TONIGHT'S GAME – This is Game 3 of a best of seven series in the AHL’s East Division Semifinals as the Philadelphia Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) welcome the Albany River Rats (Carolina Hurricanes) to the Wachovia Center. The Phantoms lost Game 1 in Albany 4-0 on Wednesday. Here at the Wachovia Center on Friday night, the Philadelphia claimed a 3-0 win. It’s the first time in 43 years that an AHL playoff series has begun with alternating shutouts (1965 league semifinal, Hershey vs. Buffalo).
REGULAR SEASON – The Phantoms finished in second place in the East Division with a record of 46-27-4-3 and 99 points. They increased their win total from a season ago by 14 and upped the point total by 29. Both are the greatest single-season improvements in Phantoms history. The Phantoms are back in the post season for the first time since winning the Calder Cup in 2005---The Rats finished in third place in the East Division with 93 points and a 43-30-3-4 record. After missing the playoffs for six consecutive seasons as the affiliate for the New Jersey Devils, the Rats are in the playoffs for the second straight season under the Carolina Hurricanes banner. The Rats were defeated by Hershey four games to one in last year’s East Division Semifinals.
REGULAR SEASON SERIES – The Phantoms and River Rats played an eight-game series during the 2007-08 regular season. Philadelphia went 5-2-1-0 in the series, winning the first two before the teams alternated the rest of the way. One of the losses came in overtime. Philadelphia shut out Albany on two occasions – the since-departed Brian Boucher won 3-0 on October 12, and Scott Munroe won 2-0 on February 18. The Phantoms were 4-0-0-0 at home against the Rats and 1-2-1-0 in Albany---The Phantoms leading scorer in the series was Jared Ross, harvesting five points on a goal and four assists in seven games: 7(1/4/5). Munroe went 3-1 in the series and had a 1.26 goals against average and a .951 save percentage. The Phantoms went 7-41 (17.1%) on the power play in the series---Jerome Samson was the leading point-getter for the Rats in the regular season series, nabbing four points on three goals and a helper in eight contests: 8(3/1/4). Michael Leighton was 3-2 with a 1.80 GAA and a .943 save percentage. The Rats went 4-52 (7.7%)on the PP in the series. Total goals: PHI-18, ALB-13. Total Shots: PHI-236, ALB-230---The Phantoms all-time regular season record against Albany is 31-19-2-0 with four ties---The Phantoms have faced Albany just once before in the postseason, defeating the River Rats four games to two in the 1998 Western Conference Finals en route to their first Calder Cup championship.
2007-08 SEASON SERIES RESULTS
Friday, October 12: Albany 0 at Philadelphia 3
Sunday, November 11: Albany 1 at Philadelphia 2
Saturday, December 29: Philadelphia 1 at Albany 3
Saturday, January 5: Philadelphia 4 at Albany 2
Saturday, February 16: Philadelphia 2 at Albany 3, OT
Monday, February 18: Albany 0 at Philadelphia 2
Sunday, March 2: Philadelphia 1 at Albany 2
Sunday, April 13: Albany 2 at Philadelphia 3
PHANTOMS PLAYOFFS – EAST DIVISION SEMIFINALS.
Game 1: Wednesday, April 16 – Phantoms 0 at Albany 4
RECAP: Despite outshooting the Rats 18-7 in the first period, it was the Rats that came away with a 1-0 lead. Jakub Petruzalek was sprung from the penalty box on a breakaway and scored at the 7:20 mark. Jerome Samson and Bryan Rodney made good in the second, with the Samson goal coming on the power play. Former Phantom Marc Cavosie also scored with the extra skater in the third for the 4-0 final. Michael Leighton made 39 saves, while Scott Munroe was ticketed with the 21-save loss. The Phantoms were the only team in the AHL not to be shut out during the regular season, while Leighton topped all AHL backstops with seven. The game spilled over in the final minute with several fights talking place on the ice. After a review, it was noted that the Albany River Rats had three extra skaters in a skirmish. Tim Conboy was ruled to have departed the players’ bench during the altercation and was tagged with additional supplementary discipline. The AHL suspended him for eight games.
