Chirps from Center Ice

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have nothing to play for in the final week of the 2025-26 AHL Season. They are locked into the two seed and will be on a bye as the best of three shakes it self out middle to end of next week. They will play the highest seed remaining in the Atlantic Division Semifinals in a best of five series that begins in Wilkes-Barre, a date and opponent to be determined.

So, what else do you want to talk about?

The Setup…

Reminder to myself that when I do this again next October, music to set the mood and a quote.

Hershey this Wednesday, Bridgeport Friday and Rochester making their only visit of the season on the last game of the regular season.

The Penguins have the Bears to thank (indirectly) for beating the third place Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, but the Penguins beat the visiting Cleveland Monsters Saturday 4-1 anyway. They lost in overtime to a playoff bound Bridgeport Islanders team on Thursday.

The Bears split a series with the Checkers in Charlotte, losing Sunday after winning Saturday.

Bridgeport punched a postseason ticket Sunday with a win over Hartford but the night before they faced a desperate Lehigh Valley team that pounded them 7-3.

The Americans beat Syracuse, then lost to Springfield and Providence and have yet to, but are in decent enough shape, to claim the final North Division playoff spot.

Records

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton is locked in at the two seed with a 44-16-7-2 record and 97 points.

Hershey is fifth in the division with a 30-30-6-3 record and 69 points.

Rochester is fifth in the North Division with a 31-29-5-4 record good for 71 points.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Providence claimed the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the regular season champion. The Penguins have won that trophy before and as we know it’s meaningless. Providence played a cupcake laden schedule, went 1-2-1 against Wilkes-Barre, only playing a divisional foe four times this season while feasting on closer opponents in Bridgeport (11-1 record) Hartford (8-2) and Springfield (7-5) – they host Utica, a sub .500 team, for their fifth and sixth games against the Comets this season where they are presently 4-0.

Please tender your expectations for this team. I could probably score 20 points easy in a basketball game against a team full of middle schoolers too if you let me.

I find it laughable that Providence plays a team not even in their division more times than teams in their own division. Spare me your thoughts of the Bruins being anything close to a Calder Cup favorite.

Charlotte is locked in the third seed after splitting with Hershey. They never really had enough to challenge the Penguins as their dry spells were more prevalent than the Penguins. They wrap their regular season hosting the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They have a 43-22-5 record, for 91 points.

Bridgeport will be in Hartford on Wednesday and conclude their regular season in Hershey on Saturday.

Hershey hosts Rochester on the final day of the season Sunday afternoon.

Springfield may have choked their playoff chances away. They beat Rochester Friday, lost to Hartford Saturday and were shutout by Providence on Sunday. They have a 30-31-3-3 record.

Lehigh Valley needed to win both of their games this weekend and did, crushing Bridgeport 7-3 and then beating Cleveland 4-3 in a shootout. They head to Charlotte, who doesn’t have anything to play for either, for a pair this weekend. The Phantoms have a 30-33-3-3 record.

(to be fair, the Penguins have a 10-0-1-1 record against the Phantoms and a 7-2 record against the Bears)

Hartford’s goose is cooked. They lost to Providence, beat Springfield and then lost to Bridgeport this weekend. They host Bridgeport and Springfield for a home and home this weekend before they pack up for the summer. They have a 25-35-5-3 record. Thanks for the fish.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Joona Koppanen, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. I would expect all four back fairly soon. Avery Hayes was sent back to Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard went up Tuesday.

Down: Nolan Renwick is up from Wheeling. Goaltender Maxim Pavlenko is up, the ECHL has crazy roster rules I have never cared enough to understand.

Out: Melvin Fernstrom and Tristan Broz are week to week with upper body injuries. Broz will likely be ready for game one of the division semifinals if I had to guess.

What Can We Learn About the Penguins this week?

How do all of these rookies fare in what is probably a preview of next season for most of them? Expect almost a preseason like look to the Penguins this week with nothing to play for. You will likely see a lineup laden with ATO guys and rookies.

Hershey and Rochester have something to play for. Bridgeport is already in but would like to have home ice in Round One, so there aren’t any “easy opponents” for these kids, so it should be a decent enough of learning experience / trial by fire for all.

Just please, if there are any regulars that are going to dress this week, for the love of god stay healthy and your noses clean.

Who’s in Goal?

I’d call up Gabriel D’Aigle and give him a game, Taylor Gauthier has earned one too. If Max Pavlenko is here, hell give him a game too.

What I am trying to say is don’t expect Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov unless there is an AHL award the coaching staff is trying to get them.

