Chirps from Center Ice

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins return home after a four game road trip that saw them go 3-1. They host the Belleville Senators and the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday and Saturday.

Music to Set the Mood…

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I have always considered Classic Rock to be anything before the year 1980. Then I turned on the local classic rock radio station on the other day and they were playing Nirvana. I then remembered that the definition of “classic rock” is anything 25 years or older.

Damn, I must be old. Back to Hair Nation on Sirius XM where I belong.

Anyway.

A Quote…

You only have 12 notes. Do what you want with them.
– Eddie Van Halen

How did I get on a rock and roll kick out of the gate? I like to have my headline match the music. I looked up and saw that The Guess Who aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They should be. They were huge in Canada. So were the Beatles overseas and they are in. Why not The Guess Who?

Anyway, the idea of the headline, in case you are more confused then ever, is Hartford Wolf “Pack” and the Belleville Senators are from “Canada” – now you know!

The Setup

Belleville makes their only stop of the year Friday at 7:05 and Hartford is back on the schedule for the 976th time this month.

The B-Sens (still feels weird calling them that, miss you, Binghamton) picked up points in all three games played this past weekend. They lost in OT at home against Laval Friday then swept the defending champion Toronto Marlies at home in OT on Saturday and clean on Sunday.

Hartford lost both contests in Charlotte this past weekend. The Wolf Pack have lost five straight.

The Penguins lost in Cleveland on Friday and then won a special teams battle Saturday afternoon.

Records

Wilkes-Barre is 3-2-1, good for seven points and third in the Atlantic Division.

Belleville is 3-2-2 and have eight points and are in fourth in the North Division.

Hartford is 3-5 and have six points good for fifth in the Atlantic.

The Rest of Those Rascals

Hershey hosted Providence and split with the Bruins, winning 5-3 Saturday and losing 6-1 Sunday. The Bears are 4-2 and have eight points and lead the Atlantic Division. They host Belleville Saturday and then head to Rochester for a midweek matchup with the Americans on Wednesday.

Charlotte swept the Wolf Pack and are tied with the Bears with eight points and identical 4-2 record. Springfield swings by Friday and Saturday and then, get this, the Checkers head to Loveland, Colorado for a Tuesday / Wednesday matchup with the Colorado Eagles. Ah, to have a major airport hub nearby.

The Phantoms have won three straight and are fourth in the division with a 3-2-1 record and seven points, just like the Penguins. This past weekend saw the Phantoms win a pair in Springfield, one in overtime. The Phantoms host Syracuse Saturday and then Belleville Sunday. So the Senators will be playing a weekend three in three itching to get the game going at 3:05 on Sunday to get back to Canada and will have to wait because the Phantoms don’t know what starting on time is (TV, I know, I know, it’s a bit, relax)

Gave you Hartford above. The Wolf Pack are hosting the Providence Bruins on Friday.

Springfield is sixth in the division and have a 2-2-1-1 record good for six points. The Thunderbirds are on a 0-2-1-1 skid after their week one hot start. Gave you their results in the Lehigh Valley capsule above and you know if you are paying attention they are in Charlotte this weekend.

Providence finally busts out of their slump in a big way Sunday in Hershey but are still in the Atlantic Division cellar with a 2-5 record. The Bruins spent the weekend in Hershey and lost 5-3 Saturday before winning 6-1 Sunday. The Bruins are in Hartford Friday and then host Utica on Saturday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Ryan Johnson was officially assigned to Coal Street Sunday, but in a corresponding transaction Pittsburgh recalled Ilya Solovyov.

Wednesday saw David Breazeale get recalled from Florida and Maleek McGowan and Ryan Mast get sent to Florida to get reps.

Thursday saw Rutger McGroarty and Chase Pietila go up. It’s Pietila’s first NHL recall.

The only injured player that we know of is Rafael Harvey-Pinard.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I’m not so sure the defense is as elite as we thought it was at the start of the season and by we I mean me. I think the only defenseman with any type of NHL future is Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding next, Jake Livanavage next and then the rest of them are question marks. I don’t think Owen Pickering has much track left in the organization and wouldn’t be surprised to see him traded by years end. I just don’t see it with him anymore. I called him the next Derrick Pouliot on Twitter Saturday and that got some traction, with about 80/20 agreeing with me.

