Chirps from Center Ice

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The microcosm of this season came with about a minute left to play in the game.

The Penguins, down 3-2 and with starting goaltender Tommy Nappier pulled for an extra attacker, set up a literal firing squad at Phantoms starting goaltender Felix Sandstrom. They would shoot, and miss. Shoot, and miss or shoot and Sandstom would make the save.

What they could have used in that instance, as they could have used all season long was a finisher.

Wilkes-Barre loses 4-2.

So, Saturday’s game with Bridgeport is essentially huge. More on that below.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Changes: But for the goaltenders, there were none.

First Period: Michael Chaput gets the Penguins on the board first, but Ryan MacKinnon responded a few minutes later to tie it at one. Wilkes-Barre doubled up the Phantoms in shots, 14-7 and killed a couple of penalties. The Phantoms didn’t GIF any goals, but here is the Penguins GIF of the Chaput marker.

Second Period: Just :47 into the period, Kyle Olson scores to put the Penguins ahead 2-1.

Just a nice play all around.

Later, Tanner Laczynski strips Valtteri Puustinen and skates in and beats Nappier for a breakaway goal that tied it at two.

Phantoms caught and passed the Pens in shots in the period. Game was a lot closer than it should have been.

Third Period: Alex Nylander, who left late in the second period after a hit but returned for the third, set up Jonathan Gruden for a decent chance which was denied by Sandstrom.

But it was a Wade Allison bullet over the glove of Nappier which put the Phantoms ahead 3-2 with about 14 minutes left to play in the period.

The Penguins, without the chance to go on a power play and later with Nappier pulled, were not able to find the equalizer. The Phantoms hit an empty net with two seconds left to play.

Three Stars: 3) Ryan MacKinnon (goal) 2) Tanner Laczynski (goal) 1) Wade Allison (goal)

The Good: Woo boy, hard to find one here. Lehigh Valley isn’t making playoffs despite what the snake oil salesmen are selling you. This is a game that a Providence or a Springfield wins easily.

The Bad: If the Penguins barely miss playoffs this season, these two points they left behind in Allentown tonight will be a big reason why.

Turning Point: The Allison goal that gives the Phantoms the lead in the third period gets it here.

Around the Division: Hershey blows a 3-0 lead in Charlotte and lose 5-3….Hartford loses again 3-1 at home against Belleville…. Providence and Springfield played a defensive thriller with the Thunderbirds winning 1-0 in overtime.

Standings: 4) Hershey .539 – 5) Hartford .533 – 6) Bridgeport .516 – 7) Penguins .516

Who Plays Who Tomorrow: Hershey rematches in Charlotte, Hartford hosts Syracuse. Bridgeport is the Penguins opponent Saturday.

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose in overtime to the Indy Fuel 4-3.

Video Highlights: If I see them I will edit them in here.

See you tomorrow for a big one with Bridgeport.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I think this was a matter of two teams headed in two different directions.

The Hartford Wolf Pack 2-8 in their last ten games and in full on free fall mode, are easy meat for a Wilkes-Barre / Scranton team that beat them 5-1 Wednesday night. The Penguins use the send period to explode for four goals and what looked like a tight game from the first period, turned into a runaway.

Last place Lehigh Valley is up next Friday for the Pens, then a home game Saturday in a humungous game against Bridgeport with playoff implications on the line Saturday await.

Worknight game. So let’s stop screwing around and get into it.

Keith Kinkaid opposed Louis Domingue.

Wolf Pack didn’t post a line graphic.

First Period: No scoring, Pens killed two penalties and were doubled up in shots 12-6.

Second Period: I am going to give you the goals as they happen then the GIFs to go along with the goals to keep the flow going.

Pens get a turnover and Kasper Bjorkqvist scores to put the Pens on the board first. Later, Drew O’Connor finds a pinching Will Reilly for a goal which made it 2-0. Reilly’s first goal of the season which came at a good time because it gave the Pens a two goal cushion.

