Chirps from Center Ice

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So this Taylor Gauthier kid may actually be pretty good.

29 saves in his AHL debut and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins close out 2022 on a winning note with a 4-1 win in Allentown against the Phantoms.

Penguins took three penalties in the second period in a close game and the Phantoms power play is no joke but Gauthier stared it down and didn’t falter.

So again, this Taylor Gauthier kid may actually be pretty good.

Wilkes-Barre ends its five game losing streak.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Drake Caggiula was indeed back, replacing Sean Josling. The Pens send Brooklyn Kalmikov back to Wheeling in the morning. No changes on defense.

First Period: Sam Houde kept up the hot play with yet another opening goal for the Penguins with a dart that gives Wilkes-barre a 1-0 lead.

Cooper Marody would clean up loose change in front of Gauthier’s net and score to bring the Phantoms level with a power play goal.

(no Lehigh Valley GIF available)

Penguins would respond in kind with a power play goal of their own when Valtteri Puustinen played an Alex Nylander shot which went wide off the back wall and in past Pat Nagle to re-establish the Penguins lead.

Second Period: Penguins took all the penalties in the period and in front of a rookie goaltender making his pro debut on the road, not a good recipe for success.

Didn’t matter. Gauthier made save after save, none finer then the one he had with a pad stop on Jackson Cates sliding over post to post.

Penguins would score again when Lukas Svejkovsky would put a shot wide, wheel around to collect his own errant shot, sees Drake Caggiula screaming off the bench for a goal that gave Wilkes-Barre a 3-1 lead.

Third Period: Phantoms trailing, but aren’t able to generate much if anything. In fact, it is they who take the penalties and it’s the Penguins who have control, already up two.

They had one sequence here where they could have scored but again, ran into Taylor Gauthier.

With around five  minutes to play, Lehigh Valley head coach Ian Laperriere elects to pull Nagle, and Corey Andonovski scores on the empty net moments later to make it 4-1.

Three Stars: 3) Cooper Marody (goal) 2) Filip Hållander (two assists) 1) Valtteri Puustinen (goal)

The Good: Nice to ends 2022 with a win.

The Bad: Should I be mad it wasn’t a shutout? The Pens outclassed Lehigh Valley. Maybe that’s me being selfish. I’ll work on that in 2023.

Turning Point: The Caggiula goal put it out of reach the way the Phantoms were going.

Around the Division: Hershey loses 4-3 to Providence…Springfield needs a shootout to beat Hartford 2-1…Charlotte beats Cleveland 3-2.

Standings: Hershey 47 – Providence 43 – Charlotte 35 – Bridgeport 34 – Penguins and Springfield 33 – Lehigh Valley 31 – Hartford 28

Wheeling Update: Nailers win a wild one with Reading 6-5. Juston Addamo had a pair of goals and Chris Ortiz had three assists.

Video Highlights: No idea if the Pens are going to post them with New Years here. If I can remember an edit, I will do so next year.

Back at it Wednesday at home with Charlotte. Weekend Preview will be up Wednesday midmorning. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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A turnover at center ice with time running down in the third period is enough to get the Providence Bruins over the edge Friday as they defeat the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 4-3. Fifth straight loss for the Penguins who may be happy to see the calendar flip to 2023 soon.

Penguins played the Bruins close, yet lacked something. I think I know what that something is, and a good majority of it is in Pittsburgh.

But they have to press on and Lehigh Valley awaits to close out 2022 Saturday.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Coal Street called up Brooklyn Kalmikov after the Weekend Preview hit and sent Jordan Frasca back to Wheeling. Drake Caggiula was returned to Pittsburgh at 5 Friday and didn’t make it in time. Sean Josling made his debut for Caggiula. Colin Swoyer for the also recalled Ty Smith.

First Period: Both teams capitalized on the other teams too many men on the ice penalties. Sam Houde’s power play goal was matched by Georgii Merkulov’s later on.

