Back and marginally better than last year, the Weekend Preview returns, setting up the week or so of play for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, who kickoff the regular season a day later than the official start, Friday or today, on Saturday night against in state rival Lehigh Valley and then wrap up opening weekend with a rare Monday game up in Utica, the Pens only visit up to the Comets this season.
I’m going to try to spice these up with a YouTube video of some relevance to the weekends proceedings and a quote to tie it all in before diving right in to the where’s, why’s and what’s of the weekend slate of games.
Easy enough start. Parade of a slimmed down 72 game schedule starts out of the gate with a 6:05 Saturday home game against Lehigh Valley.
A Quote
Old Men and Comets have been reverenced for the same reason: their long beards. and presences to foretell events. – Jonathan Swift
Utica did pretty well last year. I know in my AHL Preview I gave you yesterday that I really wanted to see how the Penguins stacked up against the Hartford Wolf Pack on October 22 because I loved all of the signings made by the Wolf Pack, but if the Penguins roll out of the gate hot with a 2-0 start against a Utica team they did pretty well against last year, they can really pick up momentum as they have traditionally done in seasons past.
One weekend does not a season make, but you have waited (conceivably) all summer for this, you want it to go well.
The Setup
Lehigh Valley and Utica home and away respectively. How do the Penguins fare against a Phantoms team which stunk last year and brought back the coach that oversaw the flaming wreckage? As I said yesterday, I think Wilkes-Barre improved and got worse at the same time. I like the Jon Lizotte signing a lot. I like bringing back Alex Nylander. Xavier Ouellet provides solid defensive depth. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski has a lot of miles on him but Tommy Nappier is more than capable and a logjam in goal with Filip Lindberg back and healthy will make for great competition. I don’t like losing Jordy Bellerive to rival Lehigh Valley and Hershey is primed and ready to cause chaos. Remaining essentially the same, but different, may not be the best concoction for the Pens. But time will tell.
Utica did well for itself last year under the new New Jersey Devils regime, running away with the North Division but stumbled in the Semifinals, getting bounced in five games against Rochester. They are primed and ready for another run and should not be taken as a pushover.
In my (whatever it’s worth) preview I gave you yesterday, I have the Comets finishing third behind Laval and Syracuse.
Who’s in Goal?
I think you have to start with your horse, so for the Pens that is going to be Filip Lindberg on Saturday and possibly Monday, if not then likely the backup which should be Dustin Tokarski up in Utica. Tommy Nappier was sent to Wheeling Thursday evening, so that eases some of the bottleneck for the Pens in goal.
For Lehigh Valley Troy Grosenick will likely be out first for the Phantoms. For Utica, they are in Hershey Saturday night and I think that’s Akira Schmid’s start meaning that Nico Daws gets the start Monday. You can flip that and have Daws go Saturday and Schmid for the Comets home opener, but that’s overthinking another teams lineup.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Enjoy it. Full strength. Everyone who should be in Pittsburgh is in Pittsburgh. Everyone who should be here is here. Wheeling gets going next week.
It won’t last long, as history has shown.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Do they have a finisher? What’s the power play / penalty kill look like? How physical will they look?
I think that’s a general question which can be applied to the other 31 teams in the AHL. Will it be a grind for the Pens, as it was in parts during last year or will it come easy and for how long does it last before the inevitable callups and injuries occur?
If you forced me to answer, it’s going to be a little of both. Pittsburgh is one of the oldest teams in the NHL, so they aren’t getting any younger. There are going to be injuries, which will prompt call ups. The Pens are bare prospect wise, so where will they go if the leading scorer goes up? Who steps up and how?
Pens play two games this weekend. I think a fair assessment can be made with the following guide:
0-2: Work needs to be done.
1-1: Can live with it.
2-0: Keep going, don’t stop.
I’m discounting loser points. *shrug*
Who is running the show?
Weekend assignments usually come out around Wednesday. The AHL usually doesn’t play on Monday’s but in this case the Pens do. This is a long explanation that I don’t have the Monday crew. Mystery refs!
Jack Young and Casey Terreri are your first pair of refs to yell at Saturday with Patrick Dapuzzo and J.P. Waleski on the lines.
