Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Category Archives: WBS

Fifty Ain’t Nifty — Pens LOSE 4-1 (SPR leads 1-0)

Comments Off on Fifty Ain’t Nifty — Pens LOSE 4-1 (SPR leads 1-0) Posted by on May 11, 2022

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins didn’t see Springfield Thunderbirds netminder Charlie Lindgren all season. Lindgren was one of the top goaltenders for the Thunderbirds in the AHL and yet the Penguins, who played the Thunderbirds six times this season, didn’t see him.

Lindgren made fifty saves in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals Wednesday night. Springfield wins 4-1 and lead the best of five series 1-0. Game 2 is Thursday at 7.

Besides the fact that the Penguins didn’t score on one of three straight power plays in the second period and all of the rubber stopped by Lindgren throughout the course of sixty minutes, all things considered, it was pretty even. I know that sounds weird, but one of those goals scored by the Thunderbirds was an empty netter, the other was a two on one in the third period.

It will be interesting to see how Wilkes-Barre adjusts and responds Thursday. We don’t have to wait long.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Springfield got help from St. Louis in the form of a Mackenzie MacEachern on a conditioning loan, and Dakota Joshua and Steven Santini on straight assignments. For Wilkes-Barre, Anthony Angello returned from injury and replaced Sam Houde. Injury wise, Michal Chaput is not on the trip, Taylor Fedun is and took morning skate.

First Period: Will Bitten scores a power play goal to put the Thunderbirds up 1-0 past halfway in the period. There was a review on account of a possible kick, but the goal stood.

Sam Poulin gets a good chance off of a one timer which Lindgren gets most of it. The other part he doesn’t rolls past him but hits the post and stays out.

At the end of the period, Will Bitten and Tommy Nappier came together and well, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Bitten and Nappier would pick up offsetting minors.

Second Period: At the expiration of a Penguins power play, Felix Robert would score to tie the game.

That’s the first goal the Thunderbirds have given up in three and a half plus games. The Thunderbirds shutout their last three opponents in the regular season.

After another power play for the Penguins, Klim Kostin with a bullet which beats Nappier low to re-establish the Thunderbirds lead.

I’m writing the game story on the fly so I’m here typing this in the second intermission, I’m getting at the fact that Penguins had another power play after the Kostin goal but didn’t score. That’s three consecutive power plays for Wilkes-Barre / Scranton. Let’s hope this doesn’t end up in “The Bad” at the end of this game story.

Third Period: After the Penguins killed a too many men penalty, Matthew Peca and Sam Anas came charging in on a two on one. Anas didn’t miss, sniping one over the glove of Tommy Nappier to make it a 3-1 Thunderbirds lead.

(No GIF here, use your imagination. Juuso Riikola was the lone Penguin defender back)

The Penguins continued to throw rubber at the Thunderbirds net. They managed 17 shots in each period. The Thunderbirds only had 4 shots in the third period. Two went in, one on an empty net when Dakota Joshua, who woke up in St. Louis, Missouri this morning, scored to put the game out of reach for the Penguins.

Three Stars: 3) Klim Kostin (goal, assist) 2) Will Bitten (goal, assist) 1) Charlie Lindgren (50 saves)

The Good: No flies on the Penguins here after a battle with Hershey in the First Round. 51 shots is something you want. You win more games being aggressive like that then you lose.

The Bad: Well, I’m now writing this paragraph after the game and those three straight power plays that the Penguins didn’t score on isn’t good, especially when it seems power plays are hard to come by in these Calder Cup Playoffs….The Penguins are now 3-11 in Game 1’s of Division Semifinals. That’s…something. It’s not good, but it’s something.

Turning Point: The Anas goal in the third or the save Lindgren had on Poulin in the first. Pick one, or both. The Anas goal tipped the scales for good for the Thunderbirds. The Lindgren save helped it get there.

Video Highlights: 

Talk to you again Thursday after Game 2.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Penguins / Thunderbirds Series Snap

Comments Off on Penguins / Thunderbirds Series Snap Posted by on May 11, 2022

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins outlasted the Hershey Bears in the best of three First Round Series over the weekend. The Penguins advanced in three games, in thrilling fashion after blowing a two goal lead late in Game 3. Alexander Nylader, who came over from the Rockford IceHogs in a midseason trade, scored the overtime game winning goal propelling the Penguins into a series with the two seed Springfield Thunderbirds. It was the first series win for the Penguins since 2016, when they ousted the Providence Bruins, but were beaten in overtime in Game 7 by Travis Boyd and the aforementioned Bears.

