Ugh.

Penguins are in a funk right now. They are winless in those five and now pointless in the last three.

I ran some numbers during the game. The Pens top line of Eric Tangradi, Trevor Smith and Philippe Dupuis are 3-4-7 in the five game skid.

The Penguins were 10-2 in the month of November. They are now 1-5 in the month of December.

Something has to change, obviously.

They lose 4-0 in Syracuse and are shut out on the road for the first time in over a year.

Brad Thiessen vs. Dustin Tokarski – Joey Mormina and Alex Grant rotated out for Dylan Reese and Brian Strait on the defensive side.

First Period: Zach Sill was back in the lineup too. He fought twice in the period, KO’ing Mike Angelidis six second in and then later vs. JP Cote. Elsewhere in the period the Pens looked great five on five and then on the power plays they looked herky jerky. Penguins had to kill a huge five on three penalty. Later, Brett Connolly scored a goal which looked like Thiessen was interfered on. Referees reviewed it but let the goal stand.

Second Period: Penguins could not get a single thing going this period. Thiessen was keeping the Penguins in the game, only down 1-0, but Alex Killorn would score a goal on a tip-in to make it 2-0 Crunch. Then, another goal review on a Crunch alleged goal, this time the refs would rule no goal. Pens would have to kill three consecutive penalties. They generated nothing in the period. Six shots on goal all period.

Third Period: Tyler Johnson picks off a WBS exit zone pass and feeds Pierre-Cedric Labrie for a 3-0 Crunch lead. More inert Penguin offensive chances. Tyler Johnson rebound goal to put it away, 4-0. That was all she wrote.

Three Stars: 3) Tyler Johnson (goal, assist , +1) 2) Alex Killorn (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Dustin Tokarski (29 save shutout)

Around the Division: Worcester beats Hershey in a thriller 4-3 in a shootout. Norfolk beats Bridgeport 3-2 in a shootout also. Binghamton was off.

Standings: Syracuse 37 — Binghamton 30 — Penguins 28 — Hershey 28 — Norfolk 23

Conference: 1) SYR (37) 2) SPR (33) 3) PRO (30) 4) BNG (30) 5) POR (30) 6) WOR (29) 7) WBS (28) 8) HER (28)

Wheeling Update: Nailers beat the Fort Wayne Komets at home in overtime 3-2. Patrick Killeen was spotted in the stands with his left hand heavily wrapped.

SendToNews Highlights: Not all the teams put these up. I have no idea if Syracuse does, honestly.

Heard that the Penguins have a Christmas party tomorrow. Hope they ask Santa to get some wins this month, that would be nice.

Pens play Wednesday in Binghamton. I will be there. I love making the trip to the Southern Tier. Hopefully I am a bit of good luck and someone other than Trevor Smith scores a goal. Blogwise, I don’t know what I will have, but keep up to date with me on Twitter and occasionally on Facebook for all the latest.

Was late to the game attending to a family matter and missed the first half of the game in person. Coming across town I heard the second period on. The Pens lose this game 3-1 on the anniversary of my 29th birthday. Catching up on those who were at the game the entire time saw, Pens played a pretty inert first and second period. A very un-Penguin like performance.

Brad Thiessen vs. Ben Bishop. Zach Sill took warmups but was scratched again.

First Period: Alex Grant fights David Dziurzynski. Jonathan Bombulie had a tweet that I openly laughed at:

–

Hugh Jessiman got a stick on an Andre Benoit shot to make it a 1-0 B-Sens lead on the power play. As for the rest, well, it didn’t seem like there really was much else other than the Grant fight and the Jessiman goal from what I scanned from others twitter feeds.

–

So yeah, I didn’t miss much.

Second Period: I got in right at the 14:00 mark. The first six minutes were uneventful. From what I heard on radio from the start of the second on the ride across town and from what I gathered catching up on twitter at red lights, the B-Sens were really peppering Thiessen. He held his ground. Offense has really been scarce for the Penguins against the Senators. Trevor Smith has scored the only goal for the Pens against the B-Sens all season.

Jakob Silverberg scores a power play goal on a bang in goal after Thiessen already made a few saves and was down and out. Shots through two periods were and extremely un-Penguin like 25 for the B-Sens and 16 for Wilkes-Barre.

Third Period: With the caliber of goaltender that Ben Bishop is and the way the night had been going for the Pens and really the season series against Binghamton, the Pens faced a steeper uphill battle down 2-0 in the third than usual. They responded by Trevor Smith scoring a goal at 8:10. The Pens played with urgency and a more crisp period, which was more like the team. Every time Binghamton got the puck into their offensive zone, the Pens would take it off them and rush back and into their own offensive zone. Rinse and repeat. They also did not allow the B-Sens a shot on goal until 3:55 left in the third. But, after a faceoff after Thiessen made a save on the first shot, Patrick Wiercioch scored a laser from the blueline to put the game essentially out of reach for the Pens. The remainder of the period, with momentum lost, ended.

