The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins return home after a four game road trip that saw them go 3-1. They host the Belleville Senators and the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday and Saturday.
Music to Set the Mood…
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I have always considered Classic Rock to be anything before the year 1980. Then I turned on the local classic rock radio station on the other day and they were playing Nirvana. I then remembered that the definition of “classic rock” is anything 25 years or older.
Damn, I must be old. Back to Hair Nation on Sirius XM where I belong.
Anyway.
A Quote…
You only have 12 notes. Do what you want with them.
– Eddie Van Halen
How did I get on a rock and roll kick out of the gate? I like to have my headline match the music. I looked up and saw that The Guess Who aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They should be. They were huge in Canada. So were the Beatles overseas and they are in. Why not The Guess Who?
Anyway, the idea of the headline, in case you are more confused then ever, is Hartford Wolf “Pack” and the Belleville Senators are from “Canada” – now you know!
The Setup
Belleville makes their only stop of the year Friday at 7:05 and Hartford is back on the schedule for the 976th time this month.
The B-Sens (still feels weird calling them that, miss you, Binghamton) picked up points in all three games played this past weekend. They lost in OT at home against Laval Friday then swept the defending champion Toronto Marlies at home in OT on Saturday and clean on Sunday.
Hartford lost both contests in Charlotte this past weekend. The Wolf Pack have lost five straight.
The Penguins lost in Cleveland on Friday and then won a special teams battle Saturday afternoon.
Records
Wilkes-Barre is 3-2-1, good for seven points and third in the Atlantic Division.
Belleville is 3-2-2 and have eight points and are in fourth in the North Division.
Hartford is 3-5 and have six points good for fifth in the Atlantic.
The Rest of Those Rascals
Hershey hosted Providence and split with the Bruins, winning 5-3 Saturday and losing 6-1 Sunday. The Bears are 4-2 and have eight points and lead the Atlantic Division. They host Belleville Saturday and then head to Rochester for a midweek matchup with the Americans on Wednesday.
Charlotte swept the Wolf Pack and are tied with the Bears with eight points and identical 4-2 record. Springfield swings by Friday and Saturday and then, get this, the Checkers head to Loveland, Colorado for a Tuesday / Wednesday matchup with the Colorado Eagles. Ah, to have a major airport hub nearby.
The Phantoms have won three straight and are fourth in the division with a 3-2-1 record and seven points, just like the Penguins. This past weekend saw the Phantoms win a pair in Springfield, one in overtime. The Phantoms host Syracuse Saturday and then Belleville Sunday. So the Senators will be playing a weekend three in three itching to get the game going at 3:05 on Sunday to get back to Canada and will have to wait because the Phantoms don’t know what starting on time is (TV, I know, I know, it’s a bit, relax)
Gave you Hartford above. The Wolf Pack are hosting the Providence Bruins on Friday.
Springfield is sixth in the division and have a 2-2-1-1 record good for six points. The Thunderbirds are on a 0-2-1-1 skid after their week one hot start. Gave you their results in the Lehigh Valley capsule above and you know if you are paying attention they are in Charlotte this weekend.
Providence finally busts out of their slump in a big way Sunday in Hershey but are still in the Atlantic Division cellar with a 2-5 record. The Bruins spent the weekend in Hershey and lost 5-3 Saturday before winning 6-1 Sunday. The Bruins are in Hartford Friday and then host Utica on Saturday.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Ryan Johnson was officially assigned to Coal Street Sunday, but in a corresponding transaction Pittsburgh recalled Ilya Solovyov.
Wednesday saw David Breazeale get recalled from Florida and Maleek McGowan and Ryan Mast get sent to Florida to get reps.
Thursday saw Rutger McGroarty and Chase Pietila go up. It’s Pietila’s first NHL recall.
The only injured player that we know of is Rafael Harvey-Pinard.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
I’m not so sure the defense is as elite as we thought it was at the start of the season and by we I mean me. I think the only defenseman with any type of NHL future is Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding next, Jake Livanavage next and then the rest of them are question marks. I don’t think Owen Pickering has much track left in the organization and wouldn’t be surprised to see him traded by years end. I just don’t see it with him anymore. I called him the next Derrick Pouliot on Twitter Saturday and that got some traction, with about 80/20 agreeing with me.
So what can we learn? The power play success is there (I think) and they have two really good goaltenders who will look to outdo the other for the foreseeable future. Mix that in with Avery Hayes (while you have him) Tristan Broz and a you better get to know his name quick Atley Calvert and this team can do good things with Kirk MacDonald pushing all the right buttons.
They are keeping pace now early on here in the (checks watch) fourth week of the season. That’s a good thing. You don’t want to fall behind the eight ball like a number of teams.
I Looked Up a Stat…
The Penguins have the fourth best power play in the league, but the 25th ranked penalty kill. That’s good and bad!
Who’s in Goal?
No reason to mess with the Joel Blomqvist Friday / Taylor Gauthier Saturday plan.
Jonas Johansson is 3-1-1 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.92 goal against. He’s probably out of the chute first Friday for Belleville.
Gabriel Carriere for Hartford is my guess as Callum Tung is the Pack’s number one and will likely go Friday against Providence.
Who’s Running the Show?
Luke Stork and Mathieu Menniti will dole out the discipline Friday with Jud Ritter and Luke Pye on the lines.
Saturday sees the debut of referee Jared McIsaac, paired with Menniti. Depending who you talk to, not many have good things to say about Menniti, so let’s hope it ain’t the blind leading the blind on Saturday.
Ryan Knapp and Davids Rozitis have the lines Saturday.
Looking Ahead…
Back on the road for four more. They are in Utica next Friday and then Hershey on Sunday with a Saturday off in between. Trip to Charlotte in a fortnight.
Give us a bold prediction…
These are games you have to win if you want to be considered an early front runner. They do, but one of ’em goes into overtime.
Doing Donuts on the Pitch…
City’s playoff hopes are dimming and a date with Orlando is next on Saturday. I can see City ekeing out a 3-2 win, but let’s just go 2-2 draw and hope for the best.
Oh boy, Tyler Reddick is getting hot again but Talladega looms. Give me a wild card here. Carson Hocevar is the last car standing when he causes a last lap ‘big one’ and rallies from 12th to the checkered flag Sunday in ‘Dega.
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