PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Penguins, Game #59

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (29-22-7) vs. W-B/Scranton Penguins (32-16-8)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Friday, March 14, 2025 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #59

TODAY – The Phantoms are back at Home Sweet Home to begin a stretch of five consecutive games at PPL Center, their longest homestand of the season. Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton meet up for a pair of games tonight and Sunday.

Lehigh Valley (29-22-7) returns from a weekend-series split at Charlotte including a 3-2 bounce-back win in the Sunday finale on Anthony Richard’s winning power-play goal with 30.1 seconds left.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season, Lehigh Valley’s Magic Number to clinch a third consecutive berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs stands at 17 points.

The rival Penguins are coming off a thrilling 5-4 shootout win at Hershey on Wednesday and occupy second place in the division which would carry a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (32-16-8) has closed the gap on first-place Hershey to just four points. The Phantoms are 3-6-1 against the Penguins entering the final matchups of the 12-game season series.

LAST TIME –  Anthony Richard (15th) scored the winner on the power play with just 30.1 seconds left to break a late 2-2 tie as the Phantoms earned a split in the weekend series with a 3-2 win at Charlotte last Sunday afternoon. Jacob Gaucher (20th) and Brendan Furry (9th) also scored goals while Aleksei Kolosov (21/23) enjoyed his return to the Phantoms with a solid win. Richard dropped the gloves with Marek Alscher just three minutes in to set an early tone while also earning a fairly decisive win despite the height disadvantage. Sawyer Boulton had also dropped the gloves in one of the most impressive scraps of the year with several punches landing on Riley Bezeau in their massive tilt early in the second period.

MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for upcoming games at the following link: https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/

TRANSACTIONS –
Mar 6 Matt Miller – Add – Recalled from Reading
Mar 7 Keith Petruzzelli – Del – Loaned to Reading
Mar 7 Aleksei Kolosov – Add – Returned by PHI to Phantoms
Mar 7 Olle Lycksell – Del – Recalled to Flyers
Mar 7 Emil Andrae – Del – Recalled to Flyers
Mar 7 Rodrigo Abols – Del – Recalled to Flyers
Mar 7 Nikita Grebenkin – Add – Trade with Toronto, Loaned by PHI
Mar 7 Givani Smith – Add – Trade with Colorado, Loaned by PHI
Mar 8 Sam Sedley – Add – Recalled from Reading

A RECORD FOR THE CAPTAIN – Lehigh Valley Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson is on the verge of a team record for most games played. Greg Carey played 277 games with Lehigh Valley from 2016-20. Wilson is at 276 games with Lehigh Valley since joining the team in 2021. The rugged 33-year-old winger has scored 56-69-122 in his five seasons with the Phantoms with 659 penalty minutes, also a Lehigh Valley record. In a pro career beginning in 2011 with the AHL San Antonio Rampage and ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones, Wilson has since played in 874 career professional games over 14 seasons and is on the verge of another milestone, his 400th career pro point, having scored 185-214-399 to date. Wilson’s 1255 career penalty minutes in the AHL makes him the active PIM leader and 82nd all-time in AHL history. In his 689 career AHL games with San Antonio, Portland, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Toronto he has scored 147-180-327. Wilson has also played in 84 career NHL games with Florida and Pittsburgh. Wilson will also move into seventh in Phantoms’ franchise history in games played. The franchise record is held by Peter White who played in 431 games with the Philadelphia Phantoms.
The Captain also has his 34th birthday coming up on Sunday which is scheduled to coincide with his Lehigh Valley record.

WELCOME! – The Phantoms have received forwards Nikita Grebenkin and Givani Smith via trades last Friday by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Grebenkin, 21, arrives from the Toronto Marlies in the Scott Laughton trade. The 6-2 fifth-rounder in 2022 has played most of his season with the Toronto Marlies where he has scored 9-21-30 in 39 games while also seeing action in seven NHL games with the Maple Leafs.
Smith, 27, arrives from Colorado in the Erik Johnson trade and has seen limited action this season with seven NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and six AHL games with the Colorado Eagles. He has played 168 NHL games in parts of six seasons with Detroit, Florida, San Jose, and Colorado scoring 9-13-22. Smith has played 157 career games in the AHL where he has registered 26-27-53 including stints with Grand Rapids, Charlotte and the Colorado Eagles.

