Chirps from Center Ice

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Work night games are rough. I left my editing utensils home instead of in a cold vehicle in single digit temperatures, so it’s a stripped down version of the post game recap tonight. Apologies to those who get my post notifications via e-mail. You can check out the blog later when I get home for a more dressed up version of tonight’s game with links, and boldface type you have come to enjoy.

Tweet embeds need a computer to edit them in, so they too will be added in a bit here while I high tail it home to get in at a reasonable hour so I can get up and go back to my big boy job in the morning without dragging monsters you-know-what.

But enough about me, here’s what happened tonight.

Penguins lose 5-4. As the blog headline reads, when it rains it pours. It was probably the most unluckiest game that the Penguins played in some time based off of bounces and small snaps in luck that played in the Phantoms favor.

Lineup wise, no changes on defense. Casey DeSmith got the start. The Pens now switch to black uniforms at home the rest of the way. I would rather the rule be totally eradicated or just move the jersey switch ahead to the end of January. I’m getting off track. Freddie Tiffels was in for Patrick McGrath. Thomas DiPauli did not dress, neither did Greg McKegg.

In the first, the Phantoms scored two fluke goals. Nic Aube-Kubel cross checked Jarred Tinordi into Casey DeSmith, knocking him down. TJ Brennan knows how to skate with his head up, saw that sequence and shot the puck on net and with no goalie there to stop it, it went in.

Their second goal came on a power play. Referee Olivier Gouin set an inadvertent pick on J-S Dea, who lost Mike Vecchione. Vecchione then banked his shot off of Frank Corrado and in to make it 2-0.

Shots after one were 11-10 Penguins. It was about as hard luck a period for a team bit by hard luck of recent you could find.

In the second, Wilkes-Barre pulls within a goal when Daniel Sprong puts a shot on net that Garrett Wilson gets out of the pads of Tokarski and sweeps it over to a waiting Colin Smith. One goal game now.

Penguins later tie it when Gage Quinney plays a bank off the boards behind Tokarski and puts it behind him.

A few minutes later, Tyrell Goulbourne fights through a pair of players and a hook and muscles the puck past DeSmith as the players were crashing the net, which became dislodged in the process. Question was whether the puck crossed legally or under the net. Neither referee cared to look at replay, confident enough in their eyes. To say that the officiating was poor tonight would be a huge understatement.

From bad to worse, a linesman sets a pick on Kevin Czuczman and Chris Conner bats in a DeSmith rebound to make it a two goal Phantom lead. The wheels were coming off!

Hold up. :17 later, Garrett Wilson scores a goal scorers goal to make it a one goal Lehigh Valley game again.

Things would settle a bit from an official making a questionable call or a linesman running a pick on a Penguin; Wilkes-Barre would finish strong to end the period.

In the third, the Penguins pushed the Phantoms defense and forecheck for that tying goal, referees kept their whistles in their pockets and stayed out of the way but the Phantoms, to their credit, bended but never broke.

With DeSmith vacated for the extra attacker late, Lehigh Valley hit an empty net to make it 5-3. Adam Johnson scored a goal with 11 seconds left to make it a one goal game again and that was all for the scoring.

Three Stars: 3) Garrett Wilson (goal, assist, +2) 2) G. Quinney (goal, assist, +1) and Chris Conner (goal, -1)

Around the Division: Bridgeport scores three power play goals at home and down the Hershey Bears 3-1…Providence takes down Utica in a wild one, 5-4 in a shootout…Binghamton catches Charlotte on a bad night and crush the Checkers 6-2 on the Southern Tier.

Standings: Providence (.700 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.667) — Charlotte (.641) — Penguins (.603) — Bridgeport (.550) — Hartford (.500) — Hershey (.470) — Springfield (.424)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

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Goulbourne goal should not have counted. There is no reason why there should not have been a review of the goal. First, here it is with the benefit of slow motion.

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From the AHL Rulebook on video review… In part, Rule 79.3, subsection vii…

79.3 Situations Subject to Video Review – The following are the only situations subject to video review by the Referee:

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(vii) To determine whether the puck entered the net from underneath the net frame.

