Chirps from Center Ice

Call it the Wheeling Invasion if you want. Ben Street scores twice in the first seven minutes and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins cruise to a 4-0 shutout win over the Albany Devils in Atlantic City. First neutral site win of the year for the Penguins.

Brad Thiessen, back from injury vs. Dave Caruso. Bryan Lerg and Carl Sneep were the scratches.

First Period: 1:57 in, Ben Street scores to make it 1-0. Nice point shot by Nick Petersen which Street cleaned up. Later, Peterson sends a shot towards Caruso that Street tipped that went five hole to make it 2-0. We’ve been calling for a Brett Sterling snipe for days now and at 14:08 of the first the Ticket scored to make it 3-0.

Penguins had only scored 5 goals total in their last three games. Anemic if you ask me, so nice to see that explosion in the first period.

Second Period: Some suspect defense by the Pens as Thiessen had to make saves, but Brad held the Devils off the scoresheet. Penalty kill was clicking tonight too, in one kill Walker and Vitale came in shorthanded. The Pens really smothered the Devils in this period too, with chance after chance. Nick Petersen would go hard into the boards and not return, skating off under his own power with a left shoulder injury it appeared. Shots on goal through two periods were 23-18 Penguins.

Not for a lack of effort from Sterling, but he fanned on a few open nets this period. I think The Ticket is snake bit. How do you break it? Keep shooting. Also, how great is it to have Thiessen back? He was a calming presence I thought tonight in net for Wilkes-Barre. Taking absolutely nothing away from the yeoman work John Curry put in, but it was just great to see Thiessen back in between the pipes.

Third Period: Petersen would not return. Keven Veilleux would make it 4-0. Ryan Craig and Nick Johnson would fight at the same time. Craig, Dan Kelly. Johnson, Rob Davison. That was pretty much it. The Penguins shut down the Devils in the third, holding them to 3 shots on goal. Final SOG would end up 35-21 Penguins.

Three Stars: Nick Petersen (2 assists, +2), Brad Thiessen (shutout), Ben Street (2 goals, 1 assist, +3)

No one else played tonight, so the lead over the Bears inflates to eight. It can get back to double digits tomorrow with a win vs. Manitoba.

Standings: Penguins – 74, Bears – 66, Checkers – 61, Admirals – 61, Senators – 56, Crunch – 42, Devils 39, Phantoms – 37.

Tomorrow: Penguins home vs. the first place in the North Division Moose who are resting in Wilkes-Barre right now, hungry to get back into action after the 5-1 shellacking laid upon them by the Bears Sunday. Providence plays again in Charlotte. This after the P-Bruins lost 4-3 to the Checkers on Sunday.

Let’s Go Pens!