The Phantoms played three games this week and lost two and won one, all in regulation. They remain seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 17-15-5-1 record.
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Emil Andrae
Andrae assisted on the game-tying goal, then scored the game winner on Saturday. It was Andrae’s first goal since December 15, but he does have 10 assists in the 14 games since. Unsurprisingly, he’s been a key figure on the roster when it comes to scoring and his defensive ability has only gotten better as he transitions to North American ice. He should be high on the list of recalls when the trade deadline rolls around in March.
Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaala registered a goal and an assist this weekend, both coming at even strength. He had a slight cold spell around Christmas, but he has four goals and six points in seven games in January and is up to 31 points in 38 games on the season. He’s the Phantoms’ All-Star selection for a reason.
Olle Lycksell
Lycksell and Tuomaala were reunited on the top line with their partner in crime Tanner Laczynski and they teamed up for a pair of goals. There’s not much to say about Lycksell that we haven’t said in the past. He’s got six points in his last five games and is up to 16 goals and 28 points in 33 games on the season. The Flyers need to give him a legitimate NHL opportunity soon.
Ronnie Attard
Speaking of legitimate NHL opportunities, it’s well overdue that Ronnie Attard get his shot with the big club too. He scored a goal on Saturday, which brings him to 15 points in 21 games since American Thanksgiving. He came out of the gate slow after an unwanted demotion, but he’s gotten his game together and looks ready as ever for the trade deadline to show up and finally get back to the main roster.
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Helge Grans
Grans returned from a broken hand that kept him out of action since early December. He wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire before his injury, so take his return with a grain of salt, but hopefully the time away served as a reset and the 21-year-old can turn his luck around.
Felix Sandstrom
Sandstrom started two of the three games this week and allowed nine goals on 56 shots, although he did pick up a win on Saturday. That Wednesday game against the Americans was a brutal effort from the Phantoms as a whole. It’s hard to blame Sandstrom himself considering how the organization treated him this season on top of the general hot and cold nature the Phantoms have been playing with, but he’s turning in wildly inconsistent performances which just intensifies the struggles the Phantoms are marred in.
J.R. Avon
The rookie hasn’t scored a goal since the week before Christmas and has just one assist in his last 11 games. Avon’s contributions to the lineup this season haven’t always shown up on the scoresheet, which is why his overall game matter more than his points, but he’s stuck in a six-game point drought which is the longest of the year. He was put on a line with the team’s scoring leader Cooper Marody this weekend, but it wasn’t enough to spark him.
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Wade Allison
Allison did not play this weekend due to an injury. He was in the process of finding his old groove during the month of December but he appeared to tweak something with his leg in the dying minutes of an easily won game against Hartford on January 12, which makes it an even more frustrating injury. There’s been no update on Allison’s status, so it’s assumed to be minor until stated otherwise.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers’ goalless drought has expanded to 15 games. He’s Ilya Bryzgalov levels of lost in the woods right now, and his fall from grace is a huge organizational loss at the center position.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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