Chirps from Center Ice

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are .500 and host the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears and the still undefeated Hartford Wolf Pack in a trio of games starting this Wednesday at home against the Bears. It’s a rare Friday off for the Pens, then a Saturday game against Hartford at home and then a Sunday afternoon trip down I-81 to visit the defending champs on Sunday.

Music to Set the Mood…

I’ll get to what this means in a second.

A Quote…

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
Theodore Roosevelt

Sam Houde produced two points in his first game of the season Saturday against Springfield and was instrumental in the win over a sputtering Springfield team, helping set up Rem Pitlick for a power play goal in the third period and assisting on the Jansen Harkins empty net goal which sealed the fate and the win for the Penguins.

Meanwhile Valterri Puustinen has appeared in every game so far, has zero points and is a -6. Say what you want about the plus/minus stat, but he’s on the ice when goals are scored. He doesn’t play defense and I have noticed more and more that he takes liberties when the puck is on the edge of his stick.

It’s time to scratch him if the message isn’t getting through or at the very least sit him down and advise him in whichever language he understands best that what he is doing (or isn’t doing) is not cutting the mustard.

The Penguins were rebuilt, but Puustinen was a leftover from last years team. Sure, he was one of the offensive producers last year, but that team finished dead last. So far this year? It ain’t good enough, pal. Sam Houde is stewing in street clothes watching his team get their heads kicked in in game two in Charlotte two weeks ago and shutout last Friday in Hartford. He only goes out against Springfield and produces two assists and overall brought positivity for a team still trying to find itself in this very young season.

I’d make one or two lineup changes if I am J.D. Forrest. Scratching Puustinen and Alex Nylander is one of them and trying to find room on defense for Libor Hajek (if you can) for Taylor Fedun or one of your other defensive black holes.

Am I advocating for scratching the team captain and two of the bigger offensive threats? Yes I am, because it’s a two way game now. Hershey and Hartford are offensive juggernauts. You need forwards that play defense and not need to be pushed into the play (see the second goal scored against the Penguins on Friday) and get guys into the lineup who want to contribute on every inch of the 200 foot surface.

The Setup

Kind of gave it to you in the paragraphs above. Hershey at home Wednesday and on the road Sunday and Hartford at home Saturday.

Records

The Penguins are 2-2 and are .500 with 4 points. Hershey is 4-1 with 8 points and Hartford is still undefeated at 4-0 and good for 8 points at the top of the Atlantic Division.

The Wolf Pack will host Springfield Friday before traveling to Wilkes-Barre Saturday. They beat the Pens 5-0 last Friday then beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5-1 Saturday. They have scored three or more goals in every game they have played thus far.

The Bears swept Providence in a pair of games in Rhode Island Friday and Saturday and then needed overtime to beat Bridgeport Sunday 3-2 on the road; after playing the Pens on Wednesday, they will also get Friday off and then host the Phantoms on Saturday before the Pens come knocking on Sunday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Radim Zohorna is up and may stay there. Since last week, Coal Street never sent anyone else down to Wheeling and hasn’t called anyone up. I don’t know what’s up with the injuries. I think Corey Andonovski has something and so does Sam Poulin.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Are you cool with .500 so far? I’m not. I’m also a realist. Do I expect the Penguins to win every game? No. Would I like for them to? Sure, I’m a fan. You don’t go into a contest saying, “ah, we’ve won enough, let the other team win.”

If the team gives their all and comes up short, I’m fine with that. But if they look like a bunch of losers and look lost every night, then no I am not cool with it. The loss in Charlotte was a power play problem. The loss in Hartford was a breakdown in execution and game plan. Both were blowout losses and the one in Hartford was a shutout. Will you have a few of those in a 72 game season? Of course. Is it asking too much, too soon to be perfect? In October, yes it is. But bad habits usually trend into bad teams, like you saw last year. Make changes while you still can, mix in Nylander and Puustinen when you can, but just not now.

Who’s in goal?

I still don’t know who number one is yet. I suppose we will find out this week. I’d go back to Joel Blomqvist Wednesday, go Magnus Hellberg against Hartford again Saturday then go Blomqvist Sunday again in Hartford. Or, swap Blomqvist Saturday and Hellberg Sunday. But that means Hellberg goes over a week without seeing live fire. So I don’t know. But he’s a veteran and should be used to this. Blomqvist is supposed to be your future. Get the kid reps so you know what you have in him.

Figure Mitch Gibson Wednesday for the Bears, old buddy Louis Domingue Saturday with Hartford and either Gibson again for the 12 time champs or Clay Stevenson.

Who’s Running the Show?

Mason Riley and Jack Young are here Wednesday with Ryan Jackson and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines.

Saturday sees Beau Halkidis and Alex Lepkowski with J.P. Waleski and Jud Ritter on the lines.

Sunday in Hershey sees Lepkowski again with Patrick Hanrahan and on the lines it is Bill Lyons and John Rey.

Looking ahead…

Calendar switches to November. Three home games to start out the chute. Providence on Wednesday, Hershey again on Friday and Belleville stops in for their only visit this season on Saturday.

Give us a bold prediction…

Puustinen and Nylander combine for 9 points this week between them, Penguins win all three games and we quickly forget about the two losses and start inflating our unreasonable expectations about this hockey club.