Chirps from Center Ice

The Penguins make their annual Canada trip this week through Laval, Belleville and Toronto looking for a point to punch a ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Music to Set the Mood….

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May as well drop in a famous Canadian band here and the first ever song to play on Rock 107.

A Quote…

Fix the &@^#^ power play!
– most of you, these past weeks (myself included)

The Setup…

First place Laval this Wednesday, a Friday night in Belleville against a hard working Senators team and then a Sunday afternoon (sigh) game against Toronto.

Penguins only manufactured three points out of a possible six this past weekend. Smoked by the Hershey Bears at home Friday, a collapse against the Phantoms at home on Saturday and then a gutsy win in Allentown on Sunday.

Laval lost to last place Utica Friday and then beat Syracuse in a shootout Saturday.

Belleville swept Hershey in Hershey this past weekend and will host Cleveland Wednesday.

Toronto beat Syracuse last Wednesday, lost in overtime on Friday to Rochester on Friday then returned favor with a shutout of the Amerks on Saturday. They hosted Cleveland on Tuesday and won and will host Hartford Saturday before the Pens swing by Sunday afternoon.

Records

Penguins are 37-15-6-2 and have 82 points good for second in the Atlantic Division.

Laval leads the North Division with a 37-19-2-3 and have 79 points.

Belleville is 24-28-8 and are fifth in the North with 56 points.

Toronto is 30-20-5-5 with 70 points and fourth place in the North.

The Rest of those Rascals…

I think Providence is too far out now and the real threat is Charlotte. But for the sake of, let’s run through the list.

The Bruins beat the Springfield Thunderbirds Wednesday, smoked Hartford 7-0 Saturday and lost to Springfield on Sunday. They are 45-12-1 and lead the Atlantic with 91 points. They are in Allentown Wednesday and then have the last place in the North Utica Comets for a home and home this weekend.

Charlotte hosted the Bridgeport Islanders and shut them out in both games 3-2, 2-0. They have four games this week at home. They played Hartford last night and lost and have the Wolf Pack again Wednesday. They then host Lehigh Valley this weekend. I want to say they are the hottest team in the division but that loss to last place Hartford throws cold water on that theory. They are 35-19-5 and have 75 points, a game in hand on the Penguins and sit third in the division.

Hershey had a rough go. They beat the Pens clean Friday but then hosted a Belleville team they are better than and were swept in the two game series. Hershey is 27-25-6-2 ad have 62 points. They have the Bridgeport Islanders for a home and home series this weekend.

Lehigh Valley beat Syracuse in Syracuse on Friday, beat the Penguins in comeback fashion on Saturday and perhaps ran out of gas on Sunday and lost to the Pens on home ice. They host the Providence Bruins Wednesday, then head to Charlotte for a pair looking to build on their 26-27-3-3 record and 58 points.

Springfield took three of four points away from the Bruins via OT loss Wednesday and win on Sunday, with a 6-3 win at home against Utica on Saturday. They are in Laval Friday, Belleville Saturday. The Thunderbirds are 24-27-6-2 and have 56 points.

Gave you Bridgeport’s body of work above in the Charlotte capsule above. They have the Bears for a home and home for a pivotal series for both teams. Bridgeport is 24-27-3-5 good for 56 points.

Hartford looks done and dusted with a 23-30-4-2 record and 52 points. I expected more out of this team, honestly with the lineup they constructed. Swept by the Cleveland Monsters at home Wednesday and Friday and then walloped 7-0 Saturday in Providence. On Tuesday in Charlotte they won (surprisingly) and rematch tonight against the Checkers. They are in Toronto Saturday and Rochester on Sunday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Avery Hayes, Ville Koivunen are on recall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jack St. Ivany was recalled from his conditioning stint on Monday and Alex Alexeyev was returned to Wilkes-Barre.

Down: Ryan Graves will be completing his two week conditioning stint this week. Defenseman Emil Pieniniemi was recalled from Wheeling.

Out: Tristan Broz is out with an upper body injury, considered week to week. My spies advise he hasn’t been at practice, either.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week? 

Everything is a struggle of late and they are relatively healthy and Pittsburgh is getting relatively healthy as well. I think the power play is beyond repair at this point and is what it is. They are the better team at five up most nights. Special teams kills them on both ends. What’s it mean? Keep your cool.

I Looked Up Some Stats!

They have 197 goals for, which is more than Providence and, on Sunday night when I looked up this stat, was just one off four other teams (Grand Rapids, Ontario, Laval and Bakersfield) and top ten in the league in goals against.

So yes, the power play is a disaster but they find ways to win because they don’t spend the entire 60 minutes of a hockey game on a power play or killing a penalty.

Who’s in Goal?

You have to start Sergei Murashov Wednesday in Laval, Joel Blomqvist in Belleville and then Murashov Sunday in Toronto.

Which one gives you a better chance to win? I don’t know. You have a shot to win every night no matter who is in goal.

Who’s Running the Show?

Jarrett Burton and Jacob Hicks have the honors on Wednesday with Jeremy Faucher and Felix-Antoine Voyer on the lines.

