The Phantoms went 1-2-0 in three games this weekend. They scored one goal in three games. They’re 23-22-5-2 and remain in seventh place in the Atlantic Division and out of a playoff spot with 20 games remaining.
Lycksell, Brink, Attard and Sandstrom are up with the Flyers, while Laczynski and Desnoyers are on the shelf with injury. Cooper Marody, the team’s point leader and only player to score a goal this weekend, missed Sunday’s game.
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J.R. Avon
Avon registered a shootout goal on Sunday and is now 6-for-7 in the shootout this season. The story of the season remains the same for Avon, he’s working hard and playing much better than his 15 points in 46 games would suggest, but the one area where he really shines is in the shootout where he’s dominated as a rookie all season.
Wade Allison
Allison scored the game winning shootout goal on Sunday. He’s got three shootout goals on the season (and scored a fourth but it was waived off) in a rather surprising stat. Allison may be on an eight-game pointless streak, but he’s still playing at the classic Wade Allison level fans are familiar with and finding success when it comes to the skills competition. You’d love to see him show up on the scoreboard when the team is this shorthanded, but it’s hard to fault failed conversions when he’s playing at the level he is.
Felix Sandstrom
Sandstrom played his first NHL game in 11 months on Saturday, recording a win against the Ottawa Senators making 26 saves. It’s unclear why the organization decided to call up Petersen when Hart left instead of Sandstrom, but considering how terrible he was, it’s safe to assume Sandstrom only has to be even semi-decent to hold down the NHL backup job for the rest of the season.
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Emil Andrae
Death, Taxes and Emil Andrae scoring powerplay points. He registered an assist on the man advantage on Saturday. The rookie hasn’t scored a goal in well over a month, but the points are still trickling in, especially on the powerplay. He’s up to 28 points in 43 games, which best among Phantoms’ defensemen and fourth on the team in total scoring.
Adam Ginning
Rumors emerged this week that Ginning may head back to his native Sweden after the conclusion of the season. While he’s been far better on the whole than anybody expected of the former 50th overall pick, there’s a massive logjam on the Flyers’ blueline and he’s just about guaranteed to not get a legitimate chance with this organization.
Bobby Brink
After scoring 11 points in 11 games since his demotion to the Phantoms, Brink was recalled to the Flyers. He scored two goals in two games back, then was on the ice for a goal against durinng the Capitals and spent the rest of that game benched and played the second lowest TOI against the Senators. Easy come easy go for Brink, who was sent to the Phantoms in January because Torts didn’t trust him and after a game-and-a-half he’s right back in the doghouse where he started. Yay development!
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Samu Tuomaala
The rookie forward hasn’t registered a point in his last five games and hasn’t scored a goal in 11 games. Tuomaala has just one goal and three points in his last 12 games. It’s kind of ironic that he’s gone ice cold since the All-Star game he was featured on, but given the decimation occurring to the rest of the roster and the fact he’s still a 21-year-old adapting to the North American game, hiccups are not unexpected.
Olle Lyksell
Lycksell was on the main roster from January 23 to February 22 and played just three games in very limited minutes. He played one AHL game on February 24 recording four points and was recalled to the NHL on February 27. He played two games, was benched alongside Brink halfway through the Capitals game, then scratched against the Senators. Why do the Flyers leave Lycksell on the main roster only to treat him like shit? Who knows. He has 18 goals and 32 points in 34 AHL games, which is still third on the Phantoms in scoring despite the near 20 games of AHL action he’s missed.
Ronnie Attard
Attard was recalled to the Flyers for the first time in nearly a year… and stop me if you’ve heard this before… but he’s not actually playing in the NHL. Even with the injuries to the main roster defensemen, he still can’t get in the lineup, being topped by Marc Staal, of all people. Why bother recalling your top AHL players when the Phantoms are desperately fighting for a playoff spot and then don’t use them in the NHL? It should be a question the front office has to face, especially if they stand pat at this week’s trade deadline.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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