Mitch Gibson, Henrik Tikkanen, Scott Ratzlaff for the opposition is my blind guess.

Who’s Running the Show?

Rob Hennessey and Adam Tobias are here Wednesday with Jud Ritter and Tommy George on the lines.

Beau Halkidis will spend Friday and Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, here with Morgan MacPhee on Friday with Shawn Oliver and Anthony Lapointe on the lines.

Cole MacDonald tags in for MacPhee on Saturday with Davids Rozitis and John Rey on the lines.

Give the refs a pass this week, the Penguins have nothing to play for.

Looking Ahead…

First Round Bye. I’ll be here next week with a Calder Cup Playoff prediction. I’m trying to talk myself into the Penguins. I think you see a surprise winner this season, I just have no idea who yet.

Give us a bold prediction…

We will all have fun this week having nothing to realistically play for and knowing that we can rest easy while four other divisional teams knock the hell out of each other for the right to lose to us in the divisional round.

Hey wait…

Oh yeah. NYCFC get back to their winning ways with a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC and give me Kyle Larson to go back to back at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.

Officially made official about ten days ago, the Bridgeport Islanders are relocating to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-27 season. They will play in the North Division. The Penguins will be losing a divisional foe, but more than that, a city loses a team.

It seems nonsensical that you would move your AHL affiliate further from you and in a different country. But that is what the New York Islanders are doing, for some strange reason.

So next time you want to complain about anything related to the Penguins, think about Bridgeport, or any team really (Binghamton, Manchester, Worcester, Portland, Norfolk, Albany) that lost their team.

For me, I’ll miss Bridgeport incredibly.

Mike Fornabaio, who covered the team for years, is the teams defacto living encyclopedia. His writing style inspired me to start this blog. I already knew how to write and was good with a keyboard, etc., but it was still good to see how an actual professional did it and to mimic that in whatever mess this blog has been for the past 15 years. He’s an incredible follow on Twitter and a great human being.

My first media credential was signed out of Bridgeport. I think it was a booster club trip if I remember correctly. I think they had been to Hartford, then up to Springfield and then played a Sunday game in Bridgeport at the time. Suzanne, who ran game ops for the Sound Tigers at the time, messaged me to see if I was coming to the game and when I told her I was, she without hesitation wrote me out a press credential. It’s a good thing I packed a button-down shirt that day because it would have been weird wearing a hockey jersey on press row.

Actually I wasn’t on press row for that game, I was on an end. I didn’t want to be on press row because I would have bothered Fornabaio at his job and probably would have bothered him the whole game and watched in awe at the master at his craft. I didn’t know what I was doing then, and really like to treat hockey games as fun and a distraction from my regular 9 to 5 salaried job where I have to act like an adult and a professional and not make puns, cat jokes or other hijinks. That’s one of the reasons I stopped bothering the Penguins and really have no interest in media access. You have to act with some level of decorum. I consider this a hobby and don’t want to conform to someone else’s rules with said hobby.

Bridgeport has had some really great broadcasters. I remember Sound Tigers play by play man Phil Giubileo hosting the weekly Around the AHL show on AHL Live and would look forward to that like a kid at Christmas to learn about the other teams in the AHL that the Penguins never saw. When Giubileo moved on, Alan Fuehring stepped in. Fuerhing recently graduated to the NHL Islanders but was on the call for the AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford. That was the first televised AHL broadcast I watched of the festivities in years. Fuehring made it enjoyable and at the end I said to a few people that I would pay money to listen to that guy read the phone book. He’s good, really good at what he does.

The Sound Tigers / Islanders have given the Penguins fits over the years. I wasn’t around in 2006 for Konstantin Koltsov taking us to the promised land, but I was there sweating in my seat when the Sound Tigers were good enough to make playoffs and gave the Penguins some scares in the mid-2010’s.

I think I have prattled on long enough about this team, but I sure will miss them and sincerely thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for the memories.

The Penguins make their final regular season trip to Bridgeport, Connecticut on Thursday.

Let’s abridge the usual, and get through this in under 1500 words maybe? I’m at 671 right here.*

Hold Me Closer Gandy Dancer….

After the Thursday meeting in Bridgeport, the Penguins have a Friday off and then host Cleveland in the AHL Game of the Week when they transition into the Steamtown Gandy Dancers.

Steamtown, affiliated with Scranton, which is in Lackawanna County, presented to you by Visit Luzerne County.

Make it Make Sense!