Friday in Belleville sees Alex Lepkowski and Mitchell Hardy with Devon Gale and Antoine Bujold-Roux working the lines.

Sunday in Toronto it’s Riley Brace and Liam Maaskant with Chris Martenet and Dustin McCrank on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

Home next Saturday against the Laval Rocket and then (sigh) home Sunday against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I hope it’s warm that day so I can at least get my walk in before church.

NASCAR Picks

Yung Money at Darlington. Sleepers are Erik Jones and Chris Buescher.

Come on, City!

Eastern Conference Leaders New York City FC host Miami on Sunday and will draw 2-2. Maybe it’s too cold for Leo Messi and beneath him to play in a Major League Baseball stadium’s outfield. One can hope.

Give us a bold prediction…

Power play goals scored in every game in the Great White North, Penguins punch their ticket Wednesday and they win all three games. Every time we think we have the answers, they change the questions.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have a chance to clinch a playoff berth this weekend and continue to make hay on a first round playoff bye. It’s another three in three weekend!

Music to Set the Mood…

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A Quote…

Like any sport, if you can clinch it sooner, clinch it sooner. It just makes the celebration that much sweeter.
Kasey Keller

The Setup…

Home with Hershey on Friday, home with Lehigh Valley on Saturday, trip to Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

The Pens gritted a point out of the Syracuse Crunch last Friday in their only action of the weekend.

The Bears dropped both games last weekend in Hartford and in Providence. Hershey has a three in three also, with the Belleville Senators waiting for the Bears in Hershey Saturday and Sunday.

Lehigh Valley had a three in three last weekend, getting swept. They took an OT loser point out of a series at home against Charlotte and then got on a bus and lost in Bridgeport Sunday. The hits keep coming for the Phantoms as they are in Syracuse Friday before the home and home with the Penguins.

Records

Wilkes-Barre is 36-14-5-2 and have 79 points in second in the Atlantic Division.

Hershey is 26-23-6-2 with 60 points and in fourth.

Lehigh Valley is 24-26-3-3 with 54 points and in sixth.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Providence is making the best out of the games in hand on the Penguins. The Bruins clinched a playoff berth last weekend. They lost in Bridgeport (the first time all season the Islanders beat the Bruins) then beat Hershey Sunday and beat Springfield in OT on Wednesday. They host Hartford and Springfield this weekend and have a 44-11-1 record with 89 points, 10 clear of the Penguins now with just a game in hand.

Charlotte has a 33-18-5 record with 71 points, a game in hand on the Penguins. The Checkers swept the Phantoms last weekend and now have a six game home stand that starts with Bridgeport this weekend.

Gave you fourth place Hershey above.

Bridgeport is fifth with a 24-25-3-5 record and 56 points. Bridgeport was shutout in Hartford last Friday, respond with a win over Providence Saturday and then a 5-4 win over Lehigh Valley Sunday. They head to Charlotte this weekend.

Gave you sixth place Lehigh Valley above.

Springfield has no luck. They were swept by the last place overall in the AHL Iowa Wild at home this past weekend, saw their captain traded to Syracuse and then lost to Providence in OT on Wednesday. They are 22-27-6-2 in seventh place and have 52 points. They host Utica Saturday and travel to Providence on Sunday.

Hartford has a 22-28-2-4 record with 50 points in last place in the division after beating Bridgeport and Hershey last weekend but losing to Cleveland on Wednesday clean at home. They host the Monsters again Friday before heading to Providence on Saturday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Avery Hayes and Ville Koivunen are on recall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Alexeyev joined them on Thursday.

Down: Emil Pieniniemi was sent to Wheeling on Monday. Jack St. Ivany is back down from Pittsburgh on a two week conditioning stint. Ryan Graves was assigned on conditioning with the Alexeyev transaction on Thursday.

Out: Tristan Broz is out with an upper body injury.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

On paper and likely in every facet, they are head and shoulders better than Lehigh Valley and Hershey combined. But they don’t play on paper. So that means they need to be careful.

What’s it mean? I think they can work on the deficient areas. The power play and penalty kill for one. 25th overall on the power play and 20th on the penalty kill. Those aren’t great numbers and no where near championship caliber.

You want to see the penalty kill stay perfect this weekend and see them pop in a couple power play goals that propel them to victory.

Also I’d love to see the offense pick back up and score four or more goals and win each game.

Who’s in Goal? 

I’d go Murashov / Blomqvist / Murashov. Is the jury still out on who the number one goaltender is?

Hershey is dealing with injuries in goal. They lost Clay Stevenson to injury Sunday. If he can’t go, expect Garin Bjorklund Friday.

Carson Bjarnason Saturday assuming Aleksei Kolosov goes Friday. Flip it if it’s the opposite. The backup Saturday will start Sunday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Adam Tobias and Mason Riley have the assignment on Friday with John Rey and Richard Jondo on the lines.

Will Kelly and David Elford have the Saturday assignment with John Rey again and Jud Ritter on the lines.

Mike Sullivan and Alex Lepkowski have the Sunday assignment with Jeremy Faucher and Josh Cleary on the lines.

