Chirps from Center Ice

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When a player is traded to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, I usually start thinking of how I can use that players name in a pun in a headline for a postgame recap.

From January 4, the day that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins acquired Cole Cassels.

The Penguins win 5-4 in Charlotte Friday night and Cole Cassels figured into every single goal. Cassels had a pair for goals to go with three assists.

Other rejected headlines include, “Four-Sofsky” for David Warsofsky’s four point night (2-2)

All jokes aside, this was a gritty, greasy, messy win for the Penguins over the Charlotte Checkers. You take them how you get them but it’s the kind of win you look for out of a team battling for a playoff berth. With the influx of players from Pittsburgh down from the all-star break, you need to maximize points against a team you are chasing for said playoff berth. So far, so good.

Casey DeSmith opposed Anton Forsberg.

Lineup: 

Lineup Notes: Friday morning, the Penguins assigned Matt Abt, Michael Kim and Christopher Brown to Wheeling. With the cadre of players sent down from Pittsburgh coupled with the fact that the Nailers have a boatload of home games in the next week or so, it made sense to get Abt, Kim and Brown back down to Wheeling for reps. Also, announced Thursday, Sam Miletic will replace Andrew Agozzino at the All-Star Classic later this weekend.

There was other news today around noon. Andreas Martinsen was placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination. What it basically means is that Pittsburgh wants to shred his NHL contract so he can go to Europe. 24 games with Wilkes-Barre, a goal and two assists and takes up a vet spot. Thanks for the fish.

Current lineup wise, all the reinforcements were in, Jamie Devane and Andreas Martinsen were out and Chris Brown too, but he was sent to Wheeling. On defense, Zach Trotman returned from injury and, with Kevin Czuczman, replaced John Nyberg and Macoy Erkamps.

First Period: On a power play, Kevin Czuczman went to center to Anthony Angello. The pass never got there. Instead, a Checkers defender Steven Lorentz’s stick got in the way but deflected the puck into his net.

You take them any way you can get them.

Later, Cole Cassels finished off a two on one with Adam Johnson. It was all setup by a big save by Casey DeSmith on Lorentz that was setup by P-O Joseph falling over giving Lorentz and the Checkers a breakaway. Here it is:

Not a very good period by the Checkers Steven Lorentz there.

100th AHL point for Adam Johnson with that assist.

Second Period: You had a lot going on in this period.

First, David Warsofsky’s third attempt at a goal in one sequence goes in and the Penguins have a 3-0 lead.

But then Charlotte dug in and went to work.

Julien Gauthier was in front and collected a rebound off DeSmith and swept it past him on a power play that put the Checkers on the board.

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Then Eetu Luostarinen with a tip in front. 3-2 Penguins.

Charlotte hit a post on a dangerous power play after their second goal, but the Penguins got out of that unscathed.

Charlotte continued to buzz and fire, Casey DeSmith had a ten bell save, but Thomas DiPauli lost his stick and Gustav Forsling scored to tie the game at three.

(Charlotte didn’t post a GIF here)

Hardly ideal from the Penguins perspective. They were getting run over and hadn’t had a significant scoring chance since the Warsofsky goal. Until…

On a power play, Warsofsky connects with a looooong pass to Cole Cassels who stays onside and breaks in to beat Forsberg that gave the Penguins a 4-3 lead.

Big goal. Big, big goal for the Penguins who crack Charlotte’s power play.

Third Period: Hit the drop!

:08 in, Sam Lafferty finishes off a power play goal, the Penguins third of the night, to give the Penguins a 5-3 lead.

But Charlotte would respond in kind with another power play of their own when Dave Gust would punch in a goal that brought the Checkers within one again.

