It seems Wilkes-Barre has a different strategy for combating our beloved Phantoms this season: They just beat us over and over so that we won’t make the playoffs and that way they won’t lose to us in the first round once again.
The Phantoms lost last night in Wilkes-Barre, as well as last Sunday at the end of the 3/3. The pattern has been similar: Jump out to a deficit and then try to battle back. It’s not a good or successful plan.
Records and Standings
Record: 28-32-3-3
Standings: 7th Place; two points out of the playoffs
If The Season Ended Today (spoiler: it doesn’t): Golf
Home: 14-15-2-2
Away: 14-17-1-1
Recent: Lost two in a row on the road to Wilkes Barre
Overtime: 5-3
Shootout: 4-3
Friday: 5-12
Saturday: 15-5-1-3
Sunday: 3-9-1
[Sunday 3/3: 0-5-1]
Monday:.0-1-1
Tuesday: 0-1
Wednesday: 4-4
October: 5-3-0-1
November: 5-3-1-1
December: 5-5-1
January: 5-6
February: 2-6-0-1
March: 5-7-1
April: 0-1
White “Road” Jerseys: 10-9-2-1
Black with Orange “Alternate” Jerseys: 6-9-1-1
Orange “Home” Jerseys: 6-7
“Black-Out” Jerseys: 0-2-0-1
“Faux-Back” Keystone Black: 2-2
Charcoal Gray “Forgotten Preseason”: 1-1
“Orange Out” 2026: 2-2
Post-Game Fan Event Game: 2-1
Thoughts on the above: They need to be better on home ice. They need to be better on Fridays–the first night of the weekend. We have to wonder if there’s a coaching issue there, for better or worse. They need to be better on Sundays and at the end of the season. Again, one has to wonder about coaching and conditioning. In other words, are they so much better on Saturdays versus Fridays BECAUSE of the coaching, or in spite of the coaching?
Roster
G Carson Bjarnason found himself banished to Reading following last Sunday’s game. Yaniv Perets is here in his stead.
Lines last night in Scranton:
23 Dorwart 25 Pederson 24 Knuble
61 Katchouk 18 Thompson 26 Tomasino
90 Richard 56 Gaucher 43 Eklind
22 Robertson 74 Wisdom 10 Powell
5 Jiricek 59 Bonk
19 McDonald 3 Grans
15 Kyrou 82 Guenette
35 Kolosov (1 Perets)
GAME DAY!
It’s Saturday Night Hockey Live! as well as Star Wars Night for a home/home rematch with the Penguins.
Show: 7:00PM
Hockey: 7:17PM
Gates: 6:00PM (STH: 5:45PM)
Tickets: There’s a glut of tickets available on the secondary market right now. Good seats still remain from the arena as well.
Media Kit:
Officials:
Referees: Austin Rook (#26), Patrick Hanrahan (#52) Linesperson: Jud Ritter (#34), John Rey (#16)
What To Watch
- Watch for who starts in net. Kolosov went back-to-back last weekend, so it’s a possibility. Perets was serviceable before, this season when he was up from Reading.
- Watch to see if the team can avoid digging a hole early. If they can, it might look more like the big win last Saturday over Hershey, rather than the other recent contests with Wilkes-Barre and Charlotte.
- Watch to see if you think this team has enough to even do anything in the playoffs. What if we add back Barkley and Bump?
Up Next
They’ve got the whole week off before two home games next weekend, versus Bridgeport and Cleveland, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Then, they’ll finish on the road with a mid-week game in Springfield and the final weekend in Charlotte. All the games are important at this point–we just need points–but circle the ones against Bridgeport and Springfield especially.
Programming Note: It depends on how things go–and if it rains–but there’s a slight possibility that ‘Hockey Night in Allentown’ will go on hiatus until the fall. If so, we had a lot of fun this season right up until the losing started. Big thanks to Jack for the photos, which keeps things more interesting around here. We think they have some interesting pieces for next season, but they’ll need to add some talent, as well. And, as always, we serve at the pleasure of the Flyers, which is a tough spot to be in sometimes.
See you at the arena,
@Kram207
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