Houde’s goal was a snipe. J.D. Forrest put him on the top line and he thrived. Let the kid eat.

Providence’s power play was 31st overall coming into Friday up against the Pens 4th best at home.

Second Period: So of course Providence would score another power play goal when Mike Reilly would score at 9:49 to give the Bruins the 2-1 edge.

But Valtteri Puustinen’s low angle shot without much to play in the period would bring them level at two a side.

Third Period: Connor Carrick’s bar down snipe from way downtown would make it 3-2 Bruins.

No penalties in the third period so the game just flowed. That played into the hands (paws?) of the Bruins and they were waiting for the Penguins to make a mistake to pounce and if not they would at least skate into overtime.

Penguins made a mistake.

What it does not show in that clip above is Alex Nylander blowing a tire and giving the puck away to the Bruins, who skate in on the two on one and score.

The Steen goal capped off a nice night for the Bruins forward, who also assisted on two other Providence goals.

The Penguins, with Dustin Tokarski pulled, found one goal but not the other. Puustinen again here with 89 seconds left.

Three Stars: 3) Georgii Merkulov (goal, assist) 2) Valtteri Puustinen (two goals) 1) Oskar Steen (goal, two assists)

The Good: They kept it close against a team that was better then they were in pretty much all facets.

The Bad: Untimely errors from players who should know better (consider the circumstances, though)

Turning Point: The Steen goal put a game in reach out of reach.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley loses in Utica 3-1…Springfield beats Bridgeport 6-3.

Standings: Hershey 47 – Providence 41 – Bridgeport 34 – Charlotte 33 – Penguins 31 – Lehigh Valley and Springfield 31 – Hartford 27

Thing is that Bridgeport is not playing like a third place team. It’s rare that there is a gap in the ever competitive Atlantic, but it’s clear that the Bears and Bruins are  the two best teams in the the division without question.

Wheeling Update: Nailers were defeated at home by the Reading Royals 4-2. Justin Addamo had a goal, Tommy Nappier from The Ohio State University took the loss with 23 saves.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Saturday in Allentown.

Let’s Go Pens!

Bit of a truncated blog post tonight as I have family in and a nephew I have to beat in NHL 2k23 later.

Game should not have been as close as it was. Hershey outclassed the Penguins in the first period yet it was scoreless. All the scoring was in the second period and then to a shootout where the Bears get the only goal.

Pens can figure out the way to beat the Bears, could have with the result, but didn’t.

Lines were as follows:

Tonight's projected lineup – defender Aaron Ness has four points (2g, 2a) in his last six games!

Catch tonight's broadcast! 👇

💻 https://t.co/HaxQBmLCRZ
📻 @FroggyValley, @foxsports1460am, @WOYK1350 pic.twitter.com/caRuIOPXG0

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 27, 2022

Lines! pic.twitter.com/qEoI6gm58K

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 27, 2022

Lineup Notes: Pens called up Taylor Gauthier as Filip Lindberg is injured. Tyler had an update:

Kyle Olson and Filip Lindberg both week to week with lower body. Not great

— Tyler Piccotti (@TylerPiccotti24) December 27, 2022

First Period: A Hershey shooting gallery, shots 15-5 Bears in the period, yet no goals. Dustin Tokarski was dialed in.

Second Period: They did themselves absolutely no favors taking penalty after penalty after penalty in the period. Not only were the Penguins getting killed in time of possession and shots on goal, they were taking too many careless penalties the eager referees easily called.

Ethen Frank, budding into a Penguins killer, responds in kind on a Hershey power play:

The top of the left circle is becoming @efrank_98's office 💼

🍎Ness
🍏Sgarbossa pic.twitter.com/2Wv2DzR9cs

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 28, 2022

Penguins respond with a power play of their own when noted Bears killer Alexander Nylander scores to even the score at one a piece:

"Ope, can I squeeze past ya real quick? Sorry." – the puck to Fucale, probably

Nyls notches his sixth power play goal of the season pic.twitter.com/BTCt7x2g5d

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 28, 2022

Somehow it was a tie game after two periods.

