Chirps from Center Ice

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I wouldn’t be surprised to see Checkers defenseman Santtu Kinnunen get some consideration for AHL Player of the Week honors.

Four assists for Kinnunen, two last Friday and two Saturday for the defensemen who loves playing the Penguins; 12 total points for him in to games against the Penguins as the Charlotte Checkers defeat the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 4-1.

The Penguins power play went 0/4, and is 0/9 to start the season. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem, but when you are gifted a power play and want to use that moment to get some momentum and come up with nothing, the result like tonight is what you get.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: They cycled Joona Koppanen for Alex Nylander up front and Taylor Fedun for Xavier Ouellet on defense. Both veteran swaps.

First Period: Early issue is the start. They looked better Saturday as opposed to Friday, held Charlotte to a low shot count and stayed out of the box. They took a penalty (a Hinostroza hook at 14:19) then were outshot 3-1 and outpaced, slightly. Both teams hit posts; no scoring for either side, though.

Second Period: Seems like the Penguins got close, then the Checkers got down the ice and capitalized.

Mack Guzda with highway robbery on Vinnie Hinostroza and then Rasmus Asplund weaves through traffic and scores to put the Checkers up 1-0.

Then off a rush late, Santtu Kinnunen sets up Patrick Khodorenko to make it 2-0.

Penguins power play continues to sputter to this point, 0/5 last night and they missed on two chances here in the second period Saturday.

Third Period: Will Lockwood scores power play goal in a scrum which made it 3-0 and really put the game away for the home team.

Preceding this, the Penguins were given a power play but didn’t score. When it happened, Nick Hart said what I was thinking, which was the Penguins had to have it. They got nothing, and they fell further behind in the process.

Colin While busted up the would be Mack Guzda shutout bid with this goal…

This came with Joel Blomqvist pulled for the extra attacker.

But the Checkers would score on an empty net when Patrick Khodorenko scored his second of the contest to firmly put away any weird intentions the Penguins may have been cooking in their heads at the time regarding a comeback.

Three Stars: 3) Will Lockwood (goal, assist) 2) Patrick Khodorenko (two goals) 1) Mack Guzda (32 saves)

The Good: I can’t think of anything from this game, quite honestly. 62 total shots this weekend for the Penguins. The goals will come, I hope.

The Bad: The power play is a problem. 0/9 for the early season. Too soon to panic and ridiculous to even insinuate. See what next weekend in Hartford and home against Springfield brings, go from there. But it would have been nice if you could have connected a few times last night and even tonight, moreso in the game you were in till the end and lost.

Around the Division: Belleville blanks Hershey in Hershey and spoils the Bears banner raising ceremony with a 3-0 win…Syracuse beats Bridgeport 4-2…Cleveland uses 3 first period goals to beat Lehigh Valley 5-2 and Hartford continues their hot start out of the gate with a 3-1 win in Springfield.

Standings: Hartford 4, Charlotte, Penguins and Bridegport 2, Providence 1, Hershey, Springfield and Lehigh Valley 0.

Wheeling: Still in preseason. They get kicking next week.

Video Highlights: Will likely post as the rest of the finals roll in on Saturday so if I see them I will post them in here in the clean up edit.

I’ll probably post the Weekend Preview again on Thursday, depending on how the week goes. Talk to you then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Lots of talk about how the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are rebuilt and rebuilt in a good way, in a contending way.

Cast aside the 3-1 preseason record, it means nothing. The real work started Friday in Charlotte..

For the first two periods, they looked like last years team. In fact in a lot of ways it was because there wasn’t any scoring by either team.

But finally, one of their offseason acquisitions, Austin Rueschoff scored to break the deadlock.

Then Jonathan Gruden scored a little over a minute later and it looked like they were off to the races.

But no, :14 later, Charlotte scores.

Normally, last years team starts scrambling and find ways to lose but this years team (so far) didn’t, and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are 1-0 with a 4-2 win in Charlotte.

Here’s how they lined up…

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Lineup Notes: They have a veteran problem. They will rotate vets in and out per Nick Hart on pregame. Don’t ask me to name the veterans. They right now also don’t have any injuries as anyone who didn’t dress Friday was considered a health scratch.