Springfield, meanwhile, earned a First Round bye on account of finishing in the top two in the Atlantic Division, thereby getting the second highest seeded remaining team to make it out of the First Round. The Thunderbirds have not played since April 29, blanking the Providence Bruins 3-0. They come into the playoffs on the heels of back to back to back shutouts of their opponents.

Infographic time. If you can’t make it out on the screen you are looking at the blog on, click the image and it should enlarge for you. The infographic also has the series schedule for you as well.

It’s going to be Tommy Nappier for the Penguins again in net and most likely Charlie Lindgren, whom the Penguins did not see in the regular season at all in the nets for the Thunderbirds. Nappier’s backup to start the series is likely to be Samuel Harvey, until Tristan Jarry heals up from his foot injury and the Penguins get Alex D’Orio back. Lindgren is going to likely be backed up by Joel Hofer (or vice versa) so it’s going the Thunderbirds way in goal in this department.

What the Penguins need to do to beat the Thunderbirds: Stay out of the box. Springfield’s power play is lethal with names like James Neal, Sam Anas, Matthew Peca. Despite this, it has run into problems playing against the Penguins as the infographic above shows. Yet, that is fire I do not want to play with. Also, if the Penguins want to beat the Thunderbirds, they are going to have to beat them once at the Mass Mutual Center since it’s best of five now and the Pens do not have home ice.

What the Thunderbirds need to do to beat the Penguins: Defend home ice, get your power play going, be the better team in all areas. Look at the infographic again. Springfield’s top three scorers have more points than the Penguins highest scorer and this isn’t even factoring in James Neal who joined Springfield around mid-year and missed some games due to injury. However, despite all that, this is a matchup problem for the Thunderbirds. They were Aces against everyone else, but the Penguins who were the ones who gave them problems.

X-factor for Wilkes-Barre: Radim Zohorna. Three games, five points for the Penguins in the Hershey series.

X-factor for Springfield: Either Charlie Lindgren, who had impressive numbers for the Thunderbirds in goal or James Neal, an elite NHL sniper playing at the AHL level. The Penguins haven’t seen Lindgren yet this season, so he’s a big, big unknown.

What they are saying:

If you see any other predictions, leave them in the comments below.

I still like the Penguins in five. Here’s why. Foregone conclusion that they probably lose Game 1 tonight against the Thunderbirds based off of the amount of games, the type of games and the travel to and from Hershey, Wilkes-Barre and Springfield which they endured. The Penguins win Game 2. It comes back to Wilkes-Barre where they split and Springfield wins one in overtime or something in Game 4 forcing it back to Massachusetts. Head to head, I like the Penguins chances. I’m not confident that it goes the distance here because I could absolutely see a scenario where Springfield drops both at home and the Penguins either sweep or finish the Thunderbirds in four. Vice versa on that too, if the Thunderbirds power play stays hot and gets ripping against the Pens and Lindgren becomes an impenetrable wall for the Pens, it easily could be Springfield in a sweep or moving on in five or less games.

Still, styles make fights and that will be evident in the series. A series which in my opinion still favors the Penguins, all considered.

Who is running the show? Games 1 and 2 officiating crews are out. Nothing for Game 3 yet. It will be Jeremy Tufts and Conor O’Donnell with Justin Johnson and Brent Colby on the lines in Game 1 and Casey Terreri and Conor O’Donnell with Justin Johnson and Kevin Briganti on the lines for Game 2.

More tonight after Game 1.

The AHL, WBS

Marathon in Your Seat — Pens WIN 4-3 (OT) (WBS Wins Series 2-1)

2 Comments Posted by on May 9, 2022

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To be honest, this post should have been up an hour ago.

The Penguins, up 3-1 late in the third period, see their two goal lead evaporate in :42. Hershey pulls Pheonix Copley and the Penguins don’t possess the puck for the entire time. Bears get not one, but two extra attacker goals and tie the game at three. This is stuff that doesn’t happen in preseason games, and yet it’s happening in the final 90 seconds of an elimination game.

Rightfully so, visions of the collapse against Charlotte years ago started creeping into my mind. I still am in shock from what I witnessed and still can’t believe that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins manage to somehow win the Game 3 of the First Round series against the Hershey Bears 4-3 in overtime thanks to Alex Nylander.

Game One against Springfield is Wednesday. The League and the Thunderbirds must have heard the call from the Penguins as it was announced Monday that Game One started Wednesday, either at home against the Penguins or on the road against the Bears. Let’s get the schedule out of the way first.

