Comments Off on Weekend Preview — Who Are You, Again?
Posted by nafsnep on January 5, 2024
Somehow, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have not played their closest rival yet in the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the 2023-24 schedule.
They have played just about every other team in the Eastern Conference save for Toronto in the North and Bridgeport in the Atlantic, but haven’t played the Phantoms, a team they will play 12 times, so far this season.
That changes Saturday.
Music to Set the Mood…
The Phantoms? They are who we thought they are, a team playing below the Penguins in the standings with a coach that some say (like Wilkes-Barre) has overstayed his welcome behind the bench.
Listen, I don’t think anyone will catch Hershey in the division, so it’s a bunch of other teams playing for the five remaining playoff spots in the division. These are very important games for the Penguins and Phantoms coming up here.
A Quote…
Inconsistency is the only thing in which men are consistent. – Horace Smith
Again, I think I am fine with them the way they are. I think they are good. Inconsistency befalls them. Inconsistency befalls every team in the division unless you are Hershey. Moreso (Bridgeport) than others (Hartford, for now) So I think it is OK for them to be inconsistent. It means that they are sometimes consistent, but often inconsistent.
The Setup
The first three in three of the season. Road trip to Springfield Friday, Lehigh Valley at home Saturday then an afternoon Sunday game against Hartford.
The Penguins lost in a mistake filled game in Hershey last Wednesday, then split with the Checkers at home Friday and Saturday.
Springfield beat Hartford last Wednesday, lost to Bridgeport in OT Friday then got smoked at home last Saturday against Providence.
Lehigh Valley beat Utica in an up and down game Wednesday, were shutout at home against Hershey Saturday and lost to Charlotte at home on New Years Eve.
Hartford lost in Springfield last Wednesday and beat Bridgeport this past Saturday and yesterday, Thursday.
Records
Penguins are 16-12-3-0, with 35 points and fifth in the Atlantic.
Springfield is 16-10-3-1, with 36 points and fourth in the Atlantic.
Lehigh Valley is 13-13-4-1 with 31 points and seventh in the Atlantic.
Hartford is 17-7-5-0, with 39 points and second in the Atlantic.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Pittsburgh: Jansen Harkins, Ryan Shea and Valtteri Puustinen.
John Ludvig, who Ryan Shea was recalled for, had knee surgery and is out 6-8 weeks. It’s honestly refreshing to see a detailed injury detail, treatment and estimated length of disability.
Returned from Pittsburgh: Vinnie Hinostroza (was at practice on Coal Street Thursday)
Signed to PTO: Jesse Puljujärvi. Fourth overall pick in 2016 NHL Draft. Should help, provided he is healthy and in shape.
Up from Wheeling: Owen Headrick, Raivis Ansons and Dillon Hamaliuk.
Returned to Wheeling: Taylor Gauthier.
Injured: Avery Hayes, Sam Houde and Raivis Ansons.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
How do they play against equally inconsistent teams.
Springfield will be looking to wash off that 8-2 ass kicking Providence laid on them Saturday. The Pens can run with the Thunderbirds.
The Pens will look to get the series with Lehigh Valley off to a good start with a big win Saturday. There are 24 points at stake in this 12 game series. You must figure that the Pens and Phantoms may be in a battle for the 4-5-6 seed as the season starts to wind down. Phantoms have been playing right around .500 all season, so you gotta make these points count.
Catch Hartford, who looked like a contender who can run with Hershey but have skidded as of late, and get all points available.
The question again is will they? Can they? I think yeah. The only team which worries me is Springfield really. I’d buy more stock in the Thunderbirds then I would in the Pens or Phantoms or Hartford. But again, they are a team in a long list of teams, who are battling inconsistency.
Don’t know anything about the Phantoms head to head because they haven’t met yet. They should handle Hartford.
Six points is a strong possibility. So are zero.
Who’s in Goal?
I’m hoping the sickness that necessitated the Gauthier recall is out of the room and Hellberg can play again. I don’t pin everything on Gauthier in Saturday’s loss, but it did look at times like he was out of his depth but in his defense, so did the five guys playing in front of him. He’ll continue honing his craft with the Nailers in the ECHL.
Hellberg, Blomqvist, Hellberg is what I would do if I was Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest.
Malcolm Subban for Springfield, Felix Sandstrom for the Phantoms and Louis Domingue for the Wolf Pack if you made me bet a penny.
Who’s Running the Show?
