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You know that one weakness that we all have that, when exposed to what it is that we want to avoid, we ultimately succumb to it?
For example, a smoker that wants to quit for health reasons. They’ve smoked for years and the stench of the countless packs of cigarettes are embedded deep in their upholstery at home that every time they sit down, they smell the smell of the cigarettes and crave just one more drag?
Ultimately, they do, and ultimately they die.
That’s what’s happening to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins. Minus the cigarette inference.
What’s been the biggest problem all year for this team? Failed defensive clears, sketchiness in their own zone defensively, a tireless or lucky forecheck by a team and then, BOOM! puck is in the back of the net and you are trailing by a goal.
It happened tonight. Again, and again, and again, and again.
The Syracuse Crunch skate out of Wilkes-Barre with a 4-2 win and a commanding 3-1 series lead. They can win the Eastern Conference tomorrow in Game 5.
The setup was nice. Hynes & Co., shook up the lines. D Scott Harrington was in. Alex Grant was out. Jasyon Megna was back. Adam Payerl skated on the top line. Chad Kolarik played on the fourth line. Derek Nesbitt was a scratch.
Thiessen vs. Desjardins was the only semblance of normalcy.
The Penguins would score on the power play just past halfway in the first. Scott Harrington scores on his first shot in his first pro game.
Later, Brendan Mikkelson scored from the blue line when Thiessen was screened after, you guessed it, another failed WBS clear.
Relentless Syracuse forecheck. Penguins can’t clear. Adam Payerl forced into a hooking penalty. It was either this or an ice or a clear out into the neutral zone, a Syracuse defenseman with a take away and right back in the Syracuse attack zone.
Out of no where, literally, Adam Payerl works a puck up and out to Warren Peters. A Crunch defenseman is back and hems him along the wall. The puck squeaks to a suddenly wide open Jayson Megna. Megna skates in, nearly turns it over, but the puck goes in and it’s a 2-1 Penguins lead in the second period.
But wait. Answer goal by Syracuse. Brett Connolly. Tie game again.
I tweeted this before the start of the third:
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The very next tweet after that, which would be 1:50 in to the period:
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Misspelled Johnson there, it happens.
Anyway, the defense was left chasing. The Crunch wheeled around the net and well, this was the play:
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It was that bad.
The rest of the period was extremely frustrating to watch. Syracuse came with rush after rush after rush up ice. Pens chased all period. They only managed one shot on goal immediately after the Johnson goal. They finally had some semblance of jump after the ten minute mark but Desjardins and the Crunch kept it a one goal lead in their favor.
Then the Penguins were gifted a power play.
They manage no shot on net, pull Thiessen during it for a six on four, Crunch kill it and pot the kill shot empty netter to make it 4-2.
Bright side: The Pens are undefeated while on the brink of elimination.
Dark side:
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Game Five is tomorrow in Syracuse. Do the Pens have what it takes to force a Game 6? Game 7???
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
To the end………
Let’s Go Pens!!!!
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Chirps from Center Ice 