Chirps from Center Ice

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have a legitimate chance to get a First Round bye and make a deep 2026 Calder Cup Playoff run.

There’s one player holding them back.

Matt Dumba.

On the ice for all three Belleville goals scored on a lazy Wednesday night game in Wilkes-Barre, the sub .500 Belleville Senators team steals one winning 3-2 in overtime.

Since Dumba’s arrival about a month ago after clearing waivers, he’s been an abject disaster.

• I have random, casual, sometimes readers of this blog come up to me and tell me that he looks like he just doesn’t care.
• Team worst -5 in 13 games.
• Every time something bad happens to the Penguins, it’s usually directly or indirectly caused by #24.

Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe he’s content at, at 32, to live out his playing days on buses playing in the minor leagues collecting $2,600,000 for the remainder of the season.

But, where is the accountability? Where is it? If Finn Harding was making these same mistakes and putting forth a, “LOL I just don’t give a crap anymore” attitude on skates, he would be buried in Wheeling. Kirk MacDonald doesn’t get a pass here. Unless he is under strict orders from Pittsburgh to write Dumba’s name in with indelible ink every Penguins game day, he bears some of the blame too.

It’s just mind numbing watching him play.

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Four on four, puck played to him at the point, like it would in 3,000 other simulations and he’s not ready for it. Then, at center ice, he stops skating for a split second leaving his man to get by him for a breakaway and a goal.

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Motioning to his defense partner Chase Pietila to cover his space while he goes to the side of the net to watch a guy dish to the goal scorer. This tied the game late.

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In overtime he’s in the corner with Aidan McDonough for some reason, they lose out on the puck. McDonough busts his ass to try to get back, Dumba gets tangled up with a trailing Senator then coasts in at the last second when Belleville is celebrating.

Mind. Numbing.

Wilkes-Barre dominated the game in all facets, outshooting the Senators 26-9 after two periods but Leevi Meriläinen stood on his head and kept it tied at one a side. Then Belleville comes out and makes a push, as any team that is being badly outshot does, but a turnover by Meriläinen to Joona Koppanen sets up an Atley Calvert goal that puts the Penguins ahead 2-1.

Oh, while we are still burying Dumba, it was his useless interference call in the third period that put Belleville on a power play. I think he removed a stick from an opposing player, which, going into the rulebook on a Wednesday work night, you are not allowed to do. On said penalty kill, Koppanen blocked a shot and went straight to the locker room and wasn’t seen the remainder of the period.

Directly, indirectly, it doesn’t matter. As long as that check clears, baby!

No other divisional action to speak of, so there’s that. The Penguins have 56 points in first now, and Providence has 55 in second but have five games in hand.

Here’s how Wilkes-Barre lined up, Joona Koppanen for the traded Valtteri Puustinen was the only lineup change.

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Tristan Broz was listed on the ever detailed injury report with what I thought I heard Nick Hart in postgame call and upper body injury.

Perhaps change comes in the form of leaving Dumba out of the lineup when they travel to Hershey Friday. Perhaps another trade is in the works and Dumba is dealt for a 2036 7th round draft pick. Change is needed, and accountability is paramount towards the cause.

I wouldn’t bet on it though.