Last Week / Records

Bridgeport had one game, a 4-2 win at home against Hartford. This solidified the Islanders playoff hopes, as one of either Hershey or Lehigh Valley along with Hartford isn’t making playoffs out of the Atlantic. The Islanders are 30-28-3-5 and have 68 points, good for fourth in the Atlantic. After hosting the Pens Thursday, they are in Allentown Saturday then home against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Cleveland swept the visiting Milwaukee Admirals last weekend and then lost to the Rochester Americans in a shootout on Monday. The Monsters have a 35-25-6-2 record with 78 points and sit third in the North Division and have locked up a playoff spot.

Magic Numbers and Rascals that Matter…

Providence’s magic number for the division is 1. They beat Syracuse and lost to Rochester in overtime last weekend. They have Hartford Friday. If the Penguins lose in any form or fashion against Bridgeport later, the division is theirs.

Wilkes-Barre’s magic number for a first round bye is four points. They presently have 94 points and Charlotte can only max at 97. The Penguins have a game in hand on the Checkers. If the Pens win tonight they will have 96 and then the magic number will be 1. Any points lost by the Checkers who host Hershey for a pair of pivotal games for the Bears this weekend, will also give the Penguins the first round bye, thus avoiding a three game series to open the Playoffs.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: Avery Hayes and Sergei Murashov went back up this week. Murashov because Stuart Skinner took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench. I think Pittsburgh is crazy if they carry three goaltenders. Skinner is their number one, Murashov is their number one in Wilkes-Barre. Don’t overthink it, don’t stunt the kids development by having him backup Skinner in playoffs. As result of all of this, Taylor Gauthier was reassigned from Wheeling to Wilkes-Barre.

Down: Nolan Renwick and Zach Urdahl went to Wheeling on Easter Sunday.

Out: Tristan Broz and Melvin Fernstrom are week to week with upper body injuries.

привет товарищ

A big addition to Wilkes-Barre came Wednesday when Forward Mikhail Ilyin was reassigned from Severstal in the KHL to Coal Street. He was at practice Wednesday so he’s in town getting acclimated. I would expect to see him make his debut in North America in a mere few hours. Pittsburgh is high on the kid.

ATO Szn…

Forward Tiernan Shoudy from Sparty (Michigan State) signed to an AHL Contract for 26-27 but joins the team now as Coal Street continues to amass B1G talent. Shoudy was sent to Wheeling, who also signed Penguins draft pick goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle.

Ryan Miller and Quinn Beauchesne are actual ATO signings. Fifth round picks from Pittsburgh this year, join Wilkes-Barre for the remainder of the season. Don’t get used to these kids yet, they are too young for full time AHL work next season as Miller is only 18 and is committed to the University of Denver for the fall semester.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Don’t shed a tear about Murashov going up. Taylor Gauthier is long overdue for an AHL recall and owns just about every record a Wheeling Nailers goaltender can have. We will probably see Gauthier in one of the two games if Murashov isn’t sent back.

The Penguins still have work to do, but it’s like a four day work week. It’s Thursday morning (literally as this post goes up) and you want to get all of your work done today plus whatever leftover stuff you let sit for the week before 5 o’clock for the long weekend. Trust me, I know, I’ve been in a 9-5 job with the same company for 25 years. I have been there.

So you want to get all of the important stuff done today so you can come in fresh on Monday to essentially let your ATO’s and new kids clean up the three remaining home games you have left in your regular season next week and not have to worry about magic numbers.

The thought is that Kirk MacDonald has them primed to do just this, this weekend. The proof, as always, is in the pudding.

Who’s in Goal?

Joel Blomqvist tonight then depending on results, possible Taylor Gauthier on Saturday or Murashov deepening on what Pittsburgh does in the next 48/72 hours.

Henrik Tikkanen and Ivan Fedotov for the opposition.

Who’s Running the Show?

Liam Maaskant and Mike Dietrich have the assignment tonight in Bridgeport with Trevor Disbennett and Anthony Lapointe on the lines.

Saturday sees Dietrich again with Andrew Bell with Tommy George and Jud Ritter on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

Final week of the regular season and three home games. Hershey is in Wednesday, Bridgeport here Friday and Rochester makes their only visit of the season in the last game of the season.

Come on, City!

The Pigeons have their first real test of the season when they host the defending Western Conference Champion Vancouver Whitecaps this Saturday. I see a 2-2 draw.

It’s Bristol, Baby!

I remember when Elliott Sadler won the 2001 Food City 500. Some of you that read this blog probably weren’t around then. The Sadler victory was seen as an upset at the time. Do I see an upset this weekend at the Last Great Coliseum? No, I do not. Give me Ryan Blaney.

