Chirps from Center Ice

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The Penguins were down 5-0 in this game and came all the way back to tie it with an extra attacker late in the third only to lose on a T.J. Brennan goal in overtime on a delayed call 6-5.

I honestly don’t know what’s more impressive:
1) That I stayed tuned in when it was 4-0 after one and AHLTV was not working properly at all;
2) Mike Vellucci didn’t turn to Casey DeSmith at backup when starter Emil Larmi stopped just 9 of 14 shots and the Penguins were trailing 5-0;
3) They mounted anything resembling a comeback after being down five;
4) They came all the way back:
5) They didn’t win in overtime.

Remember this point in April. It looks like five, possibly six, teams for four spots in the division this season. Every point is going to be valuable down the stretch and the points hold the same value in November as they do in March or April.

Coal Street didn’t do any GIFs in the game, I think it had something to do with a lot of things and Twitter wasn’t playing nice tonight with graphics and stuff, so just bear with me. Lehigh Valley did theirs, but I didn’t write the game up through the intermissions like I normally do for road games because it was 4-0 and the Pens were getting flattened and I was pissed that AHLTV wasn’t streaming the game the right way.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Joseph Blandisi was recalled Friday afternoon for Bryan Rust who injured his leg in morning skate today. Jordy Bellerive went in for Blandisi. No other lineup changes but for at backup, DeSmith was in and Tokarski was given the night off.

First Period: The goal came hot and heavy for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

1) Matthew Strome on a tip in front for his first AHL goal at 5:29
2) Pascal Laberge scored on a rebound left in the slot after Larmi stopped Isaac Radcliffe with the blocker at 5:50
3) Carsen Twarynski through AHLTV buffering on my end at 8:08
4) Twarynski again on a power play goal, the second of the game for the Phantoms (Strome’s goal was also on the power play) at 16:31

It was 4-0 Phantoms after one period. Despite this, the Penguins outshot the Phantoms 14-12 through the period.

Second Period: Isaac Ratcliffe scored to open the period and whatever was said and what adjustments were made didn’t do anything as the Penguins were down deep in a 5-0 hole.

I noticed that the Penguins still stuck to the same game plan, didn’t really tuck tail and run, sure they pushed and shoved and there were extracurriculars after whistles and stuff, but they kept pushing.

Jamie Devane tipped in a Thomas DiPauli shot on a power play with under minute to play and it turned out to be the turning point in the game. It gave the Penguins faint hope that they could get back into the game.

Third Period: Comeback went like this.

1) Andrew Agozzino scored on a rebound to cut the lead to three at 9:22
2) Anthony Angello, seemingly getting the message after being benched Wednesday in the third period, scored to cut the lead to two. He took a great pass from Chase Berger and slammed it home in the crease at 11:06
3) Andrew Agozzino breakaway goal. One goal game at 12:09
4) Adam Johnson, with Larmi pulled for the extra man, from an impossible angle, tied the game at five at 18:00.

I am really big on the numbered lists tonight.

Overtime: TJ Brennan scored an extra attacker goal in overtime on a delayed call to win it for the Phantoms, a game that should have never been in doubt, but the problems have to be bigger for Lehigh Valley, don’t they?

Three Stars: Somehow all Phantoms. 3) Matthew Strome (goal) 2) T.J. Brennan (game winning overtime goal, assist) 1) Carsen Twarynski (two goals, assist)

The Good: The never say die attitude of this Mike Vellucci guided club. They could have easily packed it in and left with their tails between their legs, but they didn’t. They didn’t try to get three back with one, they just scored one after another after another.

The Bad: If they played the second half of the game in the first half, tell me who wins?

Turning Point: Jamie Devane’s tip of a Thomas DiPauli power play started an impossible comeback for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and earned them a point.

Around the Division: Bridgeport has won four in a row, beating Springfield 4-1. The Sound Tigers are in Wilkes-Barer Saturday night….

That was it. The rest of them were off.

Standings: Hartford, the Penguins and Providence 27 — Springfield 24 — Lehigh Valley 23 — Hershey 21 — Bridgeport 20 — Charlotte 19

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: I don’t know who will get to them first, but who ever does I will run the edit here and you can see how this car crash of a hockey game went down.

Pens back home Saturday night to host Bridgeport on Hockey Fights Cancer night. Gameday setup here Saturday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!

     vs.     

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Pardon any formatting errors as I’m drawing this up on the fly. No, I don’t have work on Thanksgiving, but I’m traveling and want the majority of the heavy lifting done now vs. later. Great game by two teams headed in seemingly different directions. Pens win 6-2 as the Phantoms slump woes continue. Big games by all the regulars with Stefan Noesen and Thomas DiPauli with two goal games a piece. Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi also scored. Casey DeSmith stopped 29 of 31 to pick up his ninth with of the season.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: David Warsofsky was not in the lineup. Tyler reported after the game that it’s a nagging injury that isn’t serious. We’ll see. Michael Kim was the player who took warmups but was scratched. Matt Abt was in Warsofsky’s place….Jamie Devane made his debut, bumped Thomas DiPauli to the third line, Andreas Martinsen out as the veteran overage (Devane counts as a vet) – on defense, call it Nicolas Almari, returning from injury, for David Warsofsky.

First Period: Pens off to a very slow start, a turnover in their own end wound up in the back of their net when Tyler Wotherspoon connected for a goal that gave the Phantoms a 1-0 lead in the first two minutes.

But the Penguins responded quickly on the power play when Stefan Noesen finished off this feed from Adam Johnson that evened the game at one.

