Chirps from Center Ice

So let’s talk about it.

At the beginning of last week I said that they were primed to make a run in March. Then last week happened. Let’s review.

– Alex Nylander given away for Matthew Phillips’ replacement, Emil Bemstrom.
– Colin White was lost on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens.
– Lukas Svejkovsky (good on the power play), Peter Addandonato (good overall) and Radim Zohorna were added to the injured list. Abbandonato was a late scratch in the last two games.
– Sam Houde (lower, week to week), Marc Johnstone (upper, week to week) and Sam Poulin (upper, day to day) remain on the perpetual injured list.
– They lose in overtime because they suck in overtime to Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. They are 1-7 in overtime.
– They lose a squeaker in a penalty marred affair in Hershey on Friday.
– They obliterate a game Bridgeport team on Saturday and end the week with 3 of 6 points.

Meanwhile, the gap to second place Providence is nine points with equal games played and three points from fourth place Hartford with three more games played then the Wolf Pack.

How bad are the Wolf Pack that they are given a head start and still can’t catch up to the Penguins? Hartford is 3-5-1-1 in their last ten and the Penguins are 4-3-2-1.

Don’t look now, but Charlotte is nipping at the heels (paws? webbed feet?) of the Checkers and Penguins.

Can the Penguins catch Providence? Not without help. No more regular season matchups with the Bruins this season. Providence has one game with Hershey left in the season. They have Springfield, Hartford, Springfield, Lehigh Valley, in the first half of the month of March. I think if they take 8 out of a possible 12 points between now and the Ides of March, barring a collapse it’s probably ballgame on the second seed for the Penguins.

Music to Set the Mood…

I don’t have one for you this week. When I YouTubed “Checkmate” I got a rap video and a bunch of chess stuff. Beyond my comprehension so let’s move on.

The Setup

Two with Charlotte this weekend, at home.

I gave you what the Penguins did last week above.

The Checkers lost in overtime Friday at home against Lehigh Valley, then beat the Phantoms clean Saturday. This past Wednesday in Hartford, the Checkers beat the Wolf Pack 2-1 in overtime.

Records

The Penguins are in third in the Atlantic with a 27-18-7-1 record, good for 62 points and third place in the Atlantic.

Charlotte is 26-20-6-0 and fifth in the Atlantic with 58 points. They are a point off Hartford for third and for back of the Penguins. The Penguins have 53 games played, the Wolf Pack have 50 and the Checkers have 52.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

The only guy up is Valtteri Puustinen. Pittsburgh is in Western Canada so he isn’t walking through any doors around here this week or next likely.

Justin Addamo, Dillon Hamaliuk, Raivis Ansons and Lukas Svejkovsky are the recalls from Wheeling.

I gave you the injured list in the opening monologue.

Bit of good news is that Avery Hayes was sent to Wheeling on Wednesday, apparently healed from his upper body injury and good to go.

Max Cajkovic and Owen Headrick joined Hayes on the bus to Wheeling on Wednesday. They all retuned from their 20 minute car ride (Facebook special) and were back with the Pens Thursday.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

This very well could be a playoff preview here with Charlotte. If the Penguins stay in third, or even drop to fourth, it’s a good possibility that it’s the Checkers as their first round opponent.

The season series is 3-3. The Penguins would win one, then the Checkers would win the other or vice versa. The Checkers always stack games when they play the Penguins so it is very hard to beat them in back to back games. Is it impossible? Of course not, but in recent seasons the Penguins just can’t solve the Checkers by beating them in back to back games.

So, expect a three game series when these two teams inevitably meet in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in late April.

Who is the better team? I think it’s the Penguins. I’d favor Wilkes-Barre over Charlotte in a three game playoff series. Defense and goaltending is what wins playoff games and I think the Penguins have that advantage. Both teams are good on the penalty kill but suck on the power play. The Penguins are 30th out of 32 teams on the man advantage. Where have you gone Rem Pitlick?

But we aren’t there yet, still having to play a month and a half more of regular season hockey.

If the Penguins want to stay ahead of Hartford, Charlotte, et. al and pursue Providence, they need to win both of these games.

Who’s in Goal?

Split the weekend with Joel Blomqvist going Friday and Magnus Hellberg going Saturday. Or flip it, it doesn’t matter.

Same thing applies with Spencer Knight and Evan Cormier. You’ll see both this weekend, I don’t think it matters when.

Who’s Running the Show?

Liam Maaskant and Casey Terreri have the honors on Friday with Chandler Yakimowicz and Dylan Lewis on the lines.

On Saturday, Jared Cummins and Chris Rumble will be ensuring things remain on the straight and narrow. Linesman Yakimowicz returns with J.P. Waleski.

Looking ahead…

Another Friday – Saturday set against one opponent, a home and home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms; Friday in Allentown, Saturday in Wilkes-Barre and then Wednesday at home against the Phantoms. I am including that Wednesday game in next weeks Weekend Preview because the following weekend they are in Cleveland Sunday and Monday. That means no Friday and Saturday games. I won’t know what to do!

Give us a bold prediction…

Another series split between the Penguins and Checkers.