Last Game: Sunday in Rochester, the Penguins lost in overtime 3-2. The line of Tom Kostopoulos, Sahir Gill and Carter Rowney all had two points each. For Hershey, they hosted the Providence Bruins and lost 6-3 on Sunday. Connor Carrick and Jakub Vrana were both -3.
Last Meeting: December 26 in Hershey, the Bears pounded the Penguins 5-0. Brian Foster started the game and stopped 16 of 21 shots. Casey Desmith was brought in on relief and stopped all 7 shots faced. Dan Ellis recorded a 22 save shutout. Carter Camper had three assists.
Record: For WBS: 32-15-4-1 (69 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For HER: 29-15-3-7 ( pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: Get ready for a lot of these Gameday setups that preview Hershey and Wilkes-Barre. These rivals meet 12 times this season. Tonight is just the fifth of the dozen times these teams meet. Hershey is coming in 7-2-0-1 in their last ten, the Penguins are 3-3-4-0 in that same span. The Bears have significantly closed what once was a nearly insurmountable lead that the Penguins had on the Atlantic Division. No matter what happens tonight, the Penguins will remain in first place in the division. With a win, the Pens open up some breathing room on Hershey for tops in the division. With a loss, the Bears draw one step closer, with six more meetings to come.
Other Game to Watch: We are one of three games in the AHL today. Grand Rapids and Chicago already played a kids day game so by process of elimination San Antonio plays Bakersfield later on tonight in a battle of two teams mired at the bottom of the Pacific Division.
Next Five Games: @ POR 2/26, @ SPR 2/27, @ PRO 2/28, @ LV 3/4, @ HER 3/5
The turning point of this game was a long 5-on-3 power play that the Penguins were on in the third period for :31. After a time out, the Penguins owned a ton of offensive zone time but were held out of the net by the Americans penalty killers and the play of goaltender Nathan Lieuwen.
About that power play. It was a clean game for both teams with the referees arms staying down until the third period. The Penguins had all of the power plays in the third period and Rochester did not have a single one until overtime.
But instead of putting the cart before the horse, let me tell the whole story. Jump through if you didn’t link in direct to see the rest of the story because I bring the video highlights again in this blog recap.
Last Game: Friday night in Toronto, the Penguins were up 2-0 going into the third period but lost 4-2 to the Toronto Marlies 4-2. Kael Mouillierat and Anton Zlobin scored goals for the Penguins in the loss. For Rochester, they were in Syracuse last night and won 6-2. Tim Schaller had a hat trick, plus an assist and was named first star of the game.
Last Meeting: November 14 in Wilkes-Barre, the Pens won 3-1. Wilkes-Barre dominated the Americans in all facets, outshooting them 42-16.
Record: For WBS: 32-15-3-1 (68 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For RCH: 25-24-2-1 (53 pts., 5th place North Division)
Why you should care: The Penguins need to close out opponents again. They have simply failed in the last three games. Back-to-back overtime losses to the Portland Pirates last weekend and getting smoked 4-2 after leading 2-0 after two periods in Toronto this past Friday. Rochester probably isn’t making playoffs t his year, so this could be a good start.
Other Game to Watch: The Providence Bruins and Hershey Bears rematch today again in Hershey. Last night the Hershey beat the Bruins 3-2 so you know Providence is looking for revenge in the quick turnaround.
Next Five Games: HER 2/23, @ POR 2/26, @ SPR 2/27, @ PRO 2/28, @ LV 3/4
Everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth. — Mike Tyson
For the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, the plan was working in the first two periods.
But the Toronto Marlies largely kept their hands in their pockets.
A four goal barrage by the Marlies in a span of 15:28 in the third period sees the Toronto Marlies defeat the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins by a score of 4-2.
The Toronto Marlies are a complete team. Yeah, the Penguins have been hit severely by the injury bug, but so have the Marlies of recent. This was a heavyweight battle between the two best teams in the American Hockey League.
Toronto dominated a scoreless first period. Wilkes-Barre dominated the second period and scored two goals in a span of :47. Toronto took over in the third period and hooked in and ran away with things.
It was Matt Murray vs. Antoine Bibeau in goal.
I don’t run ads on my blog. I pay WordPress to keep it that way, so consider this a commercial break as you jump through if you didn’t link in direct because I am going again with the visual eye candy tonight in the post game recap with amateurish video highlights.
Last Game: Sunday at home against Portland, the Pens lost in overtime 3-2 to the Portland Pirates. Tom Kostopoulos had a power play goal. For Toronto, the Marlies were in St. John’s Sunday and won 2-1. Brett Findlay had two goals and was named first star of the game.
Last Meeting: December 18 in Wilkes-Barre the Pens lost to the Marlies 3-2 in a shootout. Scott Wilson had a goal and an assist in the loss. This has been the only game the Penguins have played this season that has gone to a shootout.
