PREVIEW: Phantoms at Springfield, Game 41
Looking to keep it going at T-Birds tonight
TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (20-16-4) open a busy weekend with an away game at last-place Springfield (14-20-6) ahead of two home games this weekend. The Phantoms are coming off a thrilling overtime win over rival Hershey last Saturday. The T-Birds are trying to push their way back into the Top 6 in the division but have lost two straight.
Tonight is Game 41 of the regular season and is Game 4 out of 6 between the Phantoms and T-Birds. Lehigh Valley is 2-1-0 against Springfield including a last-second 3-2 win in the most recent meeting here on January 10 when Anthony Richard scored with just 11.9 seconds left.
Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game at www.phantomshockey.com/media/media-materials/
LAST TIME – Tucker Robertson raced up ice for a fabulous overtime-winning goal to down the Hershey Bears 4-3 on Saturday night putting the finishing touches on one of the most exciting games of the year. After two fights in the opening 13 seconds set the tone, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms erased an early deficit, battled through a frantic third period, and ultimately prevailed in overtime against in a fierce rivalry battle on Saturday night at PPL Center. Robertson (6th, 7th) had his first multi-goal game. Zayde Wisdom (6th) had a goal and an assist while Karsen Dorwart (8th) scored his third of the weekend and Garrett Wilson had a pair of important assists. The victory was sealed when Tucker Robertson struck at 3:13 of overtime, capping a dramatic back-and-forth contest and after the Phantoms had seen a late third-period lead slip away in the final moments of regulation.
TUCKER TERRIFIC – Forward Tucker Robertson has had a flare for the dramatic and a proclivity for scoring big goals in clutch moments. The Toronto native scored an eighth-round shootout winner at Rochester on December 13 and has since been a regular in the shootout competition rotation going 3-for-3to tie for the league lead. On December 29, he scored a tying goal against Charlotte with just 1.7 seconds left as the Phantoms climbed off the mat to steal a point in the game’s final moments. On January 24, Robertson scored his first career overtime goal with a speedy rush up the left wing, flying past the defender, to drive to the net for the exciting winner against Hershey. It was also his first career multi-goal game. Robertson was acquired by the Flyers from the Seattle Kraken organization on September 4 in exchange for J.R. Avon and the change of scenery has paid huge dividends for the third-year pro who has already set career scoring highs with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points.
WELCOME BACK – The Philadelphia Flyers have returned goaltender Aleksei Kolosov and defenseman Hunter McDonald to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Phantoms have also recalled forward Carson Golder from the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
Kolosov, 24, has started 19 games for the Phantoms this season, compiling a 9-9-1 record, 2.54 GAA, and .908 SV%. The Minsk, Belarus native has appeared in four games with the Flyers this season going 0-2-0, 4.00, .830. Kolosov was recently named AHL Player of the Week on January 5 following a pair of games in which he stopped a combined 60 out of 61 shots including his second career shutout on December 31 against Hershey.
McDonald, 23, is in his second full season of professional hockey. He received his first NHL recall on January 17 but did not appear in any games with the Flyers. McDonald has played in 33 games with the Phantoms this season recording five assists and he has played in 115 career games with the Phantoms scoring 4-22-26. A 6’4″ product of Fairport, NY, McDonald was a Round 6 selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022. The hard-working and shot-blocking blueliner played three seasons at Northeastern University.
Golder, 23, has played in three games with the Phantoms making his Lehigh Valley debut on December 28. The third-year pro is tops on the Reading Royals in scoring with 13-13-26 in 34 games. He has played in 28 career games in the AHL over parts of three seasons recording 2-7-9. The 6’2″ left wing out of Smithers, BC has also played in 107 career ECHL games with Norfolk and Reading scoring 46-40-76. Golder previously played in the Western Hockey League with the Victoria Royals, Edmonton Oil Kings and Kelowna Rockets.