Looking ahead…
Let’s get one of the only two three-in-three’s out of the way as soon as possible. Pens host Laval next Friday, October 21st, then travel to Hartford on the 22nd and then Providence for a Sunday matinee on the 23rd.
Give us a bold prediction…
Three power play goals will be scored this weekend, Penguins win both games.
I’m skipping preseason entirely this go around for a number of reasons this year.
1) A 10:30 a.m. preseason game, let alone the first game played this year does nothing for me. A midweek game tailored for kids (school day game) isn’t my cup of tea. Plus I have a lot going on work wise, so it’s out.
2) Last camping trip of the season is scheduled for next weekend, so Friday and next Sunday are out.
3) Midweek road game in Allentown next week is usually a dress rehearsal for the fringe guys and a warmup for the regulars. They don’t televise these and so it’s a pass for me.
Pens socials should have it all covered for you if your itching for coverage. I’ll be back with a preview of everything when I get back from my camping trip. I think I’m running a league wide preview and will have the weekend setup for the opener against the Phantoms and the Monday road game in Utica.
Anyone have six more weeks of summer they can let me borrow? No? Damn. Talk to you in about ten-ish days.
TL;DR every team in the Eastern Conference like last year, Hershey and Lehigh Valley 12 times each. You see one schedule release, you see them all. But, for posterity, let’s do the thing.
1) Do you have a schedule matrix of opponents? Anyone in the Conference we are not playing?
Four game home stand in March, spanning a week. No more than three games on the road. Charlotte trip around Thanksgiving, a Canada trip around Christmas and the other Charlotte trip in January.
3) How many three in threes?
Two. One in October. One in March. The benefit of a 72 game schedule.
4) Can I borrow your highlighter? I want to circle and highlight all the Sunday and worknight home games!
Two Sunday home games. One in February and one in March. Ten Wednesday games.
6) Any, “I have to close the door and act busy at work” dates on the calendar?
Nope.
7) The All Star Classic, are they doing that this year?
Laval. February 5 and 6, provided COVID doesn’t derail it like it has the last two seasons.
8) Anything else I need to know?
The Saturday home games start at 6:05 again. I don’t mind it, but they started it last year with something in mind with the earlier start and never did anything with it. But the 6:05 starts on Saturday home games remain a thing.
9) Playoff structure?
From the League release, cited above, it will stay the same. 23 teams make it.
The playoff field will include the top six finishers in the eight-team Atlantic Division, the top five finishers each in the seven-team North and Central Divisions, and the top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division. First Round match-ups will be best-of-three series; the two highest seeds in the Atlantic, the three highest seeds in each of the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific will receive byes into the best-of-five Division Semifinals, with the First Round winners re-seeded in each division. The Division Finals will also be best-of-five series, followed by best-of-seven Conference Finals and a best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals series.
10) You mentioned preseason games yesterday. Where are they?
Basically: The Utica Comets' home opener in 2022-23 — the team's 10th season since beginning playin 2013 — is 35 years to the day when the previous AHL team played its first home game as the #NJDevils AHL affiliate.#Themoreyouknowhttps://t.co/v9Kpr9VsTQ
If I see any more additional teams tweet who they are playing and if it includes the Penguins, I’ll edit this space. Usually the AHL adds a link of all the home openers in the evening.
My question is whether they get everyone in the Eastern Conference like they did last year. Also, what will the Eastern Conference look like? There hasn’t been any mention of what the divisional alignment will look like for 2022-23. How many games with Hershey and Lehigh Valley?
I’ll be back at some point Thursday to break it all down for you.
Oh, and in case you are wondering where the blog has been and why I haven’t updated anything? I’m loving summer too much. Here’s a link to the offseason signings made by Coal Street so far this year.
Below is a list of all the names that touched or will touch the AHL’s version of the Penguins either this year or next year. If you spot an error or a glaring omission, please let me know in the comments below. This list below on the main blog won’t be updated but the separate page, found here will be.
Here is the key:
G6 UFA: Group VI Unrestricted Free Agent* RFA: Restricted Free Agent R-UC: An incoming rookie who is under contract. UC: Under contract for the 22-23 season. UFA: Unrestricted Free Agent
*- Definition from Puckpedia: A player becomes a Group 6 UFA if they are 25, completed 3 or more professional seasons, has a contract expiring, and has played less than 80 NHL Games. For goalies, this is 28 NHL games with more than 30 minutes of ice time.
