Phantoms Post-Game EXTRA! (3/18/22)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (21-25-10) began the weekend with a strong effort against the top team in the Atlantic Division, defeating the Springfield Thunderbirds (32-18-7) in regulation by a 3-1 count Friday night.

Friday's Game Story -> https://insideahlhockey.com/article/game-story-lehigh-valley-3-at-springfield-1-31822

Three Things

1. 60-Minute Effort

In a game where they really needed it, the Phantoms came through with a pretty solid 60-minute game from start to finish.

Despite trailing 1-0 after the opening period, head coach Ian Laperriere and the team were pretty pleased with the way they were controlling play and spending large portions of the opening 20 minutes in the offensive zone on the attack.

"I know we were down [after the 1st period] - we made a bone-headed play, if you will, - but the guys were playing hard and playing the right way," Laperriere told InsideAHLHockey.com after the game. "And like I said all year, when we do that we have a better chance to win the game and we get rewarded tonight."

The goals for the Phantoms came in the middle frame, with Adam Johnson leading it off and tying the game on his first as a member of the Phantoms - electing to shoot on a 2-on-1 and sniping Thunderbirds goalie Joel Hofer to the short side top corner (blocker side).

"Yeah, yeah, it felt good. It's been a while I'm happy I could finally get one to go in," Johnson said of his goal to kick-start the Phantoms' offense in the middle frame. "I knew it was a two on one. We've been trying to get more shots. And I figured I got to try to get him to go in. So I just figured I'd put one high short side and I was lucky enough to find a hole."

Later in the period, Egor Zamula made a great step-up play just inside the Phantoms' defensive zone blue line to pick off a pass and send his teammates the other way on a 2-on-1. He joined the rush and, after an initial pass was blocked down, received the puck from Matt Strome and flung one past Hofer from atop the left-wing circle.

Tanner Laczynski, who had two of the Phantoms' best chances in the opening period, gave Lehigh Valley an insurance marker late in the middle frame after winning an offensive zone faceoff to Garrett Wilson. Wilson got it to the center point for Adam Clendening, and Laczynski went to the net - re-directing Clendening's point shot past Hofer.

2. Felix Sandstrom Strong In Win

Felix Sandstrom allowed the game's opening goal on the first shot he faced Friday night, but from there stopped the next 32 he faced to help preserve the regulation win for Lehigh Valley - including an impressive stretch in the final 5:26 of play with his team hemmed in their own zone on a 6-on-4 and subsequent 6-on-5.

In fact, Sandstrom stood on his head while his Phantoms' teammates were stuck on the ice for a three-minute plus shift in the waning moments of the game.

"Yeah, he played great," Laperriere said of Sandstrom's play in net. "He made a couple big saves, and we needed that - key saves at the right time and, you know, we gave them what, six power plays? You need your goalie to come up big, and he did that."

3. Scoreboard Watching

While the Phantoms are on the outside looking in on the Atlantic Division playoff race, their focus needs to be in the right place - and that's focusing on the task at hand versus scoreboard watching and hoping other teams will help them get back within contention for the sixth and final postseason spot in the division.

"I'll worry about the standings at the end - I tell my team just worry about tomorrow," Laperriere said of taking the cliche one game at a time approach down the stretch. "You have to worry about what you need to do to prepare yourself for the next game."

Friday's Phantoms win, combined with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's regulation loss to Syracuse, moves the Phantoms within six points of the Penguins for what is currently the final playoff spot. The Phantoms also have a game in-hand on the Penguins, with three head-to-head meetings still on their schedule - including the regular season finale on April 30.

Lehigh Valley is still in last place in the Atlantic Division, four points behind seventh place Bridgeport. The Phantoms also have three head-to-head matchups with the Islanders coming up down the stretch as well.

We're chasing two teams right now, but at the end of the day, we'll play those teams down the road," Laperriere said. "We just need to win our games and give ourselves the best chance to get back in the race."