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Wilkes-Barre would find itself in penalty trouble off of the whistle from referee Corey Syvret, who bagged Andrew Agozzino for soft hook and then P-O Joseph for an even softer hook. The Penguins would navigate the rough waters fine, Chase Berger would block three shots in the kill and then with the time dwindling, Charlotte pulled their goaltender but never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Eetu Luostarinen (goal, assist) 2) Cole Cassels (two goals, three assists) 1) David Warsofsky (two goals, two assists)

The Good: They stepped up and took one from the defending champs. Noted in the lede, it wasn’t pretty, but necessary.

The Bad: Penalty kill wasn’t great, I didn’t like what I saw late from the Joseph – Lizotte pairing, but they got the two points.

Turning Point: I am going to go with that kill late when the Checkers were up two men. They score there and who knows what ends up with this one.

Around the Division: Providence beats Lehigh Valley 4-3….Hershey thumps Springfield 5-2….Hartford beats Bridgeport 4-1.

Standings: Hartford and Hershey 57 — Providence 54 — Charlotte 51 — Springfield 50 — Penguins 49 — Lehigh Valley 42 — Bridgeport 35

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose in overtime at home to Cincinnati 3-2. Matt Abt had an assist and was a +2.

Video Highlights: 

They rematch Saturday at 6, so that means the Gameday setup is here at 2 p.m. If things break the right way, Wilkes-Barre can tie the Checkers in points and depending on other out of town scores, could be a fourth place team at the break.

Let’s Go Pens!

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There is a saying that, “everything is bigger in Texas.”

For Jordy Bellerive, it must be true, he’s scoring goals and the net must look twice the size for the Penguins rookie.

A 3-2 overtime win for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night with the goal scored by, who else, Jordy Bellerive that ended the game. Bellerive’s trip through San Antonio this past weekend saw him score two goals and the shootout game winner on Saturday and an overtime game winner Tuesday.

He may not want to board that flight to Charlotte Wednesday, but he will have to.

The Penguins draw to a point of idle and fifth place Springfield and three points back of fourth place Providence for the final playoff spot. A huge meeting with third place Charlotte, who the Penguins are just four points behind, looms this weekend.

Casey DeSmith opposed Ville Husso in a rematch from Saturday.

Lineup: 

Lineup Notes: Joseph Blandisi was recalled Monday, so Christopher Brown slotted in for him at center, the forward lines were jumbled up, Jordy Bellerive found himself on the second line, up from the fourth, based off of his performance on Saturday.

Dustin Tokarski was injured in warmups Saturday with what Head Coach Mike Vellucci told Nick Hart was a hand injury. He’s still with the team, practiced Monday and took part of Morning skate. No timetable was given, but I’ll point out that if it were bad, he would have been sent back to Wilkes-Barre or Pittsburgh if it was.

On defense, the same pairings from Saturday. San Antonio didn’t post lines.

First Period: Largely uneventful period. Andreas Martinsen was the only Penguin forward with a shot on goal, Wilkes-Barre only managed five to the Rampage’s ten.

Klim Kostin deflected a Joey LaLeggia shot about halfway through that gave the Rampage a 1-0 lead.

Penguins killed the only penalty called in the period. Like I said, largely uneventful.

Second Period: Largely eventful period. The Penguins outshot the Rampage 16-4 in the period and got a goal when Jon Lizotte connected with Anthony Angello on this tie setup that tied the game at one.

Ville Husso was forced into some great saves, John Nyberg had one on a shot through traffic, Husso got help from his post when Chase Berger fizzed one past and Jordy Bellerive had a bid go off of the post early on in a two on one.

Third Period: Penguins navigated through back to back penalties easily, then Kevin Roy tipped in a John Nyberg shot that gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

I liked what I saw from John Nyberg tonight, doing all the little things right.

Good, subtle keep in by David Warsofky there at the start of the video that kept play onside. The scoring play doesn’t happen without it.

Wilkes-Barre had one more penalty to kill and did so, but just as Husso came off for an extra attacker, San Antonio indeed found the equalizer on this sequence with ex-Penguin Derrick Pouliot.