So what can we learn? The power play success is there (I think) and they have two really good goaltenders who will look to outdo the other for the foreseeable future. Mix that in with Avery Hayes (while you have him) Tristan Broz and a you better get to know his name quick Atley Calvert and this team can do good things with Kirk MacDonald pushing all the right buttons.

They are keeping pace now early on here in the (checks watch) fourth week of the season. That’s a good thing. You don’t want to fall behind the eight ball like a number of teams.

I Looked Up a Stat…

The Penguins have the fourth best power play in the league, but the 25th ranked penalty kill. That’s good and bad!

Who’s in Goal?

No reason to mess with the Joel Blomqvist Friday / Taylor Gauthier Saturday plan.

Jonas Johansson is 3-1-1 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.92 goal against. He’s probably out of the chute first Friday for Belleville.

Gabriel Carriere for Hartford is my guess as Callum Tung is the Pack’s number one and will likely go Friday against Providence.

Who’s Running the Show?

Luke Stork and Mathieu Menniti will dole out the discipline Friday with Jud Ritter and Luke Pye on the lines.

Saturday sees the debut of referee Jared McIsaac, paired with Menniti. Depending who you talk to, not many have good things to say about Menniti, so let’s hope it ain’t the blind leading the blind on Saturday.

Ryan Knapp and Davids Rozitis have the lines Saturday.

Looking Ahead…

Back on the road for four more. They are in Utica next Friday and then Hershey on Sunday with a Saturday off in between. Trip to Charlotte in a fortnight.

Give us a bold prediction…

These are games you have to win if you want to be considered an early front runner. They do, but one of ’em goes into overtime.

Doing Donuts on the Pitch…

City’s playoff hopes are dimming and a date with Orlando is next on Saturday. I can see City ekeing out a 3-2 win, but let’s just go 2-2 draw and hope for the best.

Oh boy, Tyler Reddick is getting hot again but Talladega looms. Give me a wild card here. Carson Hocevar is the last car standing when he causes a last lap ‘big one’ and rallies from 12th to the checkered flag Sunday in ‘Dega.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins knock out their Cleveland, Ohio trip early this season, with a pair against the Cleveland Monsters Friday and Saturday.

Music to Set the Mood…

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I’ll always use an excuse to use this when the Pens are out in The Land.

A Quote…

There’s no straighter road to success than exceeding expectations one day at a time.
— Robin Crow

The Setup…

Two in Cleveland, if you haven’t been paying attention. Friday’s game starts at 7, Saturday’s game was moved to 3 because of baseball.

Last week the Penguins mollywhopped the goaltenders they faced, but unlike opening weekend where a ton of shots never got through, the Pens outscored their opponents 13-3 across a 7-1 drudging of the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday and a 6-2 whooping of the Providence Bruins on Sunday.

Cleveland spent the weekend in Allentown and beat the Phantoms 5-4 in overtime on Saturday and then 5-2 on Sunday.

Records

The Penguins are 2-1-1, good for five points and third in the division.

Cleveland is 3-1 over in the North with 6 points and in fourth.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Hartford went 1-2 on the weekend after shutting out Providence on Friday, losing to the Penguins on Saturday and again to the Laval Rocket on Sunday 5-2. They hosted the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday and lost 4-1. The Wolf Pack are 3-3, have lost three in a row and have 6 points in a tie for first in the division. Hartford heads to Charlotte this weekend.

Hershey hosted the Texas Stars this past weekend and swept them. The Bears are 3-1 with six points and host the Providence Bruins for a pair this weekend.

Springfield lost clean to Laval on Saturday 5-2 and then lost to the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday. The Thunderbirds are 2-1-0-1 with five points and host the Phantoms this weekend for a pair.

The Charlotte Checkers will have their home season opener when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack. I gave you the Checkers body of work this past weekend if you were paying attention above, but didn’t mention what they did Saturday. They lost to Providence 6-2. The Checkers are 2-2 with four points.