First Period: I got nothing. They had to kill two penalties and went on a power play of their own which looked really good.

Second Period: Penguins had a couple power play chances but didn’t get anything out of it. Checkers think they scored but the would be goal is immediately waved off by referee Morgan MacPhee, then Colin White is stopped by Spencer Knight of Charlotte.

Seemed like a goaltending duel was brewing between Magnus Hellberg and Spencer Knight heading into the…

Third Period: I was waiting for something to develop and in less than two minutes the floodgates opened.

I gave this to you at the top of the story, scroll up in case you forgot.

Penguins couldn’t ice the game away with the benefit of two power plays, coming nearly back to back, but time remained the enemy of the home team.

Charlotte pulled Spencer Knight and Xavier Ouellet scored from his own blue line into the empty net. About :45 later, and about 15′ further back, Dmitri Samorukov scored into the same empty net to make it 4-1.

But Charlotte would score with about :08 when Ryan McAllister scored off of a shot which Nick Hart may have deflected off of a Penguin in front.

Three Stars: 3) Will Lockwood (goal) 2) Jonathan Gruden (goal) 1) Magnus Hellberg (26 saves)

The Good: After that disaster of a season last, good to start the new one on a winning side.

The Bad: Power play went 0/5. If it weren’t for the flood of goals, a game this razor thin could be won with a special teams effort.

Turning Point: The Gruden goal gave the Penguins some scant breathing room. Hellberg and the rest of the defense carried them across the way for the first win of the season.

Around the Division: Hartford clips Providence 3-2 in a shootout. Bridgeport beats Rochester 4-3 in overtime. Everyone else gets going Saturday.

Standings: Early days, Penguins are sitting atop the Division with 2 points. Springfield, Hershey and Lehigh Valley were off, they get their seasons going Saturday.

Wheeling Update: The Nailers are still in preseason.

Video Highlights: 

Penguins and Checkers Saturday at 6. More after the rematch.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Charlotte Checkers didn’t lead at all in the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins season finale game except for when Anthony Bitetto scored at 2:21 of overtime to give the Checkers a 5-4 win over the Penguins Saturday night in overtime. Charlotte goes on to the Calder Cup Playoffs as the three seed in the Atlantic, the Penguins are going home for the summer.

Bit of a fitting end to a forgetful season. The Pens were up 3-1 to start the third, Charlotte scores two power play goals to tie it, then they yo-yo back and forth to force overtime. Just when you think they have the victory in hand to send the fans who attended (I didn’t, my niece’s 5th birthday party was my evening) home for the summer happy, Charlotte snatches victory from the jaws of defeat.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup Notes: Charlotte dressed a younger lineup…Dustin Tokarski in likely his swan song as a pro got the start in goal for the Pens. Jamie Devane was in for Lukas Svejkovsky.

First Period: Ty Glover scored when a Jamie Devane shot goes off of J-F Berube’s mask and back to Glover for a goal.

Nathan Légaré picked up a game misconduct for cross checking in the first period and was dismissed for the evening. What a fall from grace for the once highly touted Légaré. I’ll have more on him this week on the season wrap up on Sunday.

Second Period: Wilkes-Barre goes up 2-0 on a Valtteri Puustinen goal. For Puustinen, he was the Penguins Ironman this season, appearing in every game.

Anthony Bitetto scores his first of the night to bring Charlotte back to within one.

Sam Houde could have made it 3-1, but shoots the puck off Berube’s ass instead. Here that wild sequence is…

Ty Smith with his second goal of the night on the power play makes it 3-1 for the Penguins.

I liked how they played give and go with the puck, almost toying with the opponent there. Fun stuff.

Third Period: Four power play goals scored in the first 6:18, three by Charlotte, one by the Penguins.

Santtu Kinnunen, Connor Bunnaman, Jonathan Gruden and Grigori Denisenko in that order. Here they are.

So that was a dart.

Pens were put right back on the penalty kill because Dustin Tokarski said something to referees Patrick Hanrahan and/or Jordan Watt they didn’t like. Bunnaman makes them pay here…

Watt and Hanrahan were a mess all night, and I wasn’t even at the game. Par for the course for Hanrahan, always late to the play, can’t skate the right way. Mix in a salad, dude.