Tipped in by Nathan Walker that sent us to…

Overtime: They went back and forth s they often do with all that open ice. It was a sequence with Thomas DiPauli that led to the Bellerive goal. He was tangled up with Husso, got a puck at the neutral zone and put a shot on he didn’t get all of, followed his shot and caused enough interference (legal) on Husso that Bellerive was there for the goal and the finish.

Three Stars: 3) Anthony Angello (goal) Kevin Roy (goal) 1) Jordy Bellerive (overtime game winning goal)

The Good: Any time you get four points at an opponent, you take it and run. Don’t worry about the games finishing past regulation, giving points to a Western Conference opponent is meaningless for the Penguins.

The Bad: I still can’t figure out of it was Penguins good or San Antonio bad (they are last place in a competitive Central) but will likely have that answer this weekend when Mike Vellucci visits his old stomping grounds in Charlotte this weekend.

Turning Point: How can you not go with the Bellerive overtime game winner in this situation? These are big points that could be remembered as the Penguins are shaping up to be in a race with three, maybe four with Lehigh Valley’s sudden resurgence, teams for a playoff spot come April.

Around the Division: They all watched us. It’s a Tuesday, the Atlantic Division just doesn’t play on a Tuesday.

Standings: Hartford and Hershey 55 — Charlotte 51 — Providence 50 — Springfield 48 — Penguins 47 — Lehigh Valley 41 — Bridgeport 35

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off, it’s the ECHL All-Star break.

Video Highlights: Coal Street tweeted Saturday’s highlights Monday morning. I hope they don’t wait till Thursday for these. Anyway, if I see them and can work an edit in I will.

I would expect, with Pittsburgh on bye for the next ten days, that you will see Joseph Blandisi and Andrew Agozzino get returned to Wilkes-Barre with Kevin Czuczman and possibly Sam Lafferty. EDIT: They didn’t wait long, check out this time stamp:

AHL Power Rankings will be here Thursday at 11 and then the Gameday setup for the two game set in Charlotte will be here Friday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins got a win Saturday night in Texas against the San Antonio Rampage 4-3 in a shootout. Jordy Bellerive had a pair of goals in regulation and scored one in a shootout as well to get the Penguins out of the little slide that they are on and to stay up with the leaders in the Atlantic Division.

Casey DeSmith opposed Ville Husso.

Lineup: 

The Rampage didn’t post any lines.

Lineup Notes: They were the same up front and switched John Nyberg with David Warsofsky and Macoy Erkamps was back in the lineup for Michael Kim, paired with Niclas Almari.

Emil Larmi backed up. Initially Dustin Tokarski was listed as the backup and I had the AHLTV feed on early and saw warmups and saw Tokarski out on the warmup, so I don’t think it’s anything injury related.

Also from the broadcast, Zach Trotman was upgraded to day to day.

First Period: Both teams took penalties within minutes of one another. San Antonio’s power play is deadly. The Penguins needed a good start and got one when Joseph Blandisi deflected this shot from David Warsofsky that gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

Shots were 12-10 for the Penguins.

Second Period: If the first period was boring to you then the second period was the exact opposite.

A short handed goal by the Rampage, then a goal by Jordy Bellerive highlighted a wild period.

First the Austin Poganski short handed goal, the third scored against Wilkes-Barre this season, that tied the game at one.

Nolan Stevens draws three Penguins at him then executes a perfect pass to a streaking Poganski for a goal.

Things continued to unravel for the Penguins, as Jake Walman keeps a clearing attempt onside, then cuts down the slot and backhands one past DeSmith to give the Rampage a 2-1 lead.

A minute or so later, Jordy Bellerive blows a shot past Husso that put the Penguins back on even terms with San Antonio.

Penguins power play wasn’t clicking at all, having given up a short handed goal, so Mike Vellucci put his fourth line out with :26 left in one late in the period.

Third Period: Jordy Bellerive scored his second of the night which gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead…

…but Jake Walman would score his second of the night to tie the game again. It was goals scored by Bellerive and Walman in a span of 1:11 in the second and here, it was a span of 1:20.