I’ll have a series snapshot for you on Wednesday morning for you on this.

Back to Game 3 of Round One, here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Anthony Angello is day to day with an injury. Sam Houde stayed in after Jonathan Gruden returned from his Game 2 suspension.

First Period: Mike Sgarbossa scores near post at 5:22 after Hershey navigated through a penalty kill to put the Bears on the board.

But the Penguins get one to go after Matt Bartkowski flubs a puck or breaks his stick. The change up shot hits Beck Malenstyn’s skate and deflects into the net to tie the game at one.

Second Period: Nothing doing goal wise or penalty wise. I liked the way referees Cody Beach and Beau Halkidis ran the game. They stayed the hell out of the way and let the players decide.

Third Period: Pheonix Copley was dialed in until he wasn’t. A shot by Radim Zohorna handcuffs him and goes in to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

The Penguins could smell blood. Hell, I could smell it. Every shift just coming at Hershey with everything they had.

Sam Poulin, who was shooting high glove and Copley catching it like a baseball all night, finally goes low and beats Copley for a five hole goal to give the Penguins a two goal lead.

Then, well, a bit of a meltdown. I saw it coming a mile away.

Evaporation.

With Copley pulled, the Penguins don’t possess the puck at all. Garrett Pilon far post one timer and in.

(I couldnt’ find a GIF, it’s in the highlights below)

Sure fine, Hershey gets a consolation goal. The Penguins are still going to win the game or score an empty net goal to seal it away right?

Right?

RIGHT!?!?!?

Stunned doesn’t begin to describe the pit of emotions I had. I’m already a ball of emotions three hours to puck drop, have to sit through a whole game, see my favorite team go up two goals on their biggest rival, and see, with my own two eyes, a lead evaporate in an ELIMINATION game to head to overtime.

Overtime: In hindsight was the best thing that could have happened to the Penguins. A time to regroup, refocus, and thank the great minds who decided to trade for Alex Nylander in the Sam Lafferty trade.

Still in shock. Didn’t really celebrate as much.

Ballgame.

Full credit to the Bears and I meant every word I said. They beat the piss out of each other and bring the best out of one another. Think of how many more cups the Bears would have it it weren’t for those Pesky Penguins. Hershey doesn’t rebuild, they reload, so expect another haul this summer.

Three Stars: 3) Sam Poulin (goal) 2) Radim Zohorna (goal, assist) 1) Alex Nylander (overtime and series clinching goal)

The Good: One round down, four more to go. If were easy we’d all have Calder Cups.

The Bad: Good lord this point should have been done an hour ago. How do you give up two goals with a goalie pulled that fast again?

Turning Point: Nylander goal, duh.

Video Highlights: 

Fast track to the Springfield series. I still like their chances. Pens are virtually unbeatable at home. They must steal one in Springfield Wednesday or Thursday in order to possibly end it in Wilkes-Barre next week. Can they? Yeah, Springfield is a great matchup for the Penguins. Will they? Well, you’ll just have to tune into the series snap Wednesday morning too find out.

Oh crap, I have work in the morning. Time to wrap up.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Onto the Third – Pens LOSE 2-1 (Series Tied 1-1)

Comments Off on Onto the Third – Pens LOSE 2-1 (Series Tied 1-1) Posted by on May 8, 2022

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Foreshadowing from the League this morning.

https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/1523315675661750274?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Pens lose 2-1. Bears had a first period power play goal which led to a wave of momentum in the first period which spilled over to the second period. Dylan McIlrath scores a goal to put the Bears up 2-0. Felix Robert’s tip of a shot from the point brought the Penguins to within one, but in a flash series like this the offense is going to be extremely hard to come by.

Another crack to close it out Monday. You pretty much have to because it’s win or go home.

News before the game saw Jonathan Gruden get suspended for Game 2 after the League looked at the elbow on Joe Snively in the second period of Game 1. Snively did not play Sunday.

https://twitter.com/taylorhaasepgh/status/1523389939970617344?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Sam Houde was in for Gruden. Here’s the whole lineup:

https://twitter.com/thehersheybears/status/1523401099683586048?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA
https://twitter.com/wbspenguins/status/1523404874536218625?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

First Period: All Bears to start as you could sense the desperation off the hop. Bears get an early penalty and with Gruden, one of their best penalty killers in streetclothes, Beck Malenstyn shoots, Bobby Nardella scores.

https://twitter.com/theahl/status/1523414200378220544?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Pens kind of withstood the rest of the period. Nappier was dialed in and none of the goals can be pinned on him Sunday.

