Chirps from Center Ice

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I think I have reused this headline before.

Penguins lose 5-0 in Hartford Friday night. Their old habits from last year bubbled up and the game got out of hand quick on them.

They lost puck battles, their offensive “threats” were taking liberties with the puck, which led to goals for the other team.

Say it with me now, it’s only the third game of the season. It’s only the third game of the season. It’s only the third game of the…

…you get it.

Here’s how they lined up…

(Hartford didn’t and doesn’t post lines)

Lineup Notes: Sam Poulin was out, day to day with something. I didn’t catch what was likely a very detailed description of the injury from Nick Hart pregame. Liens were jumbled from last weekend in Charlotte. Pittsburgh recalled Radim Zohorna and sent down Jansen Harkins, who wasn’t in the lineup Friday…Alex Nylander was back in as was Jagger Joshua. On defense, Jack Rathbone made his WBS debut, Xavier Ouellet was back in. Justin Lee was out. Mark Friedman was traded, as you know from this week.

First Period: Hartford’s power play carried them to a pair of wins last weekend, but in the first period Friday, it didn’t do anything for them as they had two power plays in the opening period but didn’t score. The Penguins seemed to get some jump out of those penalty kills in what was a bit of a feisty period by current AHL standards, as there were two fights in the period. Corey Andonovski and Taylor Fedun fought.

Second Period: Penguins had a pair of power plays in the period but didn’t score on them and that brings them to 0/11 to start the season on the man advantage.

Hartford would score a pair of goals at even strength (they didn’t get a power play in the period) when Brett Berard would score a fluky goal.

Pinballing puck, fluttering a bit, Berard takes a poke at it and high sticks Xavier Ouellet in the process (no call on that) and Hartford is on the board first.

Later, Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski scores a goal scorers goal which extends the home teams lead to 2-0.

It was Brodzinski’s 300th AHL game, as well.

A lot of things wrong on that play. Colin White shoving Alex Nylander, who never plays any defense, trying to encourage him to either a) get the hell out of his way or b) play defense, was something there and Avery Hayes trying to break up the pass was an effort, but a miss and Brodzinski with all the time and space he needs, didn’t miss.

Last years habits creeping into this years team. Great.

Third Period: A two goal deficit is usually nothing for a team to overcome.

But when you have bad habits, they usually die hard.

Riley Nash beats Jack St. Ivany to a race to the net and catches a pass for an easy tap in and it’s 3-0.

The wheels straight up fell off from there.

Hartford won every puck battle. Pens were one and done when they entered their offensive zone. The bad habits quickly rubbed off on the newcomer Jack Rathbone, who gets beat in a race by Adam Edstrom who had a good chance which was denied by Hellberg.

Has Kyle Dubas kept his receipts?

It’s only the third game of the season…It’s only the third game of the season….

Anyway.

Under 5 to play with the game slipping out of control and there are five black jerseys watching a player shoot.

Alex Nylander didn’t have a great game. A homer backhand chance from the crease went about 15 feet wide. Then, he tries a cross ice pass to a team mate with the Penguins having an empty net and Connor Mackey intercepts it for an easy empty net goal and a 5-0 lead.

The Hartford fans wouldn’t stop throwing stuff on the ice, so the bench was given a delay of game penalty. Referees Jackson Kozari and Chris Waterstradt weren’t messing around.

But the Penguins couldn’t score on the power play that ensued, even getting a 5-on-3 when the WolfPack scored another empty netter that made it 5-0.

When it rains, it pours.

0/13 on the power play to start the season by the way.

Three Stars: 3) Riley Nash (goal, assist) 2) Brett Berard (goal, assist) 1) Louis Domingue (35 save shutout)

The Good: You tell me. 🤷‍♂️

The Bad: Nyalnder doesn’t play defense and thinks he’s superman out there. Cure your vet problem by benching this bum. Series clinching goals against Hershey be damned.

Turning Point (hey I remembered this time!): The Riley Nash goal made everything worse, putting the game out of reach for Wilkes-Barre.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Providence 3-2 in Rhode Island….Lehigh Valley thumps Springfield 5-2. Charlotte and Bridgeport were off.

Standings: Hartford 6, Lehigh Valley and Hershey 4, Providence 3, Charlotte, Springfield, Penguins, Bridgeport 2.

Wheeling Update: Nailers open their season Saturday in Cincinnati.

Video Highlights: If they post them, I’ll work in an edit.

Back at it Saturday when they host Springfield. Hopefully it goes a bit better then this flaming disaster in the Connecticut capital.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I wouldn’t be surprised to see Checkers defenseman Santtu Kinnunen get some consideration for AHL Player of the Week honors.

Four assists for Kinnunen, two last Friday and two Saturday for the defensemen who loves playing the Penguins; 12 total points for him in to games against the Penguins as the Charlotte Checkers defeat the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 4-1.

The Penguins power play went 0/4, and is 0/9 to start the season. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem, but when you are gifted a power play and want to use that moment to get some momentum and come up with nothing, the result like tonight is what you get.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: They cycled Joona Koppanen for Alex Nylander up front and Taylor Fedun for Xavier Ouellet on defense. Both veteran swaps.

