The Phantoms went 1-1 during their two games after the holiday break. They lost a close, heated contest against the Penguin 3-2 on Friday, then beat the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in a strong showing on Saturday. They sit with a 13-12-4-1 record, which is fifth in the Atlantic Division.
Trending Up
Alexis Gendron
Gendron had a powerplay goal on Saturday. He’s up to three goals and seven points in his last nine games. It’s good to see some sustained offensive consistency from Gendron, who came out of the gate hot, but went ice cold in November only to heat back up in December. He sits at 13 points in 23 games on the season, and if this pace continues for a long stretch definitely makes him a prospect of interest when it comes to an NHL recall.
Massimo Rizzo
Rizzo picked up an assist on Saturday. He’s up to four points in his last five games after going pointless in his first 11 games back from appendicitis. He’s still playing primarily in the bottom six at even strength and hasn’t quite been the dominating force they were hoping for, but the continued presence on the scoresheet is certainly a trend in the right direction for the rookie forward.
Sideways Trending
Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaala picked up an assist on Friday, technically bringing him up to three points in his last four games, but they’re all assists. His goalless drought has now reached 12 games over a full month. He still has 23 points in 29 games on the season and is managing to dish a few helpers, but until he gets the goalscoring flowing again, it’s worth worrying about his stock as a prospect.
Emil Andrae
Andrae had a sweet shorthanded assist on the game-winning goal on Saturday. It was really the first thing of note he’s done since returning to the Phantoms four games ago. Whether the air is out of his sails from the demotion, or he’s actually hurt and it’s impacting his play, one way or another something doesn’t seem right with Andrae. He’s stood head and shoulders above everybody else in the AHL since day one and now he’s been just a guy since his return.
Ethan Samson
Samson scored a goal on Friday, but was scratched on Saturday. Samson has had a bit of a rough go in December, stalling the momentum he carried through the first two months of the season. It’s unclear whether the scratching was injury related or not.
Olle Lycksell
Lycksell was recalled to the NHL before the break and played a game in the place of the absent Sean Couturier, but was demoted again then recalled as an extra forward for the Flyers’ west coast trip. On one hand, it’s impressive that Lycksell was actually recalled -because most demotions are one-way trips these days- but it’s clear Tortorella doesn’t intend on playing him if they don’t have to.
Trending Down
Hunter McDonald
McDonald hasn’t done much of note over the last few weeks… other than the 18 penalty minutes he’s racked up in his last three games. The McDonald experiment has give results all over the board. He’s had solid showings and even flashed some scoring potential, other times he’s just a tall oaf who can’t stay out of the box. Some of the underlying skills are definitely there, and he’s being given every opportunity to succeed, but it very much feels like he’s treading water in the top defenseman role.
J.R. Avon
It’s been seven games since Avon last recorded a point. He’s never been the biggest scorer, which has been the missing link holding back as a prospect, but sitting with just seven points in 26 games on the season is low even by his own standards.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 