Phantoms bounce back after slow start

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Philadelphia Phantoms, a team that seemingly are always in the hunt for the AHL’s prized possession, the Calder Cup, sure didn’t look like Cup contenders at the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
 
After getting off to a 1-6 record, including a six game losing streak, the Phantoms have bounced back nicely having reeled off four straight wins, including two over their arch rivals, the Hershey Bears. Two of those victories came in overtime.
 
The backbone of the Phantoms has been goaltender Scott Munroe. Munroe is ranked sixth in goals against average (1.96) and in save percentage (.936). Oddly enough, Munroe was not going to be resigned by the Flyers, but the lack of a quality NHL prospect in the system, plus Munroe’s solid season last year, prompted the Flyers to bring him back.
 
The Flyers signed J.S. Aubin in the off-season due to the injury status of Antero Niittymaki, and has played in six of the Phantoms 10 games. Clearly, Aubin has struggled which will prompt the Phantoms to continue to use Munro who might have changed the way the organization sees him as a future prospect.
 
Neither the offense nor the defense have taken hold as of yet. The Phantoms have scored as many goals as they have allowed (29). Still, the Phantoms are tied in fourth place, and are only one point away from Binghamton for third.
 
One very scary thought is the Phantoms thought that they might be getting an additional boost of offense from a couple of highly touted Flyers prospects, but that has not come to fruition so far. The Flyers top right wing prospect, Claude Giroux, is tied for second on the in scoring with three goals and four assists. Giroux last season in scored 38 goals and 67 assists in 54 games for Gatineau in the QMJHL.
Andreas Nodl ( St. Cloud State) was expected to spend some time with the Phantoms but the Flyers have had Nodl on the current roster due to his solid play in the NHL. Steve Downie has been up and down with the Flyers. He will have to continue to do more at the NHL level if he wants to avoid a trip back to the AHL.
Surprisingly, the Phantoms are getting offensive contributions from two unexpected sources. Defenseman Danny Syvret leads the team in points with two goals and nine assists. Even stranger still is Boyd Kane’s five goals and 2 assists, which is tied with Giroux for second on the team in points.
The Phantoms are solid on both special team units. The team is ranked 6^th on the power play, and 7^th on the penalty kill. One can only imagine just how good they might become if the team can add more offensive firepower.
The Phantoms are tied for 13^th in offense and are 15^th in defense. The good news on the offense front is the Phantoms have gotten balanced scoring overall. Fifteen players have scored at least one goal. That’s good news for a team that is in a very tough division.
Still, making the playoffs is what it’s all about in sports. It is a long season, and while the Phantoms might not win the division, they can take heart in winning back-to-back games against Hershey. That could go a long way to building confidence between now and April.
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com