Stephen Hiff and Chad Ingalls are the referee crew Friday in Springfield with Matt Heinen and Michael Tarquinio on the lines.
Austin O’Rourke and Chris Rumble are here Saturday with Spencer Knox and Patrick Dapuzzo on the lines.
And on Sunday Philip Kasko and Liam Maaskant are the referees with Spencer Knox again and J.P. Waleski on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Ooh, who put that 3:05 Monday start in Springfield on the schedule? Before that, a trip to Providence on Friday, the first meeting with Bridgeport in Connecticut on Saturday then the afternoon contest in Springfield.
Give us a bold prediction…
They will sweep the weekend and sit second in the division behind Hershey as we sink our teeth into January.
Colby Armstrong Paul Bissonnette
Teddy Blueger Dennis Bonvie
Sebastien Caron
Andy Chiodo
Deryk Engelland
Bobby Farnham Marc-Andre Fleury
Jake Guentzel Tristan Jarry
Chris Kelleher Tom Kostopoulos Ben Lovejoy
Matt Murray Alain Nasreddine
Brooks Orpik
Toby Petersen
Bryan Rust
Rob Scuderi
Zach Sill John Slaney
Maxime Talbot Tim Wallace
Ryan Whitney
Here’s my list. It isn’t in alphabetical order, like the list above.
Ben Lovejoy
Joey Mormina
Tom Kostopoulos
Dennis Bonvie
Marc-Andre Fleury
John Curry
Alain Nasreddine
Jeff Taffe
Chris Minard
Tim Wallace
Wade Brookbank
Casey DeSmith
Joe Vitale
Colby Armstrong
Jonathan Filewich
Connor James
Brian Dumoulin
Dustin Jeffrey
Paul Bissonnette
Brad Thiessen
Tristan Jarry
Alex Goligoski
John Slaney
Konstantin Koltsov
Brett Sterling
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Some thoughts are as follows…you really can’t have Ben Lovejoy on the list and not include Joey Mormina…I wasn’t around to watch Chris Kelleher, Sebastien Caron, Andy Chiodo or Toby Petersen. I think it’s apparent that a lot of folks who have been with the team since 1999 voted, like I did and I am fine with that.
More modern day, you can’t have Bryan Rust on the list. You can’t have Max Talbot or Brooks Orpik on the list either. These guys carved out a hell of an NHL career for themselves. They said in the Max Talbot blurb that he scored the game winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Great. How does that make him a Top 25 WBS Penguin?
Derek Engelland is a guy I will always associate with as a Hershey Bear.
Zach Sill and Bobby Farnham are the same person.
How soon we forget Game 6 against Providence the year the Penguins came from down 0-3 to beat the Bruins in 7 and the heroic, probably greatest performance ever (for far) by a goaltender and Brad Thiessen?
I knew that Wade Brookbank and Casey DeSmith had no shot but it was a fan list, I’m a fan so they made my list.
Jonathan Filewich, Brett Sterling, Chris Minard, Jeff Taffe and Dustin Jeffery made my list but didn’t make theirs. All snipers. You need a big goal late in the third period against Hershey in May. Who are you sending over the boards? I’m sending Chris Minard, Brett Sterling or Jonathan Filewich in that order before I even consider Bryan Rust.
You can make cases for Matt Murley, Valtteri Puustinen, Ryan Craig, Andrew Ference, Erik Christiansen, Shane Endicott and countless others and not be wrong. I think the list is skewed a bit because it’s taking into account things that the players did after they already passed through Coal Street (or River Street, or Public Square, depending on the era) and not considering those who made names for themselves in Wilkes-Barre.
I like that the Pens will be issuing trading cards, five each on five different Wednesday’s to commemorate their all time team.
More tomorrow, setting up the first three in three of the season.
Comments Off on Split Decision — Pens LOSE 5-2
Posted by nafsnep on December 30, 2023
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The only changes the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins made from Friday’s win against these same Checkers on Saturday was Ryan Shea, recalled to Pittsburgh and in goal, with Taylor Gauthier in net.
Checkers went 0-for-5 last night, 2-for-4 Saturday. That’s one reason.
Pens went 0-for-3 on the power play, that’s another reason.
On one of those power plays they got scored on shorthanded. That’s one more.
Consistent inconsistency? Call it what you want. I think they are a good team. I do. You see flashes of brilliance with the team. Would I be worried if just the top four teams made it? Maybe. I think they can play as a top four team.
