Comments Off on Weekend Preview: Pair of Threes
Posted by nafsnep on October 20, 2022
One of the two three in three weekends will be played by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins this weekend when they host the Laval Rocket on Friday then hit the road to face the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday and the Providence Bruins on Sunday afternoon.
Music to Set the Mood…
The 80’s were something else, man.
A Quote
If you run from a wolf, you may run into a bear.
– Lithuanian proverb
I like this one. I’ve got Hartford and Hershey pegged as the class of the Atlantic Division field early. If one doesn’t lead the other one will. Plus, it ties in nicely to the weekend of play with the Wolf Pack and Bruins.
The Setup
Laval, Hartford and Providence, all within the span of about 48 hours. A good test to see what kind of team we have under us.
About that… we really don’t know what kind of team we have under us just yet. They lost in overtime with 1.4 seconds left Saturday to Lehigh Valley and a power outage in Utica on Monday cut short what was at the time a 2-1 Comets lead. That game was suspended and will be completed January 24. So the Pens are technically still 0-0-1-0.
Laval hosted Springfield Wednesday and shut them out 2-0. Cayden Primeau had 34 saves. Last weekend the Rocket played the Belleville Senators in a home and home and lost in OT last Friday and straight up on Saturday.
Hartford was in Charlotte last weekend and were swept. They lost Friday in overtime 4-3 and Saturday straight up 3-1. The Checkers cumulatively went 3/10 on the power play in both games.
Providence looks really good, dropping Bridgeport 3-1 Friday and beating Springfield 4-3 Sunday. Keith Kinkaid stopped 42 shots Friday and Fabian Lysell had three assists Sunday. Bruins went 2/4 on the power play but Springfield also struck twice on the power play in six tries.
So we may not know what kind of team we have under us until next week.
Records
The Pens enter the weekend 0-0-1-0 … Laval has a 1-1-1-0 record … Hartford is 0-1-1-0 and Providence shows 2-0-0-0. Early days.
Man, am I glad percentage points are gone for good.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Sam Houde took a skate to the face Saturday and missed Monday’s game in Utica….Chris Ortiz was sent to Wheeling Monday….Jonathan Gruden is day to day….Jordan Frasca is week to week….Jamie Devane has a middle body injury (that’s new) and they still need to evaluate. Coal Street sent goalie Taylor Gauthier down to Wheeling on Wednesday. No one is presently on recall to Pittsburgh.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Three more tough opponents. I wanted to look at the production from the top six but when I did it was good, accounting for more than 80% of the offense. I wouldn’t expect any major shake ups to the top six. I would, however, shake up the defense. Laval isn’t going to be a pushover. Hartford had a bad weekend in Charlotte on the road but have their home opener and have a lot of great expectations this season. Providence looks elite, but it’s only two games.
Are we grinding for goals as we were last Saturday against the Phantoms or chasing the game with questionable defense from veteran leaders as we saw in parts in Utica?
The more I think of it, the more of a story the absence of Jonathan Gruden will be to this team. Penalty killer. Bottom six forward. Drink stirrer. Felix Robert ain’t walking through that door till Syracuse comes to town.
Who is in goal?
They gave Dustin Tokarski the start Saturday which was a shock to me. I think they go back to Filip Lindberg again Friday, Tokarski Saturday against his old team in Hartford and Lindberg Sunday in Providence. Flip it if Tokarski comes out first Friday. I don’t think anyone plays back to back.
The aforementioned Cayden Primeau gave up six against Troy Mann’s Belleville Senators on Friday. Kevin Poulin fared no better Saturday against the Senators. I think it’s Primeau’s start, especially coming off of the shutout Wednesday against the Thunderbirds, but there’s the whole travel and crossing the border you have to deal with so it may actually be Poulin’s start. I’m glad I don’t wager on these!
Louis Domingue will likely face off against his old team Saturday for the Wolf Pack’s home opener. Toss a coin for Kyle Keyser or Keith Kinkaid for the Bruins Sunday, who will also be playing their third game in as many nights, but all at home.
Who is running the show?
Conor O’Donnell and Amanda Tassoni have the assignment on Friday with Josh Cleary and Bill Lyons on the lines. Saturday up in Hartford, it’s Dre Barone and Mike Dietrich doling out penalties and Trevor Disbennett and Nick Briganti on the lines. Sunday in Providence, Dietrich again with Rob Hennessey and Dan Kelly and Stephen Drain on the lines.
Looking ahead…
Cleveland drops in for an ever popular weekday home game, Wednesday when they take on the Penguins at 7:05. Then the Pens stay in state with a Friday trip to Allentown to take on the Phantoms and then Hershey to visit the Bears Saturday.
Comments Off on I Kind of Miss Binghamton – Pens / Comets Resumes January 24
Posted by nafsnep on October 18, 2022
Used to be the Penguins would always, like always be in New York when Binghamton was in the league. A 90 minute trip up north on I-81.
