Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Toronto Chop
Posted by nafsnep on March 22, 2022
So you will actually see two Weekend Previews this week as this piece will be dedicated to the Tuesday and Wednesday series in Toronto against the Marlies. I will have another Weekend Preview on Friday setting up the games in Belleville and Laval for Friday and Saturday.
So the Penguins I guess you can say passed last weekends test. They lost 1-0 in a tight battle with Syracuse at home on Friday and took down the Eastern Conference’s best team in the Utica Comets by beating them 3-2 on Saturday. Would I pick the Pens against the Comets in a playoff series? The answer now is 50/50, which yeah, is a good thing.
The Setup
The Marlies split a pair of 4-2 decisions against the Chicago Wolves. This was after the Marlies shutout the Hershey Bears 3-0 on Thursday.
The Wolves are a machine out in the Central Division and will probably be the third team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot. The Pacific Divisions Stockton Heat were the first team in, the Ontario Reign are next and the Wolves are not close behind.
The Records
Penguins are 26-24-4-4 and looking to move up to fifth in the Atlantic Division. Toronto snapped their losing streak with the 3-0 win over Hershey Thursday and are 28-21-3-1 and in third in the North. They are .001 percentage points behind second place Laval.
Who is Up, Who is Down, Who is Up?
Pittsburgh sent Radim Zohorna back to Wilkes-Barre on Monday, getting him on the AHL roster in time for the NHL trade deadline, then recalled him Tuesday morning. Coal Street sent defensemen Chris Ortiz back to Wheeling and signed defenseman Clayton Phillips to an ATO.
Defensemen Taylor Fedun and Juuso Riikola are out with injuries. That Coal Street sent Ortiz down is likely promising for one of their returns, my guess is probably Riikola since the last update on Fedun was week to week.
Goaltender Flip Lindberg is done for the year. Please make note of this going forward because after today I am probably finished mentioning him in this space.
Who’s in Goal?
Louis Domingue until he self-destructs for the Penguins would be my guess. Let Tommy Nappier start one of the games this weekend.
Michael Hutchinson and/or Keith Petruzzelli for the Marlies on the back to back nights for the home team opponent in this series is a safe bet.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Gotta think that the Pens have to take 3 of 4 out of these next two, right? They are burning off one of the two games in hand on Hershey, so they must optimize points and win one, if not both, of these games.
The Marlies are pretty milquetoast in a division where you can be in third to start the week and out of a playoff spot altogether at the end. Second to sixth place in the North Division are only separated by .021 percentage points. It is a division that I would not want the Penguins to play in because that sixth place team is probably going to have a higher points percentage at the end of the season than the fifth and sixth place team in the Atlantic. The sixth place team in the North does not make playoffs.
You must maximize points here. The Penguins are a better team then they were the last time they faced and took down the Marlies in a back to back series at home in Wilkes-Barre back in January. They didn’t have Drew O’Connor and they didn’t have Louis Domingue.
Who is running the show?
It will be Dave Lewis and Morgan MacPhee in the armbands on Tuesday and Dan Kelly and Tommy Hughes on the lines. For Wednesday, Stephen Hiff and Graedy Hamilton get the referee duties and Dan Kelly sticks around one more night and is joined by Nick Arcan on the lines.
Looking ahead…
Won’t have far to look cause the Pens are staying in Canada and heading up to Belleville Friday and Laval on Saturday. The Saturday game against the Rocket starts at 3 p.m.
Give us a bold prediction…
Coal Street makes a trade to help bolster it’s roster before the AHL trade deadline next Monday.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Final Boss
Posted by nafsnep on March 18, 2022
So the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are probably going to be a playoff team. The issue for the Penguins isn’t so much about making the playoffs (they had the longest streak of consecutive appearances) as much as it is about success in the playoffs (they have no championships)
Taking a look at the weekend set of games, there is the Saturday game with the Utica Comets which looms largest. Taking nothing away from Friday’s opponent, Syracuse, but Utica has been the class of the field in the Eastern Conference all season. Check it out, speaking within the confines of the Eastern Conference only:
.717 win percentage – second best team (Springfield) has a .634
12 regulation losses – second best teams (Providence and Springfield) have 17.
Second in the Conference in goals for at 189 (Charlotte has 195 but have played five more games) – league leader Ontario have 203 (with two less games played than the Comets, who have played 53 games)
144 goals against, pitting them second in the Conference to Providence who have only let in 142 (with one less game played)
Special teams aren’t anything spectacular, but when you are boat racing teams with goal differential, who cares?
