PREVIEW: Phantoms at Islanders, Game #45

SAMU AT ALL-STAR CLASSIC!
Rookie forward Samu Tuomaala showcased his skills and abilities at the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose, California during the two-day event. During the AHL Skills Competition on Sunday, Tuomaala cranked up a 97.3 mph blast in the hardest shot contest and also hit two of four targets in the accuracy contest. During Monday’s AHL All-Star Classic series of round-robin 3-on-3 games between the divisions, Tuomaala scored one goal with three assists for four points in helping the Atlantic Division advance to the Championship Game before eventually bowing to the Pacific Division.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 6 – Alex Kile (F) returned on loan to Maine Mariners (ECHL)
February 8 – Matt Brown (F) recalled to Phantoms from Reading Royals (ECHL)
February 9 – Zayde Wisdom (F) reassigned by Flyers to Lehigh Valley from Reading

PHANTASTIC!

• Samu Tuomaala (13-22-35) rates second among AHL rookies in points and third in assists. He also is tops among active Phantoms players in goals. Olle Lycksell has 16 goals but is currently on the Philadelphia Flyers roster.
• Cooper Marody (10-27-37) is Lehigh Valley’s leading point producer and is fifth in the conference in assists. On the power play, Marody has scored 3-16-19 and rates tied for second in the AHL in PP assists.
• Emil Andrae (4-20-24) is tied for second among AHL rookie defensemen in assists and is fourth in points.  On the power play, Andrae also leads all rookie defensemen in power-play points and assists as he has scored 3-10-13 on the man-advantage.
• The Phantoms second in the league with 13 overtime games trailing only Rochester who has played in 14 overtime contests.
• The Phantoms record when:
  – Score 4 or more goals: 13-0-2
  – Allow 3 or fewer goals: 13-3-3
  – Lead After 1st period: 7-1-2
  – Lead After 2nd period: 12-1-1
  – One-Goal Games: 12-3-7
  – Overtime: 4-5 / Shootout: 2-2

BRING ON BRIDGEPORT!
Last-place Bridgeport (13-26-5) is showing improved play including a 2-1-0 mark last week but dropped a 4-1 decision at Hartford on Friday in the team’s return from the All-Star Break. This is the first of six meetings this season between the Phantoms and B-Isles. Popular Phantoms alum Cole Bardreau scored 3-2-5 in three games last week to earn Howie’s Hockey Tape AHL Player of the Week Honors. That included a two-goal and one-assist performance last Friday in a 5-1 win vs. Springfield. The 30-year-old Bardreau is in his fifth season with Bridgeport after playing in parts of five seasons for the Phantoms where he scored 41-57-98 in 226 games. Bardreau rates 7th in games played and 10th in assists in Lehigh Valley history.
2018 second-rounder Ruslan Ishakov (13-21-34) paces the team’s scoring in his second season in the AHL. Otto Koivula (8-17-25) is in his sixth season with Bridgeport under new head coach Rick Kowalsky. Another former Phantom, Carsen Twarynski (2-0-2), recently returned from Europe to sign an AHL contract with Bridgeport three weeks ago. Twarynski played in parts of four full seasons with the Phantoms from 2018-21 totalling 107 games while scoring 18-20-38. Goaltender Jakub Skarek (4-17-4, 3.37, .884) has had a rough season.
The Islanders have the worst record in the league and their offense scores a league-worst 2.27 goals per game. Their 14.7% power play is last in the conference and 31st out of 32 in the AHL.