Chirps from Center Ice

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3                                  6

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I mean this felt like a scheduled loss.

The Penguins, who played less than 48 hours ago in Hershey against the defending champion Bears, travel on Thanksgiving and play in Charlotte the next afternoon at 4 p.m. and lose 6-3. I don’t know if it was another “consistently inconsistent” game, or an actual sleepwalking because of all the travel thing or not. They had a 6-1 shot advantage in the first period but were outshot 10-6 for the period and trailed by two, had two back to back power plays to open the second, then went offensively cold and scored on again in the second, scored a pair in the third to make a game of it 2:42 into the third before the Checkers took the ball and punched it into the end zone and ran away with it.

Maybe a little of both? I liked the pushback to open the third but then the old habits died hard.

Onto the next, same time Saturday.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Taylor Fedun for Mark Pysyk, Jordan Frasca for Matt Filipe.

First Period: Checkers had an 0-for-19 cold streak on the power play coming into the game, so of course they go 2-for-5 in the game with Justin Sourdif scoring a low one timer to open the scoring at 10:27.

Then Charlotte scores off an odd man rush that looked a bit too easy for my liking. Mackie Samoskevich with the goal here.

Second Period: Pens have back to back power plays, get a couple good looks but can’t score then Charlotte starts going on a tear and get a goal to go ahead 3-0 off a Zac Dalpe goal.

This was a power play goal, the Checkers first of the period. Seems a bit dirt in your eye when the Penguins can’t score on two power plays then the Checkers, who were 0-for-19 coming in, come right back and get their second of the game. Also, just :08 in.

Third Period::18 in, Jonathan Gruden scored to give the Penguins life and it was 3-1. A hell of a response at the time.

Then they get another one a little over two minutes in and it’s a game. Cedric Desruisseaux’s first as a Penguin.

Then Santtu Kinnunen fires a shot that is deflected in by Ty Smith and the Checkers re-take their two goal lead.

Just a backbreaking goal, all things considered.

Brendan Perlini with a rocket that essentially salts the game away and the Checkers go right back up by three goals again.

Ty Smith atones for his earlier boffo and scores to make it a two goal game again but then he falls down at the blue line and Justin Sourdif scores an empty net, shorthanded goal to ice the game away.

Three Stars: 3) Rasmus Ashland (three assists) 2) Mackie Samoskevich (goal, assist) 1) Justin Sourdif (two goals, assist)

The Good: I liked the response in the third period’s open.

The Bad: Hockey is a 60 minute game and they only played about five good minutes.

Turning Point: Santtu Kinnunen’s goal that was deflected in by Ty Smith was the back breaker. Penguins dealt a heap of adversity in the games first forty minutes come back to make it a one goal game and then Smith’s unintentional redirected goal makes it a two goal affair and they face adversity again and it snowballed from there,

Around the Division: Hartford beats Springfield 4-2….Providence beats Lehigh Valley in overtime 2-1.

Standings: Hershey 26 – Hartford 24 – Charlotte 20 – Springfield 19 – Lehigh Valley 19  – Penguins 18 – Providence 17 – Bridgeport 11

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose in Cincinnati 5-2.

Video Highlights: VideoCenter is your friend here.

More tomorrow in the rematch.

Let’s Go Pens!