Penguins gut out a 4-3 win on home ice tonight and come from behind 3-0 to start the third and win in grand fashion 4-3.

It was the first win of the season for the Penguins when trailing after two periods.

Huge win, too, as the new look Bears seemed to coast to a 3-0 lead after forty minutes of play, outplaying the Pens at times in the process. New look as in, they traded away Danny Richmond to Lake Erie for Mike Carmen and Matt Ford to Adirondack for Kevin Marshall. Leading scorer Keith Aucoin was called up to Washington.

Brad Thiessen vs. Braden Holtby – Eric Tangradi was a late scratch with back spasms as reported by Jonathan Bombulie. The armchair Twitter GMs were out in force tonight too, thinking Tangradi was traded. While I personally, am not ruling out the fact that Tangradi will get moved at the deadline, he is still a Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguin as you read this.

One more personnel note to mention. Brian Day has retired to pursue a career off ice in business, also reported by Jonathan Bombulie of the Citizens Voice.

First Period: After 14:59 of non-stop action, Garrett Mitchell scored off a wonky play by the Bears fourth line. To this point, both teams looked crisp. Looking off was something I worried about for the Pens and wished on for the Bears but it was not to be. What this became was simply the Bears outgunning the Pens on opportunities and cashing, than anything.

Second Period: Christian Hanson scores a dirty goal when Jacob Micflikier throws a puck on net that Thiessen cannot corral. After the Penguins could not convert on a power play, the Bears scored again when the Pens got too cute in their own end. Thiessen made three 10-bell saves but could not do it all and Penguin killer Tomas Kundratek scored to put the game at 3-0 for the Bears.

At this point the game was on the verge of slipping away. What the score is if Aucoin is in the lineup before this point and after is something that may never be answered.

At this point I tweeted, like I normally do teams records leading after two and trailing:

Third Period: Seventeen seconds into the third period, goaltender Braden Holtby nonchalantly clears a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. Then, Kevin Marshall boards Bryan Lerg. Ryan Craig fights Marshall. Both get five for fighting. Marshall the extra two for the original board. 5-on-3 for :39. Jason Williams would slap home a shot from the blue line to make it 3-1.

Here’s where I think it comes off of the rails for Hershey, and the Pens then smell blood in the water:

Bears would kill the remaining penalties and then Brandon DeFazio would use Tomas Kundratek as a screen and score to make it 3-2. Hershey would use it’s time out. It proved useless as the next shift Robert Bortuzzo would score from a  bad angle to tie the game at three. That was the end of the night for Braden Holtby, having reared three goals in 4:46.

Things would settle a bit. Carl Sneep would leave the game having been checked into the boards where the Pens enter the ice. He would not return. Then, Paul Thompson would score from a pass from Ben Street behind the net to push the Pens ahead 4-3. Tense moments the way out as the Penguins could not win a face-off, the Bears would get a power play late with Bortuzzo closing his hand on the puck. Thiessen made a huge save on a Cody Eakin chance to keep the game tied at one point.

Three Stars: 3) Ryan Craig (-1) 2) Jason Williams (goal, assist, even) 1) Paul Thompson (game winning goal, even)

Around the Division: Norfolk loses to the Adirondack Phantoms 3-1. Syracuse loses to the Toronto Marlies in Toronto 5-2. Manchester beats Binghamton in OT 3-2.

Great night for the Pens, as the Standings look like this:

Standings: Penguins 60. Bears 57. Admirals 55. Crunch 44. Senators 43.

Conference: 1-StJ (62) 2-WBS (60) 3-BRI (51) 4-HER (57) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (54) 7-WOR (49) 8-CT (49)

Albany in town tomorrow for what should be a doozy. Gameday up at 3 p.m. like always.

Let’s Go Pens!

Pens get run over by the Binghamton Senators tonight 7-4. They head into the All-Star break on top of the division. But the Hershey Bears won tonight and three out of the next five games are against the 11-time Calder Cup Champs.

Based off of radio play by play Tom Grace, the Pens are no strangers to bad games going into the All-Star game.

Brad Thiessen vs. Mike McKenna. Brian Gibbons was in for Brandon DeFazio. No changes on D.

First Period: Pens jumped to a quick two goal lead early. Ben Street took a puck off a wall and scored then Geoff Walker cleaned up a Ben Street point shot on a rebound. Then, Colin McDonald took a penalty and off of the faceoff Corey Locke scored to cut the B-Sens deficit to 2-1. Pens had a 5-on-3 late in the period but did not score.

Second Period: Jack Downing scored to even things at two. I missed it as AHL Live  dropped the feed as it was happening. Then, Geoff Walker took a high sticking penalty. Brad Thiessen tries to cover the puck, fails, and Mike Hoffman scored to make it 3-2 B-Sens. This was much like what happened last night in Harftord with Thiessen covering, or thinking he covers, a puck. Andre Petersson thne scored while Thiessen was badly screened to push the Binghamton lead to 4-2.