Providence played three games this past weekend and went 1-2, where the losses included a blowout and a shutout. The Bruins are 1-4 with a paltry two points and are in Hershey for a pair this weekend.

Lehigh Valley brings up the rear, but picked up their first win of the season Wednesday in Hartford but lost in overtime to Cleveland in OT on Saturday and clean on Sunday. The Phantoms head to Springfield for a pair this weekend and have a 1-2-1 record with three points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Rafael Harvey-Pinard and David Gustafsson are sidelined with injuries. There was a trade this week, Ryan Johnson was traded here for Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. Johnson, a defenseman, is likely headed here. There are no recalls from ECHL Florida, who open their season this weekend with a home and home with the Orlando Solar Bears.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Are they more of what they were on opening weekend or more of what they were last weekend? I don’t really know. They dominated both games and one of them (Hartford) was the second meeting of the season. Providence stinks right now, so it’s hard to give you a definitive answer. Cleveland should push the Penguins, but will they? They swept a winless at the time Lehigh Valley team and their only loss is to a Grand Rapids team that sit near the top of the North Division.

It should be a good test, for both clubs.

Who’s in Goal?

Joel Blomqvist Friday, Taylor Gauthier Saturday. I don’t think one has established as front runner over the other yet, but that’s a good thing.

Pheonix Copley Friday and Evan Gardner Saturday, as these two are splitting the net like the Penguins.

Who’s Running the Show?

Nick Isaacson and Liam Maaskant have the assignment on Friday with Joe Sherman and Bryan Gorcoff on the lines.

Saturday Alex Gagné tags in for Maaskant and you get brand new linemen with Brendan Lewis and Joey Kramar working the lines.

Looking Ahead…

They return home next Friday when Belleville makes it yearly visit and then Hartford (again!?!) stops by for the third time this young season on Saturday. No Sunday home games this time! Yahoo!

Give us a bold prediction…

I think they split, further mystifying the question of what team we have under us at this point.

Doing Donuts on the Pitch…

NYCFC let 10 man Chicago score twice and lost 2-1 and then the offense was limp in a poor midweek showing against Inter Miami where the pigeons lost 2-0. LAFC stops by Citi Field this Saturday. That’s gonna be tough and with this run of form I can see them losing 3-1. Hope I am wrong.

Denny Hamlin atones for his Phoenix flub last year and wins out in the desert this weekend.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will go into the second weekend of the season still seeking their first win of the season after a pair of setbacks last weekend.

Music to Set the Mood…

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One of Panic at the Disco’s major hits. They sometimes play this at the hockey games sometimes. I don’t particularly care for the song being used at a hockey game because it isn’t that deep at it’s base, but it kind of works here.

A Quote…

“Hope is a waking dream.”
— Aristotle

The Setup…

Hartford Saturday and Providence Sunday, all on the road. It’s Hartford’s home opener!

Last week the Penguins mollywhopped Georgii Romanov to the tune of 45 shots, but Romanov stopped 43 of them and Springfield wins the game in overtime. The next night Hartford comes in and narrowly beats the Penguins 3-2 in regulation.

Records

That means the Penguins are 0-1-1 and in fifth in the seven team Atlantic with a point.

Hartford sits atop the division with a 2-0 record and 4 points.

Providence sits last in the division with an 0-2 record and 0 points.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Let’s start at the top and work our way down.

Springfield, after picking hockey rubber out of Georgii Romanov’s ears, take a red eye to Providence for a 3 p.m. start and shut the Bruins out 2-0 and are off to a hot 2-0 start with 4 points. The Thunderbirds host Laval Saturday, Charlotte Sunday.

Hartford beat Lehigh Valley and spoiled the Phantoms home opener on Saturday, then come to Wilkes-Barre and hang in there with the Penguins and walks away 3-2 winners. They, too, are 2-0 with 4 points. The Wolf Pack are in Providence Friday, home against the Pens then Laval comes to Hartford Sunday. They have a midweek meeting with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on the following Wednesday.

Charlotte and Hershey split regulation wins in Hershey this past weekend and are 1-1 with 2 points.

Charlotte is in Providence Saturday, Springfield Sunday.

