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WBS Pens Win 20th of the Season Over Leighton and the Phantoms, 3-2

Dustin Jeffrey could be playing out his last days in the AHL with his recent performances.  He now is tied for the league lead in scoring with 30 points (13G - 17A) in 24 games this season.
Dustin Jeffrey could be playing out his last days in the AHL with his recent performances. He now is tied for the league lead in scoring with 30 points (13G - 17A) in 24 games this season.

Philadelphia Flyers' playoff goalie sensation Michael Leighton made a rehab start with the Flyers AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, tonight against Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi, Robert Bortuzzo and the rest of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. 

Dustin Jeffrey is now tied for the AHL lead in scoring with Hershey Bears' Andrew Gordon with 30 points.  He added another goal, his 13th of the season, and set up Tim Wallace's 9th of the season to give the Pens a lead late in the third period.  Jeffrey has scored at least one goal in each of the last five games, tallying 10 points (6G - 4A) in those five games.

Another player picking up their play the past few games has been none other than Eric Tangradi.  After registering only 3 points, a goal and two assists, after his first 12 games back in the AHL, Tangradi scored his 5th of the season and added an assist in tonight's game.  He now has five points (3G - 2A) in his last six games. 

John Curry outperformed the rehabbing Leighton, stopping 22 of the 24 shots he faced, most notably 11 out of the 12 he saw in the third period.  Leighton still played well stopping 26 of 29 shots and keeping his team in the game into the final five minutes of the game.

The WBS Pens are closing in on their best ever start to a season.  They currently sit at 20-4-0-0, good for 40 points in the standings. Their best start after 26 games is 44 points, done back in the 2005-06 season.  So for you math junkies out there that means the Pens can tie their best start with victories in their next two contests.

The big news in Wilkes-Barre is the concern about an injury to Andrew Hutchinson, the team's top defenseman.  Hutchinson left Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Albany Devils in the first period, not too long after he set up the Pens first goal.  He didn't play in Friday's 4-2 win over the Binghamton Senators, and he did not play tonight either.  He was scheduled for an MRI so hopefully there will be an update on the extent of Hutchinson's injury if/when the results are released.