Wow. No repeat refs and five different lines persons. Someone in Springfield (AHL HQ) reads the blog apparently! I’ll take it and appreciate the variety!

Looking Ahead…

Canada trip. They head to Laval, QC Wednesday for a date with the Rocket, Friday in Belleville and Saturday in Toronto. The Saturday game starts at 4.

NASCAR Pick

Kyle Larson is due and the Hendrick parade steps off with a win in Vegas.

Come on, City!

The Eastern Conference leading New York City Football Club continue their winning form with a 3-1 win over the visiting Colorado Rapids this Saturday from the Boogie Down Bronx.

Give us a bold prediction…

Their ticket is punched Saturday night to the post season.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have 10 games in the month of March, so a light schedule in comparison to the other teams that have games in hand on them.

A chance to heal sore bodies while other teams run the risks of injury.

Scoreboard watching season has begun!

Music to Set the Mood…

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I spent longer than I should have trying to see if there were any songs that had “March” in them on Hair Nation, this was the best I could come up with, sorry.

A Quote…

March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know.
–Emily Dickinson

The Setup…

Home against Springfield tonight then a Friday trip to Syracuse. The rest of the weekend off!

Wilkes-Barre got three out of four points from Cleveland in Ohio after winning Friday and losing in overtime Saturday.

Syracuse beat division leader Laval last Saturday then thumped a reeling Rochester squad on Sunday. The Crunch are in Laval on Wednesday.

Springfield got three out of four points out of Charlotte at home this past weekend. The Thunderbirds need all the help they can get, sitting outside of a playoff berth at this time.

Records

Wilkes-Barre is 36-13-4-2 with 78 points in second place in the Atlantic Division.

Springfield is 21-25-5-2 with 49 points in seventh place in the Atlantic Division.

Syracuse is 32-17-3-1 with 68 points in second place in the North Division.

The Rest of Those Rascals…

Providence rebounded after dropping two last weekend with a pair of 3-2 wins over Bridgeport, one in a shootout.

Providence plays too many cupcake Atlantic Division teams and doesn’t play many North Division games. Nick Hart said over the weekend that the Bruins and Monsters played for the first time ever last season and that shocked me. They don’t travel and would rather feast on bottom dwelling teams year after year. I am trying hard not to believe that the Bruins are a paper tiger, but going undefeated against an Islanders team they play 12 times this season so far is making it difficult for me.

They may be second overall in the AHL behind Grand Rapids, but I do not see them as a top five team. Some combination of the Penguins, Griffins, Crunch, Laval, and/or Colorado/Ontario would get my vote.

The Bruins are an inflated 41-10-1 with 83 points and lead the division and play more divisional heavies in last place Hartford on Wednesday, Bridgeport on Saturday and a more respectable Hershey on Sunday.

Charlotte may be in danger of losing the three seed, just one point in Springfield this past weekend then a rare Monday / Tuesday meeting in Hershey where they lost Monday in OT and then was able to win in regulation on Tuesday. They sit third with a 31-18-8 record and 67 points. The Checkers are in Allentown this weekend.

Hershey is next with their 26-21-6-2 record and 60 points and before they hosted the Checkers for the rare Monday-Tuesday games, they thumped the Rockford IceHogs out in Illinois Friday and Saturday. The Bears are in Hartford and Providence this weekend.

Lehigh Valley took three out of four points from the visiting Hartford Wolf Pack this past weekend and then lost in Utica on Tuesday. They are 24-24-2-3 with 53 points and have a three in three this weekend where they host Charlotte for a pair and then bus up to Bridgeport Sunday afternoon.

Next is Bridgeport who took a shootout loser point home with them this past weekend in Providence. They are defending the last playoff spot in the division with a 22-24-3-5 record with 52 points. The Islanders are in Hartford Friday then will lose again to host Providence Saturday and Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Gave you Springfield’s past weekend above with their record, they host the Iowa Wild this weekend for a pair of games.

You think Iowa would make use of their rare trip out east and hit Providence maybe? Yeah, no. That would require reciprocation with the Bruins spending money and heading out to Des Moines, but I bet the Bruins are kicking themselves because they can feast on some more last place divisional dreck against the last place overall team in the Wild.

Hartford took just a point out of Lehigh Valley after a 12 round shootout loss Saturday and a straight up loss against the Phantoms on Sunday. The Wolf Pack are 20-26-4-2 with 46 points and last in the division. Hartford have five straight at home, where they host Providence Wednesday, Bridgeport Friday and Hershey Saturday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Avery Hayes is on recall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wilkes-Barre recalled defenseman Scooter Brickey as well as forwards Nolan Renwick and Zach Urdahl on Monday.

Down: Forward Ryan McAllister, defenseman Emil Pieniniemi and forward Raivis Ansons are down in Wheeling.

Out: I didn’t like all those Wheeling recalls. Melvin Fernstrom is the only “official” injured Penguins with an day to day upper body injury, Tristan Broz left the game in the second period on Saturday in Cleveland.

Zach Gallant returned from injury and played Friday.

