Phantoms/Marlies 2018 AHL Eastern Conference Finals Series Preview
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The Phantoms faced a tougher opponent in the second round, but surprisingly made quick work of the Charlotte Checkers in five games including Game 4's epic five overtime marathon - the longest game in AHL history. They'll face their toughest test yet in the Toronto Marlies - the most complete team from top to bottom in the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 2017-18 regular season.
The Marlies and Phantoms faced each other just twice in the regular season, with Lehigh Valley going 0-1-1 in the regular season series, but these two teams are vastly different than the last time the two teams faced off on January 5th some four and a half months ago.
Forwards
Lehigh Valley
Back from his three-game suspension - his third in the last two months - Nicolas Aube-Kubel will return to game action for the first time since Game 2 of the Charlotte series.
Regular season AHL MVP Phil Varone aims to return in this series, having skated with the team at practice this week in a no-contact yellow jersey on Wednesday. Varone missed the entire second round series with Charlotte, leaving Game 3 of the Phantoms' first round series with Providence with an upper body injury.
Lehigh Valley has been able to roll four lines all postseason long, and will look to continue to against Toronto.
Projected Game 1 Lineup:
Oskar Lindblom - Corban Knight - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Greg Carey - Mike Vecchione - Chris Conner Danick Martel - Mikhail Vorobyev - Tyrell Goulbourne Alex Krushelnyski - Cole Bardreau - Colin McDonald
Toronto
The Skinny: The Marlies are well-balanced up front with two lines that potent offensively and two lines that play a fast and hard 200-foot game. Veterans Chris Mueller (2014 Calder Cup Champion) and Colin Greening (2011 Calder Cup Champion) have plenty of experience, and some of Toronto's prospects are playing well also i.e. Andreas Johnsson, Dmytro Timashov, Pierre Engvall. The list goes on - their forwards are playing well individually and as a unit.
Projected Game 1 Lineup:
Andreas Johnsson - Miro Aaltonen - Carl Grundstrom Dmytro Timashov - Chris Mueller - Ben Smith Pierre Engvall - Frederik Gauthier - Colin Greening Mason Marchment - Adam Brooks - Trevor Moore
Edge: Toronto I think Phil Varone is the wild card at the forward position. When he returns to the lineup for Lehigh Valley and what kind of impact he'll be able to make playing at likely less than 100 percent will tip the scales in the Phantoms favor. Entering the series, Marlies have the edge though.
Defensemen
Lehigh Valley
The big news on the blue line heading into Game One Saturday afternoon, Travis Sanheim skated in full with the team at practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and will return to the Phantoms' lineup alongside Phil Myers as that pairing will need to continue to dominate like they did against Charlotte in Game One last round prior to Sanheim's unfortunate lower body injury.
Sam Morin's miserable, injury-plagued season is over as news broke that he'll be having season-ending knee surgery. His timetable for a return to the ice hasn't been confirmed as the team hasn't released anything just yet.
Phil Myers has upped his game since returning from a lower body injury at the tail end of the regular season.
Projected Game 1 Lineup:
Travis Sanheim - Phil Myers T.J. Brennan - Mark Friedman Reece Willcox - Max Lamarche
Toronto
The Skinny: Similar to the breakdown of their forward unit, the Marlies possess a well-rounded blue line core as well with a good mix of solid veterans and promising prospects. Travis Dermott is certainly one to watch. His defense partner, Vincent LoVerde, won a Calder Cup with the Manchester Monarchs in 2015 in their final AHL season before the Los Angeles Kings relocated their franchise to Ontario Reign in Ontario, California.
Projected Game 1 Lineup:
Martin Marincin - Justin Holl Travis Dermott - Vincent LoVerde Calle Rosen - Timothy Liljegren
Edge: Even These two groups of blue liners can move the puck, and have future NHL stars among them scattered throughout both teams. It will be a real treat to watch these defensemen transition from defense to offense and vice versa.
Goalies
Lehigh Valley
Projected Game 1 Starter: Alex Lyon, 6-1-0, 1.49 GAA, .959 SV%, 0 SO
Toronto
Projected Game 1 Starter: Garret Sparks, 6-2-0, 2.22 GAA, .920 SV%, 1 SO
Edge: Phantoms As good as Sparks has been for Toronto, Lyon is the hot goalie the Phantoms rode into town with this weekend.
Key Matchups and Storylines
Lengthy Layoffs
The Toronto Marlies haven't played since their Game 4 sweep of the Syracuse Crunch on May 8th. Phantoms forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel hasn't played since May 5th due to a three-game suspension. Phantoms' defenseman Travis Sanheim, who was injured in Lehigh Valley's Game 1 win against Charlotte in the previous round, hasn't played since May 4th. Phil Varone is near a return and has been out of action since April 27th.
How the ten days off affects Toronto early on in the series, and how quickly the Phantoms can get some important players back on the ice and have them up to speed will go a long way in deciding this series.
Coaching Duel
The best two teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) also feature two of the top bench bosses in Toronto's Sheldon Keefe and Lehigh Valley's Scott Gordon.
Keefe has been a staple of the Marlies' success in recent years, and is certainly a guy that could be in the market for an NHL coaching position of some kind in the near future.
Gordon was also thought to be an option to return to the NHL level as a coach where he has been prior to taking the Phantoms' head coach position in advance of the 2015-16 season, but he signed a three-year extension with the Phantoms earlier this spring.
Prediction Time
The top two teams in the regular season? A trip to the Calder Cup Finals on the line? The Marlies seem to be annual contenders in the AHL, and the Phantoms are beginning to build a winning culture with a re-stocked farm system eager to prove themselves. I thought the Phantoms/Checkers series was going the distance, but I'm more confident in these two teams battling it out in what will become an instant classic. Prediction: Phantoms in seven games.