Here’s the Gruden power play goal which was an obvious makeup call from Watt / Hanrahan, who should both be skating in their last games of the season after tonight’s performance.

But the Checkers even the affair yet again with a baffling third power play goal of the period on the Denisenko shot that makes it 4-4.

Things calmed down from there because Jordan and Patrick must have realized that the fans paid to see the players, not the officials as, but for an Ethan Keppen interference call, there were no other penalties.

No scoring, neither, so it was off to…

Overtime: Pens possessed for the first two minutes or so, but then Charlotte got the puck and Bitetto skated in and, well…

See you in the Fall.

Three Stars: 3) Valtteri Puustinen (goal, two assists) 2) Ty Smith (goal, two assists) 1) Anthony Bitetto (two goals, over time game winner)

The Good: This sorry season is over?

The Bad: They went 2/5 on the kill, and Charlotte scored three power play goals setting up the….

Turning Point: Checkers three power play goals in the third guarantees them a home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

Around the Division: Here’s the scoreboard for the night. If anyone at Coal Street reads the blog, please go back to the 7:05 starts on Saturday. As always with whatever comes out of the Pens offices, it’s a half baked idea that’s forced on folks and forgotten about, sort of like the mottos they used to use (Feel the Excitement, Black and Blue, etc.) there’s no point in 6:05 starts if yo aren’t going to do a concert, a comedy act, etc.

Standings: Spoiler, the Pens finished last in the division.

Wheeling Update: Nailers aren’t making playoffs either and are playing in their finale out in Iowa. Box here.

Thanks again for reading and following along with me this season. On Sunday afternoon, I’ll have a player grades feature. On Monday I’ll revisit my predictions I gave way back in October and on Tuesday I will have a Calder Cup Playoffs Preview and prediction for a champion.

They should be back better than this year (hopefully, I’d hate to see what worse is) so keep the faith, and Let’s Go Pens!

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Yikes.

Shutout. Again. Just when you think that the season couldn’t get any worse, they are shutout in back to back games.

They scored eight goals in Bridgeport last Saturday. Nothing in two games since. Shutout in 121:05 of action. Shutout in Laval last Monday. Back to back 4-0 losses when they lose Friday night in Hartford, who have won eight straight games.

Like two trains passing in the night. Here’s a fun fact about me, sometimes I like to watch videos of fright trains at night to help me fall asleep. Shoutout Wide World of Trains.

Anyway, one more game for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Saturday against the Charlotte Checkers before they are put to bed for the 2022-23 season.

Here’s how they lined up…

(Hartford didn’t post lines)

Lineup Notes: So Svejkovsky was injured, which explains his absence. I was in the Virginia backwoods so didn’t see / listen to the last game agains Laval, so I don’t know who replaced who. Taylor Fedun and Jamie Devane were not in the lineup. Mitch Reinke, too.

Other News: Pittsburgh cleaned house this morning, firing GM Ron Hextall, Brian Burke and AGM Chris Pryor. I’m quite surprised that the coaching staff didn’t get the boot but I would assume that they are on short leashes. Nothing yet on what will happen with the staff here in Wilkes-Barre. GM Erik Heasley keeps his job (which is baffling to me) and will actually assist in the search of the new regime in Pittsburgh.

First Period: Both teams didn’t do jack shot wise at five on five, the Penguins didn’t have any shots on their only power play in the period, Hartford scored on their second attempt on the power play when Tim Gettinger fired one off Ty Smith and past Blomqvist and in for a 1-0 Hartford lead at the end of the period.

Second Period: Pens get a bit of puck luck when Joel Blomqvist makes a fantastic save, Anton Blidh takes a whack at the loose puck, it gets behind Blomqvist and in the no mans land between he and the inside of the net. The puck flutters but Justin Lee is there to sweep the puck away and out of the Penguins net.

But later Turner Elson woulds score to double the Wolf Pack lead and make it 2-0.

I don’t know what any of them are doing here. Elson is left alone in a prime area of the ice and just picks a spot and scores. A player of Elson’s quality will score there unmarked like that 9 times out of 10. Just a mind boggling loss of a man in front which costs you a goal.