I teetered between defining an NHL contacted player and non. I don’t think it matters.
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Name
Position
Status
Blurb
Niclas Almari
D
RFA
I don’t know why they decided to bring him back after letting him bounce for overseas earlier in the season. He won’t get qualified and you’ll never hear from him again.
Justin Almeida
F
RFA
Buried in Wheeling where he thrived. Wasn’t part of taxi squad when Wheeling went out, probably tell tale sign he’s not going to get qualified.
Corey Andonovski
F
R-UC
Saw him a bit in early Spring with WBS. I think he’s poised for a big 2022-23 season.
Anthony Angello
F
G6 UFA
He either re-signs and is an AHL player or signs someplace else and is still an AHL player.
Raivis Ansons
F
R-UC
Played with Nathan Legare in juniors. Will play with him in the AHL also.
Matt Bartkowski
D
UFA
An, “it is what it is” type player. Not for everyone, but good enough.
Jordy Bellerive
F
RFA
Salt of the earth type player. If he gets qualified it’s probably more WBS time in 22-23.
Kasper Bjorqvist
F
RFA
I think he’s in the Alex D’Orio camp, but maybe less so. I think they expect more from him and haven’t got it. He probably gets qualified.
Shaw Boomhower
D
UFA
Nailers D man with a funny name.
Michael Chaput
F
UFA
Banged up a bit. 33 points in 57 games.
Jamie Devane
F
UC
Brought in for toughness. Filled that role OK in today’s game. Will be back in 22-23.
Louis Domingue
G
UFA
Third option for the NHL Pens at goal, was thrust into duty in Round 1 vs. NYR. Was best option for WBS when healthy.
Alex D’Orio
G
RFA
I don’t think they qualify him because I don’t think he’s developed the way they wanted.
Jan Drozg
F
RFA
Given away to Grand Rapids for nothing. He won’t get qualified.
Taylor Fedun
D
UFA
Played as captain. There will be a replacement for this role in 22-23.
Jordan Frasca
F
R-UC
Put up tons of numbers with OHL Kingston. Different game playing with men, though.
Taylor Gauthier
G
R-UC
I think he is Wheeling’s #1 for a part of next year.
Ty Glover
F
R-UC
Saw two games with WBS at the end of the season.
Jonathan Gruden
F
UC
Penalty killing forward who, when not on the ice on the PK, it shows.
Filip Hallander
F
UC
In the the camp of “good but lacks finish” bucket of players.
Sam Houde
F
UFA
Bounced between AHL / ECHL. Decent enough type player but probably doesn’t get an NHL contract.
P-O Joseph
D
RFA
Should be #1 priority for a qualifying offer.
Cam Lee
D
RFA
PIT signed a bunch of rookie D men. Lee was replaced in Game 3 vs. SPR for one of them. I don’t think he gets qualified.
Nathan Legare
F
UC
Hit the rookie wall and was a healthy scratch towards the end of the year. Does he develop like Anthony Angello or more like Teddy Blueger?
Filip Lindberg
G
UC
Broke his foot in the Winter. Last year was a wasted season for him. Now he has to play catch up.
Josh Maniscalco
D
UC
Played in Wheeling. I don’t know if he cracks WBS in 22-23.
Tommy Nappier
G
UC
Coming into his third year of his three year AHL deal. He’s been OK, holding things together in a tumultuous season.
Alex Nylander
F
RFA
Should get qualified. Singlehandedly turned the Pens around after his trade from Rockford.
Drew O’Connor
F
UC
Depending on how PIT does this offseason, probably a 13th / 14th forward option for PIT to start next season.
Kyle Olson
F
UFA
OK AHL bottom six who plays with bite.
Chris Ortiz
D
UC
Was buried in Wheeling for much of the year. Will be looking to breakthrough in 22-23.
Sam Poulin
F
UC
Really took off as the season wore on. I think he’s probably ahead of Bjorkqvist, Angello, etc. developmentally.
Valtteri Puustinen
F
UC
Was good, but lacked consistency most nights. Led the Pens in points, but this team lacked a finisher.
Will Reilly
D
RFA
Another dime a dozen of the RFA group. If you like him, you want him qualified, but there are better options.
Mitch Reinke
D
UFA
Good in flashes. Solid defensive depth.