Then a bit of a comeback. Bryan Lerg scored off of his own rebound to bring things to 4-3. Later, Eric Tangradi scored to even things at four a piece. McKenna got a piece of it but not all of it. But not to be out done, while Mike Hoffman sat for a slashing call, Ryan Craig hauled down David Dziurzynski. Referee David Banfield awarded a penalty shot to Dziurzynski and he scored to make it 5-4 heading into the…

Third Period: Scott Munroe replaced Thiessen to open the third. The B-Sens scored 5 goals on 13 shots to this point. Andre Petersson scored his second of the game to make it 6-4 and then Dziurzynski while breaking from the penalty box scofred to push it to 7-4. Game over at this point.

Three Stars: 3) Corey Locke (goal, assist, even) 2) Andre Petersson (two goals, even) and 1) David Dziurzynski (two goals, two assists, +3)

Around the Division: Hershey beats Norfolk 3-2. Syracuse coughs up two goals late, and lose in a shootout to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5-4.

Standings: Pens have 58 points. Bears have 57. Admirals 55. Crunch have 44 points and the Binghamton Senators have 42.

Conference: 1-StJ (60) 2-WBS (58) 3-BRI (49) 4-HER (57) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (52) 7-WOR (49) 8-POR (47)

Colin McDonald heads to Atlantic City for the skills competition tomorrow and the All-Star game Monday. I am debating what content I want to run for this. Probably just recaps of the action on ice and some nuggets of what happen off. It’s always a TON of fun at the All-Star Classic. Can’t wait to get to Atlantic City!

Let’s Go Pens!

Wilkes-Barre runs the road winning record to nine straight with a gritty game in Hartford, a 3-2 overtime win. This win streak eclipses the one set by the Pens in October-November and is currently the longest this season. They go for ten tomorrow in Binghamton.

Don’t look now, but the WBS power play is on fire. All three goals scored on the power play. Indeed, even strength goals are for plugs.

Brad Thiessen vs. Chad Johnson. Same lineup as Wednesday but for Carl Sneep back from injury for Philip Samuelsson.

First Period: I guess when the Pens don’t give up the first goal in the first minute they do well, right? Brandon DeFazio was injured early and did not return. No penalty was called on the play. As soon as that happened, Tommy Grant took a cross checking penalty and the Pens went on the power play. Eric Tangradi centered a pass to Ryan Craig who tapped it in past Johnson to put the Pens up 1-0. Very late, the Whale buzzed but did not score.

Second Period: Sean Avery got a gift when Carl Sneep, who was rusty in his first game back from injury, fell down in the neutral zone which led to an Avery breakaway and a goal for the pest. Trailing, Joey Mormina dove and tried to knock the puck away. After Avery scored he sucker punched Mormina and received a four minute double minor and a game misconduct. After he was available, he was benched by head coach Ken Gernander. Late, Thiessen robbed Jonathan Audy-Marchessault to keep it level at one while the Whale were on a five-on-three power play.

Third Period: Things really got messy as referee Jean Hebert had a very active whistle. This was before Audy-Marchessault scored when Thiessen thought he had the puck covered. Right after, Brendan Bell sat for a hook and Robert Bortuzzo wasted no time and fired one home to even things at two. Back to Hebert, he assessed a five minute boarding penalty to Steve MacIntyre which put the Whale on a five minute major power play. Andre Deveaux soon after took a rough and things went 4 on 4. Then, Bryan Lerg was called for a slash. Pens had to kill off ~1:53 of 5 on 3. Then a goal mouth scrum by Theissen and more penalties. Pens killed it all and got a late power play but could not cash and we’d go to…

Overtime: Carl Sneep was tripped by Ryan Bourque late. Jason Williams unloaded a slapshot from the point which Johnson never saw and the Pens skated away with the extra point.

Three Stars: 3) Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (goal, +1) 2) Chad Johnson (37 saves on 40 shots) 1) Jason Williams (goal, assist, -1)

Around the Division: The Hershey Bears have lost four in a row. This time, to the Norfolk Admirals in an intense 2-1 game. Syracuse blanked Rochester 4-0. Iiro Tarkki had a 31 save shutout. Binghamton beat Albany 3-2 despite being outshot by the Devils 40-24.

Standings: Pens have a three point cushion on Hershey and Norfolk, 58 points to 55 for both the Bears and Admirals. The Bears will have a game in hand at the All-Star break. Syracuse has 43 points and Binghamton 40.

Conference: 1-StJ (58) 2-WBS (58) 3-BRI (47) 4-HER (55) 5-NOR (55) 6-MCH (50) 7-WOR (48) 8-POR (47)

Wow. Connecticut starts the night third in the conference. With an OT loss and a Bridgeport regulation win, they nosedive out of a playoff spot.

I will not be making the trip to Binghamton tomorrow, rather electing to spend time in New Jersey with family and simply shuffling to Atlantic City for the All-Star festivities Sunday morning. Gameday will be up here at three as always and the tweets will come at you from the Garden State.

Let’s Go Pens!