The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (9-9-2) concluded their three-game road trip on Wednesday night at the XL Center against the Hartford Wolf Pack (6-9-5) for the first time this season. The Phantoms came into this game 6-3-1 in their last ten games, while the Wolf Pack were on a five-game losing streak.
The only change to the lineup was Nolan Maier backing up Sam Ersson after Pat Nagle was sent back to Reading on Tuesday. Pat Nagle hasn’t played in a couple of weeks and going to Reading would allow him to get playing time.
Meanwhile, it looks like defenseman Egor Zamula will be returning to the Phantoms once the Flyers start their four-game road trip on Friday in Las Vegas. Flyers head coach John Tortorella wants Zamula to get playing time in Lehigh Valley.
The scratches for the Phantoms were Troy Grosenick, Adam Karashik, Linus Hogberg, Ryan Fitzgerald, Isaac Ratcliffe, and Artem Anisimov.
Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds into the first period, the Wolf Pack jumped out to a 1-0 when Karl Henriksson (4) found Ty Emberson (2) from the center point and sniped it through the five-hole and into the net.
The Phantoms were having trouble with puck possession, making bad passes, and not playing disciplined hockey. They spent a lot of time chasing the puck and the Wolf Pack was doing the opposite. Two minutes later, Wyatte Wylie went to the penalty box for tripping.
The Wolf Pack took advantage of the faceoff in a tic-tac-toe goal as Will Cuylle (4) passed the puck to Tanner Fritz (7), who then saw former Phantom Andy Welinski (4). Welinski got the puck over Ersson’s left pad and into the net for a 2-0 lead with 14:09 left.
A minute later, Garrett Wilson fought Matt Rempe and both players went to the penalty box for five minutes, making it four-on-four. The fight was supposed to spark the team but it only made Hartford more aggressive after the fight.
Midway through the first period, Hartford added another goal. Will Cuylle (5) stole the puck from Wyatte Wylie. He did a great job with puck control as he weaved in between two Phantoms players before making a backhand shot that went off Ersson’s right pad and into the net for a 3-0 lead with 8:40 left.
After the goal, Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere called a timeout. Late in the first period, the Phantoms went on their first power play on a hooking call against Karl Henriksson. The Phantoms did not get a shot off during the power play and went 0/1. The Wolf Pack led 3-0 after one period and dominated the shots 13-4.
Before the second period began, Ian Laperriere reshuffled the lines in hopes of getting the Phantoms to score. The Phantoms came right out of the gate with two shots by Garrett Wilson and Cam York. One player that was hustling out on the ice was Kieffer Bellows. He stole a couple of pucks and came close to scoring both goals but Louis Domingue saved them.
On the other side, Hartford made some great passes to keep the Phantoms chasing them, and they were winning both faceoffs and puck battles. Late in the second period, the Phantoms went on their second power play after Turner Elson held Jackson Cates and went to the penalty box for interference. Once again, the Phantoms could not score and now were 0/2.
The Phantoms got a late push with under a minute left but the buzzer sounded and Hartford remained on top 3-0 after two periods. The Phantoms were a little bit better offensively but still had problems managing the puck.
Before the third period began, Phantoms coach Ian Laperriere made more lineup shuffles. This time, the Phantoms started to make a comeback. Sixteen seconds into the third period, Louie Belpedio (8) made a nice pass to Garrett Wilson (5) as he ripped a one-timer through the five-hole, cutting Hartford’s lead to 3-1.
Next, the Phantoms had two golden opportunities when Hartford committed two penalties. Will Cuylle went into the penalty box for tripping, and Brandon Scanlin for cross-checking Garrett Wilson.
The Phantoms could not take advantage in one of the power plays but managed to make it a one-goal game on the second try when Tyson Foerster (7) made a thunderous shot under the right skate of Louis Domingue, making it a 3-2 game with 8:31 left. Cam York (10) and Kieffer Bellows (2) assisted his goal.
Late in the game, the Phantoms pulled Sam Ersson for an extra attacker. They were aggressively getting to the puck and taking shots but ran out of time. The Phantoms lost 3-2 to the Wolf Pack. Hartford ended their five-game losing streak, while the Phantoms lost their second consecutive game.
The Phantoms finished the night with 17 shots, 1/4 on the power play, and Sam Ersson made 20 saves. On the other side, the Wolf Pack had 23 shots, 1/4 on the power play, and Louis Domingue made 15 saves.
As a final point, the Phantoms’ comeback came up short. They did not play well in the first two periods but managed to put together a good third period. Lehigh Valley ends their road trip with a 1-2 record.
The Phantoms return to the PPL Center on Friday against the Charlotte Checkers at 7:05 pm on AHL.TV. Tickets for the game can be purchased on StubHub.
