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| Phantoms home skid reaches six games. |
After a scoreless first period between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Providence Bruins Friday night, Providence took over - scoring four goals in the second period and never looking back in a 5-1 win over the Phantoms.
"It's not good what we're doing right now, especially on home ice," defenseman Oliver Lauridsen said after the game. "It's fixable mistakes, we make them ourselves. It's not something they are doing, it's something we are doing to ourselves and it's sad."
The loss brings the home losing skid to six games for the Phantoms, who are in the midst of a home stand with six out of seven at the PPL Center.
"We need guys to step up," Brett Hextall said after tonight's loss. "I don't think we had anyone today step up. We let them off the hook."
The Phantoms are back at it Saturday night at home against the Hartford Wolfpack.
It was a feeling out process in the first period as tonight was the first meeting between the two teams.
Both teams had near goals, as the PBruins rang one off the cross bar early in the opening period and the Phantoms nearly netted a goal in the final minute of the period, with Scott Laughton shooting a wrist shot off the bar.
The PBruins got things started quickly in the second period, as Ryan Spooner took a pass off the opening face-off of the period and came streaking down the right win - flinging a wrist shot past Anthony Stolarz eight seconds into the middle frame to give Providence a 1-0 lead.
The Phantoms thought they had tied the game up at 1-1 with 11:21 left in the 2nd period, but the goal was waived off after Jay Rosehill swatted at a loose puck with his glove and knocked it past PBruins goaltender Jeremy Smith. Things turned from bad to worse from there.
Instead, it was Providence getting the game's second goal and a 2-0 lead after an Adam Comrie high-sticking minor midway through the 2nd period. Stolarz stopped the initial shot from the point, but Colin Stuart was there for the rebound - pushing the puck through Stolarz's five-hole to extend the PBruins lead. Stuart's 7th of the season - a power play goal - was assisted by Zach Trotman and David Warsofsky.
The Phantoms tried to counter with some offense of their own, but were caught up ice with 3:53 left in the middle frame - leading to a mini-breakaway by Andrew Cherniwchan for his 4th of the season.
Stolarz's night was done after allowing his fourth goal - a power play one-timer from Ryan Spooner - with 2:03 left before the second intermission. Martin Ouellette came on in relief, stopping 5 of the 6 shots he faced in the final 22:57 of regulation time.
The Phantoms broke Smith's shutout bid with 4:09 left in the third, but that was about the only positive coming from tonight's game.
"This is a really important time of the year," Hextall said, adding, "We are getting to that point where we don't have time to waste, we don't have games to waste, we don't have periods to waste. Sometimes one period can lose you a game. We've lost too many at home here lately and we need to turn that around if we want to make the playoffs."
ROSTER NOTES
Anthony Stolarz (23 saves - 27 shots) got the start in net tonight for the Phantoms. Martin Ouellette served as the team's back up, but came on with 2:57 left in the second period in relief of Stolarz, stopping 5 of 6 shots.
On defense, no changes to the lineup as Jesper Pettersson remained the healthy scratch.
Up front there weren't any changes either, though the lines were switched up a bit.
Scratches: Jesper Pettersson (healthy), Shayne Gostisbehere (ACL surgery - out until March), Blair Jones (lower body) and Derek Mathers (healthy)
Lines
Darroll Powe - Nick Cousins - Zack Stortini
Jason Akeson - Scott Laughton - Andrew Gordon
Jay Rosehill - Austin Fyten - Brett Hextall
Taylor Leier - Kevin Goumas - Petr Straka
Brandon Manning - Mark Alt
Adam Comrie - Steven Delisle
Oliver Lauridsen - Robert Hagg
Anthony Stolarz - Martin Ouellette
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
2:53: PRO - (PP) Camara, minor (boarding)
12:19: LV - (PP) Hagg, minor (hooking)
16:48: LV - (PP) Fyten, minor (interference)
0:08: PRO - Spooner (7) - Eminger, Stuart
5:34: PRO - (PP) Breen, minor (high-sticking)
10:53: LV - (PP) Comrie, minor (high-sticking)
11:36: PRO - PPG Stuart (7) - Trotman, Warsofsky
16:03: PRO - Cherniwchan (4) - Trotman, Breen
16:14: LV - (PP) Fyten, minor (high-sticking)
17:03: PRO - PPG Spooner (8) - Griffith, Camara
17:58: PRO - Randell, major (fighting)
17:58: LV - Manning, major (fighting)
3rd Period
5:42: PRO - Stuart (8) - Griffith
15:51: LV - Straka (13) - Cousins
19:52: PRO - Sexton, ten-minute misconduct (unsportsmanlike)
19:52: LV - Comrie, ten-minute misconduct (unsportsmanlike)
19:52: LV - (PP) Comrie, minor (roughing)
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