Hershey hosts Texas for a pair Saturday and Sunday. Those guys have all the fun.

Lehigh Valley played just one game, lost and are 0-1 with 0 points. The Phantoms host the Cleveland Monsters this weekend, then head to Hartford on Wednesday.

The Providence Bruins have just 1 goal to show for their week after a 2-1 Friday setback to Utica and then getting shut out Sunday at home against a wary Springfield team. The Bruins have their first three in three weekend, all at home, against Hartford Friday. Charlotte Saturday, Wilkes-Barre Sunday.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

No one is in Pittsburgh. Max Graham and Tiernan Shoudy went to Florida on Monday as the Everblades camp opened this week.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Are they a different team then they were last weekend or is it going to be more of the same? I don’t think the first couple of shifts will answer this honestly, and we may not know the answer to the question until the end of the weekend. Go 0-4 (let’s just count the Springfield OTL as a regulation loss) and perhaps it is time to get in the same room as the panic button. If they win both, then which team is it?

Life’s great mysteries!

I think they have fixable issues except for the power play. That stinks and is beyond repair. Why, late Sunday, was Harrison Brunicke on the bench when the Pens were chasing one against the Wolf Pack?

So manage to fix the brakes on the car, but the A/C still doesn’t work. The car works and gets you from Point A to B, right?

Kirk MacDonald is a hell of a coach and it’s a good early test for the man.

Who’s in Goal?

Failed to mention opposition goaltenders in last weekend’s piece so I will go ahead and do so now. I think they see Hartford’s Callum Tung again Saturday and Simon Zajicek for the P-Bruins on Sunday.

Joel Blomqvist should go Saturday against Hartford and Taylor Gauthier Sunday against the P-Bruins.

Who’s Running the Show?

Cole MacDonald and Jordan Deckard have the Saturday assignment in Hartford with Cameron Carlson and Jake Herzog on the lines. Jack Young and Alex Lepkowski have the Sunday assignment in Providence with Jack McQuesten and Chris Martenet on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

They knock out their Cleveland trip next Friday and Saturday.

Give us a bold prediction….

Let’s hope this one goes better than last week where I am at least somewhat right. Here goes…

They win both games, one via shootout, that one comes in Providence.

Football at the Race Track

I’ll go a 2-2 draw for NYCFC against the Chicago Fire on Saturday and give me Tyler Reddick Sunday in Charlotte.

Man, I love summer. I mean, I really love summer.

Afternoons by the pool. After 8 p.m. sunsets. Walking around the backyard in bare feet. What are shoes? What are socks?

Music to Set the Mood…

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This song slaps, and I broke records listening to this on walks and out by the pool….

Yeah you can have Spring, Fall and Winter. Like, take them away. I want my summer back.

I used to think Seasonal Affective Disorder was a joke. Nah, buddy, I’m the living embodiment of it today.

Sigh.

Anyway, back and marginally better for the god-knows-how-long-it’s-been time (16 years?), I’m back in full time blogging up the local hockey team. You can’t get rid of me that easily!

A Quote…

Summertime is always good. It is what it is.
— Oscar Peterson

The Setup….

Out of the box I expect them to contend this year better than they did last year. They normally hit the ground running in October and the first parts of November, but they finally have a fully stocked prospect system which, barring trades and the plague affecting the team in Pittsburgh, should keep a large cadre of hungry, good prospects here chomping at the bit keeping the wheels going on the farm.

Oh, opening night Friday off, they open with Springfield on Saturday and then are (sigh) right back at it Sunday at home against Hartford, the first of EIGHT Sunday home games this season.

Records

Neither Springfield or Hartford play Friday. Hartford is in Allentown Saturday.

Ch-ch-changes…

So here’s the major hits in case you have been under an umbrella at the beach or out by the pool all summer, like I have been….

– They have a new ECHL affiliate. It’s the Florida Everblades who have won three straight Kelly Cups. The Hoffmann Family, who, now owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, already had the Everblades in their portfolio. Yeah, it sucks losing Wheeling as an affiliate, but it’s a business. Get ready for a lot of Reading, Trenton, Adirondack, etc. PTOs if bodies are needed in a pinch. Closest Florida comes up to these parts is Cincinnati, I think. And, yes, airplanes exist. I am aware!

