After a hard-fought win, Friday night, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (24-27-7-4) had another huge test at the PPL Center Saturday night against the first place Utica Comets (39-16-6-1).
This was the fourth meeting between these two teams, with Utica leading the season series 2-1. Meanwhile, the Phantoms trail the Penguins by nine points for the last playoff spot with 15 games remaining in the season.
There was only one change to the lineup as Maksim Sushko was in for Ryan Fitzgerald. Felix Sandstrom (13-16-3, 3.07 GAA, .897 SV %) started in goal with Pat Nagle as the backup. Mareks Mitens (7-5-2, 3.15 GAA, .896 SV%) started in goal for the Comets.
The scratches for the game were Adam Karashik, Garrett McFadden, Linus Hogberg, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jackson Cates, Linus Sandin, Sam Ersson, Darion Hanson, Will Riedell, Alex Kile, and Kirill Ustimenko.
In the first period, Lehigh Valley defenseman Egor Zamula took a vicious hit from Comets forward Samuel Laberge and limped off the ice. From there, he was helped to the locker room. Meanwhile, the Phantoms were outmatched and outplayed in the first period. The Comets went on the power-play after Matt Strome was called for elbowing with 9:40 left.
With 7:54 left, the Comets rushed towards the Phantoms’ zone. Tyce Thompson (5), from the left side, took a shot, hitting the high chest of Felix Sandstrom. However, Brian Halonen (1) was right there for the rebound and made a backhand shot past Sandstrom’s right side into the net for a power-play goal 1-0. Alexander Holtz (22) earned the secondary assist.
With 4:53 left, Egor Zamula returned to the game after the vicious hit. The Phantoms did get a late push but could not score. The Comets led 1-0 after one period and led the shots 17-4.
Fourteen seconds into the second period, Matt Strome was pushed into Comets’ goalie Mareks Mitens by Kevin Bahl. Bahl was called for holding, which put the Phantoms on the power play. However, Cal O’Reilly got caught with a hook during the power-play, ending the Phantoms power play that lasted a minute and thirty-eight seconds.
With 18:15 left, the Comets were in the Phantoms’ zone. Robbie Russo (28) passed the puck to Tyce Thompson (6). From the inside of the left circle in Lehigh Valley’s zone, Thompson fired a one-timer over the right shoulder of Sandstrom and into the net for a 2-0 lead. Brian Flynn (10) earned the secondary assist.
Despite Utica dominating the game, the Phantoms were still hanging around. With 5:11 left, Matt Strome was tripped by Ryan Schmelzer, putting the Phantoms on the power-play.
They had a couple of chances from Wade Allison and Adam Clendening to cut the Comet’s lead, but their shots did not come close to the net.
Finally, with 3:35 left, the Phantoms cut the Comets lead 2-1. Tanner Laczynski (6) made a pass to Garrett Wilson (14). Wilson’s shot hit the stick of Mareks Mitens. Mitens tried to swat the puck away, but instead, the puck went into the net for a power-play goal.
With 3:04 left, Wade Allison had a breakaway opportunity but was hooked by Tim Theocharidis, putting the Phantoms on the power play for the third time. Allison should’ve gotten a penalty shot.
The Phantoms power play lasted four seconds when Max Willman got caught with a high stick. The Phantoms killed Utica’s power-play. The momentum was beginning to shift in the Phantoms favor. After two periods, the Comets held a 2-1 lead and led the shots 30-17.
In the third period, Max Willman skated with the puck from the left side, heading towards Mitens. However, he lost his balance and dislodged the goal net.
Then with 12:17 left, Lehigh Valley was in Utica’s zone. Adam Clendening (28) took a shot from the left side that Ryan MacKinnon (2) redirected over Mitens’s right shoulder and into the net, tying the game 2-2. It was MacKinnon’s second goal in two nights.
About a minute later, the Phantoms were right back in Utica’s zone. First, Cooper Zech (6) took a shot that bounced off Mitens’s chest. Then, Garrett Wilson (15) rebounded the puck and used the backhand to get the puck past the left skate of Mitens and into the net. This put Lehigh Valley up 3-2 with 11:20 left in the game.
The Comets were showing urgency after the goal. Felix Sandstrom stopped the Utica shots that came his way. Then, with 3:57 left, Charlie Gerard got caught with a high stick, putting the Comets on the power-play.
With 2:38 left, the Comets pulled Mitens for a 6-4 advantage. However, Robbie Russo interfered with Garrett Wilson, stopping a breakaway that put the Phantoms on the power play. Once again, the Comets pulled Mitens with 1:16 left.
The Phantoms’ defense did enough to secure a 3-2 win. It was a nice comeback win for the Phantoms after a disastrous start to the game.
The Phantoms secured two points in the standings. Meanwhile, the Penguins defeated the Bridgeport Islanders 9-2. As a result, the Phantoms still trail the Penguins by nine points for the final playoff spot.
The Phantoms finished the game with 26 shots, 1/4 on the power-play, and Felix Sandstrom made 37 of 39 saves.
The Phantoms are on the road today against the Bridgeport Islanders at 3 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased courtesy of our friends at StubHub.
