Weekly Wrap-Up - Atlantic Division (Week 27)

Editor's Note: A weekly look around the AHL's Atlantic Division, complete with the latest news/notes and more!

Some notes...Phantoms clinched #1 seed and regular season title with victory over Providence. WBS clinched 16th straight playoff berth - longest active streak in the AHL. Providence is headed to the playoffs for the 6th straight year. Carolina is heading to the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year - this time as a member of the Atlantic Division.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Clinched Playoff Berth - 2 games remaining - Regular Season Atlantic Division Champs)

Record Last Week: 1-2-1

Having already clinched a playoff berth weeks ago, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms traveled to Charlotte Tuesday, but they were unable to play spoiler as the Checkers emerged with a 3-1 victory. Radel Fazleev scored a shorthanded goal late in the first period, but the Checkers recorded three unanswered, third period goals to win on home ice. Dustin Tokarski stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced in the loss. The Phantoms were 0-for-5 on the PP and 5-for-5 on the PK.

In Wednesday night’s rematch things went from bad to worse for the Phantoms in a 6-1 set-back in Charlotte. Colin McDonald provided the lone goal for the Phantoms late in the second period while his team was on the powerplay, but the damage had already been done to the tune of a three-goal first period for the Checkers. John Muse allowed six goals on 24 shots with some lesser known names playing defense in front of him due to injuries. Lehigh Valley was 1-for-5 on the PP and 3-for-5 on the PK.

The division leaders continued to get all of the losses out of their system ahead of the playoffs, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision Saturday night in Hartford. Mikhail Vorobyev put the Phantoms on the board late in the first period, but a pair of early-third period tallies had the Pack in front for a majority of the third period. With just 18 seconds remaining on the clock, Phil Varone connected on the powerplay to force overtime, but an unfortunate slashing minor to T.J. Brennan gave Hartford all the advantage they would need as they cashed in just 21 seconds into the powerplay. Dustin Tokarski suffered the loss in net with 27 saves on 30 shots. Both teams were 1-for-3 on the powerplay.

The Phantoms salvaged the week with an impressive 6-3 victory over the Bruins in Providence Sunday. In just his third AHL game, Carsen Twarynski recorded his first goal; netminder John Muse logged the secondary assist on the goal. Just over four minutes later, Greg Carey scored the first of two Lehigh Valley goals in the period. After the Bruins got on the board, T.J. Brennan logged the second PP goal. Colin McDonald rounded out the scoring for the period with a late tally. Despite the high scoring first period, Phil Varone accounted for the lone goal of the second, giving the Phantoms a four-goal cushion. In the third, the Bruins tried to rally with a pair of goals, but Cole Bardreau scored a short-handed, empty net goal with just a second left to round out the scoring. In addition to recording an assist, Muse logged 32 saves in the victory. Lehigh Valley was 2-for-6 on the PP and 4-for-5 on the PK. With the victory, the Phantoms clinched the regular season Atlantic Division Title.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Clinched Playoff Berth - 3 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 3-1-0

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hosted the Hershey Bears Tuesday and emerged with a 5-3 victory, the club’s seventh straight victory over Hershey this season. Teddy Blueger didn’t even need a minute to find the back of the net as he gave the Penguins the early lead just 53 seconds into the game. Hershey tied the game later in the period, but Garrett Wilson gave the Penguins the lead just two minutes later. In the second, Sam Lafferty scored his first AHL goal. Daniel Sprong added a powerplay tally early in the third, but the Bears got a pair of goals back late in the period. Jean-Sebastien Dea finished off the scoring with an empty-net, shorthanded goal in the waning seconds of the game. Tristan Jarry earned the victory between the pipes with 30 saves on 33 shots. The Penguins were 1-for-4 on the PP and 2-for-3 on the PK.

Things didn’t quite go as planned on Friday night though as the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers emerged with a 4-3 victory to stave off elimination. Tom Kostopoulos, who announced that he would retire after the season, recorded the game’s first goal. But Bridgeport would score a pair in the first and a goal in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Daniel Sprong got the Penguins to within a goal prior to the end of the second period. In the third, Teddy Blueger recorded a powerplay goal, but not before the Sound Tigers had put their fourth goal on the board. Tristan Jarry allowed four goals on 22 shots in the loss. The Penguins were 2-for-5 on the man advantage and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

The Penguins left nothing to chance Saturday, earning their playoff berth with an impressive 7-4 victory over the visiting Binghamton Devils. Jean-Sebastien Dea, Tom Sestito, Jarrett Burton, and Zach Trotman all found the back of the net in the first period for the Penguins. But in the second, Binghamton recorded a pair of goals to make it a two-goal contest heading into the second intermission. Daniel Sprong tallied his 30th of the year just 35 seconds into the final period while Christian Thomas scored a goal before and after a pair of Binghamton goals. Michael Leighton made 26 saves on 30 shots in the victory between the pipes. Both teams were 1-for-2 on the powerplay.

