In a win-or-go-home Game 5 against the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms went home.
Playing their third-ever full-length playoff series since relocating to Lehigh Valley, the Phantoms failed to find their footing early and never fully recovered. Despite a late push in the third period, they fell short against a deeper, more disciplined Hershey squad that will now advance to face the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division Finals.
The News in Net
Parker Gahagen remained out with a lower-body injury suffered in Game 3, leaving veteran Cal Petersen to start once again for the Phantoms. Petersen, who had a strong regular season against Hershey, carried the load in Game 5 with prospect Carson Bjarnason dressed as his backup. Bjarnason, a 2023 second-round pick by the Flyers, suited up for his second AHL playoff game but has yet to make his professional debut.
The Bears opted to go with Hunter Shepard over Clay Stevenson in net. Stevenson got the victory over Lehigh Valley in Game 4, despite giving up four goals on 32 shots. Shepard, the reigning Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award winner for the AHL's top goaltender, was the right choice to backstop Hershey in the final game of the series. Over 44 career playoff games with Hershey, Shepard has posted a 2.37 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, and 29 wins, including back-to-back Calder Cup runs in 2023 and 2024.
Feckless in the First
The Phantoms entered the first period as if it was an exhibition game, not an elimination game. While they showed some life on their second power play of the game, they looked outclassed by the back-to-back reigning Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.
The Bears opened the scoring at 14:41 on their first shot of the game. Spencer Smallman roofed one past Petersen to give Hershey the early lead. The goal sparked some sustained pressure from the Bears, who continued to generate quality chances as the period continued.
Lehigh Valley could not convert on their two power play opportunities. After a Sutter penalty call, they did threaten to score on that man advantage. They got set up, moved the puck well, and generated some chances, but none that hit the back of the net. Coming into today's game, the Phantoms only had one power play goal in the series.
Shortly after that second power play ended, Smallman nearly struck again, but Petersen made the save. Hershey's next shot made it behind Petersen, though. Sutter, the son of former Flyer, Ron Sutter, made it 2-0 Hershey.
Still Flat in the Second
Riley Sutter got the only goal of the second, 3:47 into the period, putting the Bears up 3-0. The grinder spent most of his season on the fourth line and registered four goals all season, but had two in this game.
Things started getting heated with three minutes left in the second. Pushing and shoving increased and refs had to separate players. With 2:16 left in the period, Garrett Roe cross checked Olle Lycksell, leaving him on one knee for a bit. No penalty was called.
Thirstier in the Third
Smallman got his third chance of the game on a breakaway early in the third, but the net was dislodged before the puck crossed the line.
Roughly two minutes into the final frame, Anthony Richard got the Phantoms first power play goal in a week, cutting Hershey's lead to two. It was Richard's fourth goal of the playoffs, tying him for the top spot in the league. Emil Andrae got his sixth assist of the postseason, which was also top in the league.
The Phantoms immediately put themselves back on their own heels by taking two simultaneous roughing penalties to give the Bears a 5-on-3 advantage. With three seconds left in Hershey's two-man advantage, Andrae took a penalty.
Richard singlehandedly tried to will the Phantoms back into the game with a good shorthanded breakaway but was stoned by Shepard.
The Phantoms killed off their penalties and the Bears went 0-for-5 on the power play. The Phantoms still had life, though, and Hunter McDonald put the good guys within one.
In the final minutes of the game, Nikita Grebenkin, set up the Phantoms for a few chances, but nothing came of the opportunities.
Petersen made his way to the bench but Hershey quickly took control of the puck and Bogdan Trineyev scored an empty netter to put the champs back up by two.
Petersen was back on the bench and Sutter shot it wide from their own zone, icing the puck with 0:48 left in the game. Sutter took another long shot with 0:12 left, unable to complete the hat trick.
The Phantoms were unbalanced in the third, and the team could just not get it together. While some players were headed in one direction to put the puck on the net, others were taking undisciplined penalties.
Final Thoughts
In his limited time with the Flyers, Cal Petersen never really looked like an NHL goalie. In his two starts in this Phantoms/Bears series, he did not look like an AHL goalie -- at least not a playoff caliber one.
Through the first two periods, he gave up three goals on 17 shots, none of which seemed unstoppable. The all-too-easy response is that Gahagen's injured turned the tide in the series to Hershey's favor. However, much like their NHL big brothers, it did not matter, since the Phantoms could not score. If you can only get three shots on goal in a period after already being down 3-0, you are not going to win.
The Phantoms postseason berth coincided with the start of the Flyers' coaching search. So, it was no surprise that people started to wonder if Ian Laperriere, the Phantoms head coach, should be in consideration for the position. This game gave reasons why he should not. With his back against the wall, he was unable to get his team facing the same direction and made minimal in-game adjustments beyond the de facto line shuffling that inevitably happens when a team is down.
Series Summary
Game | Lehigh Valley | Hershey | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0 | 3 | L |
2 | 3 | 1 | W |
3 | 4 | 2 | W |
4 | 4 | 6 | L |
5 | 2 | 4 | L |
Charlotte Checkers Move on to Division Finals
The Providence Bruins were stymied by the Charlotte Checkers Sunday afternoon, bringing their playoff run to an end. The Checkers held Providence to only eight shots on net, while peppering 30 shots on their opponent. The Florida Panthers affiliate was up 3-0 entering the third period, but Providence came back to life with two quick goals before Charlotte answered twice with two empty netters, putting the final nail in Providence's coffin.
The Checkers moved on to the Atlantic Division Finals, where they will face the Hershey Bears.