Chirps from Center Ice

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…

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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.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have a lot of guys injured. Despite this, they are only three points off of the Providence Bruins coming into the weekend.

The guys that were traded are gone and aren’t walking through that door ever again. So they have to manage with the guys that they have, but help has to get here soon or else the Penguins are in danger of falling out of the top two in the division thus putting them in a dreaded Best of Three series against Lehigh Valley.

Music to Set the Mood…

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I guess you can see where I am going here.

A Quote…

Properly used, positive reinforcement is extremely powerful.
– B.F. Skinner

The Setup…

Home against Syracuse Saturday, a road trip to Allentown Sunday afternoon. Simple enough.

Was last week a good week for the Penguins? They lost in overtime last Wednesday at home against Belleville and had their $2.6M man Matt Dumba on ice for all of the goals against, beat Hershey in Hershey on Friday and then were subjugated Saturday against a hard charging Charlotte Checkers team.

They fell out of first place to a Providence Bruins team that has a ton of games in hand on them so that may have been inevitable, but now the Pens are three points off the Bruins and have to keep pace, while slipping.

Syracuse split a home and home with the Utica Comets last weekend where the home team won and hosted Laval last night and lost in overtime. They come to Wilkes-Barre with a 23-15-3-1 record with 50 points and second in the North Division.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms got blasted by the Charlotte Checkers 8-5 last Friday, then beat Hershey 4-3 in overtime Saturday and lost in Springfield Friday. They host Bridgeport Saturday and have a 20-17-2-2 record with 44 points and are fifth in the Atlantic Division.

Records

The Penguins have a 27-12-2-2 record and have 58 points in second place in the Atlantic Division. I gave you Syracuse and Lehigh Valley’s records above.

The Rest of those Rascals…

This should be easy because Providence and Charlotte play each other down in North Carolina this weekend starting Saturday afternoon.

Providence had a three in three last weekend and won all three. Belleville in OT Friday; Bridgeport via shootout on Saturday and Toronto in overtime on Sunday.

Charlotte smoked the Phantoms and Penguins as noted above and then obliterated the Hartford Wolf Pack 7-1 on Wednesday.

The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division with a 30-8-1 record and 61 points. Charlotte has a 25-12-3 record for 53 points in third.

Hershey spent the week in Rochester, beating the Americans on Wednesday and then lost 3-1 on Friday. Hershey is in Utica on Saturday and have a 19-14-5-2 record and are fourth in the Atlantic with 45 points.

Bridgeport lost in Hartford last Friday then lost via shootout to the Providence Bruins. The Islanders then destroyed the Hartford Wolf Pack last night. They are in Allenton Saturday and then host Springfield on Sunday. The Islanders have a 18-18-2-2 record, good for 40 points and sixth in the Atlantic.

Bridgeport is turning into a sneaky good team. Watch out.

Hartford and Springfield bring up the rear, with the Wolf Pack beating the Islanders last Friday then losing big to Toronto 4-1 on Saturday then just embarrassing themselves against Charlotte on Wednesday (7-1) and going down 5-0 after two periods against Bridgeport last night. The Wolf Pack have Springfield Saturday and have a 16-21-4-1 record for 37 points and seventh in the division.

Springfield certainly isn’t playing like a last place team per se. They beat Toronto in overtime last Friday, lose 1-0 to Belleville on Saturday and then won 2-1 against the Phantoms last night. The Thunderbirds host Hartford tonight and then head to Bridgeport Sunday evening. Springfield has a 15-20-4-2 record with 36 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Bryan Rust was suspended three games necessitating a Rutger McGroarty recall to Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Down: David Breazeale was sent to Wheeling in a swap for Emil Pieniniemi. Pieniniemi is about three months late. He didn’t make the AHL team out of camp, pointed and went home, they suspended him and then they made amends and he returned to the States. Coal Street also recalled Forward Brayden Edwards on Thursday in the wake of the McGroarty recall.

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 we think, who blocked a shot last Wednesday and didn’t play Friday or Saturday.

Reading the teal leaves….

Makes me think since they recalled Edwards that they aren’t expecting any of the forwards who are injured to return this weekend. Which kind of nixes the whole “reinforcements” trope. Oh, well.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Syracuse can give them fits. They are a competitive team out of necessity. You can start the weekend in second place and if you don’t watch out, can end the weekend in sixth place. They are also very well structured and well coached. I don’t want to use the word “overcome” here for a team that has led it’s division all season for the most part, but the dynamic of this team isn’t the same dynamic as it was two months ago when they were just running over teams and getting excellent goaltending.

