The good news is that the Lehigh Valley Phantoms have shown a penchant for being able to battle from behind.

The bad news is that at this point in the season, battling from behind only to suffer a shootout loss simply isn't going to get them to the postseason.The one point awarded for a shootout loss is nice, but being six points out of the final playoff spot with time winding down, the Phantoms can't afford to not gain two points for a winnable game.Worse yet, the Phantoms lost another home game on Saturday, this time to Utica, to fall to 11-16-1-2 on their home ice.Utica was able to basically manhandle the Phantoms to pick up a 2-1 win. Phil DeSimone tied the game 1-1 with 12:33 left in regulation, only to have the Comets strike back with a game-winner from Jordan Subban, who fired a strike from the right point just over eight minutes after DeSimone's tying shot."You can't waste two periods when you're in a fight for your life, and that's what we did tonight," said a frustrated coach Scott Gordon after the loss.Anthony Stolarz, who has now started seven straight games in goal for Lehigh Valley, made 40 saves to keep his team in the game. During that stretch, Stolarz has made 212 saves and gone 3-2-0-2, as the Phantoms look for a late-season run that will get them into the AHL playoffs."Yeah, we know, we look at the standings every day," said Colin McDonald on the team's flailing playoff chances. "They are [posted outside the locker room] for a reason. We know what we're up against."The team rebounded Sunday in the final game of their three-in-three stretch to beat Hartford, 2-1. Again, it took a third-period rally for the Phantoms to get the win, getting goals from Taylor Leier and Kevin Goumas. Leier scored a couple minutes into the final period to tie the game, and Goumas collected the game-winner with about 11 minutes left to play.Lehigh Valley stands at 26-26-2-3 overall, with 19 games left in the regular season. The Phantoms have now picked up points in 11 of their last 15 games, but aren't getting much help from the teams above them, who also continue to add points to their totals. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are the team currently holding the final playoff spot, and Lehigh Valley still has two games remaining with Bridgeport late in the season. The Tigers come to Lehigh Valley April 9 and the two teams then race to Bridgeport for a game the next night. After those two games, there will be just two more games remaining in the regular season.PHANTOM FACTS ... The Flyers reassigned Nick Cousins to Lehigh Valley Monday night, making him eligible for the AHL postseason, should the Phantoms qualify. Cousins has 38 points in 38 games with the Phantoms this season and added three goals and three assists with Philadelphia in his first trip to the NHL ... Jesper Petterson was recalled to Lehigh Valley from the Reading Royals. The 21-year-old is in his second professional season and has one goal and two assists with the Phantoms in 23 games earlier this season ... The Flyers signed McDonald to a multiyear extension. The Phantoms captain has played 145 games in the NHL and was up with the Flyers earlier in the season ... In other roster moves, goalie Martin Ouellette and Pavel Padakin were recalled on loan from Reading.