The Penguins aren’t in New York again until, get this, January.
So it’s natural that the day before (a Wednesday, January 25 game in Rochester) that the Pens and Comets resume their game which was postponed Monday because of a power outage on Tuesday, January 24 at 7 p.m.
They were plugging along, on the 35th anniversary to the day of the first ever Utica Devils home game when it suddenly got dark.
Power outage. We have all been there. I’m prepared, I have a home generator.
With the Utica Comets up 2-1 with 2:43 left to play in the second period the lights went out and about twenty minutes later the League made it official.
Tonight's #WBSvsUTC game has been suspended with 2:43 remaining in the second period due to a power outage at Adirondack Bank Center.
So this is going to make for a hell of a game story. It’s the Penguins only trip to Utica this season. You’d have to think that they run the final 22:43 on some random Thursday in January (weather permitting) or something like that. Since I already have the game story written I may as well what happened when the lights were shining on Monday, October 17 in Utica now and bring this same post back whenever the Penguins and Comets can complete the remaining 22:43 at some point down the line, likely with different lineups, different referees, different linesmen, etc.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 17, 2022
Lineup Notes: Kyle Olson slides over to third line center. Nathan Legare to third line left wing. Tyler Sikura down to fourth line center. Lukas Svejkovsky, who skated the extra Saturday is in. Sam Houde was out. No changes to defensive pairings from last Saturday.
First Period: Comets score twice in the period. The first goal was a face-off win in the Penguins zone which Wilkes-Barre wins but Taylor Fedun can’t keep the puck in. The rush up the ice sees ex-Penguin Nick Hutchison score over the glove of Lindberg for a 1-0 Comets lead.
Comments Off on Stolen Point – Pens LOSE 3-2 (OT)
Posted by nafsnep on October 15, 2022
vs.
3 2
–
They stole that point Saturday. Troy Grosenick was that dude in goal for the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms who beat the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins on opening night 3-2 in overtime with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Sometimes you run into a hot goaltender. If Grosenick was any hotter he would have lit the place on fire. I don’t think I have seen a goaltender that dialed in in some time. The Penguins threw everything at him, even strength and on special teams, and he just kept denying the Penguins time after time.
Wilkes-Barre scored dirty goals. An Alexander Nylander power play goal with Grosenick screened to tie the game at one and then a Sam Poulin deflection goal with a minute to play in regulation with Penguins starter Dustin Tokarski pulled to tie it to get it to overtime.
I liked the effort tonight. I liked the pace. I liked them on special teams. I liked what I saw tonight. You bring that same effort for 71 more games and they will be in good shape.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 15, 2022
Lineup Notes: I like the new graphic which gives you the extra skater who took warmups but didn’t dress for the game (Svejkovsky)
A little surprised they went with Tokarski over Lindberg too.
First Period: Penguins outshoot the Phantoms 8-1 halfway through the first period. Then the Phantoms respond and get a goal when Eliot Desnoyers is set up in front with the puck behind the net of Tokarski. Desnoyers was a beneficiary of right place / right time.
Missed the first Phantoms goal by Desnoyers? Turn up your volume as this clip comes with Da Noise.
(Yes, we know that’s a stretch, but it’s the first freaking goal of the season, let us have this) pic.twitter.com/2dMrW2v4F0
Pens had a power play late where they spent 1:45 or more in the zone but time after time get denied by Grosenick, so was quickly becoming the story.
Third Period: Pens take a late penalty they get out of fine then with Tokarski pulled find the equalizer via Sam Poulin with exactly one minute to play in the period.
(No GIF here sorry, he bunted the puck past Grosenick as the puck deflected three times behind the Phantoms goaltender)
Overtime: Drew O’Connor turnover results in a Louie Belpedio breakaway. Tokarski the initial save, but not the second. Too much time really was left on the clock, Belpedio with a second chance and scores to end the game with 1.4 seconds left.
Three Stars: 3) Alex Nylander (goal, assist) 2) Troy Grosenick (38 saves) 1) Louie Belpedio (overtime game winning goal)
Woulda been fine if they awarded Grosenick the first star, honestly.
The Good: Troy Grosenick played as an elite goaltender tonight. The Penguins got flat beat, but managed to steal a point. Tighten up a few things defensively and they will be fine.
The Bad: They looked scrambly at times, the first Phantoms goal and the overtime game winner especially. Gotta tighten that up.
Turning Point: Have to go with the Belpedio overtime game winner for obvious reasons.
Standings: Boy am I glad I don’t have to mess with percentages anymore. Early days, but it’s Charlotte with 4, Providence, Hershey, Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport with 2, Wilkes-Barre and Hartford with 1 and Springfield with 0.
Wheeling Update: Nailers get going next week.
Video Highlights: No idea if they will post them. If they do I’ll try to work an edit in.
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?
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 