Game 2: Friday, April 18 – Albany 0 at Phantoms 3
RECAP: Jared Ross scored the Phantoms first goal of the playoffs at 13:27 of the second, ending Michael Leighton’s shutout sequence at 93:27. The goal came on the power play as Stefan Ruzicka led the Phantoms leading scorer in the regular season into the Albany zone. With just 12.9 seconds remaining in the period, Pete Zingoni made it 2-0. With a faceoff in the Albany zone, Ryan Potulny forced the puck off the draw at Leighton. Instead the puck was grabbed by his defenseman and then stolen by Zingoni. He deposited a low, off-balance 15-footer into the net. Boyd Kane added an empty-netter for the 3-0 final. Scott Munroe was steady in net for the Phantoms, making 18 saves in the shutout. Philly outgunned the Rats 40-18.
Game 3: Sunday, April 20 – Albany at Phantoms, 5:05 (Wachovia Center)
Game 4: Tuesday, April 22 – Phantoms at Albany, 7:00
Game 5: Thursday, April 24 – Phantoms at Albany, 7:00*
Game 6: Saturday, April 26 – Albany at Phantoms (Wachovia Center)*
Game 7: TBD, Albany at Phantoms (Wachovia Center)*
* – if necessary
PHANTOM FILES – Wednesday’s game was the Phantoms 100th playoff game in team history. The Phantoms have an all-time post season mark of 62-39. They have scored 313 post season goals, while allowing 247. The Phantoms home playoff record is 38-15. At the Wachovia Center in the playoffs, the Phantoms are 24-8---The Phantoms have a post season series record of 2-5 when they lose Game 1. They are 12-1 when winning Game 1. The Phantoms are 10-3 when winning Game 2 of a series and 4-3 when losing Game 2---Philadelphia has a playoff record of 13-8 in Game 1 of a series. They are 14-7 in Game 2. Coming into today, they are 10-9 in Game 3, 14-2 in Game 4, 4-8 in Game 5, 6-4 in Game 6 and 1-1 in Game 7---The Phantoms have a 14 game post season winning streak at home, beginning with a win in Game 2 of the East Division Finals on May 7, 2004---With Michael Leighton’s whitewash to begin the series, the Phantoms have been shutout seven times during the post season. The first-ever playoff shutout of the Phantoms came at the hands of current Flyers goaltender Marty Biron when he was a member of the Rochester Americans in 1999. To this day, the 3-0 win in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Phantoms is Biron’s only playoff shutout. It ignited the Amerks to win the next three and take the series 4-2. The Amerks lost in the Calder Cup finals to the Providence Bruins. The Scott Munroe shutout on Friday night was the ninth in Phantoms post season history. Current goaltending/ assistant coach Neil Little bagged the first five playoff shutouts, including two against Albany. Antero Niittymaki had three in the Phantoms run to the 2005 Calder Cup---Boyd Kane’s goal on Friday was his first in the post season as a Phantom. He now has a goal and eight assists in 35 playoff games behind a Phantoms crest: 35(1/8/9). With the point, he jumped over Flyers John Stevens on the Phantoms all-time playoff scoring list. Kane is now tied at the 17th spot. It should be noted that the two-time Calder Cup champion has 11 total playoff goals and 31 points in 77 games with Philly, Hartford, Springfield and Hershey: 77(11/20/31)
COOL RAT TAIL – Michael Leighton was named the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for the 2007-08 season, as voted by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 29 cities. A 2007-08 First Team AHL All-Star, Leighton ranks third in the league in goals-against average (2.10), first in save percentage (.931) and first in shutouts (seven) while making more saves (1,634) than any other goaltender in the AHL this year. He is also second in minutes played (3,451) and third in wins while posting a 28-25-4 record in his first season with the River Rats. Leighton, who was voted a starter for the Canadian team at the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Reebok, made three NHL appearances with the Carolina Hurricanes on the year. A 26-year-old native of Petrolia, Ont., Leighton was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999. Leighton, who was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2001-02, has also appeared in 51 career NHL contests with Carolina, Philadelphia, Nashville and Chicago. He appeared in five games for the Phantoms last season and had two wins and two shootout losses. His all-time regular season record against the Phantoms is 16-8-0-0 with three shutouts.
ON THE AIR – Thanks to the Philadelphia Area Dodge Dealers, the Phantoms provide free audio broadcasts of all Phantoms games. The Phantoms official website, Phantomshockey.com, in conjunction with league and team partner B2 Networks, provides the home for the audio. This free service will continue into the playoffs. Broadcaster Mike Thornton handles the play-by-play. Road games will include a pregame show featuring head coach Craig Berube.