Second Period: Bears get the second goal they were looking for with a goal from Dylan McIlrath.

https://twitter.com/thehersheybears/status/1523429311163813890?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Traffic in front of Nappier there. Nothing you could do.

Pens get a goal back, courtesy of Felix Robert.

https://twitter.com/wbspenguins/status/1523431155386949632?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Thought they had something going after that but Copley was good in goal and but for a gaffe of about :31 in Game 1, had been as good or better than Tommy Nappier.

Third Period: No scoring or penalties, shots were hard to come by and both goalies were outstanding in the period. The Penguins with Nappier pulled and after a timeout, never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Copley (22 saves) 2) Malenstyn (goal) 1) McIlrath (goal)

If the Penguins win Monday, they will likely bus straight up to Springfield for Game 1 of the division semis Tuesday. As evidenced by the following…

https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/1522963768858357761?s=21&t=Pf1QfSi2zXM14i0qcdZkmA

Seems cruel and unusual indeed. Almost an automatic win for the Thunderbirds who are still waiting to find out who they are playing next round.

Won’t have to wait long. Game 3 Monday at 7 in Wilkes-Barre.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Buckeye Blasts — Pens WIN 3-0 (WBS leads 1-0)

Comments Off on Buckeye Blasts — Pens WIN 3-0 (WBS leads 1-0) Posted by on May 6, 2022

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With all this talk this week with Casey DeSmith leaving Game 1 of the Pittsburgh Penguins / New York Rangers series in Game 1, necessitating the services of Louis Domingue and the recall of the only other NHL contracted goalie left in the system Alex D’Orio, this leaves Wilkes-Barre with the AHL contracted Tommy Nappier essentially all alone by himself in the minor leagues.

Doubt crept in the minds of the Penguins faithful, both up top and at the farm. Rightfully so, but none of this got to or seemed to bother Tommy Nappier.

Nappier makes 23 saves and he and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins blank the Hershey Bears 3-0 Friday night. They lead the best of three series 1-0 with Game 2 and a chance to close out the series Sunday in Hershey.

The Penguins accomplished their game plan almost to a tee Friday. Hershey had just three shots after the first period and were down 2-0 after goals :31 apart by Will Reilly and Alex Nylander. They continued to bottle up an offensively struggling Hershey Bears team in the second period and the bears tried to pick up the physicality in the third but Nappier and the Penguins kept them quiet.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Michael Chaput got hurt in the last game and is week to week. Taylor Fedun is skating at practice but is still week to week. Filip Lindberg is done for the year.

First Period: Pens withstand the games opening moments, an early Hershey power play and then Will Reilly scores to open his postseason account.

:31 later, Alex Nylander on a deflection of a P.O. Joseph shot.

And it was off to the races.

But the Penguins reigned in the emotions. There was 50 minutes left to play. No time to play fast and loose, not against Hershey.

They reigned it in. No more penalties in the period which was nice. They outshot Hershey 15-3.

Second Period: No scoring. Shots 9-9. Physicality picked up huge. POens had a power play but couldn’t get it to click. Jamie Devane and Kale Kessy fought to a draw.

Third Period: Hershey unloaded three offense but again, the Penguins and more importantly Nappier withstood the charge.

Pheonix Copley with larceny on Valtteri Puustinen, then again in a scrum. After getting beat twice in a :31 span in the first, he really settled in and locked on.

Jonathan Gruden would get tripped pursing a puck through the neutral zone with Hershey’s net empty, and Radim Zohrona would hit an empty net for a power play goal which made it 3-0 and finally iced it away.

Three Stars: 3) P.O. Joseph (two assists) 2) Will Reilly (goal) 1) Tommy Nappier (23 saves)

The Good: Nappier was dialed in and the Penguins defense made some of the saves easy for him. A chance to close out your biggest rival Sunday evening.

The Bad: Can’t think of anything. About as perfect as they drew it up.

Turning Point: Really hard to say that the second goal by Nylander all the way back at 9:05 of the first period is a turning point, but with Hershey’s arid offense of late, it really made it difficult for the Bears to get back into it.

Video Highlights: 

Game 2 is Sunday at 5:05 from Hershey. More after that game.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Penguins / Bears Series Snap

1 Comment Posted by on May 6, 2022


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Two rivals going after it in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs is a tale as old as time, as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears write another chapter in their story when the best of three series kicks off Friday night in Wilkes-Barre.

