Chirps from Center Ice

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This one was a tough one to figure out on this Saturday afternoon. After an offensive explosion last week against Syracuse, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins go for 35 shots on goal against ECHL lifer Zach Fucale for the Bears and only come away with one goal to show. They only allow one player on the other team to score, but that player is quickly becoming the proverbial stone in the shoe for the Penguins.

A Connor McMichael hat trick, albeit on an empty net late, is all the Bears need Saturday afternoon as they beat the Penguins 3-1.

The aforementioned Fucale opposed Max Lagace.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Anthony Angello, Frederick Gaudreau and Max Lagace all made their WBS debuts. Angelo and Gaudreau went to the top line displacing Josh Currie (who was recalled) and Nick Schilkey. Schilkey dropped down to the second line. Chase Berger moved up to center the third line for Jordy Bellerive who was recalled. Jan Drozg down from the second line to this line. Nastasiuk slid over and centered the fourth line and Kyle Olson moved down from the third line to the fourth.

Defense pairs unchanged.

First Period: Teams trade power play goals. Zach Nastasiuk for the Pens to open the scoring:

Redirects for days on this shot. Nastasiuk was the last to touch it.

Hershey later responds on a give and go, shot, rebound score by Connor McMichael who scored his first of the contest.

Second Period: I think one of the keys to beating the Penguins this season is forcing the rookie defensemen to make mistakes.

😬💆‍♂️

Even game, tight contest, mistakes like these get magnified.

Third Period: Pens kill a penalty and then get two power plays late and can’t cash. With Lagace pulled for an extra attacker, they make a great play for Nick Schilkey who hits the post. An errant pass to no one is gobbled up by (who else) Connor McMichael who shoots from about 120 feet away and scores to complete his hat trick.

Three Stars: 3) Garrett Pilon (assist) 2) Zach Fucale (34 saves) 1) Connor McMichael (hat trick)

The Good: They scored one power play goal on six opportunities.

The Bad: They scored one power play goal on six opportunities.

Turning Point: Tight contest, McMichael’s goal 1:19 into the second period is enough for the Bears to ride out and grit out a win behind the rookies stellar play and the play in goal by Fucale who stopped 34.

Around the Division: I don’t know about you, but I kind of like these 1 pm away Saturday starts. Now I have the rest of the afternoon to myself. Anyway, Binghamton and Lehigh Valley play later at 7.

Video Highlights: 

Wilkes-Barre and Hershey rematch Wednesday evening at 5 in Wilkes-Barre. More then, if not sooner.

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

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Couple of first goals for a few guys, first assists, first win for J.D. Forrest behind the bench, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins win their first game of the 2021 season 5-4 up in Syracuse Saturday night.

It wasn’t without a few puff out your cheeks moments, most especially in the third, where they have struggled the most.

After controlling play for the first forty minutes, it was a frenetic, nearly goal a minute pace in the third.

Things settled though without much more incident and the Pens have their first win of the season.

Emil Larmi opposed Sam Montembeault.

Before the game, the Penguins tweeted this…

Don’t want to speculate. Times are weird. Family, always first.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Felix Robert and Luke Stevens made their AHL debuts. Robert took Jordan Nolan’s spot, Stevens was in Justin Almeida’s spot. D pairs shuffled, Dylan MacPherson for Josh Maniscalco. 300th AHL game for Josh Currie.

First Period: I liked the way they played in the period. Syracuse is a dangerously offensive team that like to run you and gun you.

40 seconds out of the gate, Radim Zohorna drives to the net and Jan Drozg sweeps the puck in to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead.

Penguins would work out of a double minor penalty. They tiptoed in and out of trouble on the kill.

Emil Larmi continued with his on point play, stopping Gabriel Fortier point blank then Alex Barre-Boulet after this ridiculous pass which sprung him for a scoring opportunity.

Barre-Boulet finally got a goal to go when he picked a corner on Larmi and tied the game at one.

Second Period: They clamped down in the second, went on three power plays and scored two goals in the period.

Good to see Berger get going early.

They kept grinding away at Syracuse and got a late goal from Kyle Olson on this dart that gave Wilkes-Barre a two goal lead.

Play by play man Nick Hart mentioned it in the intermission, but Felix Robert was getting under the skin of the Crunch skaters.

Shots were 13-6 Wilkes-Barre in the period.