Juuso Riikola
D
UFA
Key PP QB for the Pens. He probably tries for another NHL deal elsewhere or bolts overseas.
Felix Robert
F
UFA
I liked him. Played with pop. Wouldn’t mind seeing him again in a WBS sweater.
Lukas Svejkovsky
F
R-UC
2020 4th rounder by PIT will get his feet wet with WBS likely next year.
Colin Swoyer
D
R-UC
Saw Game 3 against SPR. They think highly of him, and I think he’ll be fine.
Radim Zohorna
F
UC
Can’t teach size. Solid NHL / AHL player.
–
Again, this list will update over here and if you spot an omission or error, please let me know and I will correct.
The Penguins got in a fire fight with a team full of gasoline and it almost worked, but they faced a barrage in the second they were not able to overcome.
I don’t have anything bad to say about the team. They were in last in December. They battled back to a respectable fourth. They beat Hershey in the First Round of the playoffs and lost to a Springfield team which was better than them in nearly every aspect and were swept out.
Sure, the turning point of the season is probably when Casey DeSmith goes down in Game 1 and makes Louis Domingue the de facto number one starter. The idea is that Jarry makes it back, Domingue goes back down and steals the series against Springfield.
I still didn’t like the Penguins chances against who I think wins the Bridgeport – Charlotte series and that’s the Checkers.
So if you don’t make it out of the Division and win the Calder Cup, does it really matter?
Anyway, let’s get into it.
Here’s how they lined up. Cam Lee came out for Colin Swoyer.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 15, 2022
First Period: Guns blazing for the Penguins, just 2:45 in and Jonathan Gruden scores to make it 1-0 Penguins. They get a power play and don’t score or even get a shot on starting goaltender Charlie Lindgren for Springfield.
Springfield then gets a power play and Sam Anas scores to tie the game at one.
Penguins push ahead with a goal by Filip Hallander and again with a power play goal by Sam Poulin. Nathan Legare makes up for the penalty that led to the Anas power play goal with a goal of his own that makes it 4-1 Penguins.
Second Period: Complete role reversal. Penguins get in penalty trouble. The officiating was awful Sunday. Justin Kea is probably going to be a full time NHL referee one day, but if he throws clunkers like today, it won’t be for long. Rob Hennessy is an overmatched hack who just fills a referee suit. He’s awful and needs to be carried by the other guy.
Anyway, Will Bitten scores (kicks) a goal to make it 4-2 on a 5-on-3 for the Thunderbirds. A long review by Kea / Hennessy and the goals stands. Then Steven Santini scores through a screen and it’s 4-3. Then Dakota Joshua ties the game at four.
It was a blitzkrieg of goals for the Thunderbirds under an avalanche of shots. Wilkes-Barre was outshot by a 4:1 margin at one point.
Third Period: I wondered if the comeback for Springfield would have taken all the starch out of them and the Penguins, as long as they played it close, would be fine and make it to a Game 4.
I was wrong.
Matthew Peca scores a rebound goal to make it 5-4 Springfield. Then 6-4 when Tommy Nappier stabs the puck with his blocker and up into the ai where Mackenzie MacEachern is waiting to whack it in for a 6-4 lead.
Sam Poulin brings the Pens back to within one with his second of the game.
But then Jonathan Gruden throws a puck out of play and the Pens are down a man and their best penalty killer and Hugh McGing scores a power play to reestablish the Springfield two goal lead in the third period.
Alex Nylander scores the final goal of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins season. WIth Tommy Nappier pulled, the Penguins never found the equalizer.
Three Stars: 3) Matthew Peca (goal, two assists) 2) Sam Anas (goal, three assists) 1) Hugh McGing (goal)
The Good: Several of you won’t agree, but it was a successful season for the Penguins. Fourth place finish with this group? Get me a finisher and a little more steadier defense and goaltending and we will see where this goes.
The Bad: Another season, another playoff exit.
Turning Point: Alex Nylander turned the season around for the Pens. Losing Zohorna and Domingue and O’Connor hurt the Penguins chances against beating Springfield, but rest assured, I don’t think they make it past Charlotte or beyond.
Video Highlights: All 13 of the goals described above should be here:
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins season came to an end on Sunday night, as they dropped a 7-6 decision to the Springfield Thunderbirds in Game Three of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Springfield took the best-of-three series, 3-0.