Whatever forward and defensive group that Kirk MacDonald put out there this weekend have to play nearly. perfect in order to put themselves in a position to win I think.

I’m more worried about Syracuse than I am Lehigh Valley and I shouldn’t be, given it’s been the Phantoms the last two seasons which have sent the Penguins into the summer.

Who’s in Goal?

Murashov – Blomqvist Saturday / Sunday. Ryan Fanti for the Crunch and Aleksei Kolosov for the Phantoms is my educated guess.

Who’s Running the Show?

Austin Rook and Hayden Verbeek have the assignment Saturday in Wilkes-Barre with John Rey and Davids Rozitis on the lines.

Sunday sees Liam Maaskant and Sydney Harris with Rozitis manning the lines again with Patrick Dapuzzo joining him.

Looking Ahead…

All Pennsylvania, all the time. Home against Hershey Wednesday, a trip back to Allentown Friday, then Hershey on Saturday.

Give us a bold prediction…

They get one of the guys on the injured list into a game this weekend, winning both.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will look to keep the momentum rolling with a midweek drop in. by the Belleville Senators and then a Friday trip to Hershey and then returning home to close out the season series with the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.

Music to Set the Mood…

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The team went with a beach theme last weekend and was almost trolling us with the warm vibes and music I play out by my pool.

A Quote…

“Smell the sea, and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.”
– Van Morrison 

Okay, okay, enough of wishing it were June. I have to move this along because I have snow to shovel.

The Setup…

Gave it to you in the opening paragraph. Belleville at home, Hershey on the road, Charlotte at home.

Last week, the Penguins beat the Providence Bruins 4-1 in a head to head in Providence. This would give me calm that there isn’t anything that the Penguins would necessarily need to be worried about when going straight up against the Bruins. It’s just that Providence won’t go away, staying in lock step with the Penguins all season.

Then the Pens split with Hartford, losing Friday and winning Saturday.

A quick bus ride to Springfield on Monday saw the Pens win a squeaker against the Thunderbirds in their first trip up to Massachusetts this season.

Belleville won in overtime on Wednesday in Laval and then Friday at home against Rochester and then won in a shootout against Utica at home Sunday.

Hershey lost in overtime at home against Hartford last Wednesday, beat Charlotte in overtime and then lost in a shootout against the Checkers and then lost in overtime to the Wolf Pack on Tuesday. The Bears travel to Allentown on Saturday and then host the Checkers Sunday.

Charlotte, as you saw above, did what they did at home against Hershey and will be in Lehigh Valley Friday, in Wilkes-Barre Saturday and in Hershey on Sunday.

Records

The Penguins are 26-11-1-2 and have 55 points and are in first place in the Atlantic.

Belleville is 17-18-6 with 40 points in fifth place in the North Division.

Hershey is 18-14-4-1 with 41 points in fifth in the Atlantic.

The Checkers are 22-12-3 with 47 points and third in the Atlantic.

The Rest of those Rascals

Providence hosted Cleveland for a pair this weekend and swept the Monsters. They have the same amount of points as the Penguins (55) with a 27-8-1 record and are second in the Atlantic and host Belleville Friday, Toronto on Sunday and in between travel to Bridgeport Saturday.

Lehigh Valley had a bit of a rough weekend, scoring just one goal in home losses to Bridgeport and Syracuse. They went up to Bridgeport on Monday and lost their fourth straight. The Phantoms host Hershey and Charlotte this weekend looking to build off of their 19-15-2-2 record with 42 points in fourth in the division.

Bridgeport has been on a bit of a tear, beating the Phantoms on the road Friday then Springfield at home on Saturday and then winning their fifth straight against the Phantoms on Monday. The Islanders are 17-17-2-1 and have 37 points and in sixth place and travel to Hartford Friday and then host Providence on Sunday.

Hartford bert Hershey in overtime, then split with Wilkes-Barre this past weekend. They concluded their Pennsylvania trip with a big overtime in Hershey Tuesday. The Wolf Pack host Bridgeport and Toronto this weekend and have a 15-18-4-1 record and have 35 points in seventh place in the Atlantic.