They went back and forth for a bit, no one got close to scoring a winner and it was off to…

Overtime: Joey LaLeggia got four minutes for high sticking, but after a Husso glove save in front of Anthony Angello, Angello shoved a guy in the face and was sent to the penalty box. They went back to three on three and then to the …

Shootout: Jordy Bellerive went out in the bottom of the first and scored, Casey DeSmith stopped Austin Poganski, MIke Vecchione and Joey LaLeggia. Chase Berger also had a chance in the second round but missed on his attempt.

Three Stars: 3) Austin Poganski (goal, assist) 2) Jake Walman (two goals) and 1) Jordy Bellerive (two goals and the shootout game winner)

The Good: You can argue that they were the better team tonight and not be wrong.

The Bad: You can make the same case if you were a Rampage fan. I don’t know what Tuesday will say about either team, hell it may even be another shootout.

Turning Point: Thought it was the double minor power play that the Penguins had in overtime, but Angello’s antics snuffed this out. On a night where he was the star, Jordy Bellerive’s goal in the bottom of the first round of the shootout got the Penguins the extra point they so desperately need at this point of the season.

Around the Division: Mason Marchment’s hat trick wasn’t enough for the Toronto Marlies who lose 4-3 in a shootout to the Charlotte Checkers….Hershey beats Hartford 5-4 in overtime in a wild one in Chocolatetown….Providence beats Bridgeport 3-1….Lehigh Valley wins their fifth in a row beating a game Rochester side 4-0. Springfield was off.

Standings: Hartford 55 — Hershey 53 — Charlotte and Providence 49 — Springfield 46 — Penguins 45 — Lehigh Valley 41 — Bridgeport 35

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 4-1 in Indy, Justin Almeida had the goal.

Video Highlights: I believe San Antonio does em on YouTube, if you want to head there to see them if you really want to. I will be busy in the morning shoveling snow before church.

They have a day off in San Antonio Sunday then practice Monday before the rematch Tuesday. I’ll have an update to my charts Sunday afternoon if you are looking for something to poke around on Sunday afternoon or Monday. But for anything else breaking, talk to you here again Tuesday at 4 for the Gameday setup against the Rampage again.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Mike Vellucci hammered his team postgame Wednesday after they lost.

Needed more from his forwards, his defense and in goal. Hell, he traded one of his players to the opponent this afternoon. It was an unacceptable effort for a team who is slowly slipping away from a playoff berth here in January.

So when the WIlkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins were down 2-0 just 5:41 into the game, who does Vellucci turn to?

Emil Larmi.

Wait, the same Emil Larmi who the Penguins last saw trying to fight the Texas Stars back in Wilkes-Barre? The same Emil Larmi who couldn’t stop a nose bleed the last time he played in the AHL?

Yep, Emil Larmi.

The Texas Stars would win the game Friday 4-3 in a shootout, but not before the Penguins picked themselves off of the mat twice, overcoming a two goal deficit and then scoring a goal in the third to force overtime.

Probably Larmi’s best game in North America, given the level. He’s had some success playing in Wheeling with the ECHL affiliate and had a shutout, but Larmi needed a game like this to regain his confidence which was shattered the last time he suited up for the Penguins. Under the circumstances, with the Penguins circling the drain, Larmi put a stop on that with excellent saves after excellent saves.

Dustin Tokarski got the initial start and he opposed Jake Oettinger.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Shuffled again up front, Jan Drozg was in for Christopher Brown. Debutante John Nyberg was paired with Nicolas Almari on the second defensive pairing. Michael Kim was also in for Matt Abt paired with David Warsofsky. Emil Larmi backed up on the assumption to give DeSmith a night off and the further speculation that he starts Saturday in San Antonio.

Initially the first graphic had Andreas Martinsen on the fourth line but five minutes before the game, the team tweeted the above graphic stating that Devane was in.

