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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins had the top overall penalty killing unit in the regular season.

So of course the Providence Bruins score not one, but two power play goals and hold on to beat the Penguins 2-1 in Game 1 to take a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 Sunday afternoon in Providence.

Providence blocked a ton of shots, stymied the Penguins offense in that way and scored twice on a power play. Wilkes-Barre had a would be goal with :56 left in the third period taken away in a pile of bodies and the Bruins hung on. It’s that simple.

Don’t fret, unless you had Wilkes-Barre in a sweep, you’d be the only one, a lot of pundits, myself included (I’d like to consider myself a blowhard) had the Penguins advancing in four or five games. Say it with me, in order for that to happen, the Bruins have to win at least a game.

Game 2 goes off Sunday afternoon from Providence in what has to be must win for the Penguins.

Casey DeSmith opposed Zane McIntyre.

Lines were…

Jarrett Burton – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Garrett Wilson – Oskar Sundqvist – Josh Archibald
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Tom Sestito – Adam Krause – Ryan Haggerty

David Warsofsky – Frank Corrado
Derrick Pouliot – Brett Stern
Tim Erixon – Ethan Prow

Casey DeSmith – Sean Maguire

Lineup Notes: Pittsburgh re-assigned Josh Archibald, Cameron Gaunce and Tom Sestito to Wilkes-Barre Friday morning. Gaunce was not in the lineup because he needs to clear waivers first. Zach Aston-Reese is out for Games 1 and 2 per Providence media. Barry Goers should be back for Game 2.

First Period: It was all Wilkes-Barre to start, but Casey DeSmith had the best save of the period when Jordan Szwarz snuck through but DeSmith got the pad on it.

Wilkes-Barre was outshooting the Bruins 8-3 at one point but then the Bruins started to push back and forced the Penguins into a penalty.

Peter Mueller shot it, Jake DeBrusk was there to clean up the rebound to put the Bruins on the board on the power play goal…

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Another angle…

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After being all Wilkes-Barre to open, Providence put their foot down then controlled the pace. It could have been worse than the first intermission score line indicated.

Second Period: Penguins opened with some bit of a push by the Bruins weren’t budging. Both teams traded power plays but neither were able to capitalize. McIntyre made a cool save on J-S Dea in front and DeSmith made a few saves with the glove, one notably on Peter Cehlarik after a face-off around the halfway point of the game.

J-S Dea finally broke through for the Penguins scoring his first postseason goal on this shot by David Warsofsky…

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Shots were an even 10-10 in the period heading into the…

Third Period: Bruins go up one again on this Danton Heinen goal that made it 2-1…

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After that goal, the Penguins took another penalty. They got out of that one unscathed, but that killed momentum as the Penguins continued to buzz and push, but weren’t able to get anything by McIntyre.

Penguins think they score with :56 left here….

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Referee right on top of play, washes out possible goal. Penguins continue to whack, puck bleeds across and is in, Penguins celebrate a tie game, but the referee does not make a signal either way as to the puck crossing or not. After an initial washout to make the call to get to a review, the call on the ice stood as no goal.

That, of course, set off the Penguins bench.

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Penguins weren’t ever able to get the equalizer.

Forget about the last minute. If you look at Taylor’s GIF there carefully, the referee was not able to see the puck cross the line being right on top of the play. Replay is just an overhead view, and the Bruins were wearing all black. What color is the puck? The Penguins didn’t lose the game because of that call. They need to be more disciplined, giving Providence six power plays in the game, and better structured a man down, allowing the Bruins to score twice.

Good thing that there is a day between games. Lots of time to break down tape and execute plans.

Three Stars: 3) Zane McIntyre (30 saves on 31 shots) 2) J-S Dea (goal, +1) and 1) Danton Heinen (goal, -1)

Around the Eastern Conference: Hershey beat Lehigh Valley 1-0 in overtime on a Nathan Walker overtime goal. Game 2 is Saturday in Allentown….Syracuse falls 2-1 to St. John’s, Game 2 is Saturday in Newfoundland and Albany looks to go up 2-0 in their series against Toronto Saturday after beating the Marlies 3-0 Thursday.

Sprong Watch: The Charlottetown Islanders remain unbeaten in the QMJHL Playoffs as they take Game 1 over the Blainville-Boisbrand Armada 3-0 Friday night. Daniel Spring had two assists. Game 2 goes Saturday from the EastLink Centre in Prince Edward Island.

