Phantoms drop series opener to Hershey
Lehigh Valley is back into the AHL playoffs after a seven-year drought.
ALLENTOWN - With general manager Ron Hextall and his Flyers front-office staff watching from a suite at the state-of-the-art PPL Center, the Phantoms were greeted by thousands of orange-clad fans who stood and waved orange towels as their team entered the ice Friday night.
After a seven-year drought, the Phantoms were back in the AHL playoffs.
Their return was a disappointment.
Nathan Walker scored on a rebound with 12 minutes, 22 seconds left in overtime, giving Hershey a 1-0 win in the series opener.
"Just a standard shot from the point and a fumbled rebound. As simple as that," Phantoms goalie Alex Lyon said. "Guys in the AHL are going to make you pay if you make a mistake."
Pheonix Copley made 32 saves to highlight the Bears' win in front of more than 7,000 fans. Lyon was superb in defeat, stopping 20 of 21 shots.
"Looking at it objectively, I played well, but the hard part to stomach is that in the playoffs, the numbers don't matter anymore," Lyon said. "That's one in the loss column."
Game 2 in the best-of-five, opening-round series will be Saturday night in Allentown.
"You're evaluating everybody," Hextall said before the teams played just the 12th playoff game that reached overtime scoreless in the AHL's 81-year history. "This is the pinnacle of the season right here in the playoffs."
Lehigh Valley's Chris Conner nearly snapped a scoreless tie with 18:02 left in regulation, but he was denied by a sprawling Copley from the doorstep.
With about four minutes remaining, Lyon robbed Stanislav Galiev in front.
The Phantoms and Hershey were ranked as the league's No. 1 and No. 2 offensive teams, respectively, during the regular season. But the game settled into a tight-checking affair (read: playoff hockey) after a fast-paced opening 20 minutes.
Lehigh Valley did not allow many quality scoring chances in the first two periods. Lyon was rarely tested until he made consecutive stops on Christian Djoos and Galiev (rebound) with a little more than five minutes left in the second.
The Phantoms dominated a scoreless first period, outshooting the Bears, 15-5, but they were unable to solve Copley, who was acquired by Washington from St. Louis on Feb. 27, along with standout defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
Early in the game, right winger Cole Bardreau was on a two-on-one when he beat Copley, but his shot caromed off the right post.
Competing in the playoffs gives the players "a sense of urgency" and a chance to play under stressful situations, Hextall said. "The longer we go here, the better off for everybody."
Bunnaman signs
Connor Bunnaman, selected by the Flyers in the fourth round of last year's draft, agreed to terms on an entry-level deal, Hextall announced.
Bunnaman, a 6-foot-3, 214-pound winger/center, scored 37 goals this season - 21 more than last year - for Kitchener in the Ontario Hockey League.
"He made a lot of progress," Hextall said. "He's a big, heavy body and a smart player who really knows his role."
Bunnaman will join the Phantoms, perhaps as early as Saturday, Hextall said. Bunnaman, goalie Carter Hart, and defenseman Phil Myers were re-assigned to the Phantoms after their junior seasons ended.
Out of that trio, Myers figures to have the best chance to play in this year's Calder Cup playoffs, though Hextall said the decision is in the hands of Lehigh Valley coach Scott Gordon and his staff.
Breakaways
Jordan Weal would have had to clear waivers to have been sent to the Phantoms for the AHL playoffs. . . . Hextall said Claude Giroux is "totally healthy" and there was never a debate on whether he should be held out of next month's World Championships.
@BroadStBull