|
Phantoms Gameday: 5/16/21 vs. BNG |
|
|
|
|
|
Phantoms Gameday: May 16, 2021 vs. Binghamton
Playing the final game of the abbreviated 2020-21 American Hockey League season, Scott Gordon's Lehigh Valley Phantoms (18-7-5) will host Mark Dennehy's Binghamton Devils (6-20-7) at the PPL Center in Allentown on Sunday afternoon. Game time is 3:00 p.m. EDT. The match will be streamed on AHL TV.
On Saturday, the Phantoms settled for one point in a 2-1 home overtime loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Pens made a first-period goal by Jon Gruden stand up until the third period before Ryan Fitzgerald (team-leading 11th goal of the season) knotted the score at the 4:04 mark. Kasper Björkqvist won the game for the Pens in 3-on-3 sudden death overtime with 2:06 remaining on the clock.
Alex D'Orio earned the win in goal with 23 saves on 24 shots. Zane McIntyre, making his likely final start of the season, stopped 26 of 28 shots in a losing cause (11-3-3, 2.33 GAA, .917 SV%). Felix Sandström is the probable starter in the season finale.
Late in the first period, rookie power forward Wade Allison got into it several times with Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. They chirped each other a few times during the period. With 2:20 left in the period, Allison tried to play a bouncing puck in the defensive zone. Joseph gave him a cross-check as the puck was played back behind the goal line. Allison then looked over his shoulder and barked at Joseph.
When play went the other way, Allison moved in on the forecheck as Joseph put the puck around the boards the other way. A moment later, Allison delivered a hit in the corner on Joseph. As he in prone to doing, Allison lost his balance and went down to the ice. Seeing an opportunity for payback on what he probably felt was a borderline late hit, Joseph dropped down with a cross-check to Allison's neck. Allison, understandably, took major exception to it.
Allison gave Joseph a shove. Joseph shoved back. Allison dropped the gloves. Joseph dropped one glove but then declined to fight as Allison delivered one shot. Allison paused. Chirping each other some more, the two were dispatched to the penalty box on coincidental roughing minors.
"I was ready to go. I was really ready to go, but he didn't want it. I figured it's kind of a scumbag play to just swing on somebody who doesn't want it so I just let him go. But I wanted it, I wanted it," Allison said during the postgame Zoom.
Allison continued to goad Joseph as the game continued. A subsequent second fight invitation by Allison was declined by Joseph. At 3:50 of the third period, a moment after Chris Bigras rang a shot off the post, Allison cross-checked Joseph down to the ice. Diminutive Pens center Felix Robert (who is six-inches shorter than both Allison and Joseph and about 20 pounds lighter than Allison) made a beeline for Allison. Casting aside the gloves immediately, Allison administered a beatdown to Robert, knocking him down to the ice. Robert gamely popped back up to his feet and the fight briefly resumed. Allison then knocked him down again.
Allison said he had a lot of respect for Felix.
"He's a little guy. All the credit to him for stepping up for his team," Allison sad. "That's a character play by him. I gotta respect it."
The Phantoms had only 15 shots on goal up to that point of the game. The fight was a turning point as the emotions got riled up on the bench. Fourteen seconds after play resumed, Zayde Wisdom sprang Fitzgerald on a blueline-in breakaway and Fitzgerald scored through the five-hole to tie the game at 1-1. It was Wisdom's sixth assist -- all primaries, all bonafide scoring-chance creators -- in his last three games. Bigras got the secondary assist.
Shortly after the tying goal, Wisdom was called for holding. From the box, Allison cheer-led the Phantoms' penalty kill (which went a perfect 4-for-4 on the night). With time ticking down near the final eight minutes of regulation, Max Willman got some rough treatment from WB/S defenseman Cam Lee along the boards. Shoves, and then dropped gloves, ensued. Lee got the better of the scrap but emotions hit a fever pitch again.
The Phantoms dominated the third period to the tune of a 13-2 shot edge. However, they were iunable to cash in a late regulation power play (LV went 0-for-2 for the game) and ended up absorbing the OT loss.
Cam York was paired with fellow rookie Egor Zamula in this game. The Phantoms were collectively outplayed through 40 minutes but the young duo looked dynamic at times.
Win or lose on Sunday against Binghamton, the game will be the end of the season for both teams. Lehigh Valley would easily have qualified for postseason play -- whether a traditional Calder Cup playoff bracketing or some sort of divisional playoff -- despite trailing the Divison winning Hershey Bears both in points (48 to 42) and points percentage (.750 to .677). A win by the Phantoms in the finale would bring them to 44 of 62 possible points (.710 points percentage.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»