Springfield were shelled in Charlotte midweek, then lost 4-1 in Bridgeport Saturday lost a competitive one against the Penguins Monday and are 13-19-4-2 with 32 points in last place in the Atlantic looking to ascend the standings this week hosting Toronto and Belleville Friday and Saturday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Joona Koppanen was recalled to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Zach Urdahl, David Breazeale remain on recall from the Wheeling Nailers.

Down: In the Koppanen transaction, Pittsburgh sent back Rutger McGroarty. Brayden Edwards and Max Graham went back down to Wheeling.

Out: Caleb Jones was here for a conditioning stinting got hurt. I don’t know the rules on how that works, so forget him. 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.

Traded: Valtteri Puustinen to Colorado. Pittsburgh is trading dead end players for a future. You don’t know what that future is until Crosby, Malkin and Letang are retired, but you can’t fault them for making moves. Puustinen had no future in the organization. It sucks to lose the firepower, but that’s what a minor league franchise is for. We are pawns in a bigger game.

Avery Hayes returned from his upper body injury and played Monday in Springfield.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I would like to think that this is as important as week for the Penguins as any other. You had an average Belleville team here for a midweek game then head to a warming up Hershey Bears team that may be finding themselves and then host a team that has given you headaches in Charlotte? Why aren’t the Penguins six points up on Providence? You can point to Charlotte. The Checkers aren’t going away.

If you put that effort that they put in Providence and apply it to every game going forward, then I will see you in June. They are getting me to believe that they might just.

Who’s in Goal? 

I’d find a way to have Sergei Murashov start Saturday against the Checkers and work backwards. That means he starts Wednesday against Belleville and Joel Blomqvist starts Friday in Hershey.

Hunter Shepard (late of Hershey if the name sounds familiar) Clay Stevenson, Kirill Gerasimyuk would be my guess for the opposition.

Who’s Running the Show?

Damian Figueira and Andrew Bell are in charge Wednesday with Jud Ritter and Josh Cleary on the lines.

Friday in Hershey Mike Campbell and Patrick Hanrahan are the referees with Cleary again and John Rey on the lines.

Saturday sees Campbell and Rey again with Jack Young joining Campbell in dishing out discipline and Davids Rozitis on the lines with Rey.

Looking Ahead…

Off next Friday, home against Syracuse Saturday and then a trip to Lehigh Valley Sunday.

Give us a bold prediction…

Put at least four more points in the can.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, decimated by injuries, enter a vital week where they wrap a road trip with a Wednesday stop in Providence to take on the Bruins, then return home for a pair with the hapless but still pesky Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday and Saturday.

Music to Set the Mood…

–

When you need inspiration, throw on some Dokken. This is off their second album of the same name. Where were you in 1984?

A Quote…

Desperate living, driving me mad
Writing’s on the wall
Crushed all our hopes and the dreams we once had
Just to watch them fall

— (Brown / Dokken / Lynch / Pilson)

In keeping with the above video, this is the first verse. If you have followed this team for years, that verse hits the nail straight on the head.

The Setup…

Their final head-to-head with the Providence Bruins, then a pair with the Hartford Wolf Pack at home and then head up to Springfield for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee on Monday.

Last weekend in Charlotte, the Penguins split a pair of 5-1 decisions winning Friday and losing Saturday in a pair of polar opposite games where everything seemed to go right for them Friday and everything was working against them on Sunday.

The Bruins had a three in three weekend where they beat Bridgeport, lost to Hartford and then won against Lehigh Valley to outright claim first in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins are 25-7-1 and have 51 points. After hosting the Penguins on Wednesday, Cleveland is in for the weekend for a Saturday and Sunday visit.

Hartford also had a three in three, where they beat Springfield, Providence and lost against Bridgeport. The Wolf Pack are 12-17-4-1, in last place in the Atlantic with 29 points and are in Hershey on Wednesday before heading to Wilkes-Barre.

Springfield beat Hartford then lost to Lehigh Valley this past weekend. They then headed south for Charlotte and lost big, 8-2, on Tuesday and will rematch the Checkers on Wednesday. The Thunderbirds have a 13-16-4-2 record and have 32 points and will host the Pens on Monday for an MLK Day bash.

Side note, three in threes for Providence, Bridgeport, Hartford and Springfield are different then there in threes for the Penguins, Bears and Phantoms. You are in your own bed every night and only on a bus for an hour or less.

