Chirps from Center Ice

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Work night home games are bad. Worse even when the officials are delayed 20 minutes like they were tonight. Still slightly better than Sunday afternoon home games but let’s digress.

Wrote this on the iPhone, so mind the spelling errors, morseo than usual.

Before I forget, Stefan Noesen is on waivers. Thursday at noon we will find out if he clears.

The Penguins better hope that he does, cause they looked listless, lifeless and totally overmatched and outplayed by the Providence Bruins on Wednesday night, who take this game 6-0.

Tommy Marchin scored his first two professional goals, so you understand the headline rub.

The two teams rematch Friday.

Casey DeSmith opposed Max Lagace.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes:

First Period: There was…not a lot of offense. Two similarly structured, very good hockey teams just battling.

Shots were 5-4 Bruins. Adam Johnson was featured prominently, his bid off a nice tic tac toe play was denied with the pad of Lagace about midway through and he took the only penalty of the period taking away the only other good scoring chance of the period belonging to Providence.

Second Period: Completely different period for the Providence Bruins who has a pair of rebound goals bookend a four goal explosion.

Pavel Shen on a rebound. 1-0 Providence.

Robert Lantosi split Matt Abt and Macoy Erkamps, broke in and scored. 2-0 Providence.

Penguins would get a power play chance after the first and second Bruin goals but did not score.

Tommy Marchin on a cross ice one time bomb. 3-0 Providence.

The passes. The passing killed them, setting up essentially easy goals or opportunities for goals.

Peter Cehlarik in the final minute of the second on a rebound again, 4-0 Providence.

The Bruins, in contrast to the first, completely obliterated the Penguins in the middle frame with speed and vision.

Third Period: The assault continued.

Jack Studnicka on a transition rush that went tic tac toe. 5-0 Bruins.

(you get the idea, not going to GIF anymore visitor goals)

Quickly, Tommy Marchin deflected a point shot and it was 6-0 Providence.

Enter Dustin Tokarski. He didn’t allow any goals. Penguins wised up and only allowed three shots. Hopefully, he gets the net Friday when they rematch.

This was at the end of the second, but an accurate description of the type of night Casey DeSmith had:

Three Stars: 3) Robert Lantosi 2) Tommy Marchin 1) Max Lagace

The Good: If you can’t say something nice…

The Bad: Penguins waited for something bad to happen and when it did, an avalanche of bad things happened.

Turning Point: Oh, that second period was bad, bad, bad.

Around the Division: Bridgeport beats beats Syracuse 3-2 and Charlotte obliterated Hartford 7-1.

Standings: Providence 41 — Hartford 39 — Hershey 33 — Penguins 32 — Springfield 31 — Charlottte 29 — Lehigh Valley 27 — Bridgeport 26

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: I’ll work this in if I see a highlight package from Coal Street, they probably won’t, given the outcome.

Pens and Bruins rematch Friday in Wilkes-Barre. Now, what you want is that to be the next update here on the blog. If Noesen goes unclaimed, then I will not post that here unless its tied into other news of the day.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Like a tight game late in the eighth inning, Mike Vellucci walks up to the mound and calls in his closer.

Out of the bullpen steps Dustin Tokarski.

The one thing that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins failed to do in this five game losing streak was closing out opponents.

A very tightly contested affair in Cleveland, the Penguins win 3-1. Two goals for Anthony Angello, 27 saves for Dustin Tokarski and the five game losing streak is over.

Tokarski opposed Veini Vehvilainen.

Lines were…

…not tweeted in a graphic by the Penguins tonight, so they went this way.

Sam Miletic – Andrew Agozzino – Anthony Angello
Jake Lucchini – Oula Palve – Thomas Di Pauli
Graham Knott – Jordy Bellerive – Ryan Haggerty
Andreas Martinsen – Chase Berger – Jan Drozg

Jon Lizotte – P-O Joseph
Kevin Czuczman – Niclas Almari
David Warsofsky – Macoy Erkamps

Dustin Tokarski
Emil Larmi

Lineup Notes: Pens play by play man Nick Hart said that Zach Trotman has a head injury. Kevin Czuczman slotted in for him. Graham Knott made his Penguins debut, for essentially Joseph Blandisi who was recalled by Pittsburgh under emergency conditions again Saturday morning. Ryan Haggerty swapped with Jamie Devane vet for vet.

For posterity, Cleveland lined up like this…

First Period: Sam Miletic took a big hit his first shift and didn’t return, I was out for birthday dinner and would have got the video. I may at some point, just not tonight.

Anthony Angello scored for the Penguins when it appeared that Vehvilainen kicked in the puck that gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

It was a good period overall, one penalty (Bellerive for a high stick) and the Penguins led 1-0. They limited Cleveland to just six shots and played a very good opening period.

Second Period: Anthony Angello scored his second of the night when Andrew Agozzino forced the issue and pressured the goaltender. Angello zipped a hell of a shot that went in.

Dillon Simpson scored for the Monsters which unleashed a calvacade of teddy bears on the Monsters teddy bear night.

Third Period: Two big saves under pressure by Tokarski to preserve the one goal lead for the Penguins.

Both teams had very good looks at the net but no one scored.

Penguins had to kill a Joseph cross check and did so easily.

Then with time dwindling and Cleveland still looking for the tying goal, Thomas DiPauli hit the empty net at center ice that iced its away.

Three Stars: 

Simpson had the only goal for the Monsters.

The Good: Hell if I am Mike Vellucci, I give Tokarski the net Wednesday at home against Providence and go from there. He was the factor tonight in the Penguins victory. An otherwise bland sixty minutes and the goaltenders usually steal the show. Angello got hot and bagged two, Tokarski took it from there.

The Bad: Cleveland’s power play is bad, the Penguins allowed them to score again tonight. That has to get tightened up.

Turning Point: Angello’s second goal which made it 2-0 seemed like a breath of fresh air for the Penguins who led by multiple goals and rode their veteran goaltender across the finish line.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley beats Hartford 4-2….Providence beats Springfield 5-4 in overtime….Hershey has won five straight, beating Bridgeport 5-2….Syracuse beats Charlotte 5-4.

Standings: Hartford 39 — Providence 37 — Penguins 32 — Hershey 31 — Springfield 31 — Lehigh Valley 27 — Charlotte 25 — Bridgeport 24

Wheeling Update: Nailers close out the third game out in South Dakota with the Rapid City Rush. Box here.

Video Highlights: I didn’t see any package by the Monsters, so don’t expect one but if Coal Street does one and I can work an edit it will run here.

Pens bus back tonight and will have a few well deserved days off before they are back at it Wednesday at home against Providence in an important two game series with the Bruins. News as it comes from there.

Let’s Go Pens!