I would be interested to know if Tom or Tyler asked Clark after the game what explanation he was given on that play.

Penguins practice Thursday for their meeting with Hartford Thursday. But for any news pieces, look for the next update to come Friday with the Wolf Pack setup at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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3                                          2

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Blog headline was summarized by Penguins play-by-play man Mike O’Brien and his, “Obie’s Observations” that he has after each Penguins game on radio. He mentioned that the Penguins played a great, 60 minute hockey game, but still lost. They lost because of small, tiny mistakes that ultimately cost them goals. Death, by paper cuts. Perfect way to summarize the game by the Pens radio man.

Wilkes-Barre loses 3-2. Two third period goals by the Phantoms on funny bounces catch the Penguins, who put up 41 shots and still came up a goal short.

Tom had a post game quote tweet from Garrett Wilson that fits well here.

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Death by paper cuts.

Casey DeSmith opposed Dustin Tokarski.

No lineup changes from last night’s win against Binghamton.

First Period: Game opened up quick and went end to end for pretty much all game. I cringed this week when I saw that David Banfield and Terry Koharski were scheduled to work the game but those two veteran referees stayed out of the way tonight and let the players dictate play and called what needed to be called.

Finally, Zach Aston-Reese put a shot on net that deflected off Teddy Blueger and in to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

(Taylor wasn’t around tonight, so no GIFs, sorry)

Shots after one were 14-9 Penguins heading into the…

Second Period: Casey DeSmith deserved better in this game. This week, he sees future hall of famer Michael Leighton join the organization and his #1 starter role is all of a sudden in doubt after pretty much being the man in Wilkes-Barre for all of 2017. He was dialed in here, stopping a 2-on-1 and then lunging behind him to freeze a puck a few minutes later. After Chris Conner scored in transition on a shot that handcuffed Casey, he would respond in kind with a save on a breakaway, then the rebound attempt then a one time in a mad rush by the Phantoms to eke out a lead. DeSmith would have none of it.

Pens respond with the timely, big saves from their netminder as Ryan Haggerty would stuff in a backhand shot past Tokarski to make it 2-1 Penguins.

Third Period: Back to Tom’s tweet, the lack of power play production is killing this team right now. Pens get a power play but are not able to score. Phantoms kill it, then Nick Aube-Kubel somehow, someway, scores to tie the game. DeSmith was sealed off of on the post and the puck, to my amazement, makes it past him and find its way to the back of the net to make it a tie game.

4:03 later, Oskar Lindblom would score on a nice no look pass from Conner to push the Phantoms ahead 3-2 with just over six minutes left to play.

After that goal, the Penguins would go on to outshoot the Phantoms 7-1 but would never be able to find the equalizer with DeSmith vacated.

Three Stars: 3) Teddy Blueger (goal, even) 2) Chris Conner (goal, assist, even) and 1) Oskar Lindblom (goal, two assists, +2)

Around the Division: Bridgeport had an earlier start than the Penguins and halt the Hartford Wolf Pack nine game point streak with a 5-1 win in Hartford today…Hershey crushes Binghamton 5-2…Providence edges Springfield in a shootout 2-1. Charlotte was off.

Standings: Providence (.690 percentage points) — Charlotte (.661) — Lehigh Valley (.656) — Penguins (.625) — Bridgeport (.534) — Hartford (.500) — Hershey (.484) — Springfield (.424)

Wheeling Update: Nailers exact revenge on the Brampton Beast who beat the Nailers yesterday. Wheeling wins 6-2. Hunter Fejes had two goals and an assist in the win. Nailers are off now until December 29, next Friday, when they meet up with the Fort Wayne Komets in Indiana.

Week 12 AHL Power Rankings will hit the blog Sunday, sometime. I don’t know when just yet. No later than 4, so check back here after then. Enjoy your holiday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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3                                          4

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Teddy Blueger scored two goals tonight, one at 4:19 of the first period and another at 4:19 of overtime. In case you didn’t get the rub of the blog headline.