If Cameron Gaunce is claimed on waivers at noon tomorrow I will have a blog on it. Let’s hope that is a piece I do not have to write.

Gameday setup for Game 2 will hit the blog Sunday at 11 a.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I’d like to thank Brandon Povilitus for the pun headline idea, it was exactly what I was thinking when Adam Krause scored his second goal of the game and of the period, that game the Penguins a 5-4 lead and a lead they would not relinquish as the defeat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tonight in the regular sermon finale.

The Penguins were trailing 3-2 to start the third and went down 4-2 when Carter Verhaeghe scored his second. Wilkes-Barre, with seemingly nothing left to play for could have packed it in and went home with the Eastern Conference Championship and begun preparations for the Providence Bruins, who the Penguins will face in the first round.

But Adam Krause, not a regular player in the lineup and a fringe guy, stepped up big with two goals after Jarrett Burton scored to bring the Penguins back within two.

Krause smoked Devon Towes on the first goal and scored a shorthanded goal that gave the Penguins the lead for good.

Sean Maguire made his AHL debut and won with 22 saves including a stop on Josh Ho-Sang on a penalty shot.

51-20-3-2 and 107 points will close the books on the 2016-17 AHL Regular Season for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. They enter the Calder Cup Playoffs the top overall team in the Eastern Conference and open against the Providence Bruins in round one. A team that has answered every challenge presented to them in the regular season face the biggest challenge yet, a championship run.

Blog story is late tonight because I wanted to figure out who was going to be the regular season champion. It’s the Penguins, after the Bakersfield Condors defeated the San Jose Barracuda in overtime tonight.

Sean Maguire opposed Eamonn McAdam

Lines were…

Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Garrett Wilson – Oskar Sundqvist – Ryan Haggerty
Nick Sorkin – Jarrett Burton – Adam Krause
Cody Wydo – Troy Josephs – Patrick McGrath

Jeff Taylor – Frank Corrado
Brett Stern – Kevin Schulze
Dylan Zink – Ethan Prow

Sean Maguire – Casey DeSmith

Lineup Notes: Regulars Tom Kostopoulos, Kevin Porter, David Warsofsky, Tim Erixon and Derrick Pouliot were given the night off. I saw Zach Aston-Reese with a cast on high right hand on his pinky and ring fingers. Donatelli told WBS media postgame that he is considered day to day and will have further tests done Monday. Barry Goers is undergoing concussion protocol.

First Period: Better start for the Penguins in comparison to last night agains Hershey and Wednesday against Lehigh Valley. Bridgeport got the first power play of the night and cashed when Ryan Pulock scored a bullet from the point that made it 1-0 Sound Tigers. Penguins got a power play and Teddy Blueger scored that tied the game:

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Sound Tigers went back on the power play and Carter Verhaeghe skated to a spot and found a spot and ripped a shot that found its way past Maguire that made it 2-1 Bridgeport.

Heading into the second, every goal was scored on the power play.

Second Period: A miscommunication between Penguins defensemen saw Travis St. Denis score a tap-in on the doorstep of Maguire that made it 3-1 Sound Tigers.

Josh Ho-Sang was hooked down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Sean Maguire denied him.

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J-S Dea connected on a power play goal late that made it 3-2 Sound Tigers…

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Third Period: Sean Maguire wasn’t able to control a rebound and Verhaeghe was there to put it in again that made it 4-2 Bridgeport.

That’s it. Pack it in and go home right?

Wrong.

Eamonn McAdam this time isn’t able to control a rebound and Jarrett Burton whacked home the puck that made it a 4-3 game.

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1:16 later, Adam Krause races past Devon Toews and ties the game at 4….

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Patrick McGrath earned the sole assist on that goal.

He then took a penalty with 4:19 left and the Sound Tigers were on a power play. Ut-oh, Buckwheat…

Krause. Again. Shorthanded….

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Sound Tigers, with McAdam vacated, were never able to find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Jarrett Burton (goal, +1) 2) Teddy Blueger (goal, assist, -2) 1) Adam Krause (two goals, one assist, +3)

Around the Division: The Hershey Bears shutout the Providence Bruins 3-0. The Bears are hitting the postseason in stride and are the three seed in the Atlantic. They will face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Round One….Lehigh Valley beats Binghamton 4-1 in the Senators finale under the Ottawa affiliation. Springfield beats Hartford 5-1 and out of conference, a Josh Currie hat trick sealed the fate of the San Jose Barracuda, the Bakersfield Condors win 3-2 which gave the Penguins the Macgregor Kilpatrick trophy for best overall record in the AHL regular season.

