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Apologies in advance for the terrible, somewhat confusing sorry effort for a pun headline tonight. I couldn’t resist the temptation.

Anyway, I called this two game series with Norfolk a trap series in my Week 13 AHL Power Rankings. Game 1 didn’t disappoint in my predictions, although this was a disappointing game, a 2-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals.

The Penguins didn’t play bad, per se. They generated chances and got pucks on net, but a bad bounce in the first period and a costly turnover in the third period was all Norfolk and goaltender Jason LaBarbera needed.

If you missed the news earlier, Jeff Zatkoff and Derrick Pouliot are headed to Utica to represent the Penguins with Tom Kostopoulos in three weeks at the All-Star Classic.

Zatkoff started tonight and was opposed by the aforementioned Jason LaBarbera.

Lineup stayed the same from Sunday’s shootout loss in Hershey. Patrick McGrath took warmups but was a scratch.

First Period: A low shot from the point the Admirals put on net Jeff Zatkoff got a piece of. He wasn’t able to corral the rebound and put himself out of position. During that time, the puck finds its way to the stick of Charles Sarault, who puts the rebound in for a quick 1-0 Admirals lead.

Penguins had 3:20 of a double minor for a high stick on Josh Archibald to work with but couldn’t generate anything good towards LaBarbera. He wasn’t necessarily sharp tonight as much as he saw what was coming and is a professional, veteran goaltender who can make those types of saves at this level.

Second Period: Shots were 5-1 Norfolk to open the period. I got the sense that the Admirals were looking for the kill shot early on. A Penguins shot off the post. Penguins keep their legs moving to the final five minutes where Kevin Gagne holds Tom Kostopoulos in the neutral zone. Pens going to the power play .They cash on a Carter Rowney shot from the blue line that Jason LaBarbera makes a save on but loses the rebound to J-S Dea who puts in the rebound to tie the game at one each.

Third Period: Max Friberg works a puck off of Taylor Chorney and zig zags around Alex Boak and Jeff Zatkoff for an easy goal that turned out to be the go ahead and eventual game winner. Late fireworks when Tom Kuhnhackl runs Andrew O’Brien into the wall and a scrum ensues that sees referee David Banfield give Pierre Leblond a ten minute misconduct. Penguins would kill the penalty and Kuhnhackl would then fight John Kurtz.

In the final two minutes, Jayson Megna hit a post on a wide open net that would have tied the game. Penguins, with Zatkoff later pulled, would never find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Max Friberg (goal, +1) 2) J-S Dea (goal, even) and 1) Charles Sarault (goal, +1)

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Penguins 44 — Hershey 39 — Lehigh Valley 37 — Binghamton 34 — Norfolk 29

Conference: 1) MCH (52) 2) SPR (50) 3) WBS (44) 4) SYR (48) 5) HFD (40) 6) HER (39) 7) POR (39) 8) PRO (38)

SendToNews Highlights: Are here. Nothing much to look at from a Penguin fan perspective.

Hershey gets another game in hand on the Penguins and now can catch and pass Wilkes-Barre for the division without the Penguins having anything to say about it, provided it breaks that way. Norfolk is a better team that its record shows, and I think that was evident tonight. Rematch Friday should be fun.

Unless I can think of anything or something happens worth blogging about, check the blog again Friday for the Gameday setup against Norfolk again.

Let’s Go Pens!

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You expect games between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre to be tight checking, closely contested affairs. Tonight lived up to the expectations, as the Hershey Bears outlast the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 2-1 in a shootout and draw to five points behind the Penguins for the East Division lead.

The lead over Hershey has been extended now for a few weeks. It was four last weekend, it’s five now. The Bears have two games in hand on the Penguins but that no longer matters at this point, Hershey can win those games and still be a point behind the Pens. Breathing room, while slim.

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent down Jayson Megna today, so the lines looked like this:

Conor Sheary – Nick Drazenovic – Tom Kostopoulos
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald
Dominik Uher – J-S Dea – Jayson Megna
Pierre Leblond – Matia Marcantuoni – Tom Kuhnhackl

Taylor Chorney – Brian Dumoulin
Reid McNeill – Barry Goers
Nick D’Agostino – Alex Boak

Zack Torquato yielded to Jayson Megna in the lineup, Clark Seymour took warmups but was scratched. Also, in Pittsburgh, Bobby Farnham and Derrick Pouliot were healthy scratches.

First Period: This hit on Taylor Chorney by Dane Byers highlighted the period. Penguins would get 1:23 of 5-on-3 time at the midway point of the period but not convert. Shots were 12-4 Wilkes-Barre after one in a period dominated by Penguin pressure but one upped by Pheonix Copley being up to the challenge for the Bears in net.

Second Period: Bears would score and break the Penguins shutout streak at 167:24 when Bears defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer scored on a floater of a shot that Zatkoff never saw through a mangrove of bodies to put the Bears on the board. It felt at the time that it may be good enough to hold up, with the way that Copley was playing in net and the way that Hershey had turned the tides on the Penguins as far as puck possession.

But the Penguins generated a turnover in the Hershey zone and Matia Marcantuoni scored this goal 3:56 later to tie the game at one, Marcantuoni’s second goal in as many nights.

Third Period: More Hershey pressure and domination in the offensive zone. Jeff Zatkoff with highway robbery of a Chris Brown shot on his doorstep off of a nice centering feed by ex-Penguin Chris Conner. Later, Copley stops a Tom Kostopoulos one time from a nice setup from Barry Goers while the Pens were shorthanded. Neither team would find the back of the net here as we would then head to….

Overtime: Because of last minute penalties in the third period, the teams started three on three. The sides ended up back on three on three with 73 second to play, but jot was onto….

Shootout: Philippe Cornet scored on a snipe on Jeff Zatkoff in Round 5 and Tom Kostopoulos couldn’t respond and the Bears take the extra point home with them.

Three Stars: 3) Jeff Zatkoff (28 saves on 29 shots) 2) Erik Burgdoerfer (first AHL goal, even) 1) Pheonix Copley (25 saves on 26 shots)

Around the Division: Binghamton storms back from down 3-0, take the lead at 4-3, only to lose in overtime 5-4 to the Syracuse Crunch. Ex-Penguin Peter Mannino was in net for the B-Sens, making his debut for the Senators…..Lehigh Valley beats Norfolk 3-2 in a shootout.

Standings: Penguins 44 — Hershey 39 — Lehigh Valley 37 — Binghamton 34 — Norfolk 27

Conference: 1) MCH (50) 2) SPR (48) 3) WBS (44) 4) SYR (48) 5) HFD (40) 6) HER (39) 7) POR (39) 8) PRO (38)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose a close one, 3-2 in Cincinnati. Eric Hartzell started the game but was pulled in favor of the backup after stopping 13 of 16.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens are off until Tuesday, when they host Dany Heatley and the Norfolk Admirals Tuesday and again Friday. My Week 13 AHL Power Rankings will go up Monday at 4.

Let’s Go Pens!