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Tell me Thursday night before I go to bed that the Penguins, 5 points back and really struggling to score pretty much anything that they would be a point out of leader Binghamton Sunday night before I go to bed and I take it. Lock, stock and barrel.

They did it. We really have Bobby Farnham, of all people, to thank. His game tying goal late forced overtime, but Dustin Gazley scored :47 into overtime and the Hershey Bears push their home winning streak to 11 with a 4-3 overtime win today.

Eric Harzell vs. Philipp Grubauer — Harrison Ruopp was in for Nick D’Agostino for the only lineup change.

First Period: 1:01 in, Ryan Stoa scored on a snap shot and the Bears were up 1-0 early. Then, Harry Zolnierczyk took a nice centering pass from Dominik Uher from the wall to tie the game at 1-1. Later, the Penguins score on a power play when Tom Kostopoulos collects and rifles home a deflected puck into a wide open Bears net push the Pens ahead 2-1. It was Kostopoulos’ 10th power play goal of the season, good for a tie for 4th in all the AHL.

Second Period: Penguins penalty kill was really good tonight. They have killed 27 of their last 27 penalties. A few good chances by the Bears but the Pens shut them down, even on one power play getting four shorthanded opportunities in one kill.

Matt Watkins gets behind the defense and scores on a backhander to tie the game late.

Third Period: I really thought sitting watching this one that the teams were destined for overtime. I was right, but it didn’t look like it to begin when Dane Byers is award a penalty shot and cashes going stick side over Hartzell. But then, Bobby Farnham zipped one home to tie the game again and force overtime.

Overtime: Dustin Gazley gets a nice pass from the point and slaps home a goal for the win for Hershey. I really don’t like that guy.

Three Stars: 3) Matt Watkins (goal, assist, +2) 2) Dane Byers (goal, +1) 1) Dustin Gazley (goal, even)

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Binghamton 62 — Penguins 61 — Hershey 58 — Norfolk 58 — Syracuse 44

Conference: 1) MCH (69) 2) SPR (67) 3) BNG (62) 4) WBS (61) 5) STJ (59) 6) PRO (59) 7) HER (58) 8) NOR (58)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 5-3 to Reading. Denver Manderson had a goal and an assist.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Penguins now off for All-Star break. Brian Gibbons will head to St. John’s, Newfoundland for the All-Star Classic vs. Farjestad BK Tuesday and Wednesday. I may have something for the blog here during the Skills Competition and Classic. Stick with me on Twitter or just keep checking the blog!

Week 19 AHL Power Rankings will be out at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Let’s Go Pens!

          vs.      

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Late in the game, early in the third, Simon Despres sees Mike Carman ahead of him with nothing but air in front of him.

He passes. The puck hits the tape of Carman and the third line winger skates in with Phantoms on his back. Forehand to backhand and in. Penguins extend the lead to 3-1.

Big goal at the time, as the Penguins narrowly eke out a 3-2 win against a pesky Phantoms team.

I don’t know who gets the credit for that sequence. Despres, with the wherewithal to make a perfect pass or Carman, who had to receive the pass, skate in and score.

Anyway, the Penguins are now two points behind the Binghamton Senators, who lost 5-4 in Ottawa to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

I’m really burying the real lead here, because this morning, Jayson Megna, Brian Gibbons and Harry Zolnierczyk all were sent to Wilkes-Barre. Zolnierczyk needed to clear waivers and did at noon. Only Zolnierczyk played. Radio said that Gibbons / Megna received a well deserved break. Also, Spencer Machacek was out with a “lower body” injury. Commenter Brenda spotted that last night.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. Cal Heeter

First Period: Nick Drazenovic gets a goal by going five hole on Heeter and the Pens go up 1-0. Deslauriers was making big saves all night as he stopped the Phantoms power plays all night.

Second Period: Brandon Alderson leads a 2 on 1 charge up ice, keeps it, and scores to tie the game at 1 all.

Then the Penguins all of a sudden find themselves with a 5-on-3 for more than a minute but aren’t able to score. Then, they need to kill a penalty.

Turning point here. Phantoms power play looked great all night. Deslauriers and the PK unit stifled them though. Unable to score on a 5-on-3, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the Pens give up a goal.

They didn’t. Rather, they kill it and Zolnierczyk gets Heeter to drop down on one side of the post, wheels around the net to the other side and tucks it in for a 2-1 lead.

Third Period: Reid McNeill plays a puck while still in the penalty box, apparently there’s a rule against that, and is returned to the penalty box from which he came seconds before. Deslauriers with more acrobatic saves to shut down the Phantoms PP.

Then, Despres finds Carman. I set this up in my lead, so if you don’t read those, please do. If I’m too verbose and you forgot, look again. I don’t mind. Really. Go ahead.

