Chirps from Center Ice

          vs.      

  3                                              6

–

Two things that I take away from the game tonight, a 6-3 Wilkes-Barre romp.

1) The Penguins are really, really good right now and are clicking on all cylinders while other teams are finding their sea legs.
2) Adirondack is a bad hockey team. One that got out worked and out muscled from the drop of the puck. A good team like the Penguins should have manhandled this team and did.

I guess point one could be obscured a bit because of point two. But it doesn’t matter in the short term. The Pens are 4-0 and firing on all cylinders right now. The long term will sort itself out.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. Cal Heeter

Chris Conner was called up to Pittsburgh before the game. My guess is that Harry Zolnierczyk will be back in time for tomorrows game in Worcester. We’ll see. Paul Thompson and Bobby Farnham took Conner and Zolnierczyk’s spots in the lineup.

First Period: Jayson Megna and Brian Gibbons look like two entirely different players this season. They have some magic going early on. Gibbons steals an Adirondack exit attempt then passed to Jayson Megna who fished the puck out of his skates and scored to put the Pens on the board first.

Minutes later, Bruno Gervais beats Deslauriers with an NHL-style slap shot that tied the game. It would be the closest that the Phantoms would get the rest of the night.

I say that because this next goal was a thing of absolute beauty and should be the postage stamp of things early on and a look to the future. Dominik Uher and Tom Kuhnhackl win a battle up the ice and score a goal. Uher outworks a Phantoms defender, then centers to Kuhnhackl who beats his guy and scores a goal to make it 2-1.

If that goal is any indication of how the season is going to go, that is, manufacturing blue collar goals by outworking your opponent, watch out.

The Pens nearly let the Phantoms back into the game with some sloppy play late in the first, but it broke 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Second Period: Philip Samuelsson shot a puck from the blueline that Adam Payerl deflected in to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead.

Jayson Megna scored his second of the night shorthanded setup by, who else, Brian Gibbons. That set off a line brawl of sorts that sort of woke up the Phantoms enough to see Nick Cousins score a goal on the doorstep to cut the deficit to two, 4-2.

Dominik Uher again with a slap shot bomb after he, again, outworked his guy to score a goal.

Link here to the picture of the scrum of the line brawl and here to the fight that Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond had with Zack FitzGerald.

Third Period: Brian Gibbons finished off a cross ice pass on the power play to put the Pens ahead 6-2. Pens buzzed after that, you could almost smell the killer instinct that the Penguins had. Rob Bordson scored a goal late when Deslauriers left a rebound.

Three Stars: 3) Dominik Uher (goal, assist, +1) 2) Brian Gibbons (gioal, two assists, +2) and 1) Jayson Megna (two goals, +2)

Around the Division: Hershey gives up four goals in the third period to lose to St. John’s on The Rock 5-1. Binghamton thumps Syracuse 6-2. Norfolk beats Albany in a shootout down in Virginia 2-1.

Standings: Pens 8 — Norfolk 7 — Binghamton 6 — Syracuse 3 — Hershey 1

Conference: Hartford 9, Wilkes-Barre, Manchester and Springfield 8, Norfolk 7, Binghamton 6, Albany and St. John’s 5

Wheeling Update: The Nailers kicked off their season at home vs. the Elmira Jackals and won 3-2. Christiaan Minella was named first star, with two goals.

SendToNews Highlights: Here they are. Pardon the terrible pun from Brian Coe.

Pens bus to Worcester overnight. The Sharks will be playing in just their second game of the season and tomorrow is their home opener. They lost to Springfield in their last game so you know they are going to be amped and ready to go. Tomorrow may be a trap game for the Pens if they aren’t careful….

Gameday for that game will be up tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!