Player of the Month

Ville Koivunen. Six goals, ten assists in just 11 games. Impressive and well deserved.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Can they defense or goaltend their way to more wins? They defended their way to a win Friday and to some extent on Saturday which got them a point. Right now it’s an offensive Sahara. Power play isn’t clicking, only four goals in Cleveland against a middling North Division opponent. Scoring eight against Springfield and only one against Syracuse isn’t impressive because it’s two teams on different ends of the spectrum.

Where will they end up this week? You hope it’s in between. It’s March now. They are in striking distance of the division lead and on the doorstep of punching a postseason ticket. The defense and goaltending are perpetual, it would seem, so get the offense going now and keep it rolling into late Spring.

Who’s in Goal?

I think you go Joel Blomqvist tonight and Sergei Murashov in Syracuse Friday.

Vadim Zherenko for Springfield and Brandon Halverson for the Crunch is my guess.

Who’s Running the Show?

Rob Hennessey and Matt Mannella have the Wednesday assignment with John Rey and Bill Lyons on the lines.

Friday in Syracuse sees Riley Brace and Jared Cummins working the discipline with Chris Martenet and Jason Brown on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

A three in three? A three in three! They don’t have to go far though, home against Hershey Friday, Lehigh Valley Saturday and then in Allentown on Sunday.

Give me your NASCAR pick…

I think you have to keep picking Tyler Reddick until another team steps up and beats him. The 45 23XI team has been head and shoulders above the rest of the field for three straight races now. No driver has won three straight to open the season until Reddick did it in impressive fashion Sunday in Austin. I don’t see any reason why he can’t contend and maybe win again Sunday in Phoenix.

Come on, City!

NYCFC will host Orlando and will win 2-0.

Give us a Bold Prediction….

They finally make Brandon Halverson look pedestrian and keep changing the questions on us, winning big in Syracuse on Friday.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Monsters for a pair of games this weekend.

Music to Set the Mood…

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Another First Wave staple on SiriusXM.

A Quote…

It means nothing to me, I have no opinion about it, and I don’t care.
— Pablo Picasso

Apropos nothing, ran across this one this week. The New York Times asked Picasso about the moon landing and he offered up that quote. It stuck with me. Everyone has to have an opinion about everything these days. I usually don’t because honestly, I don’t care.

The Setup

Two in Cleveland. It’s the yearly trip where they usually leave day early, stop in Pittsburgh for practice in Cranberry, PA, talk with media there and move on to Cleveland.

Friday’s game starts at 7, Saturday’s game starts at 4.

Last week the Penguins blew out the Springfield Thunderbirds, then swept the Bridgeport Islanders in a home and home. Providence stumbled, and the Pens cut the deficit to the Bruins lead on the division to two. More on the P-Bruins in a minute.

The Monsters beat the Toronto Marlies in a pair of games this past weekend and beat the Rochester Americans this past Wednesday. They have won three straight and are 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

Records

Wilkes-Barre is 35-13-3-2 with 75 points and second in the Atlantic Division.

Cleveland is 28-16-6-1 with 63 points and third in the North Division.

The Rest of Those Rascals…

Providence stumbled last week, tightening things up between them and the Penguins. After beating Belleville 5-2 Friday, they lost to the two non-playoff Atlantic Division teams in Springfield and Hartford and saw their 13 game win streak turn into a two game losing streak. They got back to winning ways with a 6-4 win in Allentown Wednesday. They host Bridgeport for a pair of games Saturday and Sunday. The Bruins are 39-10-1 and have 79 points and lead the division. They will shake out with three games in hand on the Penguins when the dust settles Sunday night.

Charlotte split with Syracuse in Syracuse last weekend and lost in overtime against Bridgeport on Wednesday. They are in Springfield Friday and Saturday and have a 29-17-4 record in third with 62 points. I think you may be okay if you pencil them in for third come mid-April.

Hershey got smoked by Lehigh Valley at home last weekend twice but got back to winning ways on Wednesday when they hosted Utica. They head to Rockford, IL this weekend. The Bears are 23-20-6-2 and have 54 points.

Bridgeport is next and I gave you their body of work above. They are 22-23-3-4 with 51 points and head to Providence this weekend. If they want to be considered a playoff threat, they need to win these games or play the Bruins close.

Lehigh Valley I also gave you above as to their ventures this past week. They are 23-23-2-2 and have 50 points in sixth place. The Phantoms host Hartford for a pair this weekend and then head to Utica Tuesday.

Springfield beat Bridgeport in a shootout last Friday then beat Providence clean. I think they are primed to unseat either Lehigh Valley or Bridgeport as a playoff team but have to get past a tough Charlotte team this weekend at home. 20-25-4-2 with 46 points is their record.

Hartford lost a close one to Utica last Friday, shutout Belleville then beat Providence. I don’t think they are out of it but they need to win games. They are in Allentown this weekend. They have a 19-25-4-2 record and have 44 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Avery Hayes; recalled Monday.

Down: Several. Ryan McAllister went to Wheeling Monday, Raivis Ansons, Nolan Renwick, Emil Pieniniemi and Scooter Brickey followed on Tuesday.

