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The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have scored 24 goals in their last five games, with four goals or more in each game. It’s allowed them to win three and earn points in four to leap into fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
“A lot of the year we’ve been good at generating chances,” veteran center Lane Pederson noted after the 6-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. Now, it’s paying off, and the results are coming. It’s fascinating to see the uptick offensively and wonder if the Phantoms can win every game 6-5. The answer is no but for now, it can help them go on a run.
Phantoms Are Getting Interior Offensive Zone Pressure
All season long, Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach John Snowden has talked about getting to the interior of the offensive zone and taking advantage. “When you need to score, you have to go to the hard areas,” he noted after the recent game, and it’s where teams pressure the opponents and power the puck into the net.
It’s what they’ve done in the recent game, regardless of which line is on the ice. Oscar Eklind is a checking forward, often playing alongside Zayde Wisdom and Garrett Wilson. He has two goals in the last two games. Likewise, the Phantoms saw all four lines find the back of the net in Sunday’s 6-3 win.
It’s not just the dirty-area goals but how the Phantoms are setting up the offense by winning the neutral zone and setting up scoring chances in the interior. “We’re delivering pucks at the right time,” Snowden added after the Saturday night game, a game the Phantoms scored four goals but lost 5-4 in a 12-round shootout. Hocker is about positioning, and they’ve set themselves up to make the most of the right bounces and create chances in space as a result. “How aggressive we’ve been in the neutral zone killing plays,” Pederson noted when asked what’s caused the turnaround.
Alex Bump & Oliver Bonk Are Heating Up
With Denver Barkey on the NHL team for a few months, the top prospects on the Phantoms are Alex Bump and Oliver Bonk. Both skaters battled injuries and haven’t returned to form until recently. Now, the American Hockey League (AHL) team is seeing what it can do when it adds a lot of skill to the forward unit and the defense at the same time.
Bump for one is starting to look like the top-line winger the Philadelphia Flyers were hoping he’d be out of training camp. He’s scoring on the wing but also getting to the dirty areas to find the back of the net, something the Phantoms have benefited from in recent games. “That’s an area of the game that he’s developed from the start of the year until now, getting in and around the net more,” Pederson stated on the improvements of his linemate.
Bonk, meanwhile, was the freestyling defenseman who at times looked lost when he returned. Now, the Phantoms are letting him skate into the offensive zone knowing he can add another layer of offense. He’s scored two goals and added five assists in the last five games, which have coincided with the scoring surge.
In the AHL, sometimes teams can only go as far as their best players. The Phantoms hare getting the most out of their young players on the offensive end. On top of that, the veterans have also stepped up.
Veterans Are Helping The Offense
A few weeks back, a scout in the AHL noted that the Phantoms must get more from their veterans. Pederson is a top-line center at this AHL level and needs to play that way, and the same can be said about Phil Tomasino, whom they acquired earlier in the season through a trade. They’ve gotten that veteran boost lately, not just on offense but in all three zones.
Pederson and Anthony Richard have particularly stepped up. For Pederson, it’s about finding out what the strengths of the team are and leaning into them while often using his strength to earn dirty-area goals. Richard, meanwhile, has used his speed to impact the game in all facets, from scoring near the net to backchecking and creating turnovers defensively. “They understand the dynamics of the league and how to be successful in this league,” Snowden noted on the two veterans.
The Phantoms are preparing for the home stretch, and it’s where the veterans have a pivotal role on the team. They know the grind that comes with the final two months of the season because they’ve been there before, and it will help the prospects, who haven’t experienced this before, to play well and allow the team to climb the standings.
Ultimately, the Phantoms Must Check & Defend to Win
The Phantoms are turning the corner and can go on a run with their offense leading the way. The reality is that they can’t win every game 6-5 or 5-4. The games slow down at some point and require defense to win, especially in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
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It’s a full circle moment for the Phantoms as the calendar flips to March. In the first two months, they were a fast, offensive-minded team that struggled to defend. The next two months, they became a defensive-minded team that couldn’t score. Now, they are scoring again but struggling on the defensive end. Becoming a balanced team will determine how far they go in a wild ride that’s been the 2025-26 season.
