Phantoms Power Play Presented by Provident Bank

P-Bruins Up Next

November 19, 2024

Allentown, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (6-5-3) take to the road this week for a pair of games at the Providence Bruins to open a three-game swing away from PPL Center. The Phantoms and P-Bruins will tangle from Rhode Island on Friday and Saturday in back-to-back contests.

Lehigh Valley had its seven-game point streak stopped last week. The Phantoms enter the week tied with Charlotte for fourth place out of eight in the Atlantic Division.

LAST WEEK
November 13 – OTW – Penguins 3 at Phantoms 4 (OT)
November 15 – Loss – Phantoms 3 at Thunderbirds 4
November 16 – Loss – Bears 6 at Phantoms 3

THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, November 22 (7:05) – Phantoms at Providence Bruins
Saturday, November 23 (7:05) – Phantoms at Providence Bruins

WEEKLY RECAP
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Phantoms 4 – Penguins 3
Alexis Gendron’s second goal of the game tied the score at 3-3 with just 1:27 left setting up Olle Lycksell’s power-play winner in overtime at PPL Center as the Phantoms extended their point-streak to seven games while finishing a perfect 3-0-0 homestand. It was Lehigh Valley’s first overtime win of the season. Louie Belpedio (2nd) also scored for the Phantoms while Eetu Makiniemi improved to 3-0-1 making 25 saves on 28 shots.

Friday, November 15, 2024
Thunderbirds 4 – Phantoms 3
Lehigh Valley lost in regulation for the first time in November as the team’s seven-game point streak was finally snapped in a 4-3 loss at the Springfield Thunderbirds. Elliot Desnoyers opened the scoring with his first goal of the season and Samu Tuomaala stayed hot with his fifth of the year. But Marcus Sylvegad contributed a pair for the T-Birds and Tyler Tucker broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period with a disputed goal that the Phantoms felt should have been disallowed due to goaltender contact with Cal Petersen. Olle Lycksell scored for a third straight game to pull the Phantoms back to within one with just 5:53 left but Lehigh Valley couldn’t find the equalizer.

Saturday, November 16, 2024
Bears 6 – Phantoms 3
The Comeback Phantoms were at it again on Saturday night at PPL Center but the Hershey Bears regained their top form and pushed through in a 6-3 decision at PPL Center. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Rodrigo Abols (3rd) and Ethan Samson (2nd) scored goals less than three minutes apart to pull Lehigh Valley back to even. But the appropriately named Ethan Bear scored the winner for the Bears with 9:08 left. Samu Tuomaala produced a three-point effort with a goal and two assists. Three former Phantoms scored for Hershey including Garrett Roe, Mike Vecchione and Matt Strome. Lehigh Valley goaltender Eetu Makiniemi left the game in the second period with an injury but Cal Petersen was excellent in short-notice relief duty in keeping the Phantoms in the game.

HAPPY FOR HELGE – Defenseman Helge Grans made his NHL debut on Monday night with his first-ever NHL recall conveniently coming while his parents were visiting from Sweden. Grans recorded an assist for his first NHL point and also had a couple strong shots on goal in Philadelphia’s 3-2 loss to Colorado. The fourth-year pro is in his second season with the Phantoms after beginning his career with the Ontario (Cal.) Reign as a second-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Kings. Grans has played in 185 career AHL games including 70 games with the Phantoms. The 22-year-old becomes the second Phantom this season to receive a recall for his NHL debut joining Alexei Kolosov and is now the 45th prospect all-time to work his way up to the big club from Lehigh Valley.

SAMU STYLE – Second-year winger Samu Tuomaala is heating up again while enjoying a career-best five-game point streak (3-5-8) since November 8. Tuomaala is coming off a season-high three-point effort his last time out and has consequently raced to a tie for seventh in the league in scoring while leading the Phantoms with 6-10-16. The Round 2 selection of the Flyers in the 2021 NHL Draft scored 15-28-43 in 69 games while representing the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in his rookie season.

TRANSACTIONS – 
– Nov 18 – Helge Grans (D), Recalled to Philadelphia
– Nov 18 – Parker Gahagen (G), Recalled to Phantoms from Reading (ECHL)
– Nov 18 – Matt Brown (F), Loaned by Phantoms to Reading (ECHL)

PHANTASTIC

– Olle Lycksell had a three-game goal streak, longest on the Phantoms this season, and is currently on a four-game point streak (3-3-6). Lycksell leads the AHL with 61 shots on goal. Lycksell recorded his 100th career pro point (in North America) with a goal on Friday at Springfield.

– Defenseman Hunter McDonald is tied for the league-lead among rookies with a +9 rating. The Round 6 selection in 2022 out of Northeastern University has also shown his toughness with three fighting majors this season. McDonald recently had a four-game point streak from November 2 through November 9.

– Lehigh Valley’s seven-game point streak from October 27 through November 13 was one game away from tying an all-time team record since the franchise arrived in Allentown in 2014. The Phantoms have twice had eight-game points streaks in February 2018 and November 2016.

– The Phantoms are third in the AHL on the power play at 26.1% trailing only Charlotte (37.5%) and Texas (26.3%)

– Lehigh Valley is second in the AHL with 34.0 shots per game trailing only Rochester (34.5). The Phantoms have 30 or more shots on goal in 10 out of 14 games this season

UPCOMING

Friday, November 22, 2024 (7:05)
Saturday, November 23, 2024 (7:05)
Amica Mutual Pavilion
Phantoms at Providence Brunis

Providence (6-7-2) has had a bumpier start this season. The Bruins have gone three games without a win on the other side of a three-game winning streak. Veteran Vinni Letteri (8-5-13) leads the offense while Georgii Merkulov (2-9-11) was recently summoned to Boston. Patrick Brown (3-5-8) is in his second season with Providence after playing two seasons for the Phialdelphia Flyers (2021-23) scoring 6-10-16 in 87 games among his 150 games total in his NHL career. The former Charlotte captain won a Calder Cup with the Checkers in 2019.

First-rounder Fabian Lysell (1-5-6) in his third season with Providence while Harvard product John Faranacci (3-2-5) is beginning his second pro campaign. Big lefty goalie Brandon Bussi (1-5-0, 4.11, .857) has been stunningly ineffective compared to his first two pro seasons including his sensational rookie campaign when he was one of the top goalies in the AHL going 22-5-4, 2.40, .924. Almost exactly one year ago, Bussi’s 41-save effort was one of the best performances ever seen at PPL Center as the P-Bruins prevailed in overtime 2-1 on November 24, 2023. 25-year-old Michael DiPietrro (5-2-2, 2,20, .921) has picked up the slack while Bussi has faltered. Ryan Mougenel is in his fourth season as head coach of Providence and has posted 42 or more wins in each of the last two seasons. This weekend marks the lone Providence appearance for the Phantoms

Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Samu Tuomaala 6-10-16
Olle Lycksell 3-8-11
Jacob Gaucher 6-4-10
x Anthony Richard 4-5-9
Rodrigo Abols 3-5-8

UPCOMING

Friday, November 22 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins

Saturday, November 23 – Phantoms at Providence Bruins

Wednesday, November 27 – Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack

Friday, November 29 – Phantoms vs. Hershey Bears – Phantoms Ballcaps from SECTV. WFMZ-69 Phantoms Coat Drive

Saturday, November 30 – Phantoms vs. Laval Rocket – Flyers Night with GRITTY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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