Out: Just Zach Gallant, day to day with an upper body injury. Intrepid reporter Mike Flynn let me know this week that he froze his ass off watching the Penguins practice this past Tuesday and saw no red jerseys. Melvin Fernstrom left the game Sunday with apparent injury, but he may be good to go.

Are they 100% healthy? It’s looking like it.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Cleveland isn’t a pushover. Will the Penguins be favorites in the playoffs? I think so. Avoid Charlotte and I think you are okay. Do I like their chances in a Best of Seven Eastern Conference Final against a North Division opponent? I do not. Here are your suspects:

Laval: Don’t know, haven’t played them yet. They lead the division by seven points.

Syracuse: Nope. Crunch in six. I think they wear the Penguins down.

Cleveland: Best matchup I think, Penguins can win a series in five or six I think.

Toronto / Rochester: I like them over Rochester, but Rochester has to watch they don’t fall out.

Okay so maybe I have talked myself into a pathway to a Calder Cup Final, but they have to avoid Charlotte, Syracuse and maybe Laval.

The Monsters at home are okay, just 14-6-4-1. I think I favor the Penguins here because they have been head and shoulders one of the best teams in the League vs. a Cleveland team who are a good North Division team. Zoom out and take the better team in the League. But be careful.

They see the standings and know Providence is faltering and have injuries in goal. I think they understand the assignment here.

Who’s in Goal?

Sergei Murashov goes tonight, Joel Blomqvist goes Saturday.

Ivan Fedotov goes tonight, Zach Sawchenko goes Saturday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Stephen Hiff and Koletrane Wilson on Friday with Dylan Blujus and Craig Ford on the lines.

Chris Conway tags in for Hiff, Chad Fuller tags in for Blujus on Saturday.

Looking Ahead…

March. They host Springfield Wednesday then are in Syracuse Friday.

NASCAR Soccer Balls…

SVG at COTA on Sunday. NYCFC over Philly from a mild Chester 2-0 on Sunday also.

Give us a bold prediction…

What’s that, another hat trick you say? One of them gets one. My pennies are on Rutger McGroarty.

Just checking on how many of these Weekend Previews I have rolled out so far this season and this one is the nineteenth!

Music to Set the Mood…

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This one comes on SiriusXM First Wave every now and then.

Also, listen to that synth. This is April of 1985! Hardcastle was ahead of his time!

A Quote…

Perseverance is falling 19 times and succeeding the 20th.
— Julie Andrews

The Setup…

Weekday trip to Springfield and then another Friday off then a home and home with the Bridgeport Islanders.

Winnable games, sure.

The Penguins played their worst game of the season on Friday when they had their heads handed to them by the Syracuse Crunch and lost 5-0. They had just 16 shots on goal all game! They returned on Sunday for an afternoon home game with the Cleveland Monsters and lost in overtime 4-3.

Springfield was in Iowa this past weekend and won both games 6-3 and 8-6. After hosting the Penguins on Wednesday, Bridgeport comes in Friday, Providence comes in Saturday.

Bridgeport lost both games to the Providence Bruins this past weekend 4-2 and then 3-2 in overtime. They hosted the Utica Comets on Tuesday and won 2-1. They will be in Springfield on Friday night before heading to Wilkes-Barre for Saturday.

Records

The Penguins are second in the Atlantic Division with a 32-13-3-2 record and 69 points. Springfield has a 18-24-4-2 record in seventh good for 42 points and Bridgeport sits fifth with a 21-21-3-3 record good for 48 points.

Bridgeport can’t beat Providence at all and play the Bruins a lot, imagine where the Islanders would be if they won, say, half of the games that they played against the Bruins.

The Rest of those Rascals….

You want to see Providence run away from you if they win their games in hand on the Penguins. The Bruins have four games in hand on the Penguins coming into the week. You do not want to see the Bruins slip away from you when you embarrass yourself in front of a big crowd Saturday when they win and then lose in overtime when they win in overtime, which is exactly what happened for the Bruins against the Islanders this week. Providence is an eye popping 37-8-1 with 75 points and lead the division and are tied for the league’s best. They have a very Providence three in three where they host Belleville on Friday, then travel 90 minutes to Springfield Saturday and then host Hartford on Sunday.

Charlotte lost to the Hartford Wolf Pack 3-2 on Saturday then the roof leaked at Bojangles Coliseum and the Sunday game was pushed to Monday and the Checkers hung nine goals in a 9-0 win against the Wolf Pack where Hartford had just 20 shots on goal. Woof. The Checkers are 27-16-3 and have 57 points in third. They, too, have four games in hand on the Penguins. The Checkers are in Rochester Wednesday then in Syracuse for a pair Friday and Saturday. They are not home again until the middle of March.

Hershey had a semi-OK weekend where they lost 6-1 in Laval Friday, won 6-3 in Belleville on Saturday and lost in Belleville on Monday. The Bears are 21-18-6-2 good for 50 points and fourth in the division and have a trip to Toronto on Wednesday before returning home for a pair against Lehigh Valley on Friday and Saturday.