So the moral of the story is that Utica is going to play Final Boss in the Conference and while the Penguins most likely have to get through a best of three play in series, then a division semifinal and final before you even hope to get to the Comets, Utica is going to be a measuring stick to see how the Penguins can fare in the postseason.
The Setup
Syracuse thumped a suddenly average Hartford Wolf Pack team 4-2 on Wednesday at home. The Crunch are on a 5 game point streak (4-0-0-1) and aren’t going to be a pushover.
Utica is going to be well rested, having beat the Belleville Senators this past Tuesday 3-2 in overtime.
The Pens swept the weekend behind hot play in goal by Louis Domingue, winning 6-2 and 4-2 over Laval and Hartford, respectively.
The Records
Pens are sixth in the Atlantic Division, two games over .500, with a 25-23-4-4 record with a .518 points percentage.
Syracuse is fifth in the North Division, 26-21-6-2, good for a .545 percentage, .001 ahead of sixth place Rochester. It’s highly likely that the sixth place in the North Division team will have a higher points percentage than the sixth place in the Atlantic team and that team won’t make the playoffs yet the sixth place team in the Atlantic will.
Utica, highly discussed in the open, have a stunning 35-12-6-0 record and a .717 points percentage in first in the North.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
Radim Zohorna is in the NHL. Jamie Devane and Chris Bigras are back from their injuries. Taylor Fedun missed last weekend again and Filip Lindberg is out for the year.
Who’s in Goal?
No reason to believe it won’t be Louis Domingue in both games for the Penguins this weekend. Expect the starters for the Crunch and Comets, being Hugo Alnefelt for Syracuse and Akira Schmid for the Comets.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
How they handle a desperate but hot team in Syracuse, who are in a battle for their playoff lives and how the stack up against the absolute best team they will play in the regular season in the Utica Comets.
I see a lot of similarities with Syracuse; maybe a team who wasn’t expected to run away with a division title but expected to contend but hasn’t played to expectations this season.
Things come easy these days for Utica, who conceivably should swat the Pens away like a fly. Wilkes-Barre played the Comets to a shootout loss the last time these teams played in December when Wilkes-Barre’s lineup was COVID depleted.
Do the Penguins sweep these two teams then take off to Canada next week and win just one of the four games scheduled?
They play better when Alex Nylander is in the lineup, Valtteri Puustinen is on, when the power play is cooking and they get better than average goaltending. Now, they have exceptional goaltending in Louis Domingue and all of the other usual suspects in play. Conceivably, Wilkes-Barre are competitive in both contests and put themselves in position to win both.
Who is running the show?
Terry Koharski and Jack Young are here for the weekend, getting the assignment from the League for both games this weekend. C.J. Murray and John Rey have the lines on Friday and Josh Cleary and Tom George have the lines on Saturday.
Looking ahead…
Tuesday and Wednesday in Toronto, Friday in Belleville, Saturday in Laval. It’s a hellish week of games against some pretty good North Division clubs, all playoff teams too.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Square One?
Posted by nafsnep on March 9, 2022
Two weeks ago, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins put forth a 7 out of a possible 8 points effort. They solidified themselves as a solid sixth place team in the Atlantic Division standings. They go out last weekend and get swept clean by the Bridgeport Islanders and then grit out an overtime loser point this past Sunday in Providence.
Sooo, now what?
It is important to note that the Penguins were without the services of Alexander Nylander last week, out with a non-COVID illness. Nylander didn’t appear in a single game over the weekend for the Pens and probably wasn’t even on the trip, what with a long bus trip and stays in a hotel.
Nylander is kind of important to the Penguins, 16 points in 24 games since his trade from the Rockford IceHogs, where he had 12 points in 23 games. His 28 total points ties him for second on the team with P.O. Joseph, who is currently on NHL recall. They trail Valtteri Puustinen’s 34 points.
So, yeah, last week was a disappointment, but one of the straws that stir the drink was out of the lineup entirely because of an illness.
The Setup
Three home games starting Wednesday with Cleveland, Saturday with Laval and Sunday with Hartford.
This Cleveland team has not beaten the Penguins and probably hates to see Wilkes-Barre show up on the schedule. The Pens have their number.
The Monsters split a series at home with the Toronto Marlies last week, winning 4-2, losing 8-5. It’s kind of a bummer scoring 5 goals and coming out on a losing end if you ask me.
