The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins hit the road again for four more games over the next two weeks. They are in Utica, New York on Friday and then visit Hershey for the first time this Sunday.
Music to Set the Mood…
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A Quote…
In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man Now I’ve reached that age I’ve tried to do all those things the best I can No matter how I try I find my way to the same old jam
— Led Zeppelin (1969, Good Times, Bad Times)
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The Setup
So, how do you feel? I heard this song on Sirius XM’s The Spectrum Sunday morning driving to church and it fit immediately. Thus far, it’s been good times and bad for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, who lost in a bad way on Friday at home against Belleville 7-3 and then picked themselves off of the mat twice in the third period on Saturday night to stun Hartford and win 3-2. It’s been a mix of good and bad for the Pens.
Utica won in Rochester on Wednesday 5-3 then lost in Providence 5-2 on Saturday.
Hershey has been on a roll for a bit, scoring five straight at home against Belleville Saturday and then winning 3-2 against Rochester in New York on Wednesday.
Records
Wilkes-Barre is 4-3-1, good for 9 points and third in the division.
Utica is 4-2 with 8 points and in seventh in the North.
Hershey is 6-2 with 12 points and lead the Atlantic.
The Rest of Those Rascals…
Charlotte split a pair with the Springfield Thunderbirds at home this past weekend and then flew to Loveland, Colorado for a date with the Colorado Eagles and split, winning 6-3 on Tuesday and losing 3-0 on Wednesday. They are 6-4 and have 12 points and are second in the division. The Checkers are now in Des Moines, Iowa for a pair with the Iowa Wild this weekend. Two out of division, out of conference opponents? Those guys have all the fun.
The Bears will be in Toronto on Friday before hosting the Penguins, record and prior results above.
Hartford shutout Providence Friday 2-0 and then came to Wilkes-Barre and lost. They went to Hamilton, Ontario on Thursday and lost in overtime 5-4.They are in Belleville Friday, off Saturday then are in Springfield on Sunday. The Wolf Pack have a 4-6-1 record for 9 points.
Springfield is 3-3-1-1, good for 8 points and fifth in the division after a weekend that saw them split in Charlotte. The Thunderbirds return for a five game homestead where they host Providence and Hartford.
Lehigh Valley is 4-3-1 after a weekend that saw the Phantoms get creamed at home 7-2 by the Syracuse Crunch and then shutout the Belleville Senators 2-0against the Belleville Senators on Sunday. The Phantoms host Providence on Sunday.
The Bruins were shutout in Hartford on Friday and then beat Utica at home 5-2 Saturday. They are in Springfield Friday and Allentown on Sunday. They are 3-6 and have 6 points in last in the division, for now.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Out: Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Tanner Howe.
Up: Ilya Solovyov, Rutger McGroarty are with Pittsburgh. Chase Pietila and Avery Hayes were too, but they were sent back on Wednesday.
Conditioning: Justin Brazeau was activated from injured reserve and assigned to the AHL on a conditioning loan. This happened with the Pietila / Hayes transaction.
Down: Ryan Mast, Maleek McGowan are with ECHL Florida. Tiernan Shoudy joined them this week, having been re-assigned Tuesday, David Breazeale joined him there Wednesday.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
They thought they could waltz through a team they see twice this season in Belleville after the road trip they just came off of and were slapped across the face with a fish Johnny Knoxville style. That didn’t work. I think they got the message because they got down but were never really out of the Saturday game against Hartford and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
No lineup changes from Friday to Saturday, which I found odd, but maybe out of necessity with call ups and all, but the message was received.
It’s a young, talented team, that will have bumps. We are in it now. MacDonald has to coach the bad out of them and will, it just takes time. Also it is still very early!
Do I think they play better on the road? I do. Expect them to battle Utica to the end and then get up and measure themselves against a Bears team that is off to a hot start on Sunday.
No reason to think they can’t win both. I just tune out those who automatically expect them to win every game.
Who’s in Goal?
Honestly I think you sent Taylor Gauthier out there Friday and see how he performs and if he exceeds expectations, send him out there Sunday in Hershey. That’s what I would do, but I don’t coach the team. A reasonable expectation is to see Joel Blomqvist at some point, I just don’t know when.
Jakub Málek for Utica and Garin Bjorklund for the Bears is my estimated guess.
Who’s Running the Show?
Luc Brzustowski and Hayden Verbeek have the assignment on Friday in Utica with Tory Carissimo and Jake Herzog working the lines.
Nick Parody and Jack Young have the Sunday at 5 p.m. (sigh…) assignment in Hershey with Judy Ritter and Richard Jondo working the lines.
Looking Ahead…
They are in Charlotte to face off against the Checkers for a pair Friday and Saturday.
Give us a bold prediction…
I see a shutout looming, just don’t know whom. They take 3 of 4 points home.
Donuts on the pitch!
Time is running out on NYCFC to make a playoff push. They won against Atlanta FC on Wednesday to keep their dim playoffs hopes alive. If not, heads will roll inside City Football Group. A match at home against last place Montréal is a prime opportunity for a 2-0 City win.
Give me Denny Hamlin at Martinsville to lead 350+ laps and win on Sunday.
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