– The Nailers partnered with the Columbus Blue Jackets, so they landed on their feet, so to speak.

– The Pens have a new radio home, moving to Fuzz 96.1 FM

– The AHL will let coaches challenge for offsides now. Let’s just call this the Providence Bruins rule.

– Big offseason adds from Coal Street include Hugh McGing, late of Springfield, Ryan Mast, late of Rockford and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who needs no introduction, to straight up AHL deals.

The Rest of those Rascals…

Charlotte is in Hershey for a pair to start the season….Lehigh Valley only has one game against Hartford Saturday….Providence hosts Utica Friday, Springfield Sunday.

It’s too early for this!

Give me a bunch of sentences on the rest of the division…

Boy you are asking a lot just coming off a summer break, but here goes….

Providence: I would expect them to contend again with the Pens for tops in the division all season.
Hartford: Biggest unknown. Same thing with them year after year, they look great on paper in October but are out of it by Christmas.
Springfield: Could contend / could surprise. How do they survive playing Providence a thousand times with Bridgeport gone will be the answer, I think.
Hershey: Scrambling late, because they lost Clay Stevenson to waivers this week and don’t have a bonafide number one goaltender. They will play the Pens tight, as always.
Lehigh Valley: I don’t see them as a playoff team. Jonathan Gruden plays for them now. Could be a pain in the ass team, as per usual.
Charlotte: I expect them to contend but in no way do I think they are better then the Penguins or Providence.

 Records

Everyone is 0-0. Again, it’s too early for this!

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Tristan Broz made the NHL team but Broz is banged up, so he remains up. EDIT: In staying in ‘this always happens after I publish these things’ Pittsburgh sent Broz and new acquisition Oliver Okuliar (late of Charlotte) to Wilkes-Barre Friday afternoon … Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke are down. Rutger McGroarty joined them Thursday. Wilkes-Barre sent a bunch of bodies to Wheeling, err, Florida, (where’s that fine jar?) earlier in the week.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

First impressions are lasting ones. I don’t see any reason why they can’t win both of these games easily, but I really haven’t paid attention to what they did in the offseason or preseason. They only had one scheduled home game which was last Friday but that got cancelled due to “mechanical” issues at the arena.

(Guess the ice wishes it was a pool, too)

No reason to think however, based off of the current roster construct, that they can’t pick up where they left off last season and run at the top of the division.

They will be strong on defense, probably the deepest corps in the Atlantic to start, Conference to challenge and League to be seen.

Only question I have is how AHL ready Taylor Gauthier is. He set every record imaginable in Wheeling last year in goal and is more than ready. But the AHL is a level up and it’s own animal.

Also, some of the rookies and first year guys may be tested. It’s 72 games and a grind of a season, after all, but the defense is elite and goaltending is more than capable, so we will see.

Are they better then they were last year? Let’s temper our expectations on this no matter what happens this weekend, or this month.

Who’s in Goal?

Joel Blomqvist should start Saturday and then Taylor Gauthier should make his debut Sunday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Mason Riley and Adam Tobias don the orange arm bands with Dominic Moore and Onni Hautamäki running the lines on Saturday. Sunday sees Mathieu Menniti and Graedy Hamilton in town with Moore and Hautamäki sticking around and keeping them onside.

Looking Ahead…

They aren’t home again until October 23, next weekend takes them to Hartford next Saturday and Providence on Sunday. They knock out their Cleveland trip in a fortnight.

Give us a bold prediction…

They win both games, handily, and at the end of the weekend they will be in the top five on the power play.

YOU DIDN’T THINK I WOULD FORGET DID YOU!

NASCAR: I don’t see any reason why Yung Money can’t continue his run of form and win in Vegas, but give me Denny Hamlin.

MLS: New York City Football Club is off till October 10. They need points if they are to make playoffs. A trip to Chicago October 10 isn’t going to be easy, but you can never count the pigeons out.

