COMETS TRAVEL TO ALLENTOWN TO BATTLE PHANTOMS
Mar 2, 2019UTICA COMETS (30-21-5-2) vs. LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS (27-23-3-3)
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 take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the final time this season. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
Last Game: The Utica Comets twice rallied from one-goal deficits to top the Hershey Bears 3-2 in overtime Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center. Zack MacEwen, Reid Boucher, and Cam Darcy scored for Utica. Boucher’s goal broke the Comets’ single season record for goals in a season. Michael Leighton made 21 saves in the win.
Head-to-Head: This is the second and final meeting between the Comets and Phantoms this season. Utica won the only meeting between the teams, a 5-2 win back on February 8. The Comets are 5-6-0-0 in the last five years against Lehigh Valley.
Scouting the Phantoms: Lehigh Valley comes in to tonight’s contest with a record of 27-23-3-3 and sits in sixth place in the Atlantic Division. They most recently fell to the Syracuse Crunch by a score of 4-0 last night. Greg Carey leads the offense with 49 points, followed by Chris Conner with 37 points. Alex Lyon is the leading netminder with a record of 11-12-2, a 2.52 goals-against average, and .922 save percentage.
Conquering The Atlantic: The Comets have been fantastic against the Atlantic Division this season. Utica is riding an 11-game point streak against teams from the Atlantic, with their last regulation loss coming way back on November 17 at Hartford. The Comets have outscored opponents 39-28 during the streak and are 9-3-3 overall against teams from the Atlantic this season.
Unstoppable: Reid Boucher’s career season continues. With his goal last night, Boucher broke the Comets all-time record for goals in a single season. He also has five points (3-2-5) in his last five games. The forward has set a new career high with 53 points (26-27-53) in 46 games this season.
Back On Track: The Comets power play is starting to turn things around. The Comets have scored at least one goal on the man advantage in two straight games, going 2-7 overall. The Comets power play ranks 10th in the AHL at 20.1% this season.
Streakbuster: Cam Darcy ended his three-game pointless skid in emphatic fashion. Darcy chipped in the overtime game-winning goal as well as an assist in last night’s win. The goal was his fourth game-winning goal this year, putting him in a tie for the team lead with Reid Boucher. The forward has 19 points (9-10-19) in 50 games this year.
Next Game: The Comets are back at it Wednesday night as they host the Syracuse Crunch. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.