With the NHL All-Star Break stretching into a weeklong layoff for the Philadelphia Flyers, they decided that it wasn’t a good time to have phenom goalie Carter Hart just sitting around, getting some uninspiring work in away from the ice. So, the Flyers sent Hart back to Lehigh Valley so he could see some old friends and family, play a game of competitive hockey and still have enough down time to take a breath after his 7-5-1 start to his NHL career.

Hart was clued into the game plan and took advantage of how the plan was supposed to work. After a couple days to visit with family, he was back with Lehigh Valley and played Saturday night in Bridgeport in what was a key game for the Phantoms, who are battling for a playoff spot with the Sound Tigers.

“I had five or six days off the ice,” said Hart. “It’s good to get a bit of a break and see my family and friends and go home and take a little time away from the rink and spend time with them. It’s good to get back out there again and get into a game and just feel some pucks again.”

As planned, this past Monday, Hart was back with the Flyers as they posted their fourth straight win with a 3-1 triumph over Winnipeg. While Hart’s NHL numbers aren’t spectacular, you have to consider that he’s playing with a team that has a lot of holes outside of the goalie position. Considering the team is 20-23-6 through 49 games this season, Hart being just over the .500 mark is pretty good.

Unfortunately for Lehigh Valley, Hart’s presence wasn’t enough to give them a win over Bridgeport – even though he saved 32 of 35 shots in the game – and all 20 shots that he faced in the first 20-minutes of the game. When all was said and done, the Phantoms dropped a 4-1 decision, snapping a string where they had won four games and lost just two, both of which came in overtime. The streak saw them pick up standings points in six straight games, a season high. Considering the skid that the Phantoms had been in – losing six of seven games – it was a welcome comeback. However, it prevented the Phantoms from leapfrogging Bridgeport in the standings to take second place in the tightly packed Atlantic Division. It doesn’t appear that anybody is going to catch Charlotte, who hold a 12-point advantage over second-place Bridgeport and a 13-point lead over Lehigh Valley.

To be fair, Lehigh Valley was playing their fourth game in six days against Bridgeport, while the Sound Tigers had a couple days off and were much fresher than the Phantoms.

“You don’t want to make excuses, but the reality of it is there’s a lot of players in that room that have been through a lot in the last six weeks with everything that’s gone in with the changes and the injuries and everything that’s happened,” noted interim Phantoms coach Kerry Huffman. “They found a way to get back into the game and compete, and it’s a one-goal hockey game for most of the game. I’m pretty proud of them.”

TRAVELING COMPANION.

.. Hart had a buddy to make the trip back to Philadelphia with when the Flyers also recalled forward Mikhail Vorobyev, who they had assigned to the Phantoms at the end of October. Vorobyev opened the season on the Flyers roster and got his first NHL career point in their opener at Las Vegas, and then recorded his first NHL goal in the next game against Colorado. With the Phantoms, Vorobyev had six goals and 16 assists in 32 games.

HERE COMES KOMM

... With Anthony Stolarz finishing his conditioning stint with the Phantoms, and the Flyers only wanting Hart to play Saturday night, the Phantoms brought goalie Branden Komm up from Reading. Komm made 33 saves against Laval and picked up his first win in the AHL.

A BIRTHDAY PRESENT

... Phil Myers celebrated his 22nd birthday Friday night on the ice and got a bit of a gift. Just 3:27 into the game against Laval, he launched an improbable shot from just inside the blueline for the game’s first shot on goal and was able to get it to the back of the net.Myers now has eight goals and 20 assists on the season with Lehigh Valley.