COMETS GO GHOST HUNTING IN LEHIGH VALLEY
Dec 28, 2019UTICA COMETS (18-10-2-2) vs. LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (12-14-1-4)
PPL Center, 7:05 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsLV
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets hit the road to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets fell behind 3-0 early but were able to muster up a comeback and tie the game before falling 6-5 in overtime to the Hershey Bears Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Lukas Jasek scored twice, while Vincent Arseneau, Seamus Malone, and Carter Camper all scored one goal each. Michael DiPietro made six saves on nine shots before being replaced by Zane McIntyre in the first period. McIntyre made 18 saves on 21 shots in relief.
Head-to-Head: This is the first contest between the Comets and Phantoms this season. The two teams split last year’s season series, with each team winning one game. Utica is 5-7-0-0 in the last five years against Lehigh Valley.
Scouting the Phantoms: Lehigh Valley comes in with a record of 12-14-1-4 and sits in last place in the Atlantic Division. They most recently lost to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 last night. Greg Carey leads the offense with 17 points, followed by Cal O’Reilly with 15 points. Alex Lyon is the top netminder with a record of 7-9-2, a 2.53 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage.
Road Warriors: The Comets have played extremely well on the road this season. Utica has won three of their last four road games and scored four or more goals in all three wins. Additionally, they are 3-0-0-1 against teams from the Atlantic Division on the road. Overall, the Comets are 10-4-0-1 away from home this year.
Rack ‘Em Up: Reid Boucher just keeps racking up points. Boucher extended his point streak to 14 games with an assist last night, bringing his point total to 20 points (7-13-20). He has also picked up six multi-point games during his streak. The forward has 38 points (20-18-38) in 27 games this season.
Heating Up: Justin Bailey will look to continue his stellar play against his former team this evening. Bailey has four points in his last three games, including a two-point night last night. The speedy forward has 21 points (10-11-21) in 32 games this year.
Career Year: Lukas Jasek is having a career season. Jasek has already matched his career high in goals and is halfway to tying his career high in points. He also has two multi-goal games this season, the first time he has accomplished that feat. The second-year forward has 14 points (9-5-14) in 31 games this year.
Next Game: The Comets are back at it Tuesday night at home against the Rochester Americans. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. Tickets are still available at the Box Office, over the phone by calling (315) 790-9070, or online at www.empirestatetix.com. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.