First Period: Early issue is the start. They looked better Saturday as opposed to Friday, held Charlotte to a low shot count and stayed out of the box. They took a penalty (a Hinostroza hook at 14:19) then were outshot 3-1 and outpaced, slightly. Both teams hit posts; no scoring for either side, though.

Second Period: Seems like the Penguins got close, then the Checkers got down the ice and capitalized.

Mack Guzda with highway robbery on Vinnie Hinostroza and then Rasmus Asplund weaves through traffic and scores to put the Checkers up 1-0.

Then off a rush late, Santtu Kinnunen sets up Patrick Khodorenko to make it 2-0.

Penguins power play continues to sputter to this point, 0/5 last night and they missed on two chances here in the second period Saturday.

Third Period: Will Lockwood scores power play goal in a scrum which made it 3-0 and really put the game away for the home team.

Preceding this, the Penguins were given a power play but didn’t score. When it happened, Nick Hart said what I was thinking, which was the Penguins had to have it. They got nothing, and they fell further behind in the process.

Colin While busted up the would be Mack Guzda shutout bid with this goal…

This came with Joel Blomqvist pulled for the extra attacker.

But the Checkers would score on an empty net when Patrick Khodorenko scored his second of the contest to firmly put away any weird intentions the Penguins may have been cooking in their heads at the time regarding a comeback.

Three Stars: 3) Will Lockwood (goal, assist) 2) Patrick Khodorenko (two goals) 1) Mack Guzda (32 saves)

The Good: I can’t think of anything from this game, quite honestly. 62 total shots this weekend for the Penguins. The goals will come, I hope.

The Bad: The power play is a problem. 0/9 for the early season. Too soon to panic and ridiculous to even insinuate. See what next weekend in Hartford and home against Springfield brings, go from there. But it would have been nice if you could have connected a few times last night and even tonight, moreso in the game you were in till the end and lost.

Around the Division: Belleville blanks Hershey in Hershey and spoils the Bears banner raising ceremony with a 3-0 win…Syracuse beats Bridgeport 4-2…Cleveland uses 3 first period goals to beat Lehigh Valley 5-2 and Hartford continues their hot start out of the gate with a 3-1 win in Springfield.

Standings: Hartford 4, Charlotte, Penguins and Bridegport 2, Providence 1, Hershey, Springfield and Lehigh Valley 0.

Wheeling: Still in preseason. They get kicking next week.

Video Highlights: Will likely post as the rest of the finals roll in on Saturday so if I see them I will post them in here in the clean up edit.

I’ll probably post the Weekend Preview again on Thursday, depending on how the week goes. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Lots of talk about how the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are rebuilt and rebuilt in a good way, in a contending way.

Cast aside the 3-1 preseason record, it means nothing. The real work started Friday in Charlotte..

For the first two periods, they looked like last years team. In fact in a lot of ways it was because there wasn’t any scoring by either team.

But finally, one of their offseason acquisitions, Austin Rueschoff scored to break the deadlock.

Then Jonathan Gruden scored a little over a minute later and it looked like they were off to the races.

But no, :14 later, Charlotte scores.

Normally, last years team starts scrambling and find ways to lose but this years team (so far) didn’t, and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are 1-0 with a 4-2 win in Charlotte.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: They have a veteran problem. They will rotate vets in and out per Nick Hart on pregame. Don’t ask me to name the veterans. They right now also don’t have any injuries as anyone who didn’t dress Friday was considered a health scratch.

First Period: I got nothing. They had to kill two penalties and went on a power play of their own which looked really good.

Second Period: Penguins had a couple power play chances but didn’t get anything out of it. Checkers think they scored but the would be goal is immediately waved off by referee Morgan MacPhee, then Colin White is stopped by Spencer Knight of Charlotte.

Seemed like a goaltending duel was brewing between Magnus Hellberg and Spencer Knight heading into the…

Third Period: I was waiting for something to develop and in less than two minutes the floodgates opened.

I gave this to you at the top of the story, scroll up in case you forgot.

Penguins couldn’t ice the game away with the benefit of two power plays, coming nearly back to back, but time remained the enemy of the home team.

Charlotte pulled Spencer Knight and Xavier Ouellet scored from his own blue line into the empty net. About :45 later, and about 15′ further back, Dmitri Samorukov scored into the same empty net to make it 4-1.

But Charlotte would score with about :08 when Ryan McAllister scored off of a shot which Nick Hart may have deflected off of a Penguin in front.

Three Stars: 3) Will Lockwood (goal) 2) Jonathan Gruden (goal) 1) Magnus Hellberg (26 saves)

The Good: After that disaster of a season last, good to start the new one on a winning side.

The Bad: Power play went 0/5. If it weren’t for the flood of goals, a game this razor thin could be won with a special teams effort.

Turning Point: The Gruden goal gave the Penguins some scant breathing room. Hellberg and the rest of the defense carried them across the way for the first win of the season.

Around the Division: Hartford clips Providence 3-2 in a shootout. Bridgeport beats Rochester 4-3 in overtime. Everyone else gets going Saturday.

Standings: Early days, Penguins are sitting atop the Division with 2 points. Springfield, Hershey and Lehigh Valley were off, they get their seasons going Saturday.

Wheeling Update: The Nailers are still in preseason.

Video Highlights: 

Penguins and Checkers Saturday at 6. More after the rematch.

Let’s Go Pens!