Third Period: Fast paced and action packed but no scoring. Penalties were down and that was nice to see.

Overtime: Fast paced and action packed, only with less players and no penalties.

Shootout:

One: Nylander. Takes it over the blue line and loses it. LOL. McMichael scores.
Two: Hallander. No. Sgarbossa can win it. Off the post.
Three: Caggiula must score. Doesn’t. Hershey wins 2-1.

— Jason Iacona (@nafsnep) December 28, 2022

Connor McMichael scored the only goal in the shootout and helped @TheHersheyBears to a 2-1 victory. pic.twitter.com/OckzuUkxTL

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) December 28, 2022

Three Stars: 3) Zach Fucale (24 saves) 2) Dustin Tokarski (37 saves) 1) Connor McMichael (game winning shootout goal)

The Good: They stayed in lockstep with the best team in the league and got a point.

The Bad: They could have won, despite The fact they should have lost this in regulation.

Turning Point: The Nylander goal gave them the jam to get them to overtime and a point.

Around the Division: Hartford blows out Bridgeport 7-3

Standings: Will be a later edit.

Wheeling was off and I’ll look for video highlights.

Back at it Friday against Providence.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I don’t want to say they are slumping, but two losses in what I thought could have been winnable games isn’t exactly good.

A 3-1 setback in Belleville Wednesday night for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins who see their starting goaltender Filip Lindberg leave the game in the first period after making just three saves. More on him and what I saw in a bit. Mads Sogaard provided the opposition.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup Notes: Sam Houde and Ty Glover for Jordan Frasca and Lukas Svejkovsky up front. Whatever it was that was bothering Houde didn’t last long. Colin Swoyer was in for Jack St. Ivany.

First Period: No scoring in the period but the story coming out of the period was starting goaltender Filip Lindberg leaving the game for some mystery reason. Here’s what I saw:

– Lindberg goes into the butterfly to make a glove save from a shot from the point.
– There’s a face-off. Five seconds later the puck goes out of play.
– Brief pause. Refs then go to Lindberg, they have a cordial discussion with him and he leaves the ice. Enter Dustin Tokarski.
– Lindberg didn’t show any outward signs of a limp coming off the ice.

If I had to venture a guess, it’s a groin or some type of abdominal injury.

Before Tokarski could even break a sweat, he’s pressed into a big save.

Second Period: Jayce Hawryluk deflects a puck off of Tokarski on a Senators power play to give Belleville a 1-0 lead. Prior to this, Kyle Olson leaves the ice with an apparent injury and didn’t return for the period.

(Belleville didn’t post GIF of the goal)

Xavier Ouellet scores his second goal in as many nights to tie the game at one.

Third Period: Marred by penalties, but the Penguins had their fair share. Brennan Saulnier scores mid-slot to give the B-Sens a 2-1 seconds after a Belleville power play.

Then the Penguins get a crack on the power play and give up a penalty shot when Ridly Grieg scores to make it a 3-1 lead.

Not good. Penguins had a pair of chances to get back into the game on a power play but couldn’t, and couldn’t find any type of flow because Belleville had a pair of chances on the power play as well.

Three Stars: 3) Brennan Saulnier (goal) 2) Mads Sogaard (24 saves) 1) Ridly Grieg (goal)

The Good: I don’t have anything.

The Bad: They may have lost Lindberg to injury, Olson too, and let a sub .500 team run circles on them after withstanding the opening period rush.

Turning Point: The Grieg penalty shot that made it a two goal buffer for the Senators put the game out of reach for the visitors.

