2 weeks Ago By Scott Walsh
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — For the second consecutive season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms came into Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza and took the playoff opener. Alex Bump scored two goals and goalie Peter Gahagen stopped 28 of 30 shots as the Phantoms beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-2, in Game 1 of the AHL Calder Cup Atlantic Division first-round series Wednesday night.
Olle Lycksell added a goal and an assist as Lehigh Valley dominated much of the game to seize a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. Game 2 is Friday at 7:05 p.m.
at PPL Center in Allentown and, if necessary, Game 3 would be Sunday at 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena.
Last season, the Phantoms won Game 1 at Mohegan Arena, 2-1, then rallied for a 5-4 overtime win at home in Game 2 to eliminate the Penguins. Now, the Penguins face a similar situation. “I think it’s (bleeping) embarrassing,” Penguins forward Tristan Broz said bluntly.
“It’s a short series. Now we’re going into Game (2) and our backs are against the wall. “Plain and simple, they just wanted it more than us.
Puck battles, races to areas, physicality. We just didn’t get to our game really until the end. Especially being a short series, it’s going to bite you.
” As to be expected in a playoff series between rivals, the game was feisty at the start with pushing and shoving and scuffles after almost every stoppage. Helped by an early power play, Lehigh Valley took eight of the first nine shots and jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 8:40 of the opening period. Jacob Gaucher forced a turnover in the Penguins zone, circled behind the net and passed to Emil Andrae at the left point.
Andrae’s shot was stopped by Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist, but Lycksell, parked alone in front, scored off the rebound. “They came with a good push and maybe we were just a little tentative,” Penguins coach Kirk MacDonald said. “I thought after the first goal, we took over the rest of the period.
I thought we were able to do what we wanted to do, I thought we pushed the pace. Then, we got six minutes of power play and a 5-on-3 in there and we didn’t execute. We killed our own momentum.
” Indeed, the turning point came early in the second period when the Penguins missed a golden opportunity on the power play. Jett Luchanko of the Phantoms was being called for a delayed interference penalty. The Penguins possessed the puck for a long time, during which time Oscar Eklind was hit with a slashing penalty.
That gave the Penguins a 5-on-3 power play for two minutes. They fired five shots on goal, but Gahagen stopped each one and the Phantoms killed off the two-man disadvantage. “The 5-on-3 definitely was a big momentum shift,” Penguins forward Avery Hayes said.
“They gained momentum from that when it should be the other way around. It happens, we’ve got to forget about it and be ready to go on Friday.” Four seconds after he stepped out of the penalty box, Luchanko was called for another interference penalty, putting the Penguins back on the power play.
This time, they managed only one shot as Lehigh Valley killed off that penalty. Buoyed by penalty kills, Lehigh Valley rode the momentum to a 2-0 lead. Luchenko carried the puck into the Penguins zone and from the bottom of the right faceoff circle, centered to Alex Bump in the slot, who beat Blomqvist at 8:25 of the second.
Just over five minutes later, the Phantoms made it 3-0. Nikita Grebenkin centered to Rodrigo Abols, who despite being surrounded by two Penguins defenders, slipped it past Blomqvist at 13:46. The Penguins went the final seven minutes of the second period without a shot on goal.
To begin the third period, MacDonald replaced Blomqvist with Taylor Gauthier. Part of it was to try to light some type of fire in the Penguins. But MacDonald said Blomqvist tweaked something and was to be re-evaluated Thursday morning.
Instead of a spark, however, the Phantoms scored goals 93 seconds apart midway through the third to make it 5-0. Bump got his second of the game on the power play at 8:17 and Anthony Richard followed at 9:50. Hayes spoiled Gahagen’s shutout bid at 15:09 when he stuffed in a centering pass from Sam Poulin.
Then, with one minute remaining, Gabe Klassen took a pass from Harrison Brunicke, got a step on a Phantoms defender and fired a shot from the left faceoff circle past Gahagen. The two late goals give the Penguins something to build off heading into Friday’s elimination game. “It doesn’t matter.
We could have lost, 2-1, in double overtime,” MacDonald said. “We’ve got to regroup (Thursday). We’ll get some work in, make some adjustments.
It’s a race to two wins. We’ll come with an effort Friday.”.