Jagger Joshua and Louis Domingue got into a scuffle. Joshua was out at the top of the crease near Domingue. Louis didn’t like some of the antics and actually was called for holding (which is hilarious to me) and they scuffled a bit. Joshua was given an extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. I dunno, just doing your job out of the blue paint and then to get held and rushed by the goaltender of the other team seems unsportsmanlike to me, but who am I.

Third Period: So a 2-0 lead isn’t insurmountable, but getting the next goal is vitally important.

They did not, in fact, find that next goal. Sadly, the opponent did.

Turner Elson again.

And here’s the kicker, there isn’t anything they could have done different there I don’t think. Just a great setup by a Wolf Pack team that just can’t lose.

Later, salt in the wound when Adam Edström turns Josh Maniscalco into a pylon and scores to make it 4-0 and that essentially salts the game away.

Microcosm of the season for the Penguins here.

Three Stars: 3) Adam Edström (goal) 2) Turner Elson (two goals) 1) Louis Domingue (28 save shutout)

The Good: Joel Blomqvist looked fine. Nothing he could have done differently on the goals he allowed. The team in front of him played like crap.

The Bad: Going 0/6 on the power play. Dare I say they missed Mitch Reinke’s puck moving prowess on the power play?

Turning Point: Elson’s second goal, the only goal you can’t really pin on anything bad (the first goal went off Ty Smith, the second goal there was no one around Elson and the fourth goal was an embarrassment) was the back breaker here. You needed a response coming into the third, down two, and you have that goal by Elson that nips you.

Around the Division: Charlotte beats Lehigh Valley 5-2…Bridgeport beats Hershey 5-1…Springfield blows out Providence 7-2.

Standings: Hershey 95 – Providence 94 – Charlotte 84 – Springfield 82 – Hartford 81 – Lehigh Valley 80 – Bridgeport 76 – Penguins 65

Wheeling Update: Nailers are out in Iowa taking on the Heartlanders. Box here.

Back at it for the home and season finale against Charlotte. More then. Let’s Go Pens!

So in Virginia, where I am vacationing with the first camping trip of the year, they don’t have good cell coverage, the price of gas everywhere is the same and they have weird you can’t burn anything before 4 pm if you’re 300 feet from a wooded area, I wasn’t able to watch Friday nights 3-1 Penguins loss to the Providence Bruins.

Jami Krannila scored his first goal for the Penguins, but the first place Bruins were too much for the last place Penguins.

Onto Bridgeport tomorrow.

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I’m more fascinated at the little tidbit that play by play man Nick Hart tossed out at the end of the 5-0 Penguins loss to the Charlotte Checkers Wednesday night.

It was the first time all season that the Penguins have been shutout by an opponent all season. That’s fascinating to me, with how this season has gone.

On the season, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins were officially eliminated from Calder Cup contention with their loss to the Checkers, but it was cemented about seven minutes before the action in Wilkes-barre wrapped up as Hartford defeats Toronto in overtime 2-1. The win gives Hartford 75 points and the Penguins, with the loss Wednesday, can only now max out at 73 points.

So just play out the string now and get an early jump on your garden, like me.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup: Pittsburgh signed Joel Blomqvist to a three year entry level deal which will kick in 2023-24. Good chance he will be in Wilkes-Barre in the fall, or maybe he just stays overseas. Depends. He’s already with them on an ATO….Sam Poulin warmed up, but didn’t dress. Coal Street signed Jami Krannila to an ATO the same time they signed Blomqvist and Krannila went right in on the second line.

First Period: 90 seconds in a Zac Dalpe scores for the Checkers.

Later, bad to worse, a shot is saved by Dustin Tokarski with the pad but the puck redirects right to the stick of Cameron Morrison who shoots it at the net. Tokarski isn’t able to get over in time and it’s 2-0 Checkers.

Wilkes-Barre had back to back power plays and got really close on the first one, but weren’t able to cash. Felt at the time with the pressure they were building that if they scored there it may have been a different result. Alas, they did not.

Second Period: Takes Charlotte just 1:12 to score in this period, as Connor Bunnaman scores to make it 3-0 on a dart.

May have been offside, but that isn’t reviewable in the AHL like it is in the NHL. Linesmen rarely miss.