Look, every team save for Hershey in this division has its pitfalls. The Penguins are one of them.
First Period: Role reversal from Friday. Pens bottled up the Checkers but it was the Checkers who scored first, on the power play, when Zac Dalpe scored from the slot to gibe the Checkers the early lead.
Second Period: The Checkers goals came fast and furious. Two in a minute, Brendan Perlini dart off the rush then Matt Kiersted less than a minute later and it was a Checkers runaway.
But the Penguins would get goals from defensemen when Dmitri Samorukov and Jack St. Ivany, for St. Ivany his first pro goal, to spoil a Waeber shutout bid.
But then Charlotte scores on a power play when Sam Poulin takes a dumb penalty. Poulin, if he knew how to fight, would have handled his matter with the Checkers player (I forget who) with a fight, but instead he trips the guy off a face-off and is rightly called for it.
Three Stars: 3) Jack St. Ivany (first AHL goal) 2) Zac Dalpe (two goals) 1) Patrick Giles (two goals)
The Good: Nice to see St. Ivany get a goal. Kid works hard.
The Bad: Just when you think they can do something right, they prove you wrong and do something wrong.
Turning Point: If it wasn’t the Giiles goal that made it 4-0, it was the Giles goal, shorthanded, that made it 5-0.
Comments Off on Your Power Play is the Drizzling (bleep), Carl — Pens WIN 4-1
Posted by nafsnep on December 29, 2023
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I don’t think that, in any of the five power plays the Charlotte Checkers had in this game, a 4-1 Penguins win, that the home team was ever really troubled by being down a man.
Charlotte went 0-for-5 on the power play and that is what cost them this game in my opinion.
The two team do it all again Saturday, an hour earlier.
A goal and an assist for Colin White and 30 saves for Joel Blomqvist in this one as well.
Lineup Notes: First on ice, Matt Filipe was in for Raivis Ansons, who you can add to the injured list and Xavier Ouellet was in for Taylor Fedun in the vet for vet swap. The Pens recalled Taylor Gauthier because Magnus Hellberg and Garret Sparks are ill. They also recalled Dillon Hamaliuk, who skated as the extra. With Ty Smith playing for Team Canada in the Spengler Cup, good to have spare defensemen if you need them.
First Period: Penguins manage only four shots in the period, but one of them goes in when Corey Andonovski forces a turnover which finds its way to Will Butcher who scores to give the Penguins the early 1-0 lead.
Then Blomqvist was interfered with, goes down. Because there’s an unwritten rule that you can’t smash the goalie like that, there was a bit of a fracas. Ref Beau Halkidis, who makes a living flying by the seat of his pants everywhere he goes, lets the interference go and overcorrects when the team steps up to defend the honor of their goaltender. He puts Charlotte on the power play. Good thing that the power play for Charlotte was 💩 otherwise it would have been a different game.
Penguins get a power play of their own and cash on it when Colin White takes a deflection of a shot from the point for a 3-0 Penguins lead.
Matt Filipe would score an empty net goal to make if 4-1. They should never take him out of the lineup again.
Three Stars: 3) Joel Blomqvist (30 saves) 2) Peter Abbandonato (two assists) 1) Colin White (goal, assist)
The Good: 5 for 5 on the kill is good. 5 for 5 on the kill when it wins you the hockey game is even better.
The Bad: No, seriously, put a body on Carlsson next time.
Turning Point: White’s power play goal that made it 3-0 served the same purpose as when Hershey went up 3-0 on the Pens Wednesday. 2-0 is doable, 3-0 is impossible with the way both games went. Nice to be on the better end of this one.
Standings: Hershey 52 – Providence and Springfield 36 – Penguins and Hartford 35 – Charlotte and Lehigh Valley 31 – Bridgeport 20
How tight is this division minus Hershey, man?
Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.
Video Highlights:
Joel Blomqvist stopped 30 shots, and Colin White (1+1), Peter Abbandonado (0+2) and Corey Andonovski (0+2) each recorded multiple points, as the #WBSPens posted a 4-1 win over the @CheckersHockey on Friday night at the @MoSunArenaPA.
Comments Off on Mistakes Happen — Pens LOSE 4-1
Posted by nafsnep on December 27, 2023
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Gonna just jump into the game story tonight because it’s a work night and I baked what I’d put in the lede there instead of here. Penguins lose 4-1 in Hershey.
What, you are off this week? No, I didn’t take this week off. I really should. I have been gainfully employed for 20+ years and I think I have only taken the Christmas-New Year in between off just once.