Anyway, huge goal for the Penguins. Pesky Phantoms never backed down, getting a goal from Jason Akeson to cut it to 3-2. Phantoms get a power play late, but with a time out and Heeter pulled, never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Mike Carman (goal, even) 2) Nick Drazenovic (goal, assist, +2) and 1) Harry Zolnierczyk (goal, assist, +2)

Around the Division: Binghamton coughs up two leads and loses to Hamilton in Ottawa 5-4.…Hershey beats Portland 2-1, the home winning streak for the Bears is at 10…Norfolk loses to Hartford 3-1 and Syracuse forces overtime but lose to Springfield 6-5.

Standings: Binghamton 62 — Penguins 60 — Norfolk 58 — Hershey 56 — Syracuse 44

Conference: 1) SPR (67) 2) MCH (67) 3) BNG (62) 4) WBS (60) 5) STJ (59) 6) NOR (58) 7) ALB (57) 8) PRO (57)

Wheeling Update: Wheeling defeats Reading in Reading. 5-2. Reassigned Denver Manderson had an assist and scored a goal in the win. Manderson and Goers were sent back today by Wilkes-Barre.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens travel to Hershey tomorrow for a 5 p.m. start with the Bears. The NHL is now on Olympic break so there are some guys, like we saw today with Megna and Gibbons, that can come back to their AHL clubs. Once all of the transactions complete, I’ll have a tidy blog post here for all to see.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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I really wanted the Penguins to score six goals tonight. Just so that the headline “Deep Sixed — Pens WIN 6-1” could play with the puns that you see me use from time to time here on the blog. They didn’t, so the effort comes off as amateurish. But hey, this is a blog, I’m not a paid professional and couldn’t come up with anything else.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins had some lineup adjustments and won tonight 5-1. After being deadlocked in a 1-1 battle with the Pirates after 40 minutes, the Pens explode for four goals, including two back to back on the power play and roll the Pirates.

Portland had scored a power play goal in ten straight games coming into tonight including four Wednesday in Binghamton. While they did have some chances to score, the Wilkes-Barre penalty kill did not allow any tonight.

Eric Hartzell vs. Mark Visentin

Lineup Changes: Essentially Spencer Machacek for Paul Thompson and Andrew Ebbett for Denver Manderson up front. Harrison Ruopp played on defense while Nick D’Agostino took warmups but was the scratch.

First Period: Penguins pressure in the Pirates end all period and finally get a goal on the one timer from Carter Rowney in the final minute to put the Pens ahead 1-0.

The new look power play lines were Zlobin, Drazenovic, Ebbett and Kostopoulos with Despres on the first unit and Machacek centering Zlobin and Torquato with Mikkelson and Samuelsson on the blue line.

Second Period: More of the same for the Pens, who just couldn’t capitalize on their chances and had the better of the power plays. But, a blown assignment by Despres and Drazenovic allow Jordan Martinook to skate from center ice in to score an ugly shorthanded goal for the Pens to give up to tie the game at 1 all.

In hindsight, that goal was a turning point. If the Pens lose, it’s pointed at as a culmination of frustration of recent efforts by Wilkes-Barre. But there was no time to think about that because it was time for the…

Third Period: Wilkes-Barre had left over power play time from a penalty late in the second and wasted no time.

No I mean, literally, they wasted no time.

Ebbett at :20. The power play streak is over. 2-1 Wilkes-Barre.

Machacek pumps one home in close in a narrow slot :50 later at 1:10. 3-1 Wilkes-Barre.

Andrew Ebbett 2:43 later at 3:53. 4-1 Pens.

For good measure, Tom Kostopoulos pumps a shot in from between the circles off a face-off win at 8:47 for a power play goal. Back to back power play goals.

So it felt like the Penguins of a few months ago. Stay relevant to the third period, then just overwhelm your opponent with goal after goal after goal.

Portland had no answer, and the Penguins, who do play well with a lead hold on for the win.

Three Stars: 3) Spencer Machacek (goal, +1) 2) Tom Kostopoulos (goal, assist, even) 1) Andrew Ebbett (two goals, assist, even)

Around the Division: Binghamton had the night off. Norfolk gets a late goal in the third period and hang on to win 1-0 over the Hartford Wolf Pack down in Virginia. Hershey loses 4-1 to Rochester and Syracuse loses 4-2 to Springfield.

Standings: Binghamton 61 — Penguins 58 — Norfolk 58 — Hershey 54 — Syracuse 43

Conference: 1) MCH (67) 2) SPR (65) 3) BNG (61) 4) WBS (58) 5) NOR (58) 6) STJ (57) 7) ALB (55) 8) PRO (55)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here for your viewing enjoyment.

Adirondack is in tomorrow. They did not play tonight, so they will be the fresher of the daisies on the sidewalk. Gameday for that will be up at 3 p.m. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work on my puns.

Let’s Go Pens!