Picture this. You get promoted at your job. You want to make an impression to show management that they made the right choice in promoting you and you want to prove to others that they can count on you when it hits the fan.
Matia Marcantuoni and Sahir Gill both netted goals, their first in the AHL. Zack Torquato had an assist. The Penguins have shut out their opponents in back to back contests.
Matt Murray this time was the one with the shutout. His third on the season. Jeff Zatkoff sat this game out, and will probably get the net tomorrow in Hershey.
About Zatkoff, I was all set to blog about his Goaltender of the Month Award for December, before Andrei Vasilevskiy from Syracuse won it. Here’s the thing though, Vasilevskiy only played in five games! By rights though, Laurent Brossoit out in Oklahoma City probably earned it, he played in ten games and was just as good if not better than Zatkoff and Vasilevskiy.
Anyway, I don’t want to complain any longer. Murray was opposed by Andrew Hammond. Here’s the lines….
Conor Sheary – Nick Drazenovic – Tom Kostopoulos
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald
Tom Kuhnhackl – J-S Dea – Dominik Uher
Pierre Leblond – Matia Marcantuoni – Zack Torquato
Taylor Chorney – Brian Dumoulin
Reid McNeill – Barry Goers
Nick D’Agostino – Alex Boak
Matt Murray – Jeff Zatkoff
Patrick McGrath took part in warmups but was scratched.
First Period: Three goals in a span of 4:10, had the Penguins up 3-0. Drazenovic knee drop one timer on a tic tac toe pass from Conor Sheary on a deflection of a Taylor Chorney shot from the blue line, and a Derek Grant own goal on a Sahir Gill whiff of a shot he missed on when he cut to the net and missed.
Every time the Penguins scored, Binghamton came the other way and nearly scored. The B-Sens also had the benefit of two power plays but the Penguins did not allow them to cash in on them. If you are asking me where the game was won tonight, it was after the first period when Binghamton had failed to score on two power plays.
Second Period: Matia Marcantuoni got his first AHL goal on a rebound of a Taylor Chorney shot off a nice pass from Zack Torquato. Nick Drazenovic made it 5-0 on a rebound goal while the Pens were on the power play.
Third Period: Pierre Leblond had a hell of a game for himself. He nearly scored on a shot that Hammond made a toe save on. Carter Rowney had a game high seven shots and had severe chances to score on the oft scored on Hammond but the Binghamton net minder had his number all night. Teams traded power plays with no one taking advantage.
Three Stars: 3) Taylor Chorney (two assists, +3) 2) Nick Drazenovic (goal, assist, +2) and 1) Matt Murray (30 save shutout)
The Penguins have now held opponents scoreless for 122:14* going back to the Norfolk game last Sunday.
Conference: 1) MCH (50) 2) SPR (46) 3) WBS (43) 4) SYR (46) 5) HFD (40) 6) PRO (37) 7) HER (37) POR (37)
Wheeling Update: Nailers win in comeback fashion. Down 3-0 at one point in Fort Wayne, Wheeling wins in shootout fashion 5-4. Eric Hartzell stopped 31 of 35 and all 5 Komets shooters.
YouTube Highlights….
Pens travel to Hershey tomorrow. If the Pens win, it takes the two games in hand that Hershey has on Wilkes-Barre out of the picture entirely. Gameday for this will hit the blog Saturday at 3.
Let’s Go Pens!
* – number may be wrong. I am a noted idiot when it comes to math.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 