Record: For WBS: 32-14-3-1 (68 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division) — For TOR: 38-94-0 (80 pts., 1st place North Division)
Why you should care: Much like December 18 back in Wilkes-Barre, tonight is a battle of the two best teams in the American Hockey League. Should be a ice measuring stick for the Penguins facing off against the consistently best team in the AHL all season and equally as so facing off against with Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry in net.
Comments Off on They Don’t Pay Overtime… — Pens LOSE 3-2 (OT)
Posted by nafsnep on February 14, 2016
vs.
3 2
–
I don’t know about your job, but a salaried guy like me would always tell my straggling co-workers at 5 o’c lock on a workday that they don’t pay us overtime. You could work for two more hours but you wouldn’t get paid for it by the employer.
I don’t know exactly where I am going with this one so let’s get to the point. The Pens lost again to the Portland Pirates in overtime. 3-2 was the final. The Pens had a 2-1 lead with a power play until 18.2 seconds to play in regulation when Kyle Rau snuck one past goaltender Matt Murray to tie it then Dylan Olsen ended it in overtime when Tom Kostopoulos broke a stick.
The optimist tells you that the Penguins took four out of a possible six points out of a weekend and six out of a possible eight with the week with half their regular lineup either injured or in Pittsburgh.
I really don’t know what a pessimist will tell you when given those results. That person probably expects the Penguins to win every game by 20 goals.
The only question I would have if I got to talk with Clark Donatelli after the game is why did the Penguins go into prevent defense with a power play for the remainder of the third. They played not to lose the game and lost the game. After a rabid start to the third period when down 1-0, the Penguins rattled off two goals in the period to take the lead.
Matt Murray vs. Mike McKenna. A battle of all-star goaltenders. McKenna replaced Murray in Syracuse.
Lines were…
Josh Archibald – Kael Mouillierat – Dominik Simon
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – J-S Dea – Derek Army
John McCarron – Jarrett Burton – Tyler Biggs
Reid McNeill – Steve Oleksy
Niclas Andersen – Harrison Ruopp
Tim Erixon – Will O’Neill
Matt Murray – Tristan Jarry
Lineup Notes: In were Harrison Ruopp, Tyler Biggs and Sahir Gill for Ryan Parent, Patrick McGrath and Anton Zlobin.
First Period: Penalty filled period with both teams going on the power play three times each. Neither team took advantage. Pirates were the better team even strength. Shots were 12-6 Portland after one. Penguins had most of those shots on the power play but weren’t able to convert.
Second Period: While the Penguins were on the power play, a linesman got crossed up with Will O’Neill and Wade Megan scored a shorthanded goal…
Inadvertent, unfortunate cross up by the official.
Period was pretty even otherwise with the shots a narrow 21-20 for the Pirates. Penguins were matching the Pirates and catching up but had nothing to show for it when you looked at the scoreboard.
Third Period: In the third, the Penguins not only caught up, they raced ahead.
A Tom Kostopoulos power play goal off this nice setup from Sahir Gill…
A Will O’Neill blast from the point tipped in by Sahir Gill screening at the doorstep of McKenna and the Penguins were ahead 2-1. The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins looked angry. They looked hungry. They were mad as hell and weren’t going to take it anymore. They were forcing Mike McKenna into save after save, big time stops by McKenna to keep his team behind by just one.
Then Chase Balisy took a slashing penalty with 1:58 left. Portland Head Coach Scott Allen called a time out to draw something up. It had the look and feel that the Penguins were sitting back and playing prevent rather than trying to attack and force McKenna to stay in net and make saves.
It didn’t work. Wade Megan dug a puck out of the wall behind Murray’s net and found Rau at the doorstepped who tapped it past Murray for a tie game with 18.2 left and it was off to…
Overtime: Penguins had a few chances early on but they either all sailed wide of McKenna or the Pirates netmider stopped them. Then Dylan Olsen wheeled around Tom Kostopoulos who lost his stick in close and stuffed it past Murray to win the game for the Pirates.
The Penguins allowed two shorthanded goals in the game, up to nine on the season, and have been to overtime five times in their last eight games.
Pessimist will tell you that the Pens can’t complete and finish in overtime. Optimist will tell you these are points that the Hershey Bears, who are two games ahead of the Penguins in the games played department, can’t achieve.
Three Stars: 3) Will O’Neill (two assists, even) 2) Sahir Gill (goal, assist, -1) and 1) Dylan Olsen (overtime game winning goal,. +1)
I’ll have my chart refreshed later on tonight and tweet the link Tuesday at noon. You ca always check out the chart by clicking on the, “Charts!” link at the top of the page.
My Week 19 AHL Power Rankings will hit the blog Monday at 4.
Comments Off on RAPID RECAP – Pens LOSE 3-2 (OT)
Posted by nafsnep on February 14, 2016
Optimism tells you that to fee good that the Penguins took four out of a possible six points out of a weekend in an Atlantic Division title race with the Hershey Bears and the Portland Pirates.
Pessimism would be sitting on a lead late with the Penguins up 2-2 on a power play only to have Portland tie the game with 18.2 and then to win in overtime 3-2.
WBS News
