GLENS FALLS -- As the Adirondack Phantoms gathered to board their bus to Toronto on Thursday morning, there were as many questions raised by who wasn't getting on as there were about who was.
Defenseman Randy Jones is gone - claimed off of re-entry waivers by the Los Angeles Kings - his second stint with the Phantoms lasting just six games. No. 1 goalie Johan Backlund, fighting an illness, was questionable to make the trip a half-hour before the team was scheduled to leave.
The departure of Jones, an NHL veteran, leaves the Phantoms again with a young blue line. Phantoms coach Greg Gilbert said they'll miss his steadying hand.
"I think the stabilizing factor, his experience, really helped settle down some of the young guys back there, and hopefully they can learn from that experience," Gilbert said.
The Philadelphia Flyers sent Jones to the Phantoms in the preseason because they couldn't afford his salary under the cap. When they recalled him on Wednesday, teams had 24 hours to claim him.
If Backlund is unable to play, Nic Riopel will be the likely starter. Michael-Lee Teslak was called up from Elmira of the ECHL on Wednesday as a potential backup.
Stopping goals hasn't been as much of a problem for the Phantoms as scoring them. In eight games, they've scored 19 goals, the lowest total in the American Hockey League.
On paper, scoring shouldn't be a problem. The Pat Maroon, Jon Matsumoto, David Laliberte line - a bright spot this year - combined for 165 points alone last year. With Jared Ross and Krys Kolanos together on another line, that's another 60 goals scored last season.
"We're not shooting the puck," Gilbert said. "Our goal-scoring habits have to be better than what they are. We're looking to make more high-difficulty plays rather than keeping the game simple and funneling the puck to the net and getting rebounds."
In short, Gilbert wants to see less fancy play and more crashing the net.
"The flick passes and the saucer passes don't work anymore," Gilbert said. "Once we get that through our heads, we'll be fine."
Consistency has also been a factor. The Phantoms have struggled to get more than one line going at any given time, making every game a grind-it-out affair. Six of their first eight games have been decided by one goal.
"We don't want to be a one-line team. We want to be a four-line team," Gilbert said. "Until we develop that and we understand that as a group, we're going to be in a lot of tight games."
Despite the struggles offensively, the Phantoms are in a decent position nearly a month into the season. They head into a two-game weekend with four wins, three regulation losses and one overtime loss. That's good for nine points, just one back of the East Division lead they briefly claimed last weekend.
Getting two points is all Gilbert will concede to anticipating on Friday. The Phantoms play the Marlies, the team Gilbert coached for the past three seasons. His contract wasn't renewed at the end of last season.
"Just another rink, just another team, just another two points up for grabs," Gilbert said.
Posted in Sports, Hockey on Friday, October 30, 2009 12:30 am | Tags: Phantoms, Tim Mcmanus, Ahl, Hockey
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