It didn’t matter, because Sam Poulin scored a power play goal after two Hartford defenders lost sticks and it was 3-0. Felt like the rout was on after that goal.

It was, because as the goal from Poulin was being announced, Felix Robert pounced on a rebound and scored to make it 4-0.

Anthony Greco pulled one back for Hartford with about a minute left to get the Wolf Pack on the board. Greco’s 50th point of the season.

OK, now the GIFs in order they happened.

Third Period: Referee Michael Zyla washed out two would be goals on both sides on account of goalie interference. I have no idea what goalie interference is because every time I do, they exact same thing happens and the call is the complete opposite.

Michael Chaput scored to make it 5-1. The Pens didn’t GIF the goal. It should be in the highlight package.

Three Stars: 3) Sam Poulin (goal, assist) 2) Louis Domingue (24 saves) 1) Will Reilly (goal)

The Good: Capitalize on a slumping opponent when you need wins. I would have been very disappointed if the Penguins didn’t win this contest based off of Hartford’s current run of form.

The Bad: What the hell is it going to take to get Louis Domingue a shutout?

Turning Point: I knew it the moment I saw it. Sam Poulin’s power play goal made it 3-0, and this was the point of no return for the visitors.

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: We helped the Bears tonight.

I didn’t mention Hartford as much as I should have in the Weekend Preview when I really should have. The Wolf Pack are also playing just 72 games this season, along with the Islanders. Must be a Connecticut thing.

Who plays who Friday: Hershey is in Charlotte for the weekend….Hartford hosts Belleville….Bridgeport is off, the Pens play in Allentown.

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 4-1 in Fort Wayne.

Video Highlights: 

Let’s Go Pens!

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This one felt like a playoff game.

It has to be for Laval, who sit second in a razor thin North Division and the Penguins, trying to chase down a faltering Hershey team for the fifth spot in the Atlantic Division and stave off being chased by the Bridgeport Islanders.

Saturday afternoon’s results was a 5-3 Laval Rocket win over the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

A late goal by Nate Schnarr from a tight angle gave the Rocket a 4-3 lead after the Penguins battled back to tie the game at three off of a Chris Bigras goal. It looked like they were headed to overtime, but Schnarr and the Rocket had other ideas.

Louis Domingue opposed Cayden Primeau.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Corey Andonovski for Kasper Bjorkqvist was the only lineup change. Bjorkqvist was recalled at 5 p.m. Saturday.

First Period: These two teams don’t play each other often, but this was an explosive start.

1:19 in, Louie Belpedio bullrushes Domingue and Kevin Roy puts the puck in the net.

Referees Mike Campbell and Mackenzie Nichol briefly discussed it but let the goal stand.

I don’t know. No one pushed Belpedio into Domingue and initiated contact. From the angle of the camera looked like Domingue was in his crease. What’s goaltender interference? No one knows.

Pens get the goal back when Michael Chaput scored to tie the game at one.

But then ex-Penguin J-S Des finds Cedric Paquette with a tape to tape pass that Paquette easily taps past Domingue for a 2-1 Rocket lead.

Ridiculous pass but a better finish.

Things settled down from there, a bit. There was about 1:20 of straight three-on-three action which spilled over to the…

Second Period: Wilkes-Barre couldn’t get anything going offensively because they were killing penalty after penalty after penalty.

But late in the period, J-C Beaudin takes a path toward the net, takes a shot which is blocked, then he gets the puck back and wheels around the net and finds Gabriel Bourque who scores to make it 3-1 Rocket.

One of those, “look out! damn!” moments watching it in real time.

But the Penguins get it back about 1:15 later when Sam Poulin scores to bring it back to one for the Pens.

Third Period: Wilkes-Barre had a chance on a power play and it was a good effort but a better kill by the Rocket getting out of it clean.

Chris Bigras scored to tie the game at 3 at even strength.

Kinda felt there was another goal out there with a lot of time left to play.

