Chirps from Center Ice

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Despite 44 shots on goal and two power play goals as well as goals in the span of :20, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins lose 4-3 in a shootout up in Springfield. The Thunderbirds are on a bit of a roll, this is their fifth straight win.

I feel as though this is a game that, if you run through a simulator, the Penguins win more than 70% of the time. It was a close game, a competitive game, and three out of four points on the road this weekend is not bad.

Phillippe Desrosiers sort of stole the show in net for the Thunderbirds with his performance tonight, but it was Owen Tippet’s goal in the third period that got the game to overtime for Springfield and his goal in the top of the sixth in the shootout that won it.

Lines were…

And for Springfield:

Lowry-Toninato-Greco
Saarela-Borgstrom-Thompson
Roy-Audette-Tippett
Heponiemi-Ang-Repo

Cross-Schemitsch
Massie-Keeper
Lochead-Mangene

Desrosiers

Lineup Notes: Joseph Cramarossa for Andreas Martinsen was the vet-for-vet swap up front. All other pairings were the same from Friday. Jon Lizotte came out of the lineup for Michael Kim. Dustin Tokarski debuted in net.

First Period: Not the best start as the Thunderbirds struck first when a failed breakout bye Joseph Cramarossa was picked off and Daniel Audette scored to make it 1-0 Thunderbirds.

Yikes.

The Penguins would score a 4-on-3 power play goal when Joseph Blandisi tipped in a David Warsofsky shot from the point that tied the game for the Penguins.

Another look…

Shots were 11-11 through the first. A bad start evened up by special teams and two teams stayed step for step with one another.

Second Period: Pretty quiet overall. Pens had a load of shots in the period, but weren’t able to crack Desrosiers despite outshooting the Thunderbirds 14-3.

Wilkes-Barre killed off a long 1:25 of a two-man advantage for Springfield, but got caught late by Aleksi Saarela for a power play goal for Springfield that gave the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead heading to the room to start the third.

Third Period: Penguins score in a span of :20 when Sam Miletic had a deflection of a shot which Stefan Noesen took credit for and it was a tie game at two again:

Then, just like that, Joseph Blandisi scored his second of the night with this goal that gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead.

Finally, it would appear that the offensive avalanche that the Penguins were putting on Desrosiers and the Thunderbirds was finally leaking through.

You’d be wrong.

Methodically, Springfield kept coming and coming and they finally got even when Aleksi Heponiemi drew Tokarski over before dishing to a streaking Tippett for a goal.

Overtime: Periscoped here.

If you don’t want to sit in for the full fourteen minutes, Jospeh Blandisi had a chance to finish his hat trick but was denied by Desrosiers. The audio cuts out at the end of the overtime.

Shootout: Stefan Noesen scored in the top of the first, and that was it. Blandisi, Cramarossa, Sam Lafferty, Oula Palve and Anthony Angello followed but missed on their chances. Henrik Borgstrom scored in the top of the first, Daniel Audette, Aleksi Saarela, Kevin Roy and Anthony Greco missed on their attempts. Owen Tippett did not on his.

Three Stars: Aleksi Heponiemi (two assists) 2) Owen Tippett (goal in regulation and in shootout) 1) Phillippe Desrosiers (41 saves on 44 shots)

The Good: The two goals :20 apart to give them the lead in the third.

The Bad: They really couldn’t protect the lead despite the large what ended up being a 44-23 shot advantage. It’s developing into a problem.

Turning Point: Owen Tippett’s goal to tie the game would get the Thunderbirds to overtime and secure the point. His goal in the shootout gave team the extra one.

Around the Division: Hartford keeps collecting points, they lose in another shootout this weekend this time in Belleville 5-4….Lehigh Valley beats a hapless Sound Tigers team 4-3….Hershey gets two late goals in the third to down Providence 5-3….Charlotte was off.

Standings: Hartford 19 — Springfield and Providence 16 — Lehigh Valley, Hershey and the Penguins 12 — Charlotte 9 — Bridgeport 5

Wheeling Update: Nailers get pushed around in Kalamazoo, losing 7-2. Renars Krastenbergs and Marc-Olivier Duquette scored in the losing effort for the Nailers.

Video Highlights: Springfield usually has em and when they cut them up and I see them and can work an edit in, it’ll go here.

But for anything breaking between now and Wednesday, talk to you then. The Mailbag returns next Monday, later than usual, so start thinking about those questions.

Let’s Go Pens!