Lehigh Valley lost both games they played to Cleveland and Syracuse this past weekend and are 21-22-2-2 in sixth in the division with 46 points and have a pair in Hershey this weekend.

Hartford, I gave you above with the Charlotte mention. How do you lose 9-0? The Wolf Pack host Utica Friday, Belleville Saturday and finish off their three in three weekend with a trip to Providence. The Wolf Pack have a 17-24-4-2 record and 40 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: No one as the NHL is on Olympic break for a few more days.

Down: Scooter Brickey and Nolan Renwick went to Wheeling last weekend.

Out: Ryan McAllister, Zach Gallant are out with upper body injuries Alex Alexeyev went back to on the injury list, Raivis Ansons (week to week, upper) is also there too. I forgot about Sebastian Aho, he’s there as well.

Conditioning: Filip Hallander was assigned five minutes before the preview went up at 11 a.m. to Wilkes-Barre for a two week conditioning stint.

Joona Koppanen came off the injured list and played in both games for the Penguins.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Cleveland and Syracuse are stiff North Division competition as any team in that Division has to be because one bad weekend and you fall a few spots. Springfield can be beat and Bridgeport may give you a stiffer fight but the Northeast corner of the Atlantic Division is full of really bad teams (Hartford, Springfield) and when you have a really good team like Providence that can feast on three teams they just pummel that explains why the Bruins are head and shoulders above everyone in the division, the Penguins included.

The Penguins will likely have a tough week of practice and video review this week and should, hypothetically, be re-dialed in to feast on some average to below average competition that is on their schedule this week.

You can start to worry if they only take two out of a possible six points, while Charlotte pursues from behind and Providence gets smaller and smaller in the windshield.

I Looked Up a Stat…

The Providence Bruins are 17-3 against Springfield (4-2) Hartford (5-1) and Bridgeport (8-0) this season.

Hey Ma, We are on TV!

Wednesday’s game will be on NHL Network, Saturday’s game will air across the AHL’s socials.

Who’s in Goal?

I would let Joel Blomqvist wash off the stink that was Sunday where he was pulled after giving up the third goal, but I think Sergei Murashov is the bonafide number one so you let him take Wednesday and Saturday and then let Blomqvist start Sunday.

Vadim Zherenko, Marcus Högberg and Henrik Tikkanen is my guess for the competition this week.

Who’s Running the Show?

Jim Curtin and Johnny Daniels have the job Wednesday in Springfield with Jack McQuesten and Trevor Disbennett on the lines. You’ll never get a bad word out of the work that Curtin puts in, he’s a fine AHL referee.

Jack Young and Patrick Hanrahan have Saturday’s duties with John Rey and Bill Lyons on the lines. Sunday sees Young in tow to Bridgeport where he meets up with Ben Betker. Jake Herzog and Kevin Briganti work the lines.

Looking Ahead…

A trip to Cleveland, next Friday at 7, next Saturday at 4.

Automobile Race Choice…

I joked about it with last weekends Preview but had a few people come up to me last weekend and said they liked me throwing a Daytona 500 pick in here in the blog so what the hell, let’s run with it.

They are going to ringing the sigh-reen in Dawsonville, Georgia when Chase Elliott wins at Atlanta this weekend.

Any Soccer Heads?

NYCFC kicks off their MLS season with a big 2-1 win out in Los Angeles against the Galaxy on Sunday.

Okay, blog boy, give me your bold prediction for the Penguins!

They win all three and in one they score a power play goal in overtime.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins return from the All-Star break tomorrow when they host the Syracuse Crunch and the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday. They are in second place in the Atlantic Division, three points off of the equally hot Providence Bruins and overall the third best team in the league.

Music to Set the Mood…

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This track has been getting a lot of play on my iPod after hearing it on SiriusXMU and it runs at least once a day on my walks. No rhyme or reason with this one, just a good catchy tune. Also a fun fact about the music video, legend has it was shot in one take.

A Quote…

We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges.
— Anonymous

The Setup…

Home with Syracuse Saturday, home with Cleveland on Sunday.

Last week the Penguins swept through Pennsylvania with two wins against Hershey and Lehigh Valley, beating the Bears in regulation on Friday and in overtime on Saturday and beating the Phantoms in regulation on Friday.

Syracuse beat Belleville twice in a home-and-home series.

Cleveland was up in Laval, QC last weekend and lost both games. They are in Allentown on Saturday.

Records

Wilkes-Barre is second in the Atlantic Division with a 32-12-2-2 record good for 68 points.

Syracuse is second in the North Division with a 26-16-3-1 record good for 56 points.

Cleveland is fourth in the North with a 23-15-6-1 record and 53 points.

The Rest of Those Rascals…

Providence is on a 10-game winning streak. They are 35-8-1 and have 71 points and lead the Atlantic Division. They swept Hartford in a home-and-home series last weekend and beat Bridgeport that prior Wednesday. They have a home-and-home with the Islanders this weekend.

Charlotte is third in the division and split a home series with the number one team in the AHL, the Grand Rapids Griffins, this past weekend. They host Hartford this weekend looking to build on their 26-15-3 record and 55 points.