Give us a bold prediction…

Gabriel D’Aigle gets recalled next week, starts against Rochester as the Penguins play with house money after wrapping up a first round bye and pitches a 27 save shutout in his AHL debut.

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* – this little trick here I stole from, “Soundin’ Off” and the great Mike Fornabaio**
** – 1672 words

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are already a shoo-in for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs and will look to solidify themselves as one of the two teams in the Atlantic Division that gets a First Round Bye.

Music to Set the Mood…

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A Quote…

Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.
— Winston Churchill

The Setup

Paying off the series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a home and home, starting tonight in Wilkes-Barre and concluding tomorrow in Allentown.

Last week the Penguins hosted the Laval Rocket and won 3-1 and these Phantoms on Sunday and won 5-1. Quietly, the Penguins have won four games in a row.

The Phantoms beat the reeling Hershey Bears the Saturday night before traveling up to Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Hope this isn’t some kind of weird foreshadowing, but the Penguins have not lost in regulation to the Phantoms yet this season.

Records

The Penguins are second in the division with 90 points and a 41-16-6-2 record.

Lehigh Valley is presently seventh with a 28-31-3-3 record with 62 points.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Providence’s magic number to win the division is 4. They have feasted on terrible teams of late, beating Bridgeport, losing to Springfield and needing a shootout to beat Utica. They are in Syracuse Friday and Rochester on Saturday. They have a 50-14-1 record and 101 points.

Charlotte swept Hartford in Hartford last weekend but needed overtime and a shootout to do it. They beat Rochester on Wednesday. They are in Toronto for a pair this weekend. The Checkers have a 40-21-5 record and 85 points.

Bridgeport is on a tear and is up to fourth in the division. They beat Laval in a shootout last Friday, lost to Providence Saturday and then beat Hershey Wednesday. They host Hartford Friday then have the weekend off. The Islanders have a 29-28-3-5 record and 66 points.

Hershey has gone cold at the wrong time of the season. They beat Syracuse last Friday which is something the Penguins can’t seem to do, but then were dropped by Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport. They are in Springfield and Hartford this weekend. They have a 28-28-6-3 record and 65 points.

Springfield holds the final playoff spot heading into this weekend with a 27-29-6-2 record with 62 points and beat Lehigh Valley and Providence last weekend. They host Hershey for a pivotal game Friday and then host Syracuse Saturday.

Gave you Lehigh Valley’s body of work above.

Hartford lost 2-1 in overtime and 2-1 in a shootout to Charlotte last weekend at home. They are in Bridgeport Friday and host Hershey Saturday. They have a 24-32-5-3 record and have 56 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Up: No one. Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes were all up with Pittsburgh but were returned Thursday (McGroarty, Koivunen) and Friday (Hayes) – this would mean that Wilkes-Barre is at full strength (or as full as full can be) with no recalls to Pittsburgh.

Down: Emil Pieniniemi was assigned to Wheeling Tuesday. Raivis Ansons remains up.

Out: Tristan Broz and Melvin Fernstrom remain out with injury.

ATO Season

Wilkes-Barre signed defenseman Broten Sabo from The Ohio State University and forward Daniel Russell from Sparty (Michigan State) this week. Their contracts will kick in next season, but they join the team on ATO’s now.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Do they take a weekend off against a desperate opponent or hammer down and bury the Phantoms this weekend and their playoff chances and solidify themselves as a two seed and lock up the bye?

One would hope. All signs would point to it but they play the games to be absolutely sure.

Having McGroarty, Koivnen and Hayes back help, but please don’t rest on these laurels. Bury these fools.

Who’s in Goal?

Interesting conundrum. Both Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist played well last weekend, who starts Friday? I’d go Murashov and Blomqvist Saturday in Allentown.

Aleksei Kolosov should get the start Friday and Yaniv Perets, who the Phantoms called up from ECHL Reading might get the start Saturday, but the Phantoms did start Kolosov in back to backs last weekend.

Who’s Running the Show?

Graedy Hamilton and Austin Rook are here Friday with Tommy George and John Rey on the lines.

Saturday it’s Rook again with Patrick Hanrahan with Rey again on the lines with Jud Ritter.

Looking Ahead…

A Thursday trip to Bridgeport, a Friday off and then a Saturday home game against Cleveland.

Come on, City!

I don’t think New York City Football Club has any trouble with visiting St. Louis, and will win 3-1.

NASCAR Picks…

Cup is off but Truck and O’Reilly are in Rockingham. Give me Carson Hocevar in Trucks and Justin Allgaier in O’Reilly at The Rock this weekend.

Give us a bold prediction…

One of our goaltenders gets a shutout this weekend. Penguins win both games.

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.