After beating the Hershey Bears in four games and the Springfield Thunderbirds in five games, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014 where they will face off against the Toronto Marlies, who were last here in 2019.

The Setup

The Penguins put the Bears away in four games and had a chance to put the scrappy Springfield Thunderbirds away in four games but were shutout 2-0. In the decider last Saturday in Game 5, they obliterated the Thunderbirds 8-1. It’s the best team assembled and in my opinion, the best chance they have for their first championship in the 27 years they have existed as a franchise.

How They Got Here…

The Toronto Marlies, the four seed in the North Division, advanced in three games in the First Round against the Rochester Americans, then took out the top seeded Laval Rocket in five, and then came back from a 2-1 series hole to beat the Cleveland Monsters in five games this past Sunday. The Marlies had a 36-26-5-5 record good for 82 points in the regular season.

The Schedule…

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Give Me Three Keys…

1) Special teams. Toronto has given up 8 power play goals against, by far the most in the Playoffs thus far. Make them pay when they take penalties, which they take a lot of, 43 total which leads the teams left in the playoffs.

2) Start on time. I told you in the Hershey series and in the Springfield series that this would be a theme. Get used to it. Get on them early, often, hold the lead, and take control.

3) The job isn’t done. It’s half way in the series that you need to win, sure, but they still need eight more wins to win it all. Don’t rest on your laurels and think that you can just put up eight goals every night. Stay five on five, walk away when a guy is messing with you after a whistle, keep your head and you’ll be fine.

X Factors

Penguins: Bill Zonnon, Sergei Murashov and Alex Alexeyev. I’m not even mentioning Avery Hayes or Tristan Broz because you hope that those guys will carry the freight when needed, as Broz with his 2-2 did in game five against Springfield. Toronto has been shutout three times each in each series, once in each series that they have played and the competition gets stiffer here with Wilkes-Barre. Rightly, the Penguins will be heavily favored top to bottom, and it starts with Murashov, keeps riding with Alexeyev, in my opinion the best they have at defense and keeps going with fourth liner and rookie sensation Bill Zonnon and builds from there.

Marlies: Vinni Lettieri, Logan Shaw, Artur Ahktyamov. A forward, a defenseman and a goaltender in that order. Lettieri has thirteen points (6-7) for the Marlies and leads all skaters in points in this postseason, William Villeneuve is a puck slinging defenseman who has ten assists to go with a goal and Ahktyamov is their horse in goal. He’s not on the same level as Georgii Romanov was for Springfield a series ago, but when you are the highest scoring team in the playoffs (the Marlies have 39 goals for, six better than Colorado) a save or two when needed is all you need, often. But, for all that scoring the Marlies do, they have also fished 32 goals against out of their nets, which is half of what the Penguins have allowed so far. But remember that the Pens had a First Round bye, while the Marlies did not.

Who’ll be in goal?

Sergei Murashov and Artur Ahktyamov. Dennis Hildeby has three appearances for the Marlies in the postseason and could also be a factor.

Prior Results

Wilkes-Barre had a 3-0 lead coming into the third period at home back in November and lost 4-3 in overtime. Filip Larsson started that game and the Penguins were without, at the time, Avery Hayes, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, to name three.

They had a 4-1 lead coming into the third in Toronto in March and old buddy Alex Nylander clipped Joel Blomqvist for a pair of third period goals but the Pens held on and won 4-3. Hildeby started the March game, Ahktyamov the game in November.

What about the other guys?

The other guys? That’s the Chicago Wolves and the Colorado Eagles, who meet in the Western Conference Finals tomorrow in Colorado. Jayson Megna captains the Eagles who are coached by Mark Letestu. Chicago is the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, who if you remember were with Charlotte for years before the divorce and outed the Penguins all those years ago in the playoffs.

Provided the Penguins handle the business before them currently with the Toronto Marlies, we will focus on the winner of that series in due time. It should be a great one nevertheless.

Remember what the great Tim Leone says, worry about your own damn series.

Predictions?

Gave them to you at the start of the playoffs. I had Cleveland here against the Penguins. I had the Penguins winning it all, as in it all then, nothing changes that here. Keep your nose clean, play the way that has gotten you home ice throughout the remainder of the playoffs and you should be fine and hopefully it’s a short series. As fate usually has it, it rarely is.