On Sunday, the Penguins got little resistance from the newly eliminated Sound Tigers as they scored four goals in the first period en route to a 5-2 victory in Bridgeport. Adam Johnson opened the game with a pair of goals that were followed up by goals from Christian Thomas and Patrick McGrath. In the second, Bridgeport finally got on the board. In the final frame, Gage Quinney recorded his 13th of the season before Bridgeport notched the final goal of the game. Anthony Peters logged 41 saves in the victory. The Penguins went 1-for-4 on the PP and 5-for-5 on the PK.

Providence Bruins (Clinched Playoff Berth - 3 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 2-1-0

Needing a victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to move one step closer to a playoff berth, the Providence Bruins travelled to Bridgeport Tuesday and where they fell 3-2 despite taking the game’s first lead in the second period. Adam Payerl scored just before the midway point of the second period, but Bridgeport tied it a few minutes later on the power play and then took the lead early in the third period. But Colton Hargrove tied the game at 2-2. Then, Bridgeport notched the eventual game-winner to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dan Vladar suffered the loss in net with 31 saves on 34 shots. Providence was 0-for-1 on the powerplay and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill.

On Friday, the Providence Bruins moved to within a breath of a playoff spot thanks to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Hartford Wolf Pack. The opening periods belonged to Providence with Anton Blidh and Jordan Szwarz each posted first period goals for the Bruins. In the second, Ryan Fitzgerald notched a pair of goals and Trent Frederic tacked on another to give the hosts a 5-0 lead heading into the final period. A pair of late-period goals from Hartford caused little alarm as Austin Czarnik found the back of the net just 18 seconds later. Hartford got their third puck past Zane McIntyre in the waning seconds of the game. McIntyre made 37 saves in the contest. Providence was 1-for-5 on the PP and 1-for-2 on the PK.

The Providence Bruins used three, unanswered goals through the second and third periods to punch their ticket to the post-season and eliminate the Sound Tigers with a 4-2 victory Saturday in Bridgeport. Rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon recorded his first AHL goal in his 48th game with Providence this season to open the scoring in the first period. After Bridgeport tied the game early in the second, Colton Hargrove put the Bruins back on top. Then veteran Paul Postma recorded his first of the season. In the third, Austin Czarnik connected on the powerplay before Bridgeport rounded out the scoring late in the period. Jordan Binnington earned the victory with a 23-save performance. Bridgeport was 2-for-6 on the man-advantage and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Charlotte Checkers (Clinched Playoff Berth - 2 game remaining)

Record Last Week: 4-0-0

The Checkers got one step closer to an Atlantic Division playoff berth with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms Tuesday. The Phantoms got on the board late in the first with a shorthanded tally, but the Checkers rallied in the third. Andrew Poturalski tied the game early in the final period. Marcus Kruger then got the eventual game-winner with 4:02 left to play, prompting the Phantoms to pull their goalie for the extra attacker, which led to Mike Ferrantino’s empty net tally. Jeremy Smith got the nod with Alex Nedeljkovic injured. Smith made 21 saves on 22 shots. Both teams were 0-for-5 on the powerplay.

On Wednesday night’s rematch, the Checkers nearly solidified their playoff berth with a 6-1 victory over the Phantoms in Charlotte. Nicolas Roy, Marcus Kruger, Sergey Tolchinsky all recorded goals in the opening period for the Checkers. In the second Andrew Poturalski and Julien Gauthier both scored before the Phantoms got on the board. Poturalski then notched his second of the game on the powerplay early in the third. Callum Booth went the distance between the pipes for Charlotte with 30 stops on 31 shots. The Checkers were 2-for-5 on the PP and 4-for-5 on the PK.

Janne Kuokkanen scored a hattrick Saturday night and added a pair of assists as the Checkers routed the visiting Hershey Bears 7-3 to secure an Atlantic Division Playoff berth. Julien Gauthier, Aleksi Saarela, Marcus Kruger, and Greg McKegg also scored for the Checkers. Jeremy Smith was called on just 17 times, recording 14 saves in the victory. Charlotte was 3-for-5 on the man-advantage and 6-for-8 on the penalty kill.

