Chirps from Center Ice

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Hope the embeds work here because this is a troubling trend….

https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/1869568132697985457

Wednesday night? A 3-0 shutout loss to the Toronto Marlies. Sure, they had Matt Murray (yeah, that one) tending the nets for the Marlies but it’s a ridiculous trend that if a player on the Penguins doesn’t score a hat trick, it results in a shutout. All or nothing, if it were.

I don’t really have much to offer you here on a work night. They were in it until 8:00 into the second period when Roni Hirvonen scored on a rocket of a shot ticketed for the roof of the net that Joel Blomqvist was tending for the Penguins and Toronto was off to the races.

Alex Steeves added a second goal about six minutes later. There was a Toronto player in the crease but not impeding Blomqvist enough. I thought referees Mason Riley and Adam Tobias were fine, they let them play and only awarded three power plays all night.

Toronto is quick and by that I mean quickest team I have seen all season quick.

But so to to some extent are the Penguins and it felt like a heavyweight bout out there and likely was.

I am filling up space when I shouldn’t be. Penguins had some brief leftover third period power play time to work with but were unsuccessful. Fraser Minten put the proverbial nail in the proverbial coffin at 15:18 when he scored to make it 3-0.

It wasn’t like the shots from the offensive weapons weren’t getting through, Emil Bemström had five, Vasiliy Ponomarev had six. Filip Kral was everywhere also, and his one shot was probably the best look the Penguins had all night, a setup in the slot that Murray made the save on.

It’s just when the offense isn’t there it isn’t there. It’s a troubling trend.

Lineup wise. Corey Andonovski replaced Boris Katchouk. Katchouk wasn’t listed as injured so I think he’s nicked up or possibly attending to a family thing. Who knows. Nate Clurman was reassigned because Pittsburgh traded for P.O. Joseph with St. Louis for future considerations. Mats Lindgren replaced Clurman in the lineup Wednesday.

Okayish night out of town. Sure, the Penguins don’t capitalize on one of the seemingly endless games in hand they have on the Bears and the rest of the division. Lehigh Valley beats Providence 4-3 in overtime. The Bruins were up 2-0 in the third. Charlotte gets a late goal from Wilmer Skoog to beat Springfield clean 4-3.

Standings wise, Hershey 39, Charlotte 33, Providence 31, Penguins 29, Springfield, Hartford and Lehigh Valley 27, Bridgeport 14.

Depending on how you see things the Penguins are either two points out of a playoff spot or 10 points off Hershey with five games in hand.

Wheeling was off and no one wants to see highlights of this abomination. Talk to you Saturday.

Let’s Go Pens!