Pens had another shot at a power play right after but didn’t score, later had a two on none and made too many passes and no shot.

Adam Johnson connected for his first of the season on this spin-o-rama shot that edged the Penguins ahead 2-1

In what looked like it could be a run and gun affair after the hot start settled into just a 7-4 shot advantage for the Pens heading into the…

Second Period: Stefan Noesen bagged his second of the game while getting hooked. The shot trickled up and over Lyon and in and gave the Pens a 3-1 lead.

Just when you thought that the Pens would be able to run away with it, Pascal Laberge floated to the high slot, pump faked a slap shot and instead went wrist shot and beat Casey DeSmith through a screen that brought Lehigh Valley back within one.

Joseph Blandisi added one on a Penguins power play that gave the Pens a two goal lead again. Andrew Agozzino’s shot knocked Alex Lyon’s mask off, but in one fell swoop, Blandisi was there to knock the puck in.

Legitimate gripe by Lyon, play is supposed to stop immediately when a mask is dislodged, but the rulebook has a gray area there.

Rule 9.6, paragraph four, in part…

When a goalkeeper has lost his helmet and/or face mask and his team has control of the puck, the play shall be stopped immediately to allow the goalkeeper the opportunity to regain his helmet and/or face mask. When the opposing team has control of the puck, play shall only be stopped if there is no immediate and impending scoring opportunity…..

Because the whole sequence was bang-bang, and the Phantoms never touched the puck after Lyon’s mask was dislodged, play continued.

Shots were an even 20 a side heading into the …

Third Period: Story of the period was the apparent benching of Anthony Angello. Angello was on the bench, but didn’t skate an entire shift for the entire period. Jake Lucchini jumped in his spot.

Pretty uneventful period otherwise, Pens hit an empty net with 3:10 left to play when Thomas DiPauli scored from center ice to seal it.

DiPauli for good measure added another the more conventional way, beating Lyon five hole.

Three Stars: 3) Adam Johnson (goal, two assists) 2) Thomas DiPauli (two goals) 1) Stefan Noesen (two goals)

The Good: Two players with two goals each. Two power play goals. That is enough to carry the day.

The Bad: If the Phantoms didn’t come in on a winless on the road slump (I think is five losses now) is it a different outcome when they score first? Still, glad the Pens responded quickly.

Turning Point: Blandisi’s power play goal that re-establishes Wilkes-Barre’s two goal lead in the second was a no look back moment for the Penguins. They smelled blood and put the game away.

Around the Division: Wild one in Hershey, Bears up 3-0, cough up the lead and lose 7-6 in a shootout to the Providence Bruins….Bridgeport has won three in a row, beating Springfield 3-2….Charlotte beats Cleveland 5-2.

Standings: Hartford 27 — Providence 27 — Penguins 26 — Springfield 24 — Lehigh Valley 21 — Hershey 21 — Charlotte 19 — Bridgeport 18

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lost at home to Fort Wayne 5-4 in overtime. They rematch tomorrow in Indiana on Thanksgiving. Brandon Hawkins, Ryan Scarfo, Blake Siebenaler and Renars Krastenbergs all bagged goals in the defeat.

Video Highlights: 

Power Rankings are essentially done, just waiting on finals from out west and those will go up Thursday at 11 like they always do bi-weekly.

Have a great Thanksgiving if you celebrate. If you’re Canadian, happy Thursday.

Let’s Go Pens!

     vs.     

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Not much to this one, a 1-0 Checkers win, snapping the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins six game winning streak. Charlotte is used to big games and this one had everything.

– The Checkers were facing off against their former coach.
– They we’re facing their backup goaltender in Dustin Tokarski.
– Their head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, was game planning against his brother, Pens captain David Warsofsky.

Pens could not get anything going offensively in the first two periods, just eight shots, but started to get the engine warm finally in the third. But, playing fast and loose against a hardened and tested championship level Charlotte team, that started to cost them and they found themselves in late penalty kill trouble.

A Matt Abt soft hook, possibly a reputation one, saw Chase Priskie absolutely rip one past Dustin Tokarski for a 1-0 lead.

I mean an absolute dart.

It was all that Charlotte needed to win tonight as the goal came with under four minutes to play in regulation.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 22 shots to pick up his second shutout of the season. He was named second star.

Chase Priskie, with his power play goal in the third, was named first star and Dustin Tokarski, who stoped 26 of 27, was named third star.

They lined up this way…

Joseph Blandisi was re-assigned Saturday morning and replaced Jordy Bellerive.

That’s pretty much it. Can’t feel too down on a game like this. You lose 1-0. If you score first, in a tight checking game which this was, you probably win. I had a sense that after a few minutes into the third period it was going to be a race to one.

Around the Division: Hartford lose their third straight, 6-3 in Syracuse….Springfield beats Providence 5-4 in overtime….Bridgeport beats Hershey 3-2….Lehigh Valley loses to Belleville 2-1.

Standings: Hartford 27 — Penguins 24 — Springfield 24 — Providence 23 — Lehigh Valley 21 — Hershey 20 — Charlotte 17 — Bridgeport 14

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose out in Fort Wayne 5-4 in overtime. Jordan Ruby stopped 40 in the loss. Alec Butcher had a goal and an assist for the Nailers.

I don’t know if Coal Street will have highlights. It was the Priskie goal and that’s it. If they do and I can get to an edit I will put it here.

Pens are home on Thanksgiving Eve against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. But for anything breaking between now and then, talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!