Sadly, the other team scored that goal. Nate Schnarr scores from a stupid angle and lifts the puck over the shoulder of Louis Domingue to score and make it 4-3 for Laval.

Pens, with Domingue pulled, see Rafael Harvey-Pinard score an empty net goal.

Three Stars: 3) Cedric Paquette (goal) 2) Rafael Harvey-Pinard (goal, two assists) 1) Kevin Roy (goal, assist)

The Good: Nice way to battle back to 3-3 midway through the game. It did truly feel like a playoff game.

The Bad: I don’t like scoreboard watching, and with this result that is what we will be doing the remainder of the weekend.

Turning Point: Nate Schnarr’s marker late in the third gets it here. Obvious choice.

Around the Division: Bridgeport pounds Toronto 5-1…Hershey loses in a shootout in Hartford 4-3…Providence beats Springfield in a heavyweight battle 3-2…Belleville beats Lehigh Valley 3-2 in a shootout.

Standings: Hershey five up on the Pens for the fifth spot. Bears aren’t in action until next Friday. Pens burn off their last game in hand on Hershey Wednesday against Hartford. Bridgeport is .008 percentage points off the Pens for the final playoff spot (the Pens have .516 percentage points)

Who plays who tomorrow: Hershey is off, Bridgeport comes back across the border and travels to Rochester.

Wheeling Update: Indy beats the Nailers 5-4 in overtime. Matt Alfaro and Patrick Watling score.

Video Highlights: If I see one I will run it here.

Pens will travel back to USA Sunday, figure to have a few days off and will host Hartford Wednesday at 7. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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That’s more like it.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins after getting shelled and obliterated in Toronto 48 hours before, play a stay at home type game against the Belleville Senators and win 3-1.

It was a close game throughout, and if I am a Belleville fan I say that I deserved a better fate, but the Penguins are in win now mode and it went their way Friday.

Good news for the Penguins out of town too, more on that later.

Tommy Nappier opposed Mads Sogaard.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Felix Robert and Nathan Legare for Jamie Devane and Corey Andonovski up front and Cam Lee for Matt Bartkowski on defense.

First Period: Nothing of substance, Robert and Drew O’Connor had a shorthanded chance that ex-Bear Colby Williams gets back to break up.

Second Period: Valtteri Puustinen finishes off a nice tic tac toe play to put the Penguins on the board first.

But soon after Logan Shaw scored on a backdoor play to bring the Senators back even with the Penguins.

(Belleville didn’t GIF the goal)

Shots were an even 19 each for both sides.

Third Period: Alex Nylander scores a rebound goal from a Sam Poulin shot for his first road goal for the Penguins.

Belleville had a late power play, but didn’t really get a good look at a Grade A scoring chance.

Jonathan Gruden hits an empty net to seal it away and that was the ballgame.

Three Stars: 3) Logan Shaw (goal) 2) Valtteri Puustinen (goal) 1) Alexander Nylander (goal)

The Good: Nice way to bounce back after that pounding the Marlies laid on Wednesday. We don’t see Belleville as much as we should and they beat the Penguins last time, so this was a good win.

The Bad: 0/4 on the power play. But that may be nitpicking.

Turning Point: The goal by Nylander, his first road goal for the Penguins, puts the B-Sens in a hole they were never able to climb out of.

Around the Division: That out of town good news I mentioned at the open? Hershey loses 2-0 in Providence…Cleveland beats Charlotte 1-0….Springfield beats Hartford 3-2….Laval piledrives Lehigh Valley 5-1.

Standings: Pens four points back of Hershey with a game in hand for fifth in the division. Pens four up on idle Bridgeport.

Who plays who tomorrow: Hershey travels to Hartford and Bridgeport is in Toronto.

Wheeling Update: Nailers beat the Kalamazoo Wings at home 4-1. The K-Wings only had 14 shots. Justin Almeida had a pair of goals.

Video Highlights:

More tomorrow afternoon after the 3 p.m. start in Laval.

Let’s Go Pens!