Pens get run over by the Binghamton Senators tonight 7-4. They head into the All-Star break on top of the division. But the Hershey Bears won tonight and three out of the next five games are against the 11-time Calder Cup Champs.

Based off of radio play by play Tom Grace, the Pens are no strangers to bad games going into the All-Star game.

Brad Thiessen vs. Mike McKenna. Brian Gibbons was in for Brandon DeFazio. No changes on D.

First Period: Pens jumped to a quick two goal lead early. Ben Street took a puck off a wall and scored then Geoff Walker cleaned up a Ben Street point shot on a rebound. Then, Colin McDonald took a penalty and off of the faceoff Corey Locke scored to cut the B-Sens deficit to 2-1. Pens had a 5-on-3 late in the period but did not score.

Second Period: Jack Downing scored to even things at two. I missed it as AHL Live  dropped the feed as it was happening. Then, Geoff Walker took a high sticking penalty. Brad Thiessen tries to cover the puck, fails, and Mike Hoffman scored to make it 3-2 B-Sens. This was much like what happened last night in Harftord with Thiessen covering, or thinking he covers, a puck. Andre Petersson thne scored while Thiessen was badly screened to push the Binghamton lead to 4-2.

Then a bit of a comeback. Bryan Lerg scored off of his own rebound to bring things to 4-3. Later, Eric Tangradi scored to even things at four a piece. McKenna got a piece of it but not all of it. But not to be out done, while Mike Hoffman sat for a slashing call, Ryan Craig hauled down David Dziurzynski. Referee David Banfield awarded a penalty shot to Dziurzynski and he scored to make it 5-4 heading into the…

Third Period: Scott Munroe replaced Thiessen to open the third. The B-Sens scored 5 goals on 13 shots to this point. Andre Petersson scored his second of the game to make it 6-4 and then Dziurzynski while breaking from the penalty box scofred to push it to 7-4. Game over at this point.

Three Stars: 3) Corey Locke (goal, assist, even) 2) Andre Petersson (two goals, even) and 1) David Dziurzynski (two goals, two assists, +3)

Around the Division: Hershey beats Norfolk 3-2. Syracuse coughs up two goals late, and lose in a shootout to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5-4.

Standings: Pens have 58 points. Bears have 57. Admirals 55. Crunch have 44 points and the Binghamton Senators have 42.

Conference: 1-StJ (60) 2-WBS (58) 3-BRI (49) 4-HER (57) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (52) 7-WOR (49) 8-POR (47)

Colin McDonald heads to Atlantic City for the skills competition tomorrow and the All-Star game Monday. I am debating what content I want to run for this. Probably just recaps of the action on ice and some nuggets of what happen off. It’s always a TON of fun at the All-Star Classic. Can’t wait to get to Atlantic City!

Let’s Go Pens!

Wilkes-Barre runs the road winning record to nine straight with a gritty game in Hartford, a 3-2 overtime win. This win streak eclipses the one set by the Pens in October-November and is currently the longest this season. They go for ten tomorrow in Binghamton.

Don’t look now, but the WBS power play is on fire. All three goals scored on the power play. Indeed, even strength goals are for plugs.

Brad Thiessen vs. Chad Johnson. Same lineup as Wednesday but for Carl Sneep back from injury for Philip Samuelsson.

First Period: I guess when the Pens don’t give up the first goal in the first minute they do well, right? Brandon DeFazio was injured early and did not return. No penalty was called on the play. As soon as that happened, Tommy Grant took a cross checking penalty and the Pens went on the power play. Eric Tangradi centered a pass to Ryan Craig who tapped it in past Johnson to put the Pens up 1-0. Very late, the Whale buzzed but did not score.

Second Period: Sean Avery got a gift when Carl Sneep, who was rusty in his first game back from injury, fell down in the neutral zone which led to an Avery breakaway and a goal for the pest. Trailing, Joey Mormina dove and tried to knock the puck away. After Avery scored he sucker punched Mormina and received a four minute double minor and a game misconduct. After he was available, he was benched by head coach Ken Gernander. Late, Thiessen robbed Jonathan Audy-Marchessault to keep it level at one while the Whale were on a five-on-three power play.

Third Period: Things really got messy as referee Jean Hebert had a very active whistle. This was before Audy-Marchessault scored when Thiessen thought he had the puck covered. Right after, Brendan Bell sat for a hook and Robert Bortuzzo wasted no time and fired one home to even things at two. Back to Hebert, he assessed a five minute boarding penalty to Steve MacIntyre which put the Whale on a five minute major power play. Andre Deveaux soon after took a rough and things went 4 on 4. Then, Bryan Lerg was called for a slash. Pens had to kill off ~1:53 of 5 on 3. Then a goal mouth scrum by Theissen and more penalties. Pens killed it all and got a late power play but could not cash and we’d go to…

Overtime: Carl Sneep was tripped by Ryan Bourque late. Jason Williams unloaded a slapshot from the point which Johnson never saw and the Pens skated away with the extra point.