Laval split a pair at home against the Abbotsford Canucks, losing 4-2 and winning 3-0. This past Monday they hosted Springfield and lost 5-2. Before Saturday, they stop in at Rochester Wednesday then are in Allentown on Friday.
Hartford swept the weekend last, beating Hershey 3-1 and then Bridgeport 4-1. They will be in Allentown on Saturday before heading up to Wilkes-Barre Sunday.
The Records
Coming into Wednesday, the Pens are 23-23-3-4, a .500 team in sixth place in the Atlantic. Cleveland is last in the North in seventh place with a 19-22-6-4 record and a .471 points percentage. Laval is third in the North with a 25-19-3-0 record and a .564 percentage. Hartford is third in the Atlantic with a 27-16-5-2 record and a .610 percentage.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
Goaltender Louis Domingue was reassigned Monday from Pittsburgh Kasper Bjorkqvist was reassigend on Wednesday. Defenseman Chris Ortiz was recalled from Wheeling on Friday because Taylor Fedun was banged up and didn’t play in the three games last weekend either. P.O. Joseph remains up in the NHL.
Hafta think it’s Louie Domingue’s goal for Wednesday and Saturday and then Alex D’Orio Sunday. I think Coal Street will return Tommy Nappier back to Wheeling at some point during the course of the week.
Or, presumably the Pens let all three get a game and let Domingue ease into the #1 workhorse role they are going to need him play down the final stretch of the season.
Opposition wise, let’s go Jet Greaves, Kevin Poulin and Adam Huska in that order.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Forget about the consistent / inconsistent part. They lacked their captain and one of their best finishers last weekend and were rudderless. The identity of this team, as with any team, is that you need leaders and finishers if you want to have success. They ran into a desperate Bridgeport team and got smoked, in large part because they were outgunned. Puustinen saved their bacon with a goal with 3.3 seconds left in regulation Sunday in Providence that got them a single point. Getting Domingue should shore up the inconsistency that two young goalies in Tommy Nappier and Alex D’Orio bring. How much work Domingue gets this week and the health of Nylander and Fedun will spell whether you can expect the results of two weeks ago or a week ago.
It’s hot and cold. There’s no warm with this team.
Who is running the show?
Tatu Kunto makes his Wilkes-Barre debut in the arm bands and is joined by Mike Sullivan (the other Mike Sullivan) on Wednesday. Justin Johnson and John Rey have the lines.
Jim Curtain and Alex Ross have the referee duties on Saturday with J.P. Waleski and Jud Ritter on the lines.
Alex Ross sticks around and is joined by Mike Dietrich Sunday and Bill Lyons and Ryan Knapp have the lines.
Looking ahead…
What up, Central New York? The Pens play host to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, March 18 and the Utica Comets on Saturday, March 19.
Give us a bold prediction…
We won’t be any closer to figuring out this team in mid-March than we were in mid-November.
In the, “things I learned today” portion of my life today I learned that there is no place on Earth named Bruin Island. You’d think that there would be, right? An island somewhere off in Scandinavia that used to have bears of all types which go cut off from the rest of the main island, thus naming it Bruin Island. Well, it doesn’t exist.
The Steup
Three on the road, starting with a pair in Bridgeport to visit the Islanders Friday and Saturday then a Sunday matinee against the Providence Bruins in what I think is going to be a good measuring stick type game for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins to see just how they stack up against a powerhouse Bruins team.
The Islanders are coming off of a weekend where they split a pair of 5-3 decisions. They lost last Saturday at home against these Penguins and then beat the Charlotte Checkers Sunday afternoon by a score of 5-3.
Providence has stayed busy after going 2-1 last weekend beating Charlotte 5-1 at home, losing to Hartford on the road 5-2 and then beating the Wolf Pack 6-3 at home Sunday. On Wednesday, they traveled to Allentown to take on the Phantoms and won 5-3. They will have traveled to Springfield Saturday to take on the Thunderbirds Saturday after a Friday off.
The Records
The Pens are a solid sixth place team with a 23-21-2-4 record for .520 points percentage. The Islanders are in last in the Atlantic with a 19-23-5-4 records for .461 percentage points. Providence, coming into the weekend and not taking into account the Springfield result this coming Saturday, stands at 25-14-3-3, in second place at .622 percentage points.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
Defenseman P.O. Joseph and Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist are on recall to Pittsburgh. The Penguins recalled Defenseman Chris Ortiz from Wheeling on Wednesday.