Around the Division: Hershey is the first team to 20 wins with a 4-2 win in Allentown. Yet another comeback for the Bears who are the real deal this season. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Standings: Hershey 43 – Providence 38 – Bridgeport 33 – Penguins 30 – Lehigh Valley and Charlotte 27 – Springfield 25 – Hartford 23

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off, probably getting a goalie, likely Tommy Nappier, ready to get sent up to the AHL.

Video Highlights: I’ll check to see if Belleville posts them. If I remember in the morning I may just post the link through the AHL Video Center.

Onto Laval Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Scoreline was closer than the game itself would indicate but the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins pump 39 shots at Joseph Woll and lose 5-3 Tuesday night. It was 4-0 up late for the Marlies before the Penguins scored two late but then Toronto netted an empty netter to ice the game away, not that there was any real doubt of a collapse what with the way their goaltender was playing.

What I don’t get is how the Penguins can play the best team in the league, Hershey, better than any other opponent that the Bears face yet struggled with the Marlies tonight with going down 2-0 in the first then 4-0 in the second. Is it reps? They see Hershey a lot so they are a better matchup over a team they see just twice in a season? Maybe. This was a game in hand the Pens burned off on the rest of the idle division. The good news is they have a lot of them, the bad news is that it’s a lost effort to gain ground for free.

Woll opposed Dustin Tokarski.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Filip Hållander and Lukas Svejkovsky were back for Sam Houde and Ty Glover up front and Ty Smith was in for Colin Swoyer on defense. Sam Houde picked up a knock and is listed as day-to-day but partook in the Tuesday morning skate.

First Period: Marlies goaltender Joseph Woll played like a wall, literally, in the first period and the first place Toronto Marlies used what got them to the top spot in the North Division by scoring two goals.

After a two pad stack on an offering by Tyler Sikura, former Penguin Joseph Blandisi scores to put the Marlies up 1-0.

I don’t think there is a goaltender in the AHL that could have stopped that shot. That was a snipe.

Drake Caggiula creates a turnover on Woll similar to what he did Saturday against Hershey but this time, Alex Nylander could not score because Mac Hollowell stood in the way.

Ryan Chyzowski, who sounds like a kid from Nanticoke, scores on rebound of a Max Ellis shot and it’s 2-0 Toronto.

Second Period: Wilkes-Barre plays a great fort half of the period, and then a terrible second half and it costs them two more goals. Marlies power play, which is #1 at home, was an abject disaster here and the Penguins had two short handed chances. But the Penguins continued to take bad penalties and Noel Hoefenmayer scored a power play goal which made it 3-0 Marlies.

Then a puck deflects off of the knee of linesman Shawn Oliver which plays to the Marlies benefit and Marshall Rifai rips one home for a 4-0 Marlies lead.

Third Period: They kept Toronto off the board and got two quick goals, one from Xavier Ouellet, his first of the season and another from Alex Nylander to make things interesting.

But ran out of time when they couldn’t get the third to go (they got close) but it was Nick Abruzzese with the empty netter to seal it away for the Marlies.

Three Stars: 3) Noel Hoefenmayer (goal, assist) 2) Joseph Blandisi (goal, assist) 1) Joseph Woll (37 saves)

The Good: They limited the #1 power play at home Marlies to just one power play goal.

The Bad: Going down 4-0 against a top team in any division is a recipe for disaster.

Turning Point: If the Hoefenmayer power play goal wasn’t it, the Rifai goal, where it deflects off of the linesman and stays in, was.

Around the Division: One of the seemingly endless games in hand that the Penguins are playing on their divisional foes. Busy night for a Tuesday with eight Pacific Division teams in action, but no one else from the Atlantic Division was in action.

Standings: Hershey 41 – Providence 38 – Bridgeport 33 – Penguins 30 – Lehigh Valley and Charlotte 27 – Springfield 25 – Hartford 23

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off Tuesday.

Video Highlights: Most likely a morning update.

Back at it Wednesday in Belleville. I miss Binghamton.

Let’s Go Pens!