Chirps from Center Ice

Pens met the halfway point of the season with a 3-2 win Saturday night in Newfoundland and were 11-7-0-1 during the second quarter. No stats from Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win in St. John’s are figured into the stats below unless otherwise noted.

In keeping with the First Quarter Grades we will break this down by Forwards, Defense and Goaltenders. Anyone who got a sweater gets a grade.

My humble take…:

Forwards:

Nick Petersen: I said in the First Quarter Grades that Petersen was a rookie that the coaches trusted. Played 16 out of 19 games so the trust is still there, but sometimes looks like a rookie. Went 3-4-7 in second quarter and maintained his +6 rating. Grade: B

Brian Gibbons: Sometimes I forget he is on this team. Scored 1-2-3 and just a +1. Brought in to score, and hasn’t in this quarter. Need him to start filling the score sheet and quick. Grade: D

Ben Street: Is one of the threats to score on a nightly basis. Produced 9-5-14 in the second quarter. Can be a point a game type of player. Grade: A

Zach Sill: Scored 4 goals in the second quarter. Game isn’t flash, but grit. Can and will knock your enforcer out. Grade: B+

Colin McDonald: Team’s point leader and All-Star representative. Had a brief call-up to Pittsburgh. Went 4-5-9 during the second quarter. Won’t get 42 goals like he had with Oklahoma City last season, but still can put up points. Grade: A

Geoff Walker: Played every game this quarter. 5-6-11 to show for it. He’s a complete player who is a reliable asset to any team. Grade: A

Jason Williams: Runs an anemic power play. Do you fault him or is he a victim of systems? 1-7-8 in quarter two. Said in First Quarter Grades that if he gets hot he could stay hot. Still waiting… Grade: C

Bryan Lerg: 6-5-11 in the second quarter. Can certainly make a case that he was snubbed from All-Stars, but playing in a division with Hershey and Norfolk numbers like these aren’t going to get you there. Fine by Lerg as he still is an effective player. Grade: A-

Ryan Craig: Heart and soul of this team and is the reason the “C” is pinned on his chest. 3-7-10 during second quarter of season. Grade: B+

Matt Rust: This is actually his first quarter, as he only managed four games in the first 19 WBS games. Is 2-5-7 overall. Will need to get on the score sheet more if the team is going to have ultimate success. Grade: B

Brandon DeFazio: Sometimes he is scratched. I don’t think he should ever be scratched. I think he is the oil that keeps this engine going. Grade: B+

Eric Tangradi: Is currently getting an extended look in Pittsburgh. May be his last chance to prove he has what it takes at the NHL level. Here, played 14 games and went 6-5-11. Grade: A

Paul Thompson: Usually either he, DeFazio or Thompson are scratched. 4-5-9 for Thompson in the second quarter. Grade: B

Ryan Schnell: With Steve MacIntyre coming to town today his job may not be safe as the teams enforcer. One assist in 11 games overall. Grade: C

Cody Chupp: Is here because Tangradi is up. No other reason. Although I thought he’d be back in my First Quarter Grades. Grade: Incomplete

Defensemen:

Joey Mormina: Came back from injury Saturday. Made immediate impact by scoring a goal. He’s all defense, but when he scores it is an added bonus. Lower grade because of missed games. Grade: C

Carl Sneep: Is injured. Going to need him back if there’s going to be a run deep into the playoffs. Grade: C

Philip Samuelsson: Learning on the fly which will ultimately make him a better player in the long term but sometimes makes a boneheaded play that makes you cringe. Still believe that if the defense heals, he will go to Wheeling. Grade: B

Cody Wild: Brought in on a try-out and stuck. Mainly due to the bevy of injuries, but when the blueline finally heals will stick around. Grade: B

Robert Bortuzzo: Was hurt in Pittsburgh. When he came back was a big help on the blue line here which proves how big he was missed here. Grade: B+

Brian Strait: Due to injury and recall, has only played 15 games this season with 1-5-6 and a +5. Is an anchor here. His presence is definitely felt when he is in and out of the lineup. Grade: B

Alex Grant: Is the top point getter on the Wilkes-Barre blue line. This is a matter of happenstance as his game more of an offensive defenseman. Is another  player who could end up in Wheeling if Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre’s blue line is healthy. Grade: B+

Alexandre Picard: Is injured. Another player who needs to get healthy quick if this team has any hope of making a deep run come May. Grade: B-

Simon Despres: The player on the Penguins with the biggest NHL pedigree lies with Despres. Is injured with Pittsburgh. Will come back then we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Pittsburgh at the trade deadline. Grade: B

Gone but not forgotten…

The following are players who played during the second quarter. Guys like Devin DiDiomete aren’t listed here because he only played two games in the first quarter.

Niko Dimitrakos: Came back from overseas with the intention of playing in the NHL. When that did not pan out for him, he went back over. Shame, because he could have been successful here if he didn’t mind riding buses.

Chris Barton: I was excited when he got here because I wanted to see what he could do at the AHL level. Barton had success in Wheeling but hasn’t found the same results in Wilkes-Barre. If he comes back, it may be on a third or fourth line role only.

Steve MacIntyre: Is coming back and fans hope that he does more of this.

Goaltenders:

I am not savvy enough in the math department to give you the second quarter goals against or save percentage. I am sure I could figure it out if someone paid me, but sadly I do this for free.

Scott Munroe: At times has outplayed Thiessen. 15 games played with an 7-3-2 record with three shutouts. Has a 2.44 goals against average and a 0.911 save percentage. Yesterday’s win vs. St. John’s not factored into these stats. Grade: A

Brad Thiessen: Is slumping. Not the same goaltender we saw last year. Is it a product of a younger defense? I am starting to think yes, but Thiessen is a smart enough netminder to understand this and adjust, no? Is 14-10-2 with 2 shutouts and a 2.88 GAA with a 0.884 SV%. Grade: C

Comment section is open to tell me how harsh I was on your favorite player or how lenient I was on a player who draws your ire.

Let’s Go Pens!