On Sunday, things weren’t quite as easy for the Checkers, but they still earned a 3-1 victory over the very undisciplined Hershey Bears. Brenden Kichton opened the scoring in the second period for Charlotte. Janne Kuokkanen, who turned in a terrific performance a night ago, scored the eventual game-winner just past the midway point of the period. Josiah Didier tacked on an insurance goal before the period ended. Callum Booth’s shutout bid came to a halt in the third period, but he still earned the victory with a 23-save performance. Charlotte was 0-for-7 on the PP and 4-for-4 on the PK.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Eliminated - 3 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 2-2-0

The power play came up big for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Tuesday as they defeated the visiting Providence Bruins 3-2 to keep their playoff hopes alive. After Providence took the lead near the midway point of the second period, Casey Bailey scored on the powerplay to tie the game. Early in the third period, the Sound Tigers got their first lead of the game thanks to a goal from Kellen Jones, but the Bruins knotted the game again at 2-2 before Travis St. Denis connected on the man-advantage to give Bridgeport the lead for good. Eamon McAdam earned the victory between the pipes with a 23-save performance. On the PP, Bridgeport was 2-for-5. They were 1-for-1 on the PK.

Bridgeport kept hope alive with a 4-3 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday. Mitchell Vande Sompel recorded a pair of goals, while Josh Ho-Sang and Ryan Bourque each had a pair of assists in the victory for the Sound Tigers. Ben Holmstrom’s third period tally served as the game winner. Steve Bernier also scored for Bridgeport. Christopher Gibson earned the victory with a 25-save performance. The Sound Tigers were 1-for-4 on the man-advantage. They went 3-for-5 on the penalty kill.

For the second straight year, Bridgeport’s hopes of a playoff berth were dashed in the final weeks of the season after a 4-2 loss to the visiting Providence Bruins on Saturday. Ryan Hitchcock tied the game early in the second period, but the Bruins recorded three, unanswered goals before Jeff Kubiak recorded his first AHL goal, shorthanded, with 26 seconds left in the game. Christopher Gibson suffered the loss, allowing four goals on 23 shots. Bridgeport was 1-for-4 on the PP and 4-for-6 on the PK.

A day after being eliminated from the Atlantic Division playoffs, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers fell 5-2 at home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. John Stevens got the Sound Tigers on the board in the second period, but the damage had already been done as the Penguins logged four goals in the first. The Penguins notched another goal in the third period before the Sound Tigers recorded the game’s final goal with Steve Bernier notching his 20th of the season and Tyler Mueller, who logged his first AHL point, assisting. Eamon McAdam got the start, but was lifted after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Kristers Gudlevskis stopped 12 of 13 shots in relief. The Sound Tigers were 0-for-5 on the man-advantage and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Hartford Wolf Pack (Eliminated - 2 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 1-2-0

On Friday night, the Pack traveled to Providence where they were handled by the Bruins, 6-3. Providence jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first two periods, but Chad Bigras and Ryan Gropp each scored late in the final period to stop Providence’s unanswered scoring frenzy. Ryan Lindgren would finish out the scoring for the game after yet another Providence goal. Alexandar Georgiev played just over half of the game, having been lifted after allowing five goals on 25 shots. Marek Mazanec made 13 stops on 14 shots the remainder of the way. Hartword was 1-for-2 on the PP and 4-for-5 on the PK.

The Wolf Pack hosted Lehigh Valley Saturday night and needed overtime to emerge with a 3-2 victory over the Atlantic Division leaders. After the Phantoms got on the board in the first period, Hartford tied the game and took the lead in a span of 129 seconds in the third period. Dan DeSalvo tied the game just over a minute into the final period. Then Cristoval Nieves put the Pack on top 59 seconds later, but a late Lehigh Valley goal would force overtime where Vinni Lettieri needed just 51 seconds to end things. Marek Mazanec made 20 saves on just 22 shots. Both teams were 1-for-3 on the man-advantage.

On Sunday, the Wolf Pack failed to make it two-in-a-row, dropping a 2-0 decision at home to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Alexandar Georgiev played a stellar game in net for the Pack, recording 46 saves in the loss. The Pack went 0-for-2 on the PP, but they were 5-for-5 on the PK.

