Game 66 Preview: Hershey at Lehigh Valley

The Phantoms and Bears meet again. Photo: Nina Weiss/The Home News

I'll have full coverage of tonight's Phantoms game against the Hershey Bears. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. ET, but make sure you're following me on Twitter -> @TonyAndrock and now on Facebook (be sure to like the Facebook page!) for all the latest updates and information this evening. Stay tuned here online after the game for a recap of the action.

You can help keep me on the road covering the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by making a donation via GoFundMe or PayPal.

For the final time this season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (27-31-4-3) will host rival Hershey (35-18-4-7) at the PPL Center tonight in the 11th of 12 scheduled meetings between the two Atlantic Division teams.

With just 11 games left in the regular season, these final games provide players with a chance to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff and management heading into the off-season.

All of the regular news, notes, stats and more to get you ready for tonight's game in a full preview after the jump.

By The Numbers

LV: 65 games played, 27-31-4-3 = 61 points
7th Place - Atlantic Division
Last 10 Games: 2-6-2-0
Streak: 0-5-2

HER: 64 games played, 35-18-4-7 = 81 points
2nd Place - Atlantic Division
Last 10 Games: 6-3-1-0
Streak: 0-1-1

Special Teams

Power Play

LV: 16.9% - 15th in AHL
HER: 17.2% - 13th in AHL

Penalty Kill

LV: 82.1% - 19th in AHL
HER: 81.3% - 20th in AHL

Leading Scorers (Active)

LV:  Chris Conner (48GP, 14G-31A), Taylor Leier (60GP,18G-25A), Petr Straka (55GP, 19G-17A), Danick Martel (57GP, 21G-12A)

HER: Chris Bourque (61GP, 26G-42A), Riley Barber (62GP, 22G-25A), Travis Boyd (64GP, 18G-27A), Sean Collins (63GP, 15G-22A)

Starting Goaltenders

LV: Martin Ouellette (0-2-0, 4.50 GAA, .877 SV%, 0 SO)
HER: Dan Ellis (22-9-4, 2.34 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO)

Season Series

This is the 11th of 12 scheduled meetings between Lehigh Valley and Hershey this season. The Phantoms own the season series with a 6-4 record, including a 2-2-1 record at the PPL Center this season.

Head to Head Scoring Leaders

LV: Taylor Leier (9GP, 3G-6A), Danick Martel (10GP, 4G-3A), Chris Conner (5GP, 1G-5A)

HER: Chris Bourque (10GP, 7G-5A), Travis Boyd (10GP, 6G-5A), Carter Camper (10GP, 2G-5A)

Goalies Head to Head Stats

LV: Martin Ouellette (1GP, 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV%, 0 SO)
       Connor Knapp (1GP, 1-0-0, 4.62 GAA, .828 SV%, 0 SO)

HER: Justin Peters (5GP, 2-2-1, 3.35 GAA, .902 SV%, 0 SO)
          Dan Ellis (5GP, 2-0-3, 2.15 GAA, .894 SV%, 0 SO)

Season Series Schedule

Sun. 11/1, Lehigh Valley - 5 at Hershey - 4 (SO)
Fri. 11/6, Hershey - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 2
Fri. 11/27, Hershey - 5 at Lehigh Valley - 6 (SO)
Sat. 12/5, Lehigh Valley - 1 at Hershey - 2
Wed. 12/9, Hershey - 2 at Lehigh Valley - 3 (OT)
Fri. 12/18, Hershey - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 6
Thurs. 12/31, Lehigh Valley - 3 at Hershey - 1
Fri. 1/15, Hershey - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 2
Mon. 1/25, Lehigh Valley - 6 at Hershey - 5 (SO)
Sat. 2/6, Lehigh Valley -1 at Hershey - 5
Wed. 3/23, Hershey at Lehigh Valley - 7:05 p.m. ET
Sat. 4/16, Lehigh Valley at Hershey - 7:00 p.m. ET

Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Roster Notes

Martin Ouellette will get his second start of the season with the Phatoms tonight against Hershey. Connor Knapp will serve as the backup goalie as Jason LaBarbera is going to be out for a bit, per head coach Scott Gordon.

Three injured players from the team's last game on Sunday - Colin McDonald, Aaron Paluhsaj and Max Lamarche - were all full participants in practice Tuesday morning. Expect McDonald and Palushaj back in the Phantoms' lineup tonight.

Pavel Padakin was called up from Reading, while Joe Rehkamp was released from his PTO and returned to the Royals. Padakin slotted into the lineup on the fourth line.

Scratches: Jason LaBarbera (undisclosed), Michael Parks (upper body), Max Lamarche (healthy), Dalton Smith (healthy), Jay Rosehill (healthy), Reece Wilcox (healthy) and Logan Pyett (out indefinitely)

Lines (Starters in Bold/Italics)

Danick Martel - Tim Brent - Aaron Palushaj
Petr Straka - Phil DeSimone - Chris Conner
Taylor Leier - Cole Bardreau - Colin McDonald
Tyrell Goulbourne - Steven Swavely - Pavel Padakin

Sam Morin - Mark Alt
Davis Drewiske - Christian Marti
Adam Comrie - Robert Hagg

Martin Ouellette - Connor Knapp

Recent Transactions

3/21: ADD - G Connor Knapp recalled from loan to Reading (ECHL)

3/21: DEL - F Joe Rehkamp released from PTO

3/21: ADD - RW Pavel Padakin recalled from loan to Reading (ECHL)

3/21: ADD - D Reece Wilcox signed to ATO
3/20: ADD - G Martin Ouellette recalled from loan to Reading (ECHL)
3/20: DEL - G Anthony Stolarz recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL)

You can help keep me on the road covering the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by making a donation via GoFundMe or PayPal.