Sigh, go ahead with your NASCAR predictions already!

They are in Nashville. Ryan Blaney won it last year, but give me Chase Elliott. Ring that damn, sigh-reen in Dawsonville, Georgia and ring it loud and long!

New York City FC are off now until after the World Cup. So they can’t lose like they have been in of recent. Hey, progress!

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Talk to you later after Game 1’s results.

After a thrilling series with the Hershey Bears, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals and will take on the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The Setup

Wilkes-Barre ousted the Hershey Bears in four games. They played their most complete game of the series in the put away Game 4 and had that look in their eye that they didn’t want to play a Saturday game. Are they rounding into form? They better be, because their next opponent does not say die.

How They Got Here…

The Springfield Thunderbirds, the six seed in the Atlantic Division, have knocked off the three seed Charlotte Checkers in the First Round and the 54 win, top overall seeded Providence Bruins in four games. The Thunderbirds have done the dirty work for the Penguins, taking out arguably Wilkes-Barre’s biggest threats. But now the two teams meet in the Atlantic Division Finals in a Best of Five Series for a chance to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Schedule…

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Give Me Three Keys

1) The Penguins finished 29 points better than the Springfield Thunderbirds but none of that matters now. Springfield is battle tested against the Charlotte Checkers who they beat in three games and the Providence Bruins who they dispatched in four games. Simply put, the Penguins have to out scrap the Thunderbirds, something that the Checkers and the Bruins could not do. The reasons for that were that the Bruins never got slapped in the face in the regular season and the Thunderbirds were a bad matchup. The Penguins can scrap with the best of them, so it should be fun to watch. Who out scraps who determines who moves on I think.

2) Start on time. This is going to be a theme you better get used to. The Penguins started on time in Games 1, 3 and 4 in the Hershey series and that carried them to wins, scoring goals at the 3:01, 3:15 and 1:15 marks of the first period. Do that here in the Springfield series and your chances to advance go up.

3) Make them pay on special teams. Springfield, with all that scrappiness that they have, stretch the rules and are the most penalized team in the postseason coming into this weekend with 24 times shorthanded. But watch out! The Thunderbirds have two shorthanded goals, but so do the Penguins.

X Factors

Penguins: Rutger McGroarty, Harrison Brunicke and Ville Koivunen. McGroarty scored the overtime game winner for the Penguins in Game 3 and has improved in every game of the series. Ville Koivunen leads the team in points with a goal and three assists, tied with Tristan Broz’s four assists. Harrison Brunicke is growing up right before our eyes and is steadily becoming one of the Penguins best offensive defensemen, who can pretty much do it all. All four mentioned here are gunning for full time NHL work next season and I’d say are off to a good start.

Thunderbirds: Chris Wagner and Georgi Romanov. Here, I will let Mark Divver, who covers the Providence Bruins better than anyone, describe it for you here:

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I have tried not to pay attention to the other series, but it’s hard not to watch what Springfield has been doing. They got shelled 8-1 in Game 1 in Charlotte in the First Round, then respond for a 5-2 win and then an 2-1 OT win, all in Charlotte because of time and distance. They just don’t care. The puck drops, they find ways to win.

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This? This right here is a dangerous team. Do not be fooled by their .500 record at all. They dispatched one of the greatest regular season teams in AHL history and made mincemeat out of the league MVP in goalie Michael DiPietro. The only thing stopping them from being heavy favorites is their regular season record but again, none of this matters at the present time. This will not be an easy series because the Thunderbirds do not have the word quit in their vocabulary.

Who’ll be in goal?

It’ll be Sergei Murashov vs. Georgi Romanov. Thunderbirds head coach Steve Ott went to Romanov in Game 2 of the Charlotte series and the T-Birds haven’t looked back.

What about the other guys?

The Cleveland Monsters ousted the Syracuse Crunch in four games and await their opponent in the North Division Finals and that opponent will be known when the Laval Rocket host the Toronto Marlies in the winner take all Game 5 Saturday from Laval. That series will probably start around the same time as the Penguins / Thunderbirds series, early next week.

