46GP, 20-21-5, 45 pts (.489 PCT)Phantoms: 45GP, 17-19-9, 43 pts (.478 PCT)