Saturday's Morning Skate 12/26

Phantoms and Penguins clash Sunday in Wilkes-Barre. Photo: Nina Weiss

After a week without a game due to the holiday break, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are back in action tonight. Both teams host a game tonight before the Phantoms travel up the turnpike to Wilkes-Barre for a Sunday showdown with their rival.

For the Phantoms, a game against Bridgeport tonight gives Lehigh Valley an opportunity to close the gap on fourth place. While the Phantoms came up short to lowly Binghamton before the break, Bridgeport is 2-6-1-1 in their last 10 games and come to the PPL Center looking to right the proverbial ship. The first game in a week for teams are usually interesting and you don't know what to expect. 

ROSTER MOVE: Defenseman Jesper Pettersson has been called up from ECHL Reading, per the league's transactions.

For the Penguins, they look to keep on rolling into the new year despite facing some mid-season adversity. With head coach Mike Sullivan now the head man in Pittsburgh, Jay Leach's interim head coaching duties came to an end when Clark Donatelli was named the new head coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Leach remains behind the WBS bench as an associate coach and will work with Donatelli, who joins the staff from their ECHL affiliate in Wheeling.

ROSTER MOVE: Scott Wilson has been called up to the Pittsburgh Penguins per the team's press release this morning.

Atlantic Division Standings (through 12/25's games)

1. W-B/Scranton: 26 games played, 21-5-0-1 = 43 points (.796 PCT)
2. Hershey: 29 games played, 15-8-1-5 = 36 points (.621 PCT)
3. Portland: 27 games played, 15-11-1-0 = 31 points (.574 PCT)

4. Bridgeport: 31 games played, 16-12-2-1 = 35 points (.565 PCT)
5. Lehigh Valley: 30 games played, 14-15-1-0 = 29 points (.483 PCT)
6. Providence: 29 games played, 11-12-5-1 = 28 points (.483 PCT)

7. Springfield: 28 games played, 12-14-1-1 = 26 points (.464 PCT)
8. Hartford: 29 games played, 12-15-2-0 = 26 points (.448 PCT)

Would you like to see my coverage of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms while they're on the road continue? Please lend a helping hand to keep me providing live coverage of the team while they're on the road this season by making a generous donation to my GoFundMe page.

Around The Atlantic

No Games

Saturday's Eastern Conference Schedule

St. John's at Toronto, 3:00 p.m. ET

Providence at Albany, 5:00 p.m. ET

W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00 p.m. ET

Springfield at Syracuse, 7:00 p.m. ET

Hartford at Binghamton, 7:00 p.m. ET

Bridgeport at Lehigh Valley, 7:05 p.m. ET

Utica at Rochester, 7:05 p.m. ET