Pederson's 21st Goal Lifts Phantoms Past Penguins 4-3 in Overtime

Lane Pederson scored with his team's net empty to tie it with 1:04 left in regulation, then buried a one-timer from the left dot on a 4-on-3 power play 4:49 into overtime to give the Lehigh Valley Phantoms a 4-3 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

The overtime winner was Pederson's 21st goal of the season, capping a stunning reversal for the Phantoms, who trailed 3-1 with fewer than six minutes remaining in the third period.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had looked in control for most of the night. Ryan Graves opened the scoring at 13:02 of the first period, his third goal of the season, beating Phantoms goalie Carson Bjarnason to put the Penguins up 1-0. Joona Koppanen doubled the lead 4:54 into the second, converting a feather feed from Tanner Howe by elevating a shot under the crossbar for his seventh of the year. Koppanen had also set up Graves' first-period goal with a between-the-legs drop pass.

The Penguins briefly appeared to push ahead 3-1 when Koppanen knocked in another, but video review determined a kicking motion and the goal was taken off the board. Instead, former Penguin Boris Katchouk got Lehigh Valley on the board at 10:15 of the second, slamming in a backdoor feed from Anthony Richard just after a Phantoms power play had expired, making it 2-1. Finn Harding restored the two-goal cushion at 16:12, his seeing-eye shot navigating through traffic to make it 3-1, which stood as the Penguins' final goal of the night.

Oliver Bonk cracked the deficit with a 5-on-4 power-play goal at 14:47 of the third to pull Lehigh Valley within one. Then, with Bjarnason pulled for the extra attacker, Pederson tied it at 3-3 on a 6-on-5 with just 64 seconds left in regulation, his 20th goal of the season. His 21st followed minutes later in overtime.

Katchouk's goal continued a productive stretch since arriving via trade from the Iowa Wild. The forward, who scored 21 goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, has now posted two goals and three assists for five points in his last four games with the Phantoms.

Bjarnason made 28 saves for Lehigh Valley. Joel Blomqvist stopped 21 of 25 shots for the Penguins, who went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Phantoms converted 2-of-7 opportunities.

The loss dropped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to 36-15-6-2, leaving the Penguins trailing first-place Providence, which has already clinched a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, with 13 games remaining. Lehigh Valley improved to 26-26-6. The two clubs play again Sunday at PPL Center in Allentown, with puck drop scheduled for 3:05 p.m.