Three Stars: 3) Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (goal, +1) 2) Chad Johnson (37 saves on 40 shots) 1) Jason Williams (goal, assist, -1)

Around the Division: The Hershey Bears have lost four in a row. This time, to the Norfolk Admirals in an intense 2-1 game. Syracuse blanked Rochester 4-0. Iiro Tarkki had a 31 save shutout. Binghamton beat Albany 3-2 despite being outshot by the Devils 40-24.

Standings: Pens have a three point cushion on Hershey and Norfolk, 58 points to 55 for both the Bears and Admirals. The Bears will have a game in hand at the All-Star break. Syracuse has 43 points and Binghamton 40.

Conference: 1-StJ (58) 2-WBS (58) 3-BRI (47) 4-HER (55) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (50) 7-WOR (48) 8-POR (47)

Wow. Connecticut starts the night third in the conference. With an OT loss and a Bridgeport regulation win, they nosedive out of a playoff spot.

I will not be making the trip to Binghamton tomorrow, rather electing to spend time in New Jersey with family and simply shuffling to Atlantic City for the All-Star festivities Sunday morning. Gameday will be up here at three as always and the tweets will come at you from the Garden State.

Let’s Go Pens!

Just a weird night from radio to the ice for the Pens as the Providence Bruins come into Mohegan Sun Arena and win 4-3 in overtime. It’s the P-Bruins first win against an East Division team this season (previous were 0-5) Even the radio broadcast was weird, with in house issues even with Grace and O’Brien on the live action.

But the saying of “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” rang true tonight as the radio broadcast finally got going and the Pens get two goals in the third to even things at three to at least get a point out of the night and into sole possession of first in the division.

Scott Munroe vs. Anton Khudodin – Tons of roster moves made today. Steve MacIntyre and Eric Tangradi returned from Pittsburgh, Peter Merth, Cody Chupp and Nick Petersen sent to Wheeling.

First Period: The Pens give up a goal in the first minute of the game again. For like the fifth time this season. This time Josh Hennessy centered a pass to Jordan Caron who tipped it past Munroe to put Providence on the board :42 in. Pens would then pressure Khudobin in the offensive zone but he made some nice saves, when he had to. At the tail end of a successful penalty kill, David Warsofsky scored to make it 2-0 Bruins off a blast from the point. However, Colin McDonald drove to the net and scored to make it 2-1.

Second Period: P-Bruins captain Trent Whitfield scored to make it 3-1 4:13 in, and that was the end of Munroe, having given up three goals on ten shots. After Thiessen came in, things settled. The Pens responded with about a three minute stretch of offensive zone time which saw them make a full change. Providence, however, blocked many shots on the way to Khudobin. I cannot recall the last time I saw a team get sticks in passing and shooting lanes like the Bruins. Teams traded extended periods of 5-on-3 with neither team scoring a power play goal.

Call that extended 5-on-3 set there for both teams a turning point, if you will. If the Bruins score, it’s 4-1 and maybe it’s out of reach and no point is manufactured. If the Penguins score, it’s 3-2 going into the third instead of 3-1 and maybe, just maybe, the Pens win the game outright.

Third Period: Joey Mormina of all people stick handles past a P-Bruin and fires a puck past Khudobin to make it 3-2. About two and a half minutes later, Geoff Walker scores to even things at three. Things would settle to about the final minute when a late flurry by the Pens attempted to win the game, but Khudobin made good saves to send it to overtime.

Overtime: Robert Bortuzzo turnover in front of Thiessen’s net to Craig Cunningham ended it when Cunningham basically took it off of Bortuzzo and scored the game winner.

Three Stars: 3) David Warsofsky (goal, assist, even) 2) Colin McDonald (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Craig Cunningham (game winning goal, assist, even)

Around the Division: They all watched us tonight. No one else skated.

Standings: WBS has 56 points, Hershey has 55, Norfolk 53. Then Syracuse with 41 and Binghamton 38.

Conference: 1-StJ (56) 2-WBS (56) 3-CT (46) 4-HER (55) 5-NOR (53) 6-MCH (50) 7-WOR (48) 8-POR (47)

Pens bus to Hartford tomorrow for a Friday game vs. Connecticut. They will then most likely bus to Binghamton after that for Saturday’s game.

Limited content between now and 3 p.m. Friday for the next Gameday post Perhaps I will take a look at how many times the Pens have given up an opening goal in a game in the first minute. Stay tuned.

Let’s Go Pens!