With less than a second left, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms defeated the Toronto Marlies on Saturday night on a Chris Conner shot. However, playoffs have all, but slipped from the team’s grasp.
Buzzer-Beater Goal but Playoff Chances All But Done
The Phantoms fought back from three one-goal deficits Saturday night against the Toronto Marlies and had to use every second of regulation to do it. With 0.5 seconds left in the game, Chris Conner beat a sprawling Kasimir Kaskisuo to win the game for the Phantoms. The win concluded a season sweep of the Marlies.
https://twitter.com/LVPhantoms/status/1107106322422599681
Unfortunately for the team, that was the lone win this past week.
The stretch first started with a 4-1 loss against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Lehigh Valley entered the third period facing just a 1-0 deficit but gave up a goal 19 seconds into the stanza. Eight minutes later, it was 3-0 Penguins. Byron Froese scored his second as a Phantom to get the team on the board before the Pens added an empty-netter.
Wednesday’s loss hurt and Sunday’s was climatic to the highest degree but it was Friday’s contest that mattered the most. The Phantoms played the Providence Bruins — the team Lehigh Valley has been chasing for a playoff spot.
Less than two minutes into the game, the Phantoms were down by two. The Bruins scored on their first two shots of the game on their way to a 5-3 win. David Kase cut the 2-0 lead in half in the second period, but the Phantoms let up three straight from Providence before scoring two goals in the final two minutes.
The Phantoms are now six points out of a playoff spot with 12 games left.
Alex Lyon’s Numbers Struggling
As the number one goalie, Lyon drew the starts against the Penguins and Bruins. Neither night, but especially the latter, went well for the undrafted netminder.
Against the Pens, Lyon made 27 saves on 30 shots for a .900 save percentage, but against the Bruins, he let in four goals on 29 shots. As mentioned, the first two Providence shots went in and in an eight-minute stretch in the third period, they added three more.
Big Saturday Night for Goulbourne
Tyrell Goulbourne was a frequent recall by the Flyers when Ron Hextall was general manager but hasn’t seen any NHL time since the management change. He made a mark this weekend though for the Phantoms.
Goulbourne tied the game and got the Phantoms on the board against the Marlies in the first period when he stuffed in a rebound that hit off the post. In the third, he tied the game again with 11 minutes left.
Vorobyev Injured, Bunnaman Fills In
Center Mikhail Vorobyev did not play in any this week with what The Morning Call is calling an upper-body injury. That spells some trouble for the Phantoms, but Vorobyev is also a recall option for the Flyers with the team slipping out of its playoff race.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Phantoms. Rookie Connor Bunnaman was called into more action with him centering the first line Saturday. Bunnaman responded by scoring a goal and adding two assists over the three games.
Upcoming Week
The Phantoms have a home-and-home against the Penguins this week. They’ll be in Wilkes-Barre Friday night and back in Lehigh Valley Saturday. The Pens passed the Phantoms in the standings by a point this past week.