But, to quote the great Tim Leone, worry about your own series first.

Okay, okay, give us your NASCAR picks….

This is the only reason why I am doing this you know. They are in Watkins Glen, New York and it’s a road course which means it’s Shane van Gisbergen’s race to lose.

But give me Christopher Bell, seven top fives in last eight road courses and a top five in his last four road tracks.

NYCFC is in a skid, and I don’t like their chances Sunday at home against an equally bad Columbus Crew team. 3-1 Crew and I hope I am wrong.

Enjoy the weekend off, get amped for some great games next week with Springfield and we will talk to you Tuesday after Game 1.

Let’s see how far this goes here in the postseason. With a little luck, you will be reading Weekend Previews all the way to June.

The Setup

The Hershey Bears are the opponent of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins in the Best of Five, Atlantic Division Semifinals.

How They Got Here…

The Bears dispatched the Bridgeport Islanders in two games, sweeping them. They won Game 1 2-0 and then Game 2 5-2.

The Schedule…

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Give Me Three Keys…

Goes without saying but here are my three keys.

1) Start on Time. The longer it’s a 0-0 game, the more that favors a mistake. Get on the Bears early, get a few goals in the first period, adjust from there, don’t go into a defensive shell and bomb away.

2) Keep your nose clean. Stay out of the box. Don’t engage if you are leading. Don’t play down to shenanigans. They cannot touch you five-on-five.

3) You can’t win or lose the series in the first game, but you can set the tone. If the Penguins win, they are in the catbird seat Saturday looking to go up 2-0. If they lose, then Saturday basically becomes must win. Using #1 and #2, above, what does #3 become?

X Factor

Penguins: Aidan McDonough – The Penguins owe their season to this guy. Where would they be without the guy? Let Sergei Murashov, Avery Hayes and Phil Kemp get the glory, let McDonough continue to cook and carry the freight and hopefully the Penguins to the Division Finals.

Bears: Clay Stevenson – He already has a shutout against Bridgeport and the last thing the Penguins need is to run into a hot goaltender. Stevenson is 2-1-1 against the Pens in the regular season with a 1.86 GAA and a .934 SV%. If the Penguins play with jitters and the Bears get one or two goals Stevenson, who has Calder Cup experience, will likely shut the door.

Who’s in Goal?

Sergei Murashov for the Penguins, Clay Stevenson for the Bears. I think those are no brainers.

Suspensions

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But nothing for Rochester’s Olivier Nadeau, whose high hit to the head area of Avery Hayes resulted in no penalty, knocked Hayes out of the game and started the nonsense.

Beau Halkidis shouldn’t see a playoff game as a result of this ineptitude.

What about the other guys?

The great Tim Leone once told me to worry about your own series first. What the other teams are doing in the other series is irrelevant to your own matters because if you aren’t successful in your series, what you are worrying about or interested in is irrelevant.

But since you asked nicely…

Springfield, as you know if you are a regular reader here, upset the #3 seed Charlotte Checkers. They will now play the Providence Bruins beginning Friday with Game 2 on Sunday, then Games 3, 4, if necessary and 5 if necessary are the same days as the Penguins / Bears series.

Who’s Running the Show?

Morgan MacPhee and Nik Isaacson have the Game 1 assignment with Dylan Blujus and John Rey on the lines. Nothing for Game 2 on Saturday yet. With our luck it’ll be some combination of Rob Hennessey, Beau Halkidis or Mike Sullivan.

Give me the real reason you’re doing this!

My soccer and NASCAR picks, duh!

NYCFC has hit the skids. Winless in six straight, up two goals in stoppage time last Wednesday only for FC Cincinnati to score two goals for the draw then a 1-0 loss in Montreal this past Saturday, it’s not been fun for me. DC United is on the up and up, so I predict a 2-2 draw this weekend.

On the NASCAR circuit, they head to Texas, where I think it’s Tyler Reddick’s race to lose. He already has five wins this season and it’s a track he’s won at. I’m starting him in my fantasy team this weekend and you should too.

Talk to you after Game 1.