Chirps from Center Ice

          @          

6                                                3

–

A five goal third period explosion in Syracuse by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins is enough to get by a tough Syracuse Crunch team and the Penguins are off to a perfect 3-0 start and are tops in the East Division in this very young season after topping the Crunch 6-3.

The Penguins have outscored opponents 10-1 in the third period this season.

The Penguins got goals from all types of players today. Quick players like Jayson Megna, gritty players like Harry Zolnierczyk and leadership players like Tom Kostopoulos, twice.

They scored shorthanded, even strength and on the power play. Even an empty netter.

Goals from all forms of players in all forms? I’ll take it.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. Riku Helenius

No lineup changes for the Pens from last night. Reid McNeill took warmups, Bobby Farnham did not.

First Period: Jeff Deslauriers stole the show early. Stopping a Crunch shot from a cross ice pass, bailing out the Pens on careless outlet passes. Late, Tom Kostopoulos scored his 101st goal in a Penguins sweater on a deflection of a Nick Drazenovic shot from the blue line while on the power play.

Second Period: Helenius traded some saves with his counterpart Deslauriers in this period, a period dominated by the Crunch, who outshot the Pens 13-4 in the period and got two goals, one from Vlad Namestnikov on a power play and another from Cedric Paquette shorthanded.

Third Period: Simon Despres and Artem Sergeev fought to a draw to open the period. Then the goals came….

– Tom Kostopoulos again. On the power play, again.
– Nick Drazenovic, while the Pens were on a 5:00 major power play.
– Jayson Megna shorthanded, which really tilted the tide the Penguins way and took all air out of the Crunch and the building.

(Matt Taormina scored a goal from the blue line that Deslauriers was screened on in between this flurry of goals)

John Hynes used his timeout at this point, as you could feel the dam breaking for the Pens as the Crunch were pressuring and just scored. A well placed timeout.

– Harry Zolnierczyk even strength.

Jeff Deslauriers made a point blank save on JT Brown late, then Dominik Uher potted an empty netter for good measure.

Three Stars: 3) Matt Taormina (goal, assist, -1) 2) Nick Drazenovic (goal, two assists, -1) and 1) Tom Kostopoulos (two goals, even)

Around the Division: No one else representing the East Division skated.

Standings: Penguins 6 — Norfolk 5 — Binghamton 4 — Syracuse 3 — Hershey 1

Conference: Hartford / Manchester 7, Penguins and Springfield 6, Providence / Norfolk 5, Binghamton 4, Syracuse 3.

Wheeling did not skate today.

SendToNews Highlights: Aren’t up yet. I will look later if I remember.

Penguins get a week off before hosting Adirondack Friday, then traveling to Worcester Saturday then Manchester Sunday.

Content wise, my Week 2 AHL Power Rankings are coming together nicely. It’s nice to have an idea that fills space when there isn’t anything original to blog about during the week. Check those power rankings out sometime around dinner time Monday.

Let’s Go Pens!