Records

Gave you Providence, Hartford and Springfield’s above. The Penguins are 23-10-1-2 and good for 49 points and are second in the Atlantic. That’s the halfway point for the Pens this season and would put them on 98 points. 96 points won the Division for Hershey last year.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Lehigh Valley is staying hot on the trail of the Penguins and Bruins and are in third place and have a 19-12-2-2 record and 42 points. The Phantoms beat Springfield Saturday and lost to the Bruins on Sunday. The Phantoms host Bridgeport and Syracuse this Friday and Saturday and then are in Bridgeport on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday.

I gave you what the Charlotte Checkers did above with the Pens, splitting a pair of 5-1 decisions this past weekend. Charlotte hosted Springfield Tuesday and smoked the Thunderbirds 8-2. The Checkers will be looking to improve upon their 20-12-2 record and 42 points when they host Springfield again tonight, then Hershey on Saturday and Sunday.

The Hershey Bears hosted the Cleveland Monsters this past weekend and beat the Monsters on Saturday and then lost in overtime on Sunday. The Bears host Hartford on Wednesday before heading south for Charlotte for a pair this weekend. The Bears are 17-14-2 and have 36 points in fifth in the division.

Bridgeport had a three in three where they lost in Providence, beat Utica at home and then beat Hartford at home. The Islanders are 14-17-2-1 with 31 points and seventh in the Atlantic. They are in Allentown Friday, host Springfield on Saturday and the Phantoms on MLK Day on Monday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Zach Urdahl, Max Graham, Brayden Edwards, David Breazeale remain on recall from the Wheeling Nailers. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was sent back Tuesday, but Ryan Graves and Tristan Broz went up.

Down: Define down. This is a broad definition, given the circumstances. Gabe Klassen came off the injured list and Ville Koivunen was returned from Pittsburgh. Dave Breazeale was sent back to Wheeling on Monday. Caleb Jones, a defenseman, is here on a conditioning stint. Anything is better than Matt Dumba.

Out: Aidan McDonough (day to day, upper body), Avery Hayes (week to week, upper body), 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.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Are they more like the Friday team or the Saturday team? A cop out is a little of both.

Look, I think you can pencil them in as a playoff team barring a major disaster. As of right now though I don’t think they are playing like a division leader and I would even argue that they are in danger of losing a bye bid. Which means they are in the Best of Three First Round series again, this time probably against Hershey because Lehigh Valley is gunning for a bye.

Charlotte gives them problems. They play Providence tight because the two teams are carbon copies of one another. They can outclass Hartford.

I think they are okay, for now, but they are in the second half of their season now and time is going to start running out.

Who’s in Goal?

Sergei Murashov should start Wednesday and Saturday, let Joel Blomqvist start Friday. The better of the two starts Monday.

Mike DiPietro should get the net for the Bruins Wednesday , then you should see Callum Tung and Dylan Garand in some capacity on Friday and Saturday. Vadim Zherenko is my guess for Springfield on Monday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Austin Rook and Jim Curtin have the assignment on Wednesday in Providence. Curtin is my favorite ref out of there. Dylan Blujus and Jack McQuesten Work the lines.

Friday sees Adam Tobias and Luke Stork work the game with Richard Jondo and T.J. Dockery on the lines. Stork stays the night in Wilkes-Barre and meets up with Hayden Verbeek. Dockery too, as Bill Lyons tags in for Jondo.

No crew listed for Monday’s game yet.

Looking Ahead…

The Belleville Senators stop in on Wednesday for their only visit of the season, then it’s off to Hershey for a rare Friday Bears home game and then the Pens are home Saturday against the Charlotte Checkers for the season series finale between the two teams.

Give us a bold prediction…

7 of 8 points this week, fighting for every point tooth and nail, like the title above says.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are battling injuries to their core players and the healthy core players that remain are either wholly ineffective or inexperienced or have been traded.

It does happen to every team. But it always seems to happen to this team.

They need to battle through it, because they are in the heart of the schedule now.

Music to Set the Mood…

–

A Quote…

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
— Aristotle

The Setup…

A pair in Charlotte Friday and Saturday. Seems like all of their troubles started with the Checkers.

Last weekend, the Penguins were embarrassed in probably one of the worst games in franchise history and shutout 6-0 in Syracuse on Saturday. They were down 3-0 before the game was even five minutes old, losing 5-0 after the end of the first and only had four first period shots.

Thankfully, mercifully, that was it for action.