Defenseman Chris Bigras, Forward Jamie Devane and Goaltender Filip Lindberg are all skating but not cleared yet to play. I don’t know if they will be on this trip.
Who’s in Goal?
I’d go Nappier / D’Orio / Nappier if I were J.D. Forrest. I think the way that they do it this week will show you who they are higher on because the game Sunday against Providence is going to be a decent enough litmus test. Who gets that start in goal probably starts Game 1 of your first playoff series.
Jakub Skarek Friday and then Cory Schneider Saturday for the Islanders.
As for Providence, good luck getting this one right. Troy Grosenick or Kyle Keyser. Flip a coin and pick one.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
When is the next let down? They took 7 of 8 points last week and kept pace with fifth in the division while solidifying themselves as a six seed and separating themselves from seventh. Is it too much to ask for all six points? 5 of 6? That may be more slightly reasonable.
Providence is an elite club, but they can get beat. Bridgeport I don’t think finishes last this season, but they are who they are. Pens win Friday, OT or shootout loss Saturday then win a tight one Sunday is how I would write it if I had the book.
Who is running the show?
Jordan Deckard and Tim Mayer have the assignment Friday and John Rey and Kenneth Gates have the lines.
On Saturday, Tim Mayer bounces and it’s Jason Williams joining Deckard on referee duty with Glenn Cooke and Brent Colby on the lines.
Sunday, Jason Williams follows the team bus to the Rhode Island capital and meets up with Cody Beach. Dmitrii Antipin and Kenneth Gates from Friday have the lines.
Looking ahead…
Five straight at home, but not all in the same week. Cleveland stops in Wednesday to make up their game from over Christmas, then Laval stops by for the first time all season on Saturday then Hartford comes in for a Sunday matinee.
Give us a bold prediction…
The Penguins sweep the weekend, scoring a power play goal in every contest and not allowing a power play goal against.
It’s a lot of new tools in Head Coach J.D. Forrest’s tool chest, and with four games to close out February, sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division the Penguins have to use these new tools carefully. It only seems apropos then….
–
The Setup
A makeup game Tuesday in Hershey, a home game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Wednesday and old buddy Adam Johnson, a Friday off, a trip up to Bridgeport Saturday to visit the Islanders and a Sunday home game against the Syracuse Crunch.
Hershey is coming into the game Tuesday having dropped two of three last weekend up in the Northeast. They lost twice to Providence on Friday and Sunday and dominated the Islanders Saturday.
Lehigh Valley played tight against the Utica Comets and gritted out a shootout loss Saturday then kept things fairly square with Springfield Sunday before the Thunderbirds firepower was unleashed.
Bridgeport played Rochester to overtime last Tuesday, lost Saturday to the Bears then shutout the Wolf Pack on Sunday. They will have played the Thunderbirds Wednesday before seeing the Penguins on Saturday.
Syracuse is the last of a few teams the Penguins have yet to play this season, have an extremely busy week where the Penguins will be their fifth opponent played after games Monday and Tuesday (in Belleville) Friday and Saturday at home (Rochester and Utica respectively) and then the Sunday trip to Wilkes-Barre.
The Crunch are in a similar position as the Penguins, battling for a playoff spot and, like the Penguins, should be a lot higher in the standings that they are familiar with.
The Records
In lieu of Power Rankings this week, this post is heading out on Monday afternoon. So the records are as of Monday, February 21.
The Penguins are sixth in the Atlantic Division at 20-21-2-3 good for .489 percentage points.
Starting with Hershey, the Bears are in fifth place with a 25-17-3-3 record in the Atlantic and a .583 percentage points….Lehigh Valley is in seventh with a 17-19-6-3 record and .478 percentage points….Bridgeport follows in eighth place with a 18-21-5-4 record good for .469 percentage points.
Syracuse is 19-18-4-1 and in sixth place in the North Division with a .512 percentage point total but again, the Crunch will have played four times this week before seeing the Penguins on Sunday.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
No one is up other than the injured Louis Domingue, still nursing a foot injury sustained in practice in Pittsburgh. The Pens sent O’Connor and Zohorna back Monday with Freidman on conditioning and in a subsequent move, Coal Street sent Sam Houde down to Wheeling.
Status quo otherwise, forward Jamie Devane is out still with a broken jaw we think, goalie Filip Lindberg with his ankle and defenseman Chris Bigras remains out with something.
