Chirps from Center Ice

       vs.       

5                                          4

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Work night games are rough. I left my editing utensils home instead of in a cold vehicle in single digit temperatures, so it’s a stripped down version of the post game recap tonight. Apologies to those who get my post notifications via e-mail. You can check out the blog later when I get home for a more dressed up version of tonight’s game with links, and boldface type you have come to enjoy.

Tweet embeds need a computer to edit them in, so they too will be added in a bit here while I high tail it home to get in at a reasonable hour so I can get up and go back to my big boy job in the morning without dragging monsters you-know-what.

But enough about me, here’s what happened tonight.

Penguins lose 5-4. As the blog headline reads, when it rains it pours. It was probably the most unluckiest game that the Penguins played in some time based off of bounces and small snaps in luck that played in the Phantoms favor.

Lineup wise, no changes on defense. Casey DeSmith got the start. The Pens now switch to black uniforms at home the rest of the way. I would rather the rule be totally eradicated or just move the jersey switch ahead to the end of January. I’m getting off track. Freddie Tiffels was in for Patrick McGrath. Thomas DiPauli did not dress, neither did Greg McKegg.

In the first, the Phantoms scored two fluke goals. Nic Aube-Kubel cross checked Jarred Tinordi into Casey DeSmith, knocking him down. TJ Brennan knows how to skate with his head up, saw that sequence and shot the puck on net and with no goalie there to stop it, it went in.

Their second goal came on a power play. Referee Olivier Gouin set an inadvertent pick on J-S Dea, who lost Mike Vecchione. Vecchione then banked his shot off of Frank Corrado and in to make it 2-0.

Shots after one were 11-10 Penguins. It was about as hard luck a period for a team bit by hard luck of recent you could find.

In the second, Wilkes-Barre pulls within a goal when Daniel Sprong puts a shot on net that Garrett Wilson gets out of the pads of Tokarski and sweeps it over to a waiting Colin Smith. One goal game now.

Penguins later tie it when Gage Quinney plays a bank off the boards behind Tokarski and puts it behind him.

A few minutes later, Tyrell Goulbourne fights through a pair of players and a hook and muscles the puck past DeSmith as the players were crashing the net, which became dislodged in the process. Question was whether the puck crossed legally or under the net. Neither referee cared to look at replay, confident enough in their eyes. To say that the officiating was poor tonight would be a huge understatement.

From bad to worse, a linesman sets a pick on Kevin Czuczman and Chris Conner bats in a DeSmith rebound to make it a two goal Phantom lead. The wheels were coming off!

Hold up. :17 later, Garrett Wilson scores a goal scorers goal to make it a one goal Lehigh Valley game again.

Things would settle a bit from an official making a questionable call or a linesman running a pick on a Penguin; Wilkes-Barre would finish strong to end the period.

In the third, the Penguins pushed the Phantoms defense and forecheck for that tying goal, referees kept their whistles in their pockets and stayed out of the way but the Phantoms, to their credit, bended but never broke.

With DeSmith vacated for the extra attacker late, Lehigh Valley hit an empty net to make it 5-3. Adam Johnson scored a goal with 11 seconds left to make it a one goal game again and that was all for the scoring.

Three Stars: 3) Garrett Wilson (goal, assist, +2) 2) G. Quinney (goal, assist, +1) and Chris Conner (goal, -1)

Around the Division: Bridgeport scores three power play goals at home and down the Hershey Bears 3-1…Providence takes down Utica in a wild one, 5-4 in a shootout…Binghamton catches Charlotte on a bad night and crush the Checkers 6-2 on the Southern Tier.

Standings: Providence (.700 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.667) — Charlotte (.641) — Penguins (.603) — Bridgeport (.550) — Hartford (.500) — Hershey (.470) — Springfield (.424)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

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Goulbourne goal should not have counted. There is no reason why there should not have been a review of the goal. First, here it is with the benefit of slow motion.

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From the AHL Rulebook on video review… In part, Rule 79.3, subsection vii…

79.3 Situations Subject to Video Review – The following are the only situations subject to video review by the Referee:

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(vii) To determine whether the puck entered the net from underneath the net frame.

I would be interested to know if Tom or Tyler asked Clark after the game what explanation he was given on that play.

Penguins practice Thursday for their meeting with Hartford Thursday. But for any news pieces, look for the next update to come Friday with the Wolf Pack setup at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!