By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
In crunch time leading up to the playoffs, every goal matters, especially when you manage to get one in the closing stages of a period. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms got one of those in the closing stages of the second period that set the stage for the third.
Chris Conner scored with 0.5 seconds left in the second period, giving the Phantoms a 3-2 lead going to the third. Two early goals paced the Phantoms in the final period, before the Springfield Thunderbirds rallied back for two goals and forced the Phantoms to hold on for a 5-4 win on Friday night.
The Phantoms fell behind quickly as Reece Scarlett scored for Springfield at 1:32.
Facing a deficit, the Phantoms were finally able to solve Adam Wilcox at 12:22. Just after a Lehigh Valley power play, a Will O'Neil shot was deflected by Danick Martel to even the score.
Martel got on the board again late in the first. With 1:07 to go in the period, Martel converted on a two-on-one to make it 2-1 Phantoms with his 16th goal of the season.
Just 54 seconds into the second period, a shorthanded goal by Chase Balisy tied the game again at two.
The score held until the final seconds of the second period, when Greg Carey tracked down a loose puck, threw a pass to T.J. Brennan, who fired a shot on goal. The rebound sat in the crease for Conner, who buried it just ahead of the buzzer to give the Phantoms the lead.
Early in the third, the Phantoms appeared to break the game open with two goals in 1:13, the first on a lucky bounce into the slot for Greg Carey and another moments later by Colin McDonald.
But the Thunderbirds didn't go quietly. At 6:05, Paul Thompson scored to cut the lead to two and just 1:08 later, Jayce Hawryluk brought the lead to one.
The Phantoms went on the penalty kill with 6:12 to play, giving the Thunderbirds a chance at the equalizer, but Springfield took a penalty just 14 seconds later, setting up a 4-on-4 situation.
Anthony Stolarz faced a shooting gallery, making 44 saves on 48 shots in the win. The Phantoms fifth goal chased Wilcox from the game after making 21 saves on 26 shots. In the final 16:32 of the game, the Phantoms managed just three shots on Sam Brittain.
The win did come at a cost for the Phantoms, who played the third period without Martel and Robert Hagg, who both left the game with injuries. Their status remains to be seen for the remaining games this weekend.
The win moves the Phantoms within two points of second place in the Atlantic Division, as Providence lost in regulation to Albany on Friday night. The Phantoms also have two games in hand on the P-Bruins and the two teams meet on Sunday afternoon.
The Phantoms are back on the ice on Saturday afternoon as they face the Hartford Wolf Pack at 3 p.m.