First Period: Didn’t go well for Dustin Tokarski. Just 5:41 into the game, the Penguins were down 2-0 on goals scored by Nicholas Caamano and Ben Gleason.

Mike Vellucci didn’t waste any time going to backup Emil Larmi. Vellucci criticized the goaltending he got Wednesday, and he certainly could not be happy here, Tokarski just stopping two of four shots faced.

Larmi entering made Vellucci look like a genius. The Penguins goaltender calmed things down and the Penguins got a goal back after hard work from Kevin Roy from behind the net that made its way to Chase Berger who then found Adam Johnson in front for a goal.

Texas outshot the Penguins 12-7, including one of these shots which will end upon Larmi’s highlight reel.

Probably his best in the AHL. If he doesn’t make that save (the Penguins hadn’t scored yet) the game could have spiraled out of hand. Instead, he kept it 2-0 and you could see the confidence in him and the team in front of him building.

Second Period: Penguins came out with their tails up and ready to get the game tied. Emil Larmi made another fantastic save,this time going post to post to deny Tanner Kero.

The Penguins wouldn’t score on the first power play awarded them in the period, but they scored almost immediately after the first penalty expired when Kevin Roy scored to tied the game at two. Check this setup out:

But the Penguins would lose the lead when Texas replicated the same thing that saw the Penguins score; that is miss on the first power play attempt but score on the second. Anthony Louis with this snipe here to give the Stars the lead again.

Nothing Larmi could do on that one, that is just a dart.

Pens chased a bit but Larmi kept it a one goal lead heading to the…

Third Period: The Stars gift wrapped the Penguins back to back five on three power plays and David Warsofsky cashed on this sequence here to put the Penguins back on level terms:

Tyler noted the following:

All hail Jim Rutherford.

The Penguins killed a late Stars penalty but played great period with some timely saves by Larmi that got the game to …

Overtime: Bonkers, with Larmi making ten bell saves on ten bell saves. He was dialed in and determined not to lose in overtime. Pens had a few chances with Adam Johnson.

Shootout: Jason Robertson scored in the top of the first, Jordy Bellerive in the bottom of the second, Jan Drozg had a shot in the bottom of the third to win it but Nicholas Caamano scored in the top of the fourth and Kevin Roy missed on his chance immediately thereafter.

Three Stars: Jake Oettinger (27 saves 2) Anthony Louis (goal and 1) Nicholas Caamano (goal and shootout game winner)

The Good: The responseafter Larmi replaced Tokarski was a sight to behold. I thought personally the game was over at that point but Emil Larmi made a believer out of me this evening.

The Bad: What kind of message didn’t they get when the coach hammered every facet of the effort that they displayed Wednesday? To come out like they did and go behind like that doesn’t spell a good feeling that they can turn it around and make a playoff push.

Turning Point: In a game full of them, David Warsofsky’s power play goal in the third period guaranteed at least a point for Wilkes-Barre.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley ends Binghamton’s eight game win streak with a 4-1 win in Allentown. That’s the Phantoms fourth win in a row…Bridgeport beats Providence 2-1….Utica beats Hartford 6-3. Justin Bailey for the Comets bags a hat trick in back to back games, the first player to do so since Mark Mancari in 2011….Springfield beats Syracuse 4-1….Charlotte and Hershey were off.

Standings: Hartford 54 — Hershey 51 — Charlotte and Providence 47 — Springfield 46 — Penguins 43 — Lehigh Valley 39 — Bridgeport 35

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lose 5-4 in Kalamazoo. Cam Brown and Justin Almeida each had a goal and an assist in the loss.

Texas didn’t run any video highlights Wednesday so I doubt they will tonight. I’ll look anyway and if there are any, will run em in a later edit.

Pens travel to San Antonio for a date with the Rampage at 8 Saturday. Gameday setup is here Saturday afternoon at 4.

Let’s Go Pens!