PHANTASTIC – The Phantoms are 16-9-2 since January 1. Lehigh Valley is 17-1-1 when scoring four or more goals in a game. The Phantoms are 18-0-2 when holding their opponents to two goals or fewer.

– The Phantoms are 20-6-4 when scoring the first goal and are 15-3-1 when leading at the first intermission.

IMPENDING MILESTONES
– Garrett Wilson, 399 pro points
– Garrett Wilson, 276 games with Lehigh Valley (Record: Greg Carey, 277 games)

WADDLE WADDLE- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (32-16-8) arrives to PPL Center for two more rivalry games on Friday and Sunday to conclude the 12-game reason series. The Penguins have been somewhat bumpy and inconsistent lately as displayed by their Jeckell-and-Hyde results of the last week including an 8-3 trouncing of Belleville on Saturday followed immediately by a 5-1 loss to Syracuse the very next day and then a 5-4 shootout win at first-place Hershey. Filip Larsson (10-6-3, 2.44, .923) is the team’s #1 goaltender now but it’s the Penguins’ uptempo offense that has been especially strong at a league-best 3.54 goals per game along with a 22.7% power play which rates second.

Ville Koivunen (20-34-54) is the top rookie scorer in the league and a leading candidate for the Red Garrett Memorial Award. Boris Katchouk (19-25-44) has 176 games of NHL experience with Tampa Bay, Chicago and Ottawa and has scored 5-4-9 against the Phantoms. Rookie Tristan Broz (16-11-27) has scored seven goals against Lehigh Valley including an overtime winner in November. The Phantoms are 3-6-1 against the Baby Pens while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton boasts a 6-1-2 mark against Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms most recently won a 4-3 shootout decision at WBS on Valentine’s Day when Jacob Gaucher tied it with 13 minutes left setting up Rodrigo Abols with the winner. But the Penguins avenged the decision two days later at PPL Center in a 4-3 final led by Joel Blomqvist’s 31 saves.

Scoring Leaders
Phantoms
x – Olle Lycksell 17-24-41
Jacob Gaucher 20-16-36
Samu Tuomaala 11-21-32
Anthony Richard 15-16-31
x – Rodrigo Abols 12-15-27
Zayde Wisdom 9-16-25

Penguins
Ville Koivunen 20-34-54
x Emil Bemström 21-25-46
Boris Katchouk 19-25-44
Rutger McGroarty 13-24-37
Avery Hayes 17-18-35

Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 18.3%, 20th / PK 80.3%, 22nd / PP vs. WBS, 7-30, 23.3%
W-B/Scranton – PP 22.7%, 2nd / PK 85.1%, 4th / PP vs. LV, 10-40, 25.0%

SEASON SERIES
10/18/24                    Away         L              3-4
10/19/24                    Home        L              0-3
11/6/24                      Away         OTL           1-2 (OT)
11/8/24                      Home        W             5-3
11/13/24                    Home        W             4-3 (OT)
12/21/24                    Away         L              2-7
12/27/24                    Away         L              2-3
1/26/25                      Away         L              1-5
2/14/25                      Away         W             3-2 (SO)
2/16/25                      Home        L              3-4
3/14/25                      Home
3/16/25                      Home

SEASON SERIES
Lehigh Valley
x – Olle Lycksell 1-5-6
Samu Tuomaala 1-5-6
Alexis Gendron 4-0-4
Oscar Ekilnd 3-1-4
Ethan Samson 2-2-4
Aleksei Kolosov 0-3-0, 3.83, .869

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
x – Emil Bemstrom 6-5-11
Boris Katchouk 5-4-9
Tristan Broz 7-0-7
Sam Poulin 3-4-7
Ville Koiuvnen 2-5-7
Filip Larsson 2-0-1, 1.99, .946

COMING UP –  The homestand continues Sunday at 3:05 p.m. with a rematch against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Kids Takeover Day.

UPCOMING

Friday, March 14 (7:05) – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms – St. Patrick’s Day Fun

Sunday, March 16 (3:05) – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms – Kids Takeover

Wednesday, March 19 (7:05) – Milwaukee Admirals at Phantoms – Pregame Happy Hour, $2 Draft Beers. Cal O’Reilly of the Milwaukee Admirals returns to PPL Center.

Friday, March 21 (7:05) – Syracuse Crunch at Phantoms

Saturday, March 22 (7:05) – Providence Bruins at Phantoms – First ever PHAN-CON! Costumed Characters. Fans can come dressed up as well. Photo Stations and lots of fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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