Hershey is fourth in the division with a 20-16-6-2 record and 48 points. They start the second half of their season in Canada and are in Laval Friday and then Belleville Saturday and Monday. The Bears only had the Penguins on their schedule last week and lost both.

Lehigh Valley is 2-8 in their last ten games thanks in large part to failing to beat the Penguins a bunch of times, losing Friday (and the Sunday before that) and losing to Bridgeport last Saturday. The Phantoms will swap opponents with the Penguins, hosting Cleveland Saturday and Syracuse Sunday. Lehigh Valley has a 21-20-2-2 record and 46 points.

Bridgeport is sixth in the division with a 20-20-2-3 record and 45 points. They lost to Providence Wednesday, Utica in a shootout on Friday, and beat Lehigh Valley at home on Saturday. They have Providence for a home-and-home this weekend.

Springfield is next with a 16-24-4-2 record and 38 points. They lost in Syracuse last Wednesday, Rochester on Friday, and Toronto on Saturday. They host the Iowa Wild this weekend for a pair of games.

I’d like to host the Iowa Wild one day. Make it happen, Coal Street!

Hartford is last in the division with 38 points and a 16-23-4-2 record. They lost both games (Saturday was in a shootout) to the Providence Bruins. They are in Charlotte this weekend.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: No one as the NHL is on an Olympic break.

Down: Daniel Laatsch, Zach Urdahl, and Brayden Edwards were sent to Wheeling last week.

Out: Ryan McAllister, signed to an AHL contract for the remainder of the season, was injured in his debut by Garrett Mitchell of Lehigh Valley, who also caught Zach Gallant in the same transaction. Both have upper body injuries (concussions), and because they are different for everyone, we will have to see when either gets back into the lineup again. Tristan Broz and Alex Alexeyev finally came off, and Raivis Ansons (week to week, upper body) and Joona Koppanen (lower, week to week) remain on the injured list.

Two Hats

Matt Dumba had a hat trick for the Penguins Friday in Allentown, and Avery Hayes had a hat trick Saturday in Hershey. It was the first hat trick in both players’ professional careers.

Two Players of the Week Awards

Avery Hayes was named AHL Player of the Week on Monday after a dream week where he make his NHL debut, scored two goals and then returned to the AHL and had a hat trick, where he scored his third goal in overtime on a power play.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I don’t know about you, but I get the sense that this team is different from any team I have seen in the last ten years. Deep everywhere, extremely well coached, and all pulling in the same direction. I think they can go deep, but we have been in this situation before where it all comes easy when we are wearing coats, boots, and shoveling snow, but the second the allergies hit and you start thinking about cutting the grass again, they are down 4-2 in Game 2 against Lehigh Valley, already down 1-0 in the best-of-three series, and it’s an early exit.

Syracuse kicked the snot out of them in the beginning of January, but the very next time they met, it was a methodical takedown. Cleveland has never beaten the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre, so it is certainly shaping up to be another weekend where you can expect four points.

But tread carefully. The NHL trade deadline is looming, and that piece I ran a few weeks ago could hit home.

Who’s in Goal?

Since Sergei Murashov was in Rockford being an All-Star and participating in the games, I think he will get Saturday off, and you see Joel Blomqvist with Murashov starting Sunday against Cleveland.

Brandon Halverson for Syracuse and Ivan Fedotov for Cleveland is my educated guess.

Who’s Running the Show?

Bobby Jo Love and Koletrane Wilson have the assignment on Saturday with Davids Rozitis and Bill Lyons on the lines.

Sunday sees Riley Brace and Jarrett Burton in the orange armbands with John Rey and All-Star linesman Jud Ritter on the lines. Ritter was a linesman in Rockford this week at the All-Star Classic.

Looking Ahead…

Midweek matchup against Springfield in Springfield on Wednesday, another Friday off home with Bridgeport on Saturday, and they will race back to Bridgeport for a Sunday afternoon game. A 5 o’clock Sunday start? Yuck!

Give us a bold prediction…

No reason he can’t go back-to-back, William Byron wins the Daytona 500 – wait, sorry, the Penguins win both games and will NOT have a player that records a hat trick in either game.

The second place Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins kept pace with the first place Providence Bruins who did the Penguins a solid in sweeping the third place Charlotte Checkers in North Carolina this past weekend.

After a week prior where they coughed up a lead against a Belleville team and lost in overtime and got blasted at home by the Checkers, it was a weekend of trepidation for the Penguins.

They had a Syracuse team that embarrassed them at the start of January and a Lehigh Valley team that always plays them tight.

They won both games handily, going away.

Even better, a guy that people from all walks of life and every corner of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ragged on in Matt Dumba, shut us all up with a goal and FIVE assists in the two games. More on him in a bit.

But that’s just one weekend in many of them. No time to rest on your laurels, Tux, it’s time to keep going and don’t stop!

Music to Set the Mood…

–

My tan is fading. Aw, hell, who am I kidding, my tan is faded.