I don’t know if you pay attention to anything that the AHL puts out on social media, but they have been posting infographics, so instead of me typing out a schedule, here it is in visual form. Click the image to enlarge if you can’t see it all the way on whatever device you are taking in this blog from:

And the infographics, which have ALL the good stuff:

It will be Tommy Nappier in net for the Penguins, backed up by Samuel Harvey, who the Penguins signed from the Fort Wayne Komets this week after Casey DeSmith left Game 1 of in the series with the New York Rangers. Alex D’Orio went up Wednesday to back up Louis Domingue, who started Game 2.

Much quieter for the Hershey Bears, who get the services of Joe Snively on a conditioning loan for the first round only. It’s bending the rules, as Snively wasn’t on a the roster at he trade deadline for the Bears, it’s a loophole that Washington / Hershey exposed that anyone can. It’s smart business.

What the Penguins need to do to beat the Bears: Stay out of the penalty box, defend home ice, punish their forwards, don’t take risks defensively. The Penguins were a hot team on home ice down the stretch. Don’t let Hershey’s power play numbers fool you. There are going to be penalties, that’s a fact of life, so minimize the stupid stick fouls, keep cool post whistle and don’t beat yourself.

What the Bears need to do to beat the Penguins: Get to Nappier with a ton of shots. There is no viable backup, as Wilkes-Barre is thin without Louis Domingue. Just pump shots, wear down the Penguins defense, get the crowd out of it early and get your forwards rolling.

X-factor for Wilkes-Barre: Filip Hallander. A rising tide floats all boats. Get Hallander going and you get Poulin going. Get Poulin going and you get Valtterti Puustinen going. It trickles down from there.

X-factor for Hershey: Bears leading scorer Mike Vecchione. You are probably going to see a line of Vecchione, Garrett Pilon and Joe Snively at some point during this series, if not right out of the gate on Friday.

This all said, it may be a defensive struggle.

What are they saying: If they you mean I, I like the Penguins in three. It’s not going to be easy. Probably won’t finish in a sweep after a tumultuous week of transactions and it’s going to be edge of your seat action from bell to bell. Don’t expect a 6-4 result. Expect 2-1 or lower. That favors the Penguins. That means Nappier is dialed in and shots aren’t getting through. But, the longer this goes, especially when you are in an overtime situation, one shot ends your season.

Who is running the show? Game 1 crew is Cody Beach and Jeremy Tufts with Mitchell Hunt and Patrick Dapuzzo on the lines. In Game 2, Beau Halkidis and Jim Curtin get the assignment with Jud Ritter and Jon Rey on the lines.

More later after Game 1.

The AHL, WBS

Regular Season Finale — Pens LOSE 3-0

Comments Off on Regular Season Finale — Pens LOSE 3-0 Posted by on April 30, 2022

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I had this to say after the second period of this 3-0 Penguins loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the regular season finale Saturday night.

A dud of a game, but when you are resting regulars and cemented into a seed and already know your opponent, who oh by the way didn’t play this weekend and are resting at home, you get these types of results.

They got scored on :28 into the first period when Linus Sandin scored after a blitzkrieg by the Phantoms to start. They settled in after that but couldn’t find a goal.

In the second, it was good for a bit, but workhorse goalie Felix Sandstom held them out and then Cal O’Reilly scored a power play goal that really made it seem like the game was out of reach then Isaac Ratcliffe split Colin Swoyer and Niclas Almari and scored right down Main Street to make it 3-0.

Not a lot of help for Alex D’Orio, who started for the Penguins in goal. Joel Blomqvist was released from his ATO and went back to Finland. He has to complete mandatory military service and probably will be back next year at this time. So it’s a tandem of Tommy Nappier from The Ohio State University and Alex D’Orio.

Nothing of significance happened in the third period. For posterity, here is how they lined up:

Note: Drew O’Connor was recalled by Pittsburgh about two hours before the game started.

Three Stars: 3) Isaac Ratcliffe (goal, assist) 2) Cal O’Reilly (goal, assist) 1) Felix Sandstrom (26 saves)

The Good: Relatively unscathed in these two meaningless games. Bring on Hershey.

The Bad: Niclas Almari still hasn’t changed. But that’s nitpicking a warm body in a meaningless hockey game for the Penguins.

Turning Point: The O’Reilly power play goal put it away for the Phantoms.

I’ll have a Calder Cup Playoff Preview this week, likely before the first round of playoff games which will be sometime during the week, out for you. I will pick each game, each round, and an eventual champion. I’ll probably be very wrong, but read it anyway.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

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