Phantoms Warm Up: Lehigh Valley vs Springfield Thunderbirds 2/7/20 Game Preview

After completing a five-game road swing, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms return home to PPL Center for a game against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday, February 7, at 7:05 p.m.

The game will represent the fourth overall meeting between the Phantoms and Thunderbirds this season and the second in downtown Allentown.

Phantoms vs. Springfield Thunderbirds

Phantoms Leading Scorers

  1. Greg Carey (43 GP, 13G-10A, 23 PTS)
  2. Mikhail Vorobyev (30 GP, 9G-12A, 21 PTS)
  3. Cal O’Reilly (37 GP, 4G-17A, 21 PTS)
  4. Morgan Frost (30 GP, 8G-12A, 20 PTS)
  5. Maksim Sushko (41 GP, 7G-10A, 17 PTS)

Thunderbirds Leading Scorers

  1. Owen Tippett (46 GP, 19G-21A, 40 PTS)
  2. Daniel Audette (46 GP, 12G-19A, 31 PTS)
  3. Aleksi Saarela (44 GP, 11G-17A, 28 PTS)
  4. Paul Thompson (42 GP, 11G-13A, 24 PTS)
  5. Joel Lowry (48 GP, 6G-18A, 24 PTS)

Prior Meetings This Season

Oct. 19 — SPR 4, LV 3 (SO)
Nov. 13 — SPR 2, LV 1
Dec. 4 — SPR 3, LV 1

Tune In

Watch on TV
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Stream Online
AHLTV

Listen Online
PhantomsHockey.com

Radio
1470-WSAN

Snap Shots

  • Lehigh Valley defenseman Chris Bigras is just a single point (20G-79A) away from 100 professional points.
  • The last time these two teams met, on December 4 in Springfield, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms posted a franchise record of 63 shots in a game against the Thunderbirds.
  • Isaac Ratcliffe has two assists in two contests against the Thunderbirds this season.
  • Goaltender J-F Berube is coming off his third shutout of the season and currently holds a 1.87 goals-against average and .931 save percentage over his past eight games.
  • The Phantoms have not allowed a power-play goal in their past six contests, going 13 for 13 on the penalty kill during that time. Since the month of January, Lehigh Valley has seen improvement while shorthanded and has only allowed six goals on 48 chances (a penalty-killing rate of 87.5%).
  • Lehigh Valley forward Gerry Fitzgerald, who was recalled from Reading on Friday morning, is tied for second on the team with two game-winning goals this season.
  • Chris Stewart netted the game-winning goal this past Saturday night in Hershey.  The first-period marker was his first goal in the AHL since November 19, 2008, while playing as a member of the Lake Erie Monsters.

Players to Watch

Greg Carey will play in his 400th professional game on Friday night.  The 29-year-old forward currently leads the Phantoms with a goal and an assist against the Thunderbirds this season and recorded a franchise record 14 shots against Springfield the last time the two teams met.

Maksim Sushko recorded his fourth multi-point game of the season this past Saturday night against the Hershey Bears.  The rookie forward currently has six points (2G-4A) over his past 10 contests and leads the entire team in plus-minus with a plus-11 rating.

Recent Transactions

February 4, 2020: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms signed forward Max Willman to an AHL contract.

February 5, 2020: The Philadelphia Flyers reassigned goaltender Kirill Ustimenko from the Reading Royals to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

February 5, 2020: The Philadelphia Flyers reassigned goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to the Reading Royals.

February 6, 2020: The Philadelphia Flyers recalled from loan forward Andy Andreoff from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

February 7, 2020: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms recalled from loan forward Gerry Fitzgerald from the Reading Royals.

February 7, 2020: The Philadelphia Flyers recalled from loan forward Morgan Frost from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and returned on loan forward Andy Andreoff to the Phantoms.

The Road Ahead

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will hit the road to take on the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday night, February 8, at 7:05 p.m. before returning home to face the Hershey Bears on Sunday, February 9, at 3:05 p.m.  Tune into the game on AHLTV or listen live inside the Phantoms365 App.

Sunday’s game is also meLVin’s Birthday Bash featuring mascots and more throughout the night, plus a postgame skate with players after the game!  Tickets for the game are going fast, so get yours online by clicking HERE.