Anyway…
Here’s how they lined up:
Tonight's projected lineup 📝
Bears captain Dylan McIlrath is coming off the second two-goal game of his career last weekend!
Lineup Notes: Raivis Ansons for Matt Filipe at forward and Taylor Fedun for Ty Smith on defense. Smith is playing in the Spengler Cup.
First Period: I told you in the Weekend Preview that you could not make a mistake against the Hershey Bears. You needed to make the most of your opportunities.
Well, the Penguins had three opportunities, a Sam Poulin Grade A chance, a quick lightning in a bottle two on none and a Corey Andonovski shot that rang the post that did not go in. On that Andonovski sequence, back the other way and wouldn’t you know it…
Rem Pitlick, who should know better, causally spills a puck away and tries to get it out of his zone, but there is Alex Limoges who rifles one home for a 1-0 Hershey lead.
Reiterating, you cannot make a mistake against this team.
Second Period: They continued to make mistakes.
Magnus Hellberg did his damndest to keep them in it, but then Ethen Frank tipped one past the Penguins netminder and it was a 2-0 Hershey lead.
Soon after that, Corey Andonovski gets tagged for a five minute boarding major when he just runs like a runaway train against Alex Limoges on the boards and in the ensuing power play Joe Snively (LOL, who else?) scores to make it 3-0.
Here are the goals.
Tape. To. Tape. @efrank_98 redirects home his 14th of the season!
The Penguins lost Raivis Ansons to injury back in the first when he took what looked like a knee on knee hit from Dylan McIlrath. No penalty was called, it didn’t look egregious by any means.
Third Period: Wilkes-Barre had an early power play but couldn’t score. Would it have been a different result if they could have got one to go there? I think so, but they didn’t so we will never know.
Quieter period. I think Hershey was waiting for a counterpunch but it didn’t come until Austin Rueschhoff scored while the Bears were in the midst of a line change that broke up the Shepard shutout bid.
With 4:30 left, J.D. Forrest pulls Magnus Hellberg. Then Aaron Ness blocks a Jack Rathbone shot and Pierrick Dube scores into the empty net to make it 4-1 Bears.
Three Stars: 3) Mike Sgarbnossa (two assists) 2) Alex Limoges (goal, assist) 1) Joe Snively (goal, assist)
The Good: Struggling here. They had a decent first but couldn’t finish, got deflated a bit when Limoges scored.
The Bad: Too many mistakes against a team you just can’t make mistakes against.
Turning Point: The Snively power play goal that made it 3-0 put the game out of reach for the Pens. 2-0 is manageable, 3-0 is impossible.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview — What Are You Made Of?
Posted by nafsnep on December 27, 2023
So they are 6-3-1 in their last ten but lost their last game in Laval in what I called a scheduled loss, but now the doubt starts to creep back in as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are now going back into divisional play with a game in Hershey on Wednesday before hosting Charlotte for a weekend set of games Friday and Saturday.
The Bears are a machine. It looks like they will get stronger. Their coach is already headed to All-Stars. Do you smell that? It’s the scent of a repeat.
We will get to that in a minute.
Music to set the Mood…
Happy New Year, one and all.
A Quote…
What are little boys made of? What are little boys made of? Snips, snails And puppy-dogs’ tails That’s what little boys are made of
What are little girls made of? What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice And everything nice That’s what little girls are made of
— Nursery Rhyme
The Setup
So getting back to Hershey, they have been destroying everything in their path. They are 24-6. No OT losses. No shootout losses. They have 48 points, an .800 winning percentage and a machine. A wagon. An absolute beast of a hockey team. You need to be perfect, as in, you cannot make any mistakes, in order to beat this team.
And it just isn’t the Penguins. They beat everybody. Everybody.
So is it a measuring stick if you are the Penguins and can compete with the Bears? If you beat them are they crowning you the next Calder Cup Champions? Hardly. Go in with low expectations. Hope for the best, expect the worst, especially coming off of a Christmas break and after an ugly loss in Laval.
Charlotte is the other team on the schedule this week for the Pens. They hosted Bridgeport two weeks ago and split, a shutout win and an OT loss then split with Lehigh Valley with an OT loss and a shootout win.
Seems like they spill points all over the place and play fast and loose. I think the bigger tell on what type of team the Penguins are is told against Charlotte then it is against Hershey.