Penguins win 4-3 in overtime in a hotly contested, physical affair, like the teams from Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton of yore. That’s a fun hockey game.

Wilkes-Barre looked like it was going on cruise control when Binghamton took over, outshooting the Penguins 11-0 and scoring two goals in the process to tie the game at 2-2, then got an ugly shorthanded goal to make it 3-2.

I’m not going to blow the whole story here in the lede, just know that it was a good game that the Penguins battled through and they should come out of it a better team for it.

Michael Leighton (making his Penguins season debut) opposed Ken Appleby.

Casey DeSmith will get the start Saturday against Lehigh Valley. Donatelli told the media Thursday that the two net minders would split the starts this weekend.

Lines were…

Zach Aston-Reese — J-S Dea — Ryan Haggerty
Garrett Wilson – Gage Quinney – Daniel Sprong
Adam Johnson – Teddy Blueger – Colin Smith
Cody Wydo – Jarrett Burton – Patrick McGrath

Andrey Pedan – Kevin Czuczman
Jarred Tinordi – Zach Trotman
Chris Summers – Frank Corrado

Michael Leighton – Casey DeSmith

Lineup Notes: Third time this season that the Penguins ideal lineup on defense dress….Greg McKegg was a healthy scratch, Tom and Tyler reported after the game that he is away attending to a family matter and won’t be back until after Christmas. Jeff Taylor skated the extra in warmups.

First Period: Adam Johnson chases down a puck to beat out an icing, dishes to Teddy Blueger who scored to make it 1-0 Penguins…

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Foreshadowing…

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Kevin Czuczman put a shot on from the point that Jarrett Burton tipped in to make it 2-0 Penguins.

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Leighton was making some good saves when called upon, but then John Quennville ripped a shot over Leighton’s glove to get Binghamton on the board and made it a 2-1 game.

Binghamton scored again on a goofy play where there was a lucky Devil bounce on a wraparound play. Leighton was caught looking the other way and Nick Lappin put it in to make it 2-2.

Penguins got a power play late in the period then give up a goal to Michael Latta on a 2-on-1 that no goalie in the world would stop. Take a look…

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Second Period: Pens had the better chances. Patrick McGrath picked up his first fighting major of the season, nobody scored so it was off to the..

Third Period: Jarret Burton scored on this goal which no one at the time, knew how it went in, sound up for Nick Hart’s reaction on the goal…

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Tie game.

Things got physical. Zach Aston-Reese hit Nick Lappin which put Lappin out off the game. He fought Michael Latta who fought McGrath in the second.

Right after, Garrett Wilson laid a hit on a Devil which set off a mini brawl which put the Devils on the power play to close out the third as we headed to…

Overtime: Penguins killed the Devils power play easily. There was a stoppage and the teams when back to three on three. J-S Dea to Teddy Blueger at 4:19 of overtime…

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Game. Set. Match. Maybe it takes a greasy win like this to break the Penguins out of the funk that they are in.

Three Stars: 3) Michael Leighton (28 saves on 31 shots) 2) Jarrett Burton (two goals, +2) and 1) Teddy Blueger (two goals, overtime game winner, +2)

Around the Division: The Hartford Wolf Pack may be the best team in the Atlantic Division at present. They methodically take down the Providence Bruins 6-4 at home. Springfield jumped out on Bridgeport and didn’t look back and won 5-2. Lehigh Valley, Hershey and Charlotte were all off.

Standings: Providence (.679 percentage points) — Charlotte (.661) — Penguins (.648) — Lehigh Valley (.645) — Bridgeport (.518) — Hartford (.516) — Hershey (.468) — Springfield (.422)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers hosted the Brampton Beast tonight and lost 3-1. Garrett Meurs scored for the Nailers. These two teams rematch tomorrow in West Virginia.

Video Highlights: 

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Don’t forget that Saturday’s game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms starts at 5:05, to get it out of the way so teams and their families can make it home in time fro Christmas on Monday. With no games on Sunday, look for the Week 12 AHL Power Rankings some time on Christmas Eve then. I will probably mention it again Saturday after the Phantoms game as well.

Let’s Go Pens!