But the big test was navigating the third period, which hasn’t been kind to them in the first two games.

Third Period: Four goals in the first forty minutes, then four in the games first 4:40.

2:10 in, Grigori Denisenko scored to bring the Crunch to within one.

About 1:40 later, Gabriel Fortier scored to tie the game at three.

Not this again.

Will Reillly scored to push the Pens ahead again.

That was :16 later, by the way. A hell of a response.

But :29 after that…

Chaos indeed.

Wilkes-Barre goes on the first power play of the period.

They scored on it.

And they settled things down from there. No more scoring and the pace of the game stayed quick as the Crunch, with Montembeault pulled for an extra attacker, never found the equalizer.

Those firsts I mentioned at the open?

Three Stars: 3) Grigori Denisenko (goal) 2) Alex Barre-Boulet (two goals) 1) Kyle Olson (goal, assists)

The Good: They stayed step for step with an offensively gifted Syracuse Crunch team when they were running and gunning. They did, for large stretches, control the pace as well.

The Bad: Why all of a sudden after an overall quiet first forty minutes did we get four goals in the first 4:40 of the third?

Turning Point: That power play that they scored on after all of that scoring deflated the Crunch after the frenetic push they made. Penguins hung on from there.

Around the Division: Utica clips Binghamton 6-5 in a shootout.

They are off for a whole week before they meet up with Hershey again. More likely then, no Power Rankings this year or anything like that. News and notes as it warrants.

Video Highlights:

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

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Emil Larmi deserved better. He really did.

He had 33 saves in a very, very, strong game, but his teammates struggled on special teams, going 1 for 6 on the power play and only 5 for 7 on the penalty kill and its the special teams that let them down Thursday as Hershey takes this one 3-2.

Larmi opposed Pheonix Copley.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Essentially Jan Drozg for Michael Joly on the second line wing.

First Period: Emil Larmi had a strong period. He really did. He made one mistake. A big one, that cost his team a goal.

It happens.

Larmi was getting shelled, the Bears outshot the Penguins 12-6 in the period, but he was up to task after some very difficult saves.

Penguins get on the board when Tim Schaller, signed this week to an AHL contract, went bar down and in to tie the game at one.

So a mix of what you saw in the third period Monday, but with better puck luck and stellar goaltending play.

Second Period: Penguins open the period with a power play goal when Josh Currie shoots one in off a terrific play by Cam Lee to put the Penguins ahead 2-1.

But the Bears answer right back on a power play of their own, when Mike Sgarbossa sniped one past Larmi to bring the teams level at two.

They then went into a penalty fest, where the Penguins enjoyed a long stretch of two man advantage but were unable to score. There were a few chances at tap in goals but they were foiled for one reason or another by the Bears penalty kill or Pheonix Copley.

Late, this ten bell save by Larmi will go on his personal highlight reel.

Larmi stayed dialed in, the Penguins power play was a jumble and the teams were tied at two heading into the…

Third Period: They killed one penalty but then Chase Berger put a puck over glass and Connor McMichael scored to make it 3-2 and put the Bears in front for good.

Wilkes-Barre didn’t get a single power play in the third, Hershey got three and scored on that one there. In a game full of microcosms, that is what wins Hershey the game.

Three Stars: 3) Emil Larmi (33 saves) 2) Garrett Pilon (two assists) 1) Mike Sgarbossa (goal, assist)

The Good: I have a feeling they are going to ride Larmi for all he is worth in this shortened season, and he passed the test with flying colors tonight, just could not get any run support.

The Bad: Can’t really get on the power play tonight when they score one and two on Monday, but the lack of success and maybe the undisciplined play leading to them having to kill penalties does them in tonight.

Turning Point: Tyler with the foreshadowing:

This is after Wilkes-Barre failed to score on the two man advantage there in the second.

So far, I haven’t seen anything special out of Hershey, Lehigh Valley or Syracuse. Binghamton may be the best out of all four Penguins opponents this season, but there is time to get things shook out.

Around the Division and Standings: I don’t think I am going to update these, since the Penguins didn’t see anyone in the division play Thursday and standings may be useless because I honestly don’t think there will be a playoff this year.

Wheeling Update: Same goes here. Half of what was on Wheeling when they started the season are playing in Wilkes-Barre now anyway.

Video Highlights: 

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.