Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-3-3) vs. Utica Comets (0-8-2)
PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Saturday, November 9, 2024 (7:05 p.m.) – Game #11
TONIGHT – It’s a battle of two teams going in opposite directions as the streaking Lehigh Valley Phantoms (4-3-3) look to continue a five-game point streak as they host the winless Utica Comets (0-8-2), AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils.
The Phantoms have won three of their last four and also have points in five straight (3-0-2) while the Comets are the only AHL squad who have yet to find the W column this season.
Tonight’s game features a Postgame Skate with the Phantoms Players presented by NJM Insurance.
LAST TIME – Alexis Gendron (2nd, 3rd) and Oscar Eklind (3rd, 4th) each recorded multi-goal games as the Phantoms overcame an early 2-0 deficit to power past the visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-3 on Friday night at PPL Center. It was Lehigh Valley’s first win in four tries against the Baby Pens.
Eetu Makiniemi (2-0-1) was especially strong with a 33 save performance while the Phantoms burned NHL goaltender Tristan Jarry for four goals on only 19 shots against the veteran. Louie Belpedio scored his first of the year and Rhett Gardner contributed a pair of assists on the two Gendron goals. Lehigh Valley went 2-for-5 on the power play and picked up the W despite a season-low 20 shots on goal in the game.
MEDIA MATERIALS – Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for both teams and the AHL at the following link.
https://www.phantomshockey.com/media-materials/
WELCOME, BEN GLEASON – The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Ben Gleason from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Ronnie Attard, according to General Manager Daniel Briere. Gleason has been assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Gleason, 26, is an AHL veteran of 359 games who was in his second season with the Bakersfield Condors. Gleason had previously played for the Texas Stars for five seasons and also played in four NHL games with the Dallas Stars
Attard, 25, was selected by the Flyers in the third round in the 2019 NHL Draft out of Western Michigan University. He scored 2-4-6 in 29 NHL games over parts of three seasons with the Flyers and tallied 22-37-59 in 123 career AHL contests in parts of three seasons with Lehigh Valley,
PHANTASTIC
– Samu Tuomaala (3-6-9) leads the AHL with eight power-play points on three goals and five assists. He passed Alex Limoges of Hershey with his assist on Friday. Tuomaala scored 15-28-43 in 69 games in his rookie season while representing the Phantoms at the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose.
– Olle Lycksell is getting his chances but is still in search of his first goal of the season. Lycksell is second in the AHL with 40 shots on goal including five on Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Only Dryden Hunt of the Calgary Wranglers has more with 41. Lycksell’s 19 goals in just 38 games was tied with Cooper Marody for most on the Phantoms last year.
– The Phantoms entered the weekend tied for first in the AHL with 36.0 shots on goal per game but had a season-low 20 shots in their Friday win against the Penguins.
– Lehigh Valley’s power play is second in the AHL at 28.6% trailing only the ludicrous 40.5% power-play conversion rate of the Charlotte Checkers. The Phantoms have gone 4-for-11 on the power play in their last three games.
SLUMPING COMETS – It’s been a rough go for the Utica Comets who remain the only AHL team without a win so far. Utica (0-8-2) picked up a standings points in back-to-back games including a 3-2 shootout loss against Cleveland on Friday. Kevin Dineen has been let go as head coach by the New Jersey Devils affiliate and former Philadelphia Phantoms and Flyers defenseman Ryan Parent has been installed as the team’s interim head coach. Parent played a combined 176 games for the Philadelphia Flyers organization including 102 games for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2007-2010 scoring 1-6-7 and also played in 74 games with the Phantoms scoring 2-8-10.
The Comets are scoring just 1.8 goals per game, second-worst in the AHL, and are allowing 4.3 goals per game which is also second-worst.
Nolan Foote (3-5-8) is a former Tampa Bay first-rounder in his fifth season in the New Jersey Devils’ organization and is the son of long-time NHL’er Adam Foote. Seamus Casey (1-7-8) is a second-rounder out of the University of Michigan who picked up his first pro goal last week to tie the Rochester Americans and earn the team its first point of the season in a shootout loss.
Former Phantom Max Willman (1-2-3) is in his second season with the Devils after playing for the Phantoms and Flyers for foyr seasons from 2019-23. Willman scored 9-14-23 with Utica last year and also had three NHL goals in 18 games with New Jersey.
SCORING LEADERS
Lehigh Valley
Anthony Richard 4-5-9
Jacob Gaucher 6-3-9
Samu Tuomaala 3-6-9
Oscar Eklind 4-3-7
Hunter McDonald 1-4-5
Olle Lycksell 0-5-5
Utica
Nolan Foote 4-5-9
Seamus Casey 1-7-8
Brian Halonen 4-2-6
Adam Beckman 2-3-5
Special Teams:
Lehigh Valley – PP 28.6%, 2nd / PK 80.4%, 21st
Utica – PP 20.5%, 8th / PK 71..0%, 31st
COMING UP – The Phantoms return to PPL Center on Wednesday, November 13 in a rematch with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, November 13 – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Phantoms – Military Appreciation Night presented by Netizen
Friday, November 15 – Phantoms at Springfield Thunderbirds
Saturday, November 16 – Hershey Bears at Phantoms – Saturday Night Hockey Live!
