The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (0-5) remain winless Wednesday night after losing to the Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Felix Sandstrom started at goal for the Phantoms. The scratches for the game were Cooper Zech, Mason Millman, Linus Sandin, Samu Tuomaala, Ryan MacKinnon, and Hayden Hodgson.
The Phantoms’ play improved in some areas in this game. They kept the puck moving, took shots on goal, and aggressively covered their man. They stood toe to toe with the Penguins, and rather than passing the puck in circles; they took shots when the opportunity presented itself.
However, they shot themselves in the foot, committing five penalties. The Penguin’s two goals came off of power plays in the first and third periods. The Phantoms were also dealing with a new officiating crew, who at times made some questionable calls.
The Penguins drew first blood at 6:04 in the first period when Jonathan Gruden (1) found a wide-open Niclas Akmari (1). Akmari’s shot was tipped in by Jamie Devane (1) for a 1-0 lead.
At 7:51 in the first period, the Phantoms went on the power play after Penguins left-winger Filip Hallander was called for delay of game. The Phantoms capitalized on the power play at 8:23 when Garrett Wilson’s (1) pass went to Morgan Frost (1) before Gerry Mayhew (1) finished the play with an open slot in front of him for the goal that tied the game 1-1.
The Phantoms needed that, especially when they are ranked 29th in power-play opportunities (7.4%).
The Phantoms took a 2-1 lead at 13:27 in the first period after Maksim Sushko sent the puck to Isaac Ratcliffe to create a two-on-one play with Adam Clendening with him. Ratcliffe passed the puck to Clendening for the goal.
However, a tripping call against Phantoms right-winger Tyson Foerster put the Penguins on the power play. They tied the game 2-2 with 1:15 left when Pierre-Oliver Joseph (1) found Michael Chaput (1) before shooting the puck over Felix Sandstrom’s shoulder for the goal.
Then, the Penguins took the lead with three seconds left when Valtteri Puustinen (2) was checked by Adam Clendening before Radim Zohorna’s (1) shot went over the shoulder of Felix Sandstrom for the goal and a 3-2 lead. The shots were 13-8 Penguins.
In the second period, the Penguins went on the power play after Adam Clendening headed to the box for tripping. The Penguins took a 4-2 lead when Valtteri Puustinen (3) found Radim Zohorna (2) before scoring his second goal of the game.
During the second period, the Phantoms took shots but couldn’t find a way to get back into this game. The shots were 8-7 Phantoms.
In the third period, within a minute from each other, the Phantoms committed two penalties, giving the Penguins a six-on-four advantage. In five games, the Phantoms have 77 minutes in penalties. Luckily, the Phantoms’ power-play unit killed both penalties. They are 83.3% in killing power plays.
With a little over two minutes left, the Phantoms pulled Felix Sandstrom. However, after Gerry Mayhew was called for tripping, Sandstrom went back to the net. The Penguins won 4-2, and the shots were 6-5 Phantoms.
The Phantoms had a problem controlling the puck. Either they were thinking ahead of their next move or couldn’t handle the puck, giving the Penguins more chances to blow the game open. Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie Felix Sandstrom made 21 of 25 saves, and the shots were 25-22 Penguins.
The Phantoms continue their road trip on Friday at the Adirondack Bank Center against the Utica Comets at 7 pm.