Records
The Penguins are 15-10-3 and have 33 points and sit third in the Atlantic with 33 points, two off Hartford for the two spot, but also two points out of a playoff spot altogether. It’s razor thin.
The Bears are in their own stratosphere. 24-6, 48 points and the number one team in the AHL.
Charlotte is 14-10-3, 31 points and in sixth in the Atlantic.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Pittsburgh: Jansen Harkins, Vinnie Hinostroza (he cleared waivers last week, was assigned but is still with Pittsburgh?) and Valtteri Puustinen.
Up from Wheeling: Owen Headrick, Raivis Ansons.
Injured: Avery Hayes and Sam Houde.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
If they want to get anywhere, they have to go through Hershey. Are they going to play well enough to just be a playoff team only to be obliterated by Hershey en route to back to back Calder Cups? The Penguins are one of the few teams to have beaten Hershey. It was frustrating watching them play Hershey the last time out. But, it’s still December (January soon) and there is still a lot to figure out. Are the Penguins a team playing two points out of second place or two points from out of a playoff spot? Depends on who you ask.
Personally I think they will be fine. I think.
They should beat Charlotte. Charlotte plays like an average to above average North Division team, in my opinion, for comparison sake. They should beat Charlotte, but I have a feeling that the Checkers lull you into playing fast and loose and then all of a sudden you find yourself in overtime or in a shootout.
Who’s in Goal?
Interesting conundrum in my opinion. I think they were shifting away from Joel Blomqvist as the stone cold lock number one but I don’t know now. I think it’s Blomqvist Wednesday and Saturday with Magnus Hellberg going Friday.
I don’t think it matters for Hershey. Clay Stevenson and Hunter Shepard are the Bears 1A-1B. If the Bears have a weakness, it isn’t in goal. Either one of these two goaltenders will be tough nuts to crack.
Toss a coin for Spencer Knight and Ludovic Waeber Friday or Saturday for the Checkers.
Who is running the show?
Mason Riley and Peter Schlittenhardt are the referees Wednesday with John Rey and Bill Lyons on the lines.
Friday sees referees Beau Halkidis and Laura White and linesmen Jud Ritter and Chandler Yakimowicz.
Saturday sees Casey Terreri and Adam Tobias in orange, black and white with Bill Lyons from Wednesday and Jud Ritter from the night before on icings, offsides and face-offs.
Looking Ahead…
A trip to Springfield next Friday, then a Saturday and Sunday (💆♂️) home game against Lehigh Valley for the first time all season on Saturday and then Hartford at 3:05 on Sunday. It’s the first three in three of the season.
Comments Off on Scheduled Loss? — Pens LOSE 5-2
Posted by nafsnep on December 22, 2023
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Looking back at this game on the schedule back in August, you could point to this game and say it would be a scheduled loss for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.
You know, it is a stark contrast playing in Belleville, Ontario, which looked like a high school auditorium in front of maybe 500 fans Thursday night vs. Friday in Laval. They had a band, lasers, a packed house and it’s not far from Montreal. A lot of players aren’t making the trip back home to Wilkes-Barre, opting to stay in Canada for the Christmas holiday. A lot of players family were in attendance as well.
So, yeah, I guess you could say this was a scheduled loss.
You may look at the AHL standings coming into this and see Laval at the bottom of the North Division. Well, the Rocket are not playing like a last place team. Bellville played like a last place team. This Laval team had won 3 out of their last 4 coming in to the bash with the Penguins.
First Period: A penalty marred first period was a harbinger of what was to come. No scoring.
Second Period: Rocket connect for three, yes, three power play goals. These all came in consecutive order but before William Trudeau scored at even strength to give the Rocket a 1-0 lead.
Penguins second overall penalty kill looked bad, very bad, there. Shots from the point that should not be taken without interference in the form of a player wearing black.
Third Period: Wouldn’t you know it, but more shots from the slot taken unabated as Sean Farrell scores from there to extend the Rocket lead to 5-1.
Three Stars: 3) Arber Xhekaj (goal) 2) Logan Mailloux (goal, assist) 1) Philippe Maillet (three assists)
The Good: Not going to lie, not a lot of good to come out of this.
The Bad: Three straight power play goals against was bad, man.
Turning Point: Those three straight power play goals will be keeping the coaching staff up on the trip back home Friday.
The only thing that you hope is that they rest and recover, wash this one out of their systems, regroup and get ready for Hershey Wednesday in Hershey. Huge game.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 