Teams traded a power play a side in the period but come up empty. Don’t want to say that Charlotte was protecting the lead, but it was a pretty inert period otherwise.

Third Period: Checkers kept coming, scoring on a dart of a shot that made it 4-0 off the stick of Lucas Carlsson at 2:48 of the third and then late with a shot by Calle Sjalin to rub more dirt in the faces of the Penguins.

I’m not going to post the Sjalin shot. I would hope you get the point.

Bummer of a season. I don’t know what they could have done differently tonight save for personnel which could have saved them.

Three Stars: 3) Zac Dalpe (goal) 2) Santtu Kinnunen (two assists) 1) J-F Berube (21 save shutout)

The Good: How do you get anything good on a night when you are shutout and eliminated from playoffs?

The Bad: They were shutout and eliminated from playoffs, officially.

Turning Point: Have to go when the Penguins didn’t score on that power play late in the first when it looked like they just might.

Around the Division: Providence retakes the top spot in the Atlantic with a 3-1 win at home against Hershey…Hartford beats Toronto in overtime 2-1, as advised at the top of this piece.

Standings: Providence 92 – Hershey 91 – Springfield 80 – Charlotte 80 – Lehigh Valley 76 – Hartford 75 – Bridgeport 72 – Penguins 63

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were idle.

I’m heading to Virginia for a week starting tomorrow. I should have your coverage of the road games in Providence, Bridgeport and Laval here on the blog, provided the campsite wi-fi holds up.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Penguins come into the third period of Saturday’s game and I know what you are thinking because I thought it too. Here we go again, time for them to blow the lead and lose.

Sam Houde takes a shot and scores a goal and Wilkes-Barre goes up 3-1.

But then, that was kinda it for the shots for the Penguins, who muster only two more for an aggregate of three in the period, Syracuse scores two to tie and then in overtime to win 4-3 in overtime.

It’s a tired trope, a seen scene. It’s getting old and frankly, it’s irrelavant because two weeks from now they will be done and headed for an early summer.

Here’s how they lined up…

Yeah, they were the Old Forge Pizzas Saturday. Part of a five year plan to rebrand for one night as a local cuisine. Plymouth Pierogis anyone?

No lineup changes, save for goal.

First Period: Drake Caggiula was their best player for them Saturday and had a lot of chances shorthanded because referees Jordan Deckard and Jake Kamrass made an absolute mess of the game, but Caggiula gets a shorthanded goal to open the scoring for the home team.

Second Period: Ex-Penguin Felix Robert scores with a second left on a power play for the Crunch and Syracase ties the game at one.

But the Penguins would respond in kind on a power play of their own, just :06 in, when Ty Smith goes bar down and in for a 2-1 Penguins lead.

Third Period: Said it again…

Then Sam Houde scores on a dart to make it a two goal lead for the Penguins.

But then Syracuse clamped down hard and allowed the Penguins just two more paltry shots, I think after they tied the game at three. Here’s how they did that…

Overtime: Ty Smith gets worked for a puck and Phil Myers scores to give the Crunch the win.

Three Stars: 3) Drake Caggiula (goal) 2) Alex Barre-Boulet (two goals, two assists) 1) Phil Myers (OT goal)

The Good: Season will be over in two weeks.

The Bad: The twelve power plays doled out by the referees was unnecessary. Failing to mark and allowing Barre-Boulet to factor into every goal is terrible.

Turning Point: The Myers goal that ended it. Let’s not overthink things.

Around the Division: Hartford continues to win, beating Lehigh Valley 5-1….Springfield beats Charlotte 6-5 in overtime….Hershey gets 40 wins in a season (remember those days?) with a 4-1 win in Cleveland….Bridgeport beats a suddenly slumping Providence team 5-2.

Standings: Are meaningless. Pens are in last and cooked. That’s all you need to know.

Wheeling Update: So the team the Nailers are playing, the Cincinnati Cyclones, lost 11-0 to the South Carolina Stingrays. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the Nailers are currently losing (the game is still going on when the blog post went up, box here) to the Cyclones.

More Wednesday. I’m traveling to Virginia Thursday morning and may sit the game out and just watch on AHLTV, if I don’t see you at the game Happy Easter.