Charlotte was in Cleveland last weekend and were swept which is typical Charlotte. Against top tier teams they look like world beaters, against a fifth place in the North team like the Monsters, they look like punks. It’s mind blowing.

Records…

The Penguins are 22-9-1-2 and still lead the Atlantic Division for now with 47 points.

Charlotte is in fourth in the division with an 18-11-2 record, good for 38 points.

The Rest of Those Rascals…

Providence is 23-6-1 and tied with the Penguins in points with 47 but in second, for now. They beat the hapless Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 on Friday, then hosted the Springfield Thunderbirds and won. Seems like the Bruins and Thunderbirds flip flop wins. The Bruins have a good old three in three weekend staring them in the face hosting Bridgeport and Lehigh Valley Friday and Sunday and traveling to Hartford on Saturday.

Lehigh Valley is 18-11-2-2 with 40 points and in third. The Phantoms were in Canada last weekend and beat Belleville on Saturday and then won against Toronto on Sunday. The Phantoms are in Springfield on Saturday and then Providence on Sunday.

Hershey is 16-14-1 in fifth in the division with 33 points. Hershey hosted the Rockford IceHogs this weekend and swept them. The Bears continue their homestead with the Cleveland Monsters stopping in this weekend.

Springfield is 12-14-4-2 and sixth in the division with 30 points. The Thunderbirds are playing a game of leap frog with the Wolf Pack and Islanders for last place. They beat Bridgeport at home Friday and then lost against Providence on Sunday. They took a midweek trip out to Utica on Wednesday and got throttled 5-1. They host Hartford Friday and Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Hartford is seventh in the Atlantic with a 11-15-4-1 record with 27 points. The Wolf Pack lost to the Providence Bruins on Friday and beat the Bridgeport Islanders both by 4-1 scores. Hartford is in Springfield Friday, host Providence Saturday and are in Bridgeport Sunday.

Bridgeport is last in the Atlantic with a 12-16-2-1 record and 27 points. Bridgeport lost both games to Springfield and Hartford. They have Providence, Utica and Hartford this weekend.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Zach Urdahl, Max Graham, Brayden Edwards, David Breazeale are on recall from the Wheeling Nailers.

Down: No one, as they are all up here. Ville Koivunen was returned to Wilkes-Barre Thursday morning which was a welcome sight.

Out: Aidan McDonough, Gabe Klassen, Avery Hayes, Daniel Laatsch, Sebastian Aho, Alex Alexyev are injured. Laatsch and Aho are week to week. I didn’t see any moves this week with guys getting moved to or from Wheeling as a tea leaf reading on a possibility of getting guys back.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I would say that they should dig deep and grit points away, but it’s hard when every game someone is getting traded or getting hurt. It messes with chemistry, etc. but they are all professionals and hockey is a simple enough of a game.

They need to get guys back from injury and quickly if they want to stay at the top of the division. Otherwise, it’s a slow decent into second, then getting chased down for third, and then all of a sudden the regular season is over and you’re in another best of three with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms again.

The rest of them, specifically looking in the direction of Tristan Broz, Valtteri Puustinen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, need to be better. They need to lead. They need to score points. Broz has been invisible since his recall. In his last ten games, a goal and two assists. That’s not going to cut it and I have no idea why Kirk MacDonald has him centering a top line with that putrid production. Getting Koivunen should help a bit.

Kirk MacDonald is a hell of a coach. You’d like to think he earns his money trying to coach the best out of his team.

They can beat Charlotte, as they proved the last time that they played here.

Who’s in Goal?

I would go with Filip Larsson if Joel Blomqvist can’t go for whatever reason and let Sergei Murashov have a game off. Hell, I would even give Murashov the entire weekend off. Perhaps he’s hitting a wall. He’s under immense pressure pressure to perform as they all him booked as Pittsburgh’s #1 goaltender for a decade or longer. Pressure busts pipes.

Cooper Black / Louis Domingue is the duo the Penguins will be facing in some combination this weekend.

Who’s Running the Show?

Ben Betker and Damien Figueira are the refs for the weekend. Luke Pye and Jake Rennert have the lines Friday, Brian Pincus tags in for Rennert on Saturday.

Looking Ahead…

The hits continue. The final trip to Providence this Wednesday followed by a pair at home against Hartford and then a Martin Luther King, Jr. matinee day game next Monday in Springfield.

Give us a bold prediction…

They manufacture two points out of the weekend and things start tightening up in the division. 😬