Standings: Penguins (.704 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.664) — Hershey (.638) — Providence (.632) — Bridgeport (.605) — Springfield (.493) — Hartford (.355)

Video highlights…

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Playoff schedule is set. Here it is…

Atlantic Division Semifinals – Series “A” (best-of-5)
A1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. A4-Providence Bruins
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 21 – W-B/Scranton at Providence, 7:05
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton at Providence, 3:05
Game 3 – Thu., Apr. 27 – Providence at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 28 – Providence at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sun., Apr. 30 – Providence at W-B/Scranton, 3:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

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Your blog schedule for this week is as follows… Final Power Rankings will be up Monday at 4. I’ll have the Fourth Quarter Grades Tuesday at noon, a Calder Cup Playoff Preview Wednesday at noon for both conference and a Penguins / P-Bruins Playoff Preview Thursday at noon then the full pregame setup Friday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Look at this game, a 2-1 Pens loss to the Hershey Bears, this way. When you don’t have anything left to play for (Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference Championships are already the Penguins) it’s hard to get motivated.

Think of it this way. You work at a widget factory. You are only given 110 widgets to make in an eight hour day. You can’t make any more, you can’t make any less. You have to make 110.

Well, the Penguins just made their 110th widget and the clock still reads 3:30 in the afternoon when they knock off at 5.

The Penguins, with little to play for in their final three games, lost Wednesday in a shootout to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and tonight to the Hershey Bears 2-1. Each winning team clinched a playoff spot. Four teams in the Atlantic have to make it, the Penguins just happened to play two that hadn’t yet.

Penguins turned it on in the third period on a power play goal by Tim Erixon, but :27 later the Bears scored again.

Providence clinched tonight as well, locking Bridgeport out after the Sound Tigers got smoked 7-0 at home against the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Bruins travel to Hershey Saturday with the winner heading to Allentown to open against the Phantoms and the loser heading to Wilkes-Barre to take on the Penguins next weekend in in the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

Casey DeSmith opposed Pheonix Copley.

Lines were…

Zach Aston-Reese – Kevin Porter – Tom Kostopoulos
Garrett Wilson – Oskar Sundqvist – Ryan Haggerty
Dominik Simon – Teddy Blueger – J-S Dea
Troy Josephs – Jarrett Burton – Adam Krause

Derrick Pouliot – Frank Corrado
Brett Stern – David Warsofsky
Tim Erixon – Jeff Taylor

Casey DeSmith – Sean Maguire

Lineup Notes: Two changes from Wednesday, Adam Krause for Patrick McGrath and Brett Stern for Ethan Prow.

First Period: Pens with a season low one shot on goal. Bears had seven with one power play. That was it.

Second Period: Chris Bourque centered a pass from behind the goal line to Jakub Vrana who scored to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. There were more goal posts hit in this game then there were goals, Bears had four by my count and the Pens had three.

Third Period: Penguins were guilty of making way too many extra passes tonight. They started to turn up the heat on the Bears and forced them into taking a puck over glass delay of game. On the ensuing power play, the Penguins only of the game, Tim Erixon scored to make it a tie game at one…

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Off the face-off and :27 later, Christian Djoos scored to make it 2-1 Bears. Penguins thought hey had the light switch fully on, but just as quick the Bears came in and quickly shut the light off.

With DeSmith pulled for the extra attacker, the Penguins were never able to find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Tim Erixon (goal, -1) 2) Pheonix Copley (22 saves on 23 shots) and 1) Christian Djoos (game winning goal, +1)

Around the Division: Already gave you the 7-0 Springfield pasting that they laid on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers…Providence was up 4-1 to start the third against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Allentown, but the Phantoms scored three unanswered to tie it and Corban Knight scored :48 into overtime to win it. Phantoms win 5-4 in overtime….Utica keeps its playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win at home against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Standings: Penguins (.700 percentage points) — Lehigh Valley (.660) — Providence (.640) — Hershey (.633) — Bridgeport (.613) — Springfield (.487) — Hartford (.360)

Here is the Penguins Kilpatrick Trophy clinching scenarios, which is basically the regular season championship and ensures home ice in the Calder Cup Playoffs…

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Pens win against Bridgeport, they still need help in the form of the Barracuda not getting two points tomorrow. I’ll probably have something on this either late Saturday or Sunday morning, depending on how thing shake out tomorrow.

Gameday for the final game of the regular season hist the blog Saturday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!