Phantoms Warm Up: Lehigh Valley vs Hartford 2/10/19 Game Preview

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will rematch against the Hartford Wolf Pack this afternoon inside of PPL Center at 3:05 p.m.

Last night, the Phantoms found themselves behind after the Wolf Pack netted a first-period goal just before the halfway point of the opening frame.  After a scoreless second period, in which the Phantoms got their legs under them and out shot the visitors 11-8, Hartford stretched their lead to 2-0 with an even-strength goal just 3:52 into the third period.

Just 1:18 later, the Phantoms broke the goose egg on the scoreboard and cut the lead in half when Jori Lehtera netted his first goal as a member of Lehigh Valley’s roster.  The Wolf Pack survived the comeback attempt however, as the Phantoms fell 2-1.

Lehigh Valley now holds a 1-2-1-0 record against Hartford this season.

Phantoms vs. Hartford Wolf Pack

Phantoms Leading Scorers

  1. Greg Carey (48 GP, 21G-23A, 44 PTS)
  2. Chris Conner (48 GP, 12G-23A, 35 PTS)
  3. T.J. Brennan (40 GP, 7G-27A, 34 PTS)
  4. Byron Froese (46 GP, 14G-16A, 30 PTS)
  5. Mike Vecchione (49 GP, 11G-18A, 29 PTS)

Wolf Pack Leading Scorers

  1. Peter Holland (48 GP, 18G-28A, 46 PTS)
  2. John Gilmour (50 GP, 15G-21A, 36 PTS)
  3. Steven Fogarty (40 GP, 11G-17A, 28 PTS)
  4. Ville Meskanen (50 GP, 10G-18A, 28 PTS)
  5. Chris Bigras (50 GP, 3G-18A, 21 PTS)

Prior Meetings This Season

Feb. 9 — HFD 2, LV 1
Jan. 18 — HFD 6, LV 5 (OT)
Jan. 5 — HFD 3, LV 1
Oct. 24 — LV 7, HFD 3

Tune In

Watch on TV
Service Electric TV2 Sports

Phantoms365 App
Phantoms365 for Apple iOS
Phantoms365 for Android

Stream Online
AHLTV

Listen Online
PhantomsHockey.com

Radio
790-WAEB

Snap Shots

  • While both Greg Carey and Chris Conner have both netted a pair of goals and tallied a pair of assists in four games against the Wolf Pack this season, Phantoms captain Colin McDonald currently leads the team’s offense against Hartford with five points (1G-4A) across those same four contests.
  • In the two team’s January 18 meeting, Justin Bailey made his debut in a Phantoms uniform and made an immediate impact, directly factoring in on at least three of the team’s five goals that night.
  • Former Phantoms goaltender Dustin Tokarski will make his first trip back to PPL Center since signing with the Rangers organization in the off season.  The 29-year-old netminder currently leads the Wolf Pack in minutes played with 1104:20 and has a 10-6-2 record to go along with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage this season.
  • Just a season ago, all six of the games played between Lehigh Valley and Hartford were decided by just a single goal, with five of the six requiring additional time.  This season, two of the four contests have been separated by just one goal.

Players to Watch

Jori Lehtera made his debut with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last night and recorded the lone goal of the game for the Orange and Black.  He finished the night with a plus-one rating and has been placed on a line with Tyrell Goulbourne and Colin McDonald.  Keep your eyes on Lehtera to see if he can keep the ball rolling.

Colin McDonald has a team leading five points (1G-4A) against the Wolf Pack this season in four meetings.  He finished last night’s contest with a plus-one rating and while he wasn’t credited with an assist on Lehtera’s goal during the game, he directly contributed to not only setting the goal up, but also screening the goaltender to help.

Recent Transactions

February 9, 2019: The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Philippe Myers

February 9, 2019: The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned forward Byron Froese and defenseman David Schlemko to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms

February 9, 2019: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have returned on loan goaltender Branden Komm to the Reading Royals

Roster Notes

The Philadelphia Flyers acquired forward Byron Froese and defenseman David Schlemko from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Dale Weise and defenseman Christian Folin on February 9, 2019.

The Road Ahead

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms continue their current three-game home stand with a Friday night match up against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on February 15 at 7:05 p.m.  Get your tickets to see the Phantoms do battle with another Atlantic Division foe by clicking HERE.