Quick Hits: May 17, 2021
1) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms finished the abbreviated 2020-21 season with a record of 18-7-6. In the season finale on Sunday at the PPL Center, the Phantoms lost via shootout, 4-3 (1-0), to the Binghamton Devils. This was the final game for Binghamton, whose team will be relocating to Utica next season.
After falling behind in the opening minute of the game on a Fabian Zetterlund goal, the Phantoms steadily built a 3-1 lead on tallies by Linus Sandin (PPG, 6th), Max Willman (9th) and Ryan Fitzgerald (team-leading 12th). Lehigh Valley generally had the better of the play through 40 minutes.
However, a Graeme Clarke goal in the final 32 seconds of the middle frame reduced the Phantoms' lead to one goal. The Phantoms were unable to nail down a regulation win in the third period, and Clarke set up a Nolan Foote goal late in the third period with goalie Evan Cormier pulled for a 6-on-5 attack.
In overtime, the Phantoms appeared to have won the game at the 2:37 mark. Fitzgerald turnstiled Zetterlund and cut in front of the net on the backhand. His shot went off the inside of the right post, back to Fitzgerald then off Cormier's skate blade before it trickled -- very clearly on replay -- completely over the goal line by two inches or so before Cormier swept it back. Unfortunately, referee Jeremy Tufts was out of position to see what happened. With no replay in the AHL this season, the on-ice no-goal ruling stood.
In the shootout, none among Fitzgerald, Cam York or Linus Sandin were able to convert their chances. Clarke scored in the second round for Binghamton on a fake slapshot that froze Felix Sandström just long enough for Clarke to move in and beat the Phantoms' goalie over the glove.
Sandström finished the game with 29 saves on 32 shots during regulation and overtime. He concluded the season with a 5-3-3 record in 11 games played, 3.19 GAA and .902 save percentage. The mediocre numbers are a little deceptive. Sandström struggled mightily with sparse playing opportunity across his first five starts between Feb. 27 and April 21. However, he was excellent across his last six starts (April 24, April 28, May 2, May 5, May 12 and May 16) when he was healthy and playing regularly.
2) Some critics of Flyers captain Claude Giroux claim that he mostly accumulates points on the power play and is just an average offensive player at even strength. That most certainly was NOT the case this past season.
As with most of the power play regulars, Giroux had a disappointing season from a productivity standpoint in 2020-21. He scored only one power play goal and added a modest eight power play assists. The left-circle one-timers that typically account for many of Giroux's power play goals rarely found the mark this season; either missing the net and rimming out around the boards, not being timed exactly right or hitting the goalie in the pads, the logo or snared in the glove. Not many even resulted in rebound put-backs this year.
Although it can't be used as an excuse because every team was in the same boat, I think that Giroux's power play shooting suffered from the sparseness of practice time. Normally throughout the season, it it customary to see Giroux working on left circle one timers almost daily at practice. I only recall him doing it a few times this season (when there was practice at all), largely skewed to the early part of the season when there were semi-regular practices.
At even strength, however, Giroux had a fine year statistically. He produced 32 points. By way of comparison to other prominent NHL veterans, Giroux's even-strength output this season exceeded the likes of Nicklas Bäckström (31), William Nylander (31), Patrice Bergeron (31), Joe Pavelski (30), Blake Wheeler (29), David Krejci (28), Anze Kopitar (27), Jamie Benn (26), T.J. Oshie (26) and Alex Ovechkin (25).
3) Please keep those donations coming in for the Flyers Alumni Association's "Every Child Deserves a Bike" program. Thanks to the generosity of Flyers fans, the Alumni will be presenting an adaptive bike this week to Anthony DeCristoforo of Fairless Hills, PA. To learn more about Anthony's story,
click here.
With the support of Flyers fans and sponsors, the Flyers Alumni Association is ordering and delivering one adaptive bicycle per month to special needs children in the Delaware Valley. Each bicycle is customized to the recipient. For many families, such bicycles -- which costly roughly $5,000 -- are cost-prohibitive to provide to their child.
To learn more about the "Every Child Deserves a Bike" program,
click here. To make a donation,
click here. Anyone who donates $50 or more will receive a Flyers Alumni "Every Child Deserves a Bike" t-shirt.
4) The success of the Flyers Learn to Play Rookie ice hockey program has spawned a new warm-weather community hockey initiative: The Learn to Play Street Hockey program for boys and girls ages 3-9. The program launched earlier this month at the following four South Jersey hockey facilities:
- Bellmawr Hockey Rinks, Bellmawr, NJ
- Evesham Hockey Complex, Marlton, NJ
- Gloucester Township Sports Complex, Blackwood, NJ
- Maple Shade Street Hockey Rink, Maple Shade, NJ
The programs in Bellmawr, Blackwood and Maple Shade began on May 15 and the program in Marlton started yesterday (May 16). However, registration remains open until May 21. Visit
PhiladelphiaFlyers.com/BallHockey to sign up.
Program registration is $35 and includes six weeks of instruction that will introduce kids to street hockey skills and create an off-ice pipeline line for young athletes to get involved in the sport of hockey. Each athlete will also receive their very own Flyers-branded equipment including a street hockey stick, ball and reversible pinnie. The six-week program will include appearances by Flyers Alumni, including Brad Marsh.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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