TRANSACTIONS –
1/27/26 Add Hunter McDonald (D) – Loaned to LV by PHI
1/28/26 Del Hunter Johannes (F) – Loaned to Reading
1/28/26 Del Yaniv Perets (F) – Loaned to Reading
1/28/26 Add Carson Golder (F) – Recalled from Reading
1/28/26 Add Aleksei Kolosov (G) – Loaned to LV by PHI
WORKING OVERTIME – The Phantoms are tied for second in the AHL with eight victories after regulation trailing only Tucson who have nine.
Tucker Robertson’s overtime strike against Hershey on Saturday pushed the Phantoms to 4-2 in OT this season. Lehigh Valley is also 4-2 in shootouts for a combined record of 8-4 in decisions after regulation. Goaltender Carson Bjarnason is tied for the AHL lead with three shootout wins in five shootout games having turned away 17 of 20 shootout attempts faced.
EARLY STRIKE – The Phantoms are 12-0-2 when scoring the first goal of the game. Lehigh Valley and Grand Rapids are the only teams in the AHL still undefeated in regulation when striking first. The Phantoms are also 9-0-0 when leading at the first intermission and are one of three teams still perfect (Chicago and Grand Rapids the others) when holding the advantage at the first break.
SATURDAY SUPERSTARS – The Phantoms boast an impressive mark on Saturdays this season going 11-2-2. Seven of the 15 Saturday games have gone to overtime or shootout and the Phantoms are 6-0-1 in those Saturday extra-time contests.
TAKING ON THE T-BIRDS – Last-place Springfield (14-20-6) had made a nice push into the division’s top 6 but the wheels seemed to come off during a five-game losing streak that included a pair of 8-2 losses at Charlotte and eventually the ousting of head coach Steve Konowalchuk with St. Louis associate coach Steve Ott coming down from the big club to run the show. Ott played in over 848 NHL games, mostly with Dallas, while accumulating 1,555 penalty minutes. The T-Birds are allowing 3.6 goals per game, worst in the AHL. Leading scorer Matt Luff (13-20-33) has been recalled to St. Louis. But first-rounder Otto Stenberg is back following an 18-game stint with St. Louis in which he scored 1-7-8.
Captain Matthew Peca (8-19-27) is in his fifth season with the T-Birds and his a veteran of 517 career games in the AHL. Chris Wagner (11-8-19) has played 401 games in the NHL mostly with Anaheim and Boston. Former Calgary Flame Dillon Dube (3-5-8) has played 325 NHL games and was signed to a PTO last month. The Phantoms are 2-1-0 against Springfield entering the fourth of six matchups this season. On January 10, Anthony Richard scored the winning goal at Springfield with just 11.9 seconds left to cap a three-goal comeback in the third period after the Phantoms were down 2-0.
SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
x – Lane Pederson 13-15-28
Anthony Richard 11-11-22
Alex Bump 7-13-20
Alexis Gendron 8-10-18
Christian Kyrou 6-12-18
Springfield Scoring Leaders
Matt Luff 13-20-33
Matthew Peca 8-19-27
Chris Wagner 11-8-19
Aleksanteri Kaskimäki 9-9-18
Juraj Pekarcik 5-12-17
Special Teams PP / PK
LV 18.4%, 17th / 76.1%, 30th (PP vs. SPR, 1/12, 8.3%)
SPR 19.9%, 12th / 84.5%, 4th (PP vs. LV 4/9, 44.4%)
Season Series vs. Springfield Thunderbirds: (2-1-0)
11/14/25 Home W 7-3
12/17/25 Home L 1-3
1/10/26 Away W 3-2
1/30/26 Away
3/27/26 Home
4/15/26 Away
LOOKING AHEAD – The Phantoms return to PPL Center for a pair of games on Saturday, January 31 against the Bridgeport Islanders and Sunday, February 1 at 3:05 p.m. against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on meLVin Youth Jersey Day presented by LVHN Reilly Children’s Hospital, Service Electric, and Velaspan.
Springfield Thunderbirds
Bridgeport Islanders
