Chirps from Center Ice

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So things have been going good for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins. I checked the overall standings this morning and they are ninth overall in the AHL. Sure, Hershey is playing in its own stratosphere but there are teams that are statistically better than the Penguins that the Penguins have beat. Cleveland, Hartford, Providence, Syracuse to name them.

Then there are the Phantoms, who are in the bottom third of the AHL that the Penguins just lost 4-3 in overtime to on Saturday night. The Penguins had a 2-1 lead coming into the third period and had been previously undefeated when leading after two periods when the scrappy Phantoms battled back to tie it and win it off of Samu Tuomaala’s overtime game winning goal. Tuomaala scored two kick off the comeback in the third for Lehigh Valley.

Regroup. You get these folks 11 more times and a bunch in February.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Austin Rueschhoff and Joona Koppanen in for Jesse Puljujarvi and Rem Pitlick up front and Will Butcher and Taylor Fedun for Xavier Ouellet and Owen Headrick on defense.

A Word About Rem Pitlick: He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks today for peanuts. A seventh round pick in the 2026 (yes, 2026) NHL Draft. The deal with Pitlick was that he made too much, $1.1 million against the cap for the Penguins and no shot at a recall. He was the teams leading scorer and a help on the power play. It sucks for Coal Street and if you want to feel mad about it go ahead, but at the end of the day it’s a business.

First Period: Phantoms raced out to a big shot advantage with the aid of a power play, but it was the Penguins who struck first when Matt Filipe tipped in a Jack St. Ivany shot from the point that gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

But then a few minutes later, Olle Lycksell wheeled around Taylor Fedun and found Cooper Marody streaking to the neat who tipped a puck past Hellberg that brought the Phantoms level.

Second Period: Something from the first period felt off, and that sense of uncertainty continued in the second period. The Pens came out of the chute on fire, drawing a penalty but weren’t able to capitalize with a power play goal.

The Penguins played disciplined, stayed out of the box, but still were looking for something to click.

They finally twisted the right way and…

That’s a big time goal from a big time player in Alex Nylannder to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead. A goal scorers goal, if you will.

Third Period: Penguins extend the lead when Peter Abbandonato scores to make it 3-1 for Wilkes-Barre.

But then the Phantoms started the comeback. Remember how on Friday I said it felt like the third period in Springfield zipped by with the Penguins clinging to a lead? The exact opposite happened Saturday in Wilkes-Barre.

Samu Tuomaala got the comeback started with a perfect shot that straight beat Magnus Hellberg that made it 3-2.

Before the Penguins knew what hit them, just over a minute later, Ronnie Attard is left unattended in the slot and scores to make it three all.

Pens lost a puck battle.

It was at this point when the clock zipped by and the teams were off to…

Overtime: Penguins with initial possession, but then 90 seconds in Tuomaala scores from the far side and the Phantoms win.

Three Stars: 3) Cooper Marody (goal, assist) 2) Ronnie Attard (goal) 1) Samu Tuomaala (two goals, OT game winner)

The Good: I mean they got to a lead, but just couldn’t hold on.

The Bad: Something felt off and you would have thought that they were really lucky to win the game or the Phantoms were really bad. Well the Pens weren’t that lucky and the Phantoms are better than we think.

Turning Point: Tuomaala’s game winning OT goal gets it here, as OT game winning goals usually always do.

Around the Division: Charlotte beats Bridgeport 4-3 in overtime….Hartford snaps Hershey’s nine game winning streak with a big 5-3 win in Hershey….Providence beats Springfield 4-3 in a shootout.

Standings: Hershey 56 – Hartford 41 – Providence 40 – Penguins 38 – Charlotte and Springfield 37 – Lehigh Valley 33 – Bridgeport 21

Wheeling Update: While we are dealing with snow, the Nailers were in 79 degree Orlando, Florida weather taking on the Solar Bears. Wheeling wins 5-2.

Video Highlights: 

Hartford Sunday. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!