The Phantoms played three games last week, first losing 5-1 on Friday against Springfield in one of their worst showings of the season. They rebounded with a 2-1 win over Bridgeport on Saturday, before suffering another 5-1 loss, this time at the hands of the Penguins on the road on Sunday.
They’re currently 20-17-5-1 which is fifth in the Atlantic Division.
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Olle Lycksell
Lycksell scored three of the four Phantoms goals this weekend. He went pointless on Sunday, but was on a six-game point streak (four of them before his recent NHL recall) where he has seven goals and 11 points before that. He has retaken the team lead in points with 27 through 28 games. It really is a shame the Flyers don’t attempt to utilize him better in the NHL because it’s hard to believe this scoring wouldn’t translate to some level in the show.
Emil Andrae
Andrae returned to the lineup after missing a handful of games with an injury. It’s a sigh of relief for the Phantoms as some of the initial reports didn’t sound too promising. He recorded a powerplay assist on Saturday. While he hasn’t quite been himself since his demotion from the AHL, Emil Andrae at 75% is way better than no Emil Andrae at all.
Rodrigo Abols
Abols made his NHL debut at 29 years old on January 21. Like most Phantoms callups, he’s playing a minuscule role with the big club so his chance to shine is limited, but it’s a very cool story nonetheless. He’ll be up there until the injured Ryan Poehling returns.
Cooper Marody
Another guy who isn’t technically a prospect, but Marody returned to the ice on Friday night. He had missed the entire season after sustaining a hip injury in September. He led the Phantoms with 56 points in 68 games last season. He scored the lone Phantoms goal on Sunday. They’re definitely a group that’ll be thankful to have his presence back in the lineup as the playoff push heats up.
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Zayde Wisdom
Wisdom posted an assist on Friday. He spent the weekend with the scoring line of Olle Lycksell and Jacob Gaucher and was plenty notable, particularly forechecking in the role. Wisdom’s strong season continues and he’s even being rewarded with big roles 5-on-5. Even if his overall point production is lacking, it’s certainly not for a lack of trying.
Massimo Rizzo
Rizzo returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing two games with an injury. Considering he missed a chunk of the campaign with appendicitis, it wasn’t a good sign that he was absent for a few games, but the worry seems to be for naught. He didn’t post a point this week, but he’s been one of their hotter players since the holidays, so the offensively anemic Phantoms are going to need him to get back on track.
Alexis Gendron
Gendron is pointless in his last five games and hasn’t scored a goal in his last eight. That being said, the 21-year-old is fast, has got a great shot and his overall play has improved quite a bit this season. If he can put all the pieces together at the same time, they might have a legitimate prospect on their hands.
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Aleksei Kolosov
Kolosov was torched for five goals in his AHL return on Friday, then allowed another five on Sunday. 10 goals against on 66 shots total. It was two of the Phantoms’ worst showings in quite some time, and Kolosov didn’t seem overly interested in stopping the bleeding either. Given the entire situation, you can’t help be feel like they’re walking on eggshells with the guy. Hard to judge after two appearances, but if he’s just going through the motions it doesn’t really help anybody.
Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaala was scratched on Sunday after his goalless drought has now reached 21 games on Saturday. He did post a powerplay assist on against Bridgeport, but the more concerning lack of scoring and just his general dip in play from the awesome level he was at earlier in the season remains.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 