Who’s in Goal?
I like the little game of leap frog Tommy Nappier and Alex D’Orio are playing with one another here. Weeks ago you would have thought that D’Orio was your bonafide number one, but it appears that isn’t the case with them both being 1A-1B type goalies. A good problem to have. I think Nappier goes Tuesday in Hershey, D’Orio Wednesday at home against the Phantoms then D’Orio in Bridgeport Saturday and Nappier home Sunday against the Crunch. I could be wrong and probably am, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
For the opposition, I’ll take a stab. Zach Fucale, Kirill Ustimenko, Jakub Skarek and Amir Miftakhov in that order.
Hershey and Lehigh Valley are having some issues with goal, either with recall as in the case with the Bears or injury as is the case with the Phantoms.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
How much of an impact will O’Connor, Zohorna and Friedman have on the farm club this week? How reliant will the team be on their services? If the answer is ‘huge’ and, ‘a lot’ that doesn’t bode well for the overall success of the Penguins. Will it help solidify them as a playoff team? Sure, it might. Beyond that? You are a tweak or a trade away from O’Connor and Zohorna going right back up again and Friedman is a week rental player who is only here on conditioning, so you need to have these guys help the cause and not have them be the cause, if that make sense.
At this point in the season every point matters, so unless it is a weird thing that the Pens get jobbed out of a point because of a late power play for puck over glass, the Penguins need to get 6 of 8 points in order for me to feel good about their chances as a playoff team.
– Hershey: Ripe for the picking, struggled a lot against a really good Providence team. GIANT Center remains a house of horrors for the Penguins, though.
– Lehigh Valley: Can we Old Yeller this team already? They haven’t played like a team that belongs in a playoff spot, so just keep them down and put them out for good already.
– Bridgeport: Perpetual last place team. If you want to be considered a playoff team, you easily beat a team like this.
– Syracuse: Finally beat a Laval team on Friday they played four straight times on the schedule and kicked a Rochester team who had a hell of a week of travel. We will see how the Crunch do this week against Belleville twice, Rochester again and Utica, but this is a team that a lot of teams is better than, the Penguins included.
Again, 6 of 8 points this week is almost a must in order to keep pace as a sixth place side losing touch with fifth place, being hotly pursued by seventh and eighth. Let some other team worry about being the six and move up to five or more preferably four, if you can.
Who is running the show?
Another reason I decided to scrap the Power Rankings this week was because the League put out the scheduled officiating crews for the week Sunday night. For the Penguins they are:
– at Hershey Feb. 22: Referees Rob Hennessy and Jack Young. Linesmen Michael Magee and Tom DellaFranco
– vs. Lehigh Valley Feb. 23: Jack Young again with Alex Ross. Linesmen Jud Ritter and Patrick Dapuzzo.
– at Bridgeport Feb. 26: Referees Justin Kea and Stan Szczurek. Linesmen Eric Ernst and Kilian McNamara.
– vs. Syracuse Feb. 27: Referees Dre Barone and Jim Curtin. Linesmen Bill Lyons and Josh Cleary.
Looking ahead…
Three on the road starting in Bridgeport next Friday and Saturday for a pair there then Sunday in Providence.
Give us a bold prediction…
The Power Rankings will be back next Monday. A top five this week:
Stockton: Continue to roll at the top of the Pacific. Smacked pretenders Bakersfield twice this week.
Utica: The Eastern Conference looks more and more to be running through this Central New York town.
Chicago: Despite the contrary, rumors of the Wolves demise have been greatly exaggerated. Showdown this weekend in Winnipeg against the Moose.
Ontario: Keeping pace with the Heat with a pair of 4-3 victories over the Gulls.
Springfield: This isn’t your Uncle’s Springfield Thunderbirds team, unless they play the Penguins (who they haven’t beaten clean yet this season) then it probably is.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Charlotte on My Mind
Posted by nafsnep on February 15, 2022
Two losses went with a big gritty win in Allentown last week when the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins didn’t gain or lose any ground in sixth in the Atlantic Division. They didn’t have any offense at all in the two losses to equate with great defense (only seven shots allowed in the second and third periods total in Rochester Wednesday) and lost a close one Friday at home against Belleville. Goals :34 apart in the second period helped save their bacon Saturday in Allentown against the Phantoms.
The Setup
Two in Charlotte Tuesday and Wednesday and then a Saturday home game against a hot Springfield team. The Checkers are in fifth place in the Atlantic and only a couple percentage points off fourth place Providence. So yeah, it’s an important series.
