(Tommy Hendricks/Sports Talk Philly)
By Tommy Hendricks, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Special teams and goaltending was the name of the game for the Phantoms on Saturday.
In front of another sellout crowd at PPL Center, the Phantoms penalty kill was a perfect 7-for-7, and even contributed a goal, to go along with a power-play marker that were the difference in the game. Alex Lyon also picked up his second shutout of the season to beat the Albany Devils, 2-0.
The first period turned out to be scoreless, but filled with penalties. Much like the game last month between their NHL affiliates, play was aggressive and nasty throughout the first stanza.
A combined 30 penalty minutes were dished out to both teams before the 20 minutes expired. Each team was unable to capitalize on their power-play chances however, and Lyon and Ken Appleby kept the game scoreless.
Jordan Weal ended up with the best chance of the period. After being hooked on a shorthanded breakaway. Weal was awarded a penalty shot, and despite his efforts to deke Appleby into the third row, he was unable to score.
Special teams would remain a key factor in the game during the second, with the Phantoms scoring on the power play and the penalty kill to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
The power-play tally came on Lehigh Valley's second straight man advantage. Greg Carey capitalized, taking a shot that was initially blocked but came right back to him, scoring his league-leading 10th power play goal.
The shorthanded goal came off a nice play by Scott Laughton, stripping the Albany defender of the puck at the Devils blue line. Laughton then skated across the crease in front of Appleby, picking the blocker side corner.
The Phantoms controlled most of the play during the middle frame, and it showed heading into the final 20 minutes.
The third period became Lyon's show. Lyon put on a clinic for much of the period, stopping all of Albany's shots to keep the Phantoms in the lead.
The physical play continued, leading to a fight between Danick Martel and Andrew MacWilliam with 4:57 left to play.
With the game winding down to the final minutes and the Devils still down two, Albany head coach Rick Kowalsky decided to pull Appleby in favor of the extra attacker. With 1:20 left, the Phantoms took a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Giving Albany a 6-on-4 power play to try to get on the board late.
The Phantoms penalty kill, which went perfect on the night, held off the Devils in the final seconds to secure the 2-0 win.
Lyon made 31 saves to record the shutout for his 15th win of the season, which tied the league lead at the end of Saturday's action.
The Phantoms continue their weekend with a game tomorrow afternoon against another North Division foe from New York, as the Utica Comets come to PPL Center for a 5:05 p.m. puck drop.
Quotes
Alex Lyon on the win tonight: "I felt, obviously, really confident. We did all the things we were supposed to do defensively, and it's just business. You get in, you get the two points, and you get out."
Corbin Knight on the penalty kill's stellar performance and the special teams impact on the game: "It was nice to have a big night on the PK. It can be a big part of a game with momentum change and I think we did a really good job tonight. Obviously with the depth we have, we have a lot of good killers who can get the job done. When you play a team like Albany, where you don't get anything easy on those guys, you gotta take care of the special teams aspects. It was nice to see Cares [Greg Carey] pop one in on the power play, and it's always good when you can help the team get a win on the PK."
