The Atlantic Division’s first round kicks off this week between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Pennsylvania rivals meet in the postseason for the first time since 2008. At that time, the Phantoms were still based out of Philadelphia in the Wachovia Spectrum prior to its demolition in 2009. Wilkes-Barre won that series by a 4-1 count en route to a loss in the Calder Cup Finals.
Prior to that, the Phantoms took a 4-1 series win on their way to a Calder Cup in 2005. All time, the Penguins have won (2001, 2004, 2008) in contrast to just one series win for the Phantoms (2005). This season, the two teams meet up in a best-of-three playoff series, with the Penguins holding home-ice advantage.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Season Recap
From the start of the season to the last game, the Penguins had two things on their minds: resilience and comebacks. The 2022-2023 season ended with a dismal record of injuries, call-ups to an injured parent club, and losses. Overall, they finished with a record of 39-24-8-1 for 87 points.
In the first game of the 2023-2024 season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won against Charlotte and ended the season, overtaking the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a 4-0 shutout. The team put their heads down this season and grinded to hold a top-three position in the standings for most of the season.
Trades came along as well to try and falter the team, but it proved not to do so. The Penguins lost Rem Pitlick and Alex Nylander in trades. Ty Smith was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they kept him in Wilkes-Barre to finish out the season.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Season Recap
The Phantoms clinched the final berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a record of 32-31-6-3, good for 71 points. Lehigh Valley managed despite a turbulent season in terms of action from their NHL affiliate in Philadelphia. Some of their hardships included an extended absence of their goaltenders due to recall. Other players, like Olle Lycksell, Tanner Laczynski, and Ronnie Attard all spent time in the City of Brotherly Love over the course of the year. A strong second half by Cal Petersen in goal and outstanding seasons from Cooper Marody and rookie Samu Tuomaala helped get the Phantoms over the line and into the postseason.
Petersen appears to be head coach Ian Laperriere‘s choice to lead the team into the postseason. The Phantoms have the added edge of having reinforcements from the Flyers after their affiliate was eliminated at the tail end of the season. Those additions include the likes of Bobby Brink, Adam Ginning, Attard, and Lycksell on their roster. Lehigh Valley enters the postseason as heavy underdogs with a .500 record, and it’ll be an uphill battle to prove themselves.
Regular Season Series
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took the regular season series with a mark of 8-1-2-1 over 12 games. Their last matchup on April 20 is a bit of a red herring in terms of analyzing the matchup. Lehigh Valley elected to rest many of their key players, contributing to a 2-0 loss on home ice. Six of the matchups in the regular season were decided by a single goal, and only two matchups have been decided by a margin of three or more goals. If the regular season is any indication, this could be a series that goes down to the wire.
Joel Blomqvist earned his first professional shut-out against the Phantoms with a 3-0 win on March 14th. The team went on a 7 game-winning streak, the longest one all season. Within that streak, the Penguins earned a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs, from a goal thanks to Radim Zohorna.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Storylines and Players to Watch
Heading into playoffs, the Penguins have reinforcements coming in from Pittsburgh, such as Zohorna, Jack St. Ivany, and Ryan Shea. Wilkes-Barre is no stranger to injuries as they have a long list going on themselves. Owen Pickering, Villie Koivunen, Emil Pieniniemi, and Cooper Foster have all been added to the playoff roster on amateur try-out agreements.
Keys to success for the team would be something that head coach J.D. Forrest has preached all season long: keep it simple and play the game. When Wilkes-Barre/Scranton does that, they come out strong and with the results they want. Players to watch in this series would be that of rookie netminder Blomqvist, and blueliners St. Ivany and Jack Rathbone. St. Ivany and Rathbone have been stellar on defense this year and have proved their position on the team. For forwards, Corey Andonovski, Sam Poulin, and Vinnie Hinostroza. Andonovski has proven to be a playmaker and comes in clutch every time needed. Poulin is your steady center who knows his job and position and plays it well. Hinostroza has seen many call-ups to the parent club, is a good reinforcement player for the playoffs, and has done well serving Wilkes-Barre this season.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Storylines and Players to Watch
The challenge for the Phantoms will be integrating their additions up front and finding another gear against the Penguins. Game two on Friday will be the first time Calder Cup Playoff action returns to PPL Center since 2018. The Phantoms were robbed of hosting action a season ago due to travel rules that impacted their matchup against the Charlotte Checkers. It should be a rocking house in Allentown, Pennsylvania and hopefully provide an edge to the home team in such a short series.
Lehigh Valley’s top players will need to be just that in this series. Rhett Gardner leads the way with nine points (three goals, six assists) in ten games of the regular season series. Tuomaala follows closely with seven points (four goals, three assists) as well as Marody with seven (three goals, four assists). The Phantoms will rely on a diet of balanced scoring and strong defense to win. Their opposition got reinforcements from the NHL, and good ones at that. It’ll be an early test to exceed expectations for the Phantoms.
Bold Prediction: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Samantha Wismer)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has played well against their rivals all season long, and the record has shown. With home-ice advantage, this gives Wilkes-Barre quite the upper hand in the series. However, Lehigh is playing one game on their ice on Friday, which gives them an advantage to come out full power and tie the series that night.
Wilkes-Barre’s biggest advantage this season was their Goaltending. Blomqvist has a record of 25-12-6-1 and placed third for overall netminders in the league this season. Blomqvist has kept Wilkes-Barre in games throughout the season and will do so again in the postseason. He’s been the biggest difference maker along with the leading points scorers of Smith and Hinostroza.
Bold Prediction: Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Corey Swartz)
The short series format may benefit the Phantoms. They’ll have a better opportunity to come out swinging and upset their favored foes. If they can sneak a win in the first game, home-ice advantage will be a huge boost for them in the second game. Lehigh Valley has been playing desperate hockey for some time just to get in, and that won’t change in this big moment. The Phantoms could deliver a shock to Calder Cup Playoff brackets with a massive upset against their rivals.
Series Schedule
The series gets underway from Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday, April 24 with a 7:05 PM EST puck drop. Game Two is slated for a 7:05 PM EST start time at PPL Center on Friday, April 26. If necessary, Game Three is a 5:05 PM EST scheduled start on Sunday, April 28. The lower seeded team to win in the first round will face the Hershey Bears, while the higher seed faces the Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