Springfield Thunderbirds (Eliminated - 3 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 3-0-0

Determined to get out of the Atlantic Division basement prior to the end of the season, the Springfield Thunderbirds travelled to Belleville where they earned a 2-1 victory over the Senators. Curtis Valk and Tim Erixon both recorded powerplay goals for Springfield in the first and third periods respectively. But Belleville made things interesting with a tally just ten seconds after Erixon’s late in the third period. Harri Sateri made 33 saves on 34 shots. The Thunderbirds were 2-for-5 on the PP and 7-for-7 on the PK.

The Thunderbirds traveled to Laval Friday where they earned a 5-1 victory over the Rocket. Alexandre Grenier posted two goals and an assist on the evening, but perhaps the highlight of the night for Springfield was rookie Owen Tippett’s first AHL goal in his first game - the winger has seven NHL games under his belt already, posting a goal for the Florida Panthers. Mark Fayne and Bobby Farnham also scored for Springfield. Harri Sateri nearly had a shutout, with 23 saves on 24 shots. The Thunderbirds were 0-for-2 on the powerplay and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.

The Thunderbirds swept the week with a 2-0 victory over the Wolf Pack in Hartford Sunday. Joel Lowry and Anthony Greco scored within a 16-second span near the midway point of the second period, providing the only scoring in the game. Harri Sateri logged 26 saves in his fourth shutout of the season. The only thing that didn’t go Springfield’s way was their inability to score on five powerplay attempts. They killed off both of Hartford’s chances.

Hershey Bears (Eliminated - 2 games remaining)

Record Last Week: 0-3-0

On Tuesday night, the Hershey Bears travelled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where they fell 5-3 for their seventh straight loss to the Penguins this season. The Penguins got on the board just 53 seconds into the contest, but Connor Hobbs tied the game later in the period. The Penguins then scored three, unanswered goals, one in each period to regain lead. But the Bears battled back with goals from Anthony Peluso and Mathias Bau, but they were unable to get the equalizer despite a powerplay opportunity late in the game with Vitek Vanecek on the bench for an additional attacker. Pheonix Copley started the night in net, but was replaced by Vanecek after allowing three goals on 15 shots. Vanecek allowed one on 14 shots. Hershey was 1-for-3 on the PP and 3-for-4 on the PK.

The Bears travelled to Charlotte for a pair of games, falling 7-3 Saturday to the Checkers. Chris Bourque scored a pair of goals in the first period to pass Mitch Lamoureux for 7th place in franchise goal scoring. Zach Sill also recorded a goal, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a hat-trick performance from Charlotte’s Janne Kuokkanen. Vitek Vanecek allowed seven goals on 29 shots in the loss. Hershey was 2-for-8 on the powerplay and 2-for-5 on the PK.

In the rematch on Sunday afternoon, the Checkers once again got the better of the Bears with a 3-1 victory in Charlotte. Chris Bourque got Hershey’s lone goal of the game in the third period, but by that time, the Checkers already had three goals on the board, all of which came in the second period. Pheonix Copley made 29 saves on 32 shots. Defenseman Tyler Lewington should miss this coming Saturday’s home contest with his 11th fight of the season; he already served a league-mandated suspension after the tenth. Hershey was 0-for-4 on the PP and shut down all of Charlotte’s astonishing seven chances on the man-advantage.

Atlantic Division Standings as of April 9, 2018

y - Lehigh Valley: 74 GP, 45-19-5-5, 100 points, .676 pct x - W-B/Scranton: 73 GP, 43-22-6-2, 94 points, .644 pct x - Providence: 73 GP, 43-25-3-2, 91 points, .623 pct x - Charlotte: 74 GP, 44-26-1-3, 92 points, .622 Bridgeport: 73 GP, 36-29-5-3, 80 points, .548 pct Hartford: 74 GP, 32-33-6-3, 73 points, .493 pct Springfield: 73 GP, 32-34-5-2, 71 points, .486 pct Hershey: 74 GP, 29-36-4-5, 67 points, .453 pct

Remaining Atlantic Division Schedule:

Friday, April 13

Charlotte at Providence - 7:05 PM Bridgeport at Lehigh Valley - 7:05 PM Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Springfield - 7:05 PM Binghamton at Hartford - 7:15 PM

Saturday, April 14

Bridgeport at Hershey - 7:00 PM Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Lehigh Valley - 7:05 PM Providence at Springfield - 7:05 PM Hartford at Binghamton - 7:05 PM

Sunday, April 15

Springfield at Providence - 3:05 PM Charlotte at Bridgeport - 5:00 PM Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Hershey - 5:00 PM