Three Stars: 3) Andre Benoit (two assists) 2) Jakob Silfverberg (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Patrick Wiercioch (goal, assist, -1)

Around the Division: Syracuse blanks Adirondack 3-0. Norfolk loses on a controversial call at home vs. Bridgeport in overtime 4-3. Hershey was off.

Standings: Syracuse 35 — Binghamton 30 — Penguins 28 — Hershey 27 — Norfolk 21

Conference: 1) SYR (35) 2) SPR (32) 3) PRO (28) 4) BNG (30) 5) WBS (28) 6) POR (28) 7) WOR (27) 8) HER (27)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers faired no better than the Penguins tonight, losing 4-2 to the Trenton Titans in New Jersey’s capital.

SendToNews Highlights: Went up late, but here they are.

Pens travel to Syracuse tomorrow for a 7:30 p.m. start. I openly wonder who will get the start for them, be it Zapolski, Thiessen or Zatkoff. Tune in, I guess. I will be. Gameday here tomorrow four hours before puck drop, at 3:30 p.m.

Pens were due for this one.

They lose tonight 6-3 to the Albany Devils in a game best described as a clunker. Simple as that.

Joe Morrow and Eric Tangradi were a -4 tonight. Somehow, Paul Thompson was a +3.

I’m not going to pile on. Losses like these happen. Move on to the next one.

Brad Thiessen vs. Keith Kinkaid. Joey Mormina, Brian Strait, Zach Sill and Steve MacIntyre were the healthy scratches.

First Period: Riley Holzapfel scores off a quick developing play from a pass from Beau Bennett for a quick 1-0 lead. Then, lead by a Steve Zalewski odd man rush, Bobby Butler centers Joe Whitney who scores. Brian Dumoulin and Joe Morrow victimized defensively. Would end up being a theme tonight.

Second Period: If you were doing errands around the house or lost sense of time, the Pens were down 3-1. Harri Pesonen and Bobby Bulter score on busted WBS breakout passes. At this point three goals on seven Devils shots. But, Brian Dumoulin answered right back. Coming in four on two, Riley Holzapfel digs a puck off the wall and passes to Dumoulin who has all day to wire it past Kinkaid. Later, while on a power play, Joe Morrow tries to center a pass back to Trevor Smith at the point. The pass has a bit too much steam on it and hops Smith’s stick. Bobby Butler pounces on it and scores a shorthanded hat trick goal. Devils get extended 5-on-3 power play time later, hit the post three times. Penguins kill the penalty then on a rush Paul Thompson finds Jayson Megna who slips it five hole on Kinkaid for a 4-3 Albany lead.

Despite all this, I felt that the Penguins were not out of this game and could have still come back and won.

Third Period: Bobby Butler eradicates Dylan Reese at his own blue line. Picks up the puck, skates in and drops a pass for Steve Zalewski and it’s 5-3 Albany. Later, Butler scofres goal number four on a ridiculous backhand goal from about 10′ away to make it 6-3 Devils.

Fights. Bobby Farnham probably loses his first fight of the year against Darcy Zajac. Dominik Uher tunes up Steve Zalewski. Uher then fights Zajac.

First time all year the Penguins allow six goals to an opponent.

Three Stars: 3) Jacob Josefson (two assists, +1) 2) Steve Zalewski (goal, two assists, +2) 1) Bobby Butler (four goals, assist +5)

Around the Division: The sound you hear behind you is the Big Bear Machine getting its sea legs. Braden Holtby and the Bears shut out the St. John’s IceCaps 4-0 and now sit one point behind the Pens. For what it is worth the Bears have played the most games in the division. Syracuse drops Binghamton 4-3. Norfolk was off tonight.

Standings: Syracuse 33 — Binghamton 28 — Penguins 28 — Hershey 27 — Norfolk 20

Conference: 1) SYR (33) 2) SPR (32) 3) WOR (27) 4) BNG (28) 5) WBS (28) 6) HER (27) 7) PRO (26) 8) POR (26)

Wheeling Update: Wheeling loses in Toledo tonight 5-2. Patrick Killeen was placed on 21-day injured reserve today.

SendToNews Highlights: No idea if Albany puts them up. They have nothing at the time you read this.

Pens faceoff against Binghamton Friday night at home. Gameday for that will be up here at 3 p.m. Friday.