Chirps from Center Ice

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Penguins lose 5-2 in Game 2 in Charlotte early Sunday afternoon off three points doom Checkers leading scorer John Leonard. The Checkers have all the tie breakers on the Penguins now as the two teams wrap up their regular season series.

The good news is that both teams are still within arm reach of the Hershey Bears for the division lead. The bad news is that if the Checkers and Penguins are tied in points at the end f the season, the Checkers would get the higher seed in the division.

They will have a week off then restart things next weekend in Cleveland.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Tristan Broz was suspended for the game because of the cross checking incident from Saturday where he paid a 4:00 penance in the penalty box. The league then comes over the top and tacks on a suspension. Everything is made up and the points don’t matter to the League. Guy gets called for a double minor, league comes over the top and sits him a game. Either hire more competent officials who throw him out of the game when it happens, or make it make sense.

With Broz turfed for the game, they went 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. Kyle Jackson, who they called up in the wake of McGroarty and Koivunen going up, made his AHL debut. Mac Hollowell returned from injury, Mathias Laferrière is day to day with an upper body injury. Scooter Brickey was also back in on defense with just Nate Clurman scratched.

First Period: Sergei Murashov lets in the first shot he sees off the stick of Matt Kiersted on what really was a wicked shot, that gave the Checkers early 1-0 lead at 4:39 then the Checkers kill a Penguins power play and a few seconds later off the rush ex-Penguin Jesse Puljujarvi scores to expend the lead to two.

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I liked what I saw from Kyle Jackson, who had two Grade A opportunities and seemed to me to have a nose for the net.

Second Period: Checkers really hounded the Penguins looking for a third goal that did not come. The Penguins withstood this and got a really greasy goal from Atley Calvert that brought Wilkes-Barre to within one.

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Third Period: Valtteri Puustinen tied the game at two with a nice shot.

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But then this is where John Leonard went to work.

On the first power play of the day for Charlotte, Leonard scores to re-establish the Checkers lead.

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And then the Penguins were unable to score on back to back power play opportunities and then with time dwindling had to kill one of their own. With Sergei Murashov pulled for an extra attacker, Leonard scores from deep to make it 4-2 then Ramsus Asplund follows up by walking a puck in to make it 5-2.

Three Stars: 3) Kaapo Kähkönen (24 saves) 2) Matt Kiersted (goal, assist) 1) John Leonard (two goals, assist)

The Good: They manage a split against a really good Charlotte team but their fate as it is with the Checkers alone, is not in their hands.

The Bad: Failing to score on back to back power play chances seemingly, when they needed it most.

Turning Point: When they didn’t get a goal on either of the late chances you know they were going to be desperate and Charlotte is too good and too skilled to let an extra man goal happen to them when they, too, needed the points.

Around the Division: Boxes on today’s action which is on or will be getting on by the time this goes up here. The important ones are Springfield / Providence and Utica / Hershey.

Standings: Three off the Bears are both the Checkers and Penguins, but the Bears are in action late at home against Utica.

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: Will be located someplace here.

Week off for them to heal up, hopefully get some bodies back and then it’s off to a sliding Cleveland team next weekend.

AHL Power Rankings will be up Monday.

Let’s Go Pens!