A Quote…

If things don’t come easy, there’s no premium on effort. There should be joy in the chase, zest in the pursuit.
– Branch Rickey

The Setup…

Home Wednesday with Hershey then a trip back down to Allentown on Friday and then to Hershey on Saturday.

The Penguins thumped the Syracuse Crunch and Lehigh Valley Phantoms this past weekend. It was the AHL debut for Emil Pieniniemi and Tanner Howe. Pieniniemi on Saturday, Howe on Sunday.

The Bears lost in Rochester Friday and then won in overtime against Utica on Saturday.

Lehigh Valley had a three in three where they lost 2-1 in Springfield, beat Bridgeport at home 5-3 and then lost to the Pens 6-2.

Records

The Penguins are 29-12-2-2, good for second in the Atlantic Division with 62 points.

The Hershey Bears are 20-15-5-2, good for fourth and 47 points.

Lehigh Valley is 21-18-2-2, fifth, with 46.

The Rest of those Rascals…

As mentioned off the hop, Providence did the Penguins a solid with a sweep of the Checkers in North Carolina. The Bruins are an impressive 32-8-1 with 65 points and lead the Atlantic. The Bruins are in Bridgeport Wednesday, then have Hartford in a home and home. The Bruins still have four games in hand on the Penguins but won’t be eating into any of those this week.

Charlotte has a 25-14-3 record and are third in the Atlantic with 53 points, nine off the Penguins with three games in hand. The Checkers host the number one team in the American Hockey League, the Grand Rapids Griffins, this weekend for a pair of games.

Hershey’s games are exclusively against the Penguins this week. Lehigh Valley is off Wednesday, hosts the Penguins Friday then travels up to Bridgeport on Saturday.

Bridgeport is still playing some sneaky good hockey these days. They beat Hartford Friday, lost to Lehigh Valley on Saturday then shutout Springfield 4-0. They are a playoff team with a 19-19-2-2 record and 42 points and sixth in the division. They host Providence Wednesday, are in Utica Friday and host the Phantoms on Saturday.

Springfield took 4 out of 6 points out of the weekend, beating Lehigh Valley and Hartford before getting shutout Sunday to the Islanders. That trip to Bridgeport kicks off a six game road trip for the Thunderbirds, who visit Syracuse Wednesday, Rochester Friday, and Toronto on Saturday looking to improve on their 16-21-4-2 record and 38 points.

Hartford is playing like a team that is checked out. They have lost four straight, losing this weekend to Bridgeport and Springfield. The hits surely will continue this weekend with a home and home with the Providence Bruins although the last time they met, Hartford thumped the Bruins 5-1 on January 10. The Wolf Pack are 16-22-4-1 with 37 points in last.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Rutger McGroarty to Pittsburgh last week. Forward Melvin Fernström will join Wilkes-Barre from Sweden as the Penguins want a geographical closer look at the guy.

Down: G Filip Larsson will have his contract terminated. He’s 27 and is probably heading back overseas or has another deal lined up with maybe another AHL team.

Out: Daniel Laatsch (week to week, lower body), Sebastian Aho (week to week, lower body), Alex Alexyev (day to day, upper body), Raivis Ansons (week to week, upper body) are injured. Add Joona Koppanen (lower, week to week) to the list.

AHL Player of the Week

With a goal and five assists with a +4 rating in two games this past weekend, Matt Dumba finally said f*** them kids and played like King Kong and won AHL Player of the Week last weekend. You want to see it continue for as long as it can here, what with the amount of money Pittsburgh is paying him.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

They started on time against the Crunch on Friday and finished on time against the Phantoms on Sunday. Kick MacDonald coached them up with a week of practice and extracted their best. That’s a hell of a coach right there to get the most out of what he has.

Goaltending remains otherworldly with Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist. No worries there.

Finn Harding is coming into his own. I really liked his game this weekend and If you get Emil Pieniniemi rolling I think a rising tide lifts all boats.

No reason to believe that the Penguins can’t put away their in state rivals and pick up six more to keep up with Providence and to separate themselves from Charlotte this week.

Who’s in Goal?

I think Murashov will start the games against Hershey and Blomqvist gets Lehigh Valley again. Or maybe it goes Murashov-Murashov-Blomqvist. Again, I don’t think it really matters in this department.

It’s probably the Mitch Gibson show with the Bears with the goaltender injuries in Washington. He probably gets both games against the Pens this week, considering the Penguins are the only team on the schedule this week.

Aleksei Kolosov should start for the Phantoms Friday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Andrew Bell and Patrick Hanrahan are here Wednesday with Jud Ritter and Ryan Knapp on the lines.

Alex Lepkowski and Mike Dietrich have the assignment from Allentown on Friday with Dylan Blujus and Patrick Dapuzzo on the lines.

Sigh, Lepkowski and Dietrich hop in a car and are the assigned officials Saturday in Hershey with Blujus in tow. They will meet up with Tommy George. Where is the parity??

Looking Ahead…

Syracuse next Saturday and then Cleveland Sunday, both at home. Three games with the Monsters this month!

Give us a bold prediction…

A hat trick and a shutout will be seen in at least one of the three games this week.