The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will go into the second weekend of the season still seeking their first win of the season after a pair of setbacks last weekend.
Music to Set the Mood…
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One of Panic at the Disco’s major hits. They sometimes play this at the hockey games sometimes. I don’t particularly care for the song being used at a hockey game because it isn’t that deep at it’s base, but it kind of works here.
A Quote…
“Hope is a waking dream.” — Aristotle
The Setup…
Hartford Saturday and Providence Sunday, all on the road. It’s Hartford’s home opener!
Last week the Penguins mollywhopped Georgii Romanov to the tune of 45 shots, but Romanov stopped 43 of them and Springfield wins the game in overtime. The next night Hartford comes in and narrowly beats the Penguins 3-2 in regulation.
Records
That means the Penguins are 0-1-1 and in fifth in the seven team Atlantic with a point.
Hartford sits atop the division with a 2-0 record and 4 points.
Providence sits last in the division with an 0-2 record and 0 points.
The Rest of those Rascals…
Let’s start at the top and work our way down.
Springfield, after picking hockey rubber out of Georgii Romanov’s ears, take a red eye to Providence for a 3 p.m. start and shut the Bruins out 2-0 and are off to a hot 2-0 start with 4 points. The Thunderbirds host Laval Saturday, Charlotte Sunday.
Hartford beat Lehigh Valley and spoiled the Phantoms home opener on Saturday, then come to Wilkes-Barre and hang in there with the Penguins and walks away 3-2 winners. They, too, are 2-0 with 4 points. The Wolf Pack are in Providence Friday, home against the Pens then Laval comes to Hartford Sunday. They have a midweek meeting with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on the following Wednesday.
Charlotte and Hershey split regulation wins in Hershey this past weekend and are 1-1 with 2 points.
Charlotte is in Providence Saturday, Springfield Sunday.
Hershey hosts Texas for a pair Saturday and Sunday. Those guys have all the fun.
Lehigh Valley played just one game, lost and are 0-1 with 0 points. The Phantoms host the Cleveland Monsters this weekend, then head to Hartford on Wednesday.
The Providence Bruins have just 1 goal to show for their week after a 2-1 Friday setback to Utica and then getting shut out Sunday at home against a wary Springfield team. The Bruins have their first three in three weekend, all at home, against Hartford Friday. Charlotte Saturday, Wilkes-Barre Sunday.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
No one is in Pittsburgh. Max Graham and Tiernan Shoudy went to Florida on Monday as the Everblades camp opened this week.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Are they a different team then they were last weekend or is it going to be more of the same? I don’t think the first couple of shifts will answer this honestly, and we may not know the answer to the question until the end of the weekend. Go 0-4 (let’s just count the Springfield OTL as a regulation loss) and perhaps it is time to get in the same room as the panic button. If they win both, then which team is it?
Life’s great mysteries!
I think they have fixable issues except for the power play. That stinks and is beyond repair. Why, late Sunday, was Harrison Brunicke on the bench when the Pens were chasing one against the Wolf Pack?
So manage to fix the brakes on the car, but the A/C still doesn’t work. The car works and gets you from Point A to B, right?
Kirk MacDonald is a hell of a coach and it’s a good early test for the man.
Who’s in Goal?
Failed to mention opposition goaltenders in last weekend’s piece so I will go ahead and do so now. I think they see Hartford’s Callum Tung again Saturday and Simon Zajicek for the P-Bruins on Sunday.
Joel Blomqvist should go Saturday against Hartford and Taylor Gauthier Sunday against the P-Bruins.
Who’s Running the Show?
Cole MacDonald and Jordan Deckard have the Saturday assignment in Hartford with Cameron Carlson and Jake Herzog on the lines. Jack Young and Alex Lepkowski have the Sunday assignment in Providence with Jack McQuesten and Chris Martenet on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
They knock out their Cleveland trip next Friday and Saturday.
Give us a bold prediction….
Let’s hope this one goes better than last week where I am at least somewhat right. Here goes…
They win both games, one via shootout, that one comes in Providence.
Football at the Race Track
I’ll go a 2-2 draw for NYCFC against the Chicago Fire on Saturday and give me Tyler Reddick Sunday in Charlotte.
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