Comments Off on Brinks — Pens LOSE 6-2 (SPR leads 2-0)
Posted by nafsnep on May 12, 2022
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I don’t want to blame a loss on officiating. But the tides turned for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins when referee Conor O’Donnell made this call on Anthony Angello.
The Thunderbirds would score on the ensuing power play to tie the game at two at the time.
Seems like a harmless thing, but it wasn’t. The referees were letting everything go to that point. Everything. So yes, the Penguins were a bit shell shocked at the call and the goal.
:42 later, the Thunderbirds would score again and never looked back.
Oh, and starting goaltender for Springfield Joel Hofer scored a goal.
The Penguins are down 2-0 in the series now after losing 6-2 Thursday. The Hofer empty net goal and another makes the score line bigger than it really should be.
Series shifts back to Wilkes-Barre where the Penguins are 16-3 in 2022. But I said in my series snap on Wednesday that in order to beat the Thunderbirds in the series you would have to beat them in Springfield. The Penguins have yet to do that.
Anyway, here’s your story…
Here’s how they lined up:
Washkurak jumps in for his Calder Cup playoff debut, as does Luce.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 12, 2022
Lineup Notes: Radim Zohorna was recalled to Pittsburgh earlier in the day. Sam Houde went in for him, Jamie Devane came out and Nathan Legare went in for him. The Thunderbirds somewhat surprisingly went with Joel Hofer over Charlie Lindgren, but they want a long playoff run and don’t want to steam out their ace goaltender. Joel Hofer as we all know isn’t a pushover.
First Period: Even period at even strength, Thunderbirds score on their second power play of the period when Matthew Peca scored a backdoor goal which gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
Here’s the Matthew Peca power play goal from the first period which gave Springfield a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/M1KnGSCEUz
They were trying that all period and the dummy backdoor to Neal worked. Peca was unmarked and didn’t miss.
Shots were an even 10 a side heading into the…
Second Period: Tale of two periods. The Penguins dominated the Thunderbirds with a barrage of shots on Joel Hofer and collected two goals to put them up ahead 2-1.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 13, 2022
Traffic in front of Hofer. Take his eyes away. The Penguins were outshooting the Thunderbirds 12-1 in the period.
The officials (Casey Terreri and Conor O’Donnell) let everything go. Jonathan Gruden was high sticked, no call. There was a Thunderbird tripped right in front of one of those referees and no call. Guys were poked, tugged and slammed into the boards and they let it all go.
They call this a penalty? (Positing it again because I still can’t believe it)
Tommy Cross wastes no time in tying the game at two with a blast from the point.
(no GIF here)
And then as they were announcing that goal, Steven Santini hits Mackenzie MacEachern with a bullet point home run pass that is caught right at the blue line. MacEachern skates in and beats Tommy Nappier with a perfect wrist shot to give the Thunderbirds a 3-2 lead.
Springfield would outshoot Wilkes-Barre / Scranton 2-0 in this period. The Penguins were on tilt and rightfully so. They get called for a preseason cross checking penalty and see their lead evaporate and are chasing the lead again.
Third Period: Penguins get two quick power plays. That killed all of their momentum. They were great and have been great at five on five but have been a mess on special teams. They also gave up two short handed bids on a power play.
Nikita Alexandrov picks up a rebound and scores to make it a two goal lead and you got the sense it was all she wrote.
It was for the Penguins, but the excitement had yet to meet its crescendo for the Thunderbirds. With Tommy Nappier pulled for an extra attacker, Joel Hofer does this.
Luke Witkowski scores an empty net goal killing a penalty as a matter of happenstance. He banks a puck off the wall and it goes into the empty net to make it 6-2.
Three Stars: 3) Mackenzie MacEachern (goal) 2) Matthew Peca (goal, assist) 1) Joel Hofer (34 saves, goal)
The Good: The Penguins are the better team five on five in my opinion.
The Bad: The Penguins are 0/7 on the power play in the series and Springfield is 3/6.
Turning Point: That terrible call on Anthony Angello.
Video Highlights:
The #WBSPens dropped a 6-2 decision to the @ThunderbirdsAHL in Game Two of the Atlantic Division Semifinals on Thursday.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 