Charlotte split a series last weekend at home against Bridgeport. They shutout the Islanders 2-0 Saturday behind 25 saves by Spencer Knight. Bridgeport beat them 4-3 Friday.
Springfield is suddenly the hottest team in the division, winners of three straight. The Thunderbirds don’t play at all this week and will be well rested when they come to town Saturday night.
The Pens can’t overtake the Checkers for fourth in the division with two clean wins, but they can get dangerously close. It’s more about preserving their hold on the last playoff spot in the division and trying to climb higher.
The Records
Penguins are 19-19-2-3, .500 and sixth in the Atlantic. Checkers are 23-18-2-0, .558 and fifth in the Atlantic. Springfield is 25-14-5-1, in first with .622 percentage points in the Atlantic.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
Status quo with all the injuries. Sam Houde came off last week. Jamie Devane, Filip Lindberg and Chris Bigras are all out week to week.
Who’s in Goal?
Expect a split of Tommy Nappier and Alex D’Orio in Charlotte and likely whoever plays better in Charlotte starting Saturday at home against the Thunderbirds. Expect a split of Spencer Knight and Joey Daccord with the Checkers and then likely Joel Hofer on rest Saturday for the Thunderbirds.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Are they serious contenders for a playoff spot or will they continue as a bubble team? Simple as that. If they go to Charlotte, a tough place to play, and get four clean points, then yeah, this is a team to keep an eye on. A split is more likely, just because you don’t go into Charlotte and sweep them unless you are an elite team. The Penguins aren’t that.
Springfield is a team that the Penguins have had success against, so maximizing six points this week is the game plan, obviously.
Who is running the show?
Riley Yerkovich and Jake Rekucki are the referees this week in Charlotte. Linesmen on Tuesday are Justin Johnson and Scott Senger. Wednesday sees Ken Radolinski and Shane Gustafson on the lines. Saturday back in WIlkes-Barre sees Michael Zyla and Mason Riley as the referees with Colin Gates and Josh Cleary on the lines.
Looking ahead…
A busy week to close out February. Tuesday trip to Hershey, Wednesday home game against Lehigh Valley then a Saturday trip to Bridgeport and a Sunday home game against Syracuse.
No Friday home games for the Penguins on back to back weekends. I’ll take it, but not at the expense of a Sunday afternoon home game.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – So, Now What?
Posted by nafsnep on February 9, 2022
Coming off of a week where we answered whether or not the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins turned the corner (answer: yes) with games against in division rivals Springfield, Bridgeport and Providence, the Penguins head up to Rochester Wednesday to make up a game scheduled there originally for December then host Belleville Friday and then hit the road for a key matchup against the Phantoms.
Wow, run on sentence.
The Setup
They have turned the corner. The gremlins and bugs have been worked out of them. They can hang with any team (not named Hershey) that they play. They are catching Rochester in a rut. Amerks are 3-4-2-1 and losers of two straight against Charlotte and Toronto. Belleville comes in as a cellar dweller of the North Division, but to be fair, the North is top heavy. We all know who Lehigh Valley is. An inconsistent team that can explode at any given time. Belleville shut out the Phantoms 5-0 in Allentown on Tuesday.
Is the Pacific Division really going with ten teams next year?
Hah, you may have seen Patrick Williams sit down with Scott Howson’s State of the League where he mentions that Coachella Valley will be playing in the Pacific Division and they aren’t expecting any divisional realignment this season. It’s bat (bleep) crazy if you ask me. Why not move Tucson and Colorado to the Central, Grand Rapids to the North for a clean 8-8-8-8 divisional setup? Everyone plays 72 games next year. 8 and 72 are good numbers, you play everyone in your division at least 6 times if you are Colorado because everyone is flying in to see you anyway. Take a weekend and hit Chicago, Grand Rapids and Milwaukee then set up your next two weeks and have the IceHogs, Wolves and Admirals fly in for a pair each. You can still maintain your rivalries with easy flights to San Jose and Bakersfield.
The Records
Pens are 18-17-2-3 good for sixth with .513 percentage points. Americans are third in the North with a 22-15-2-1 record and a .588 percentage point showing. Lehigh Valley will have played Hershey Friday before hosting the Penguins Saturday. They have a 15-17-6-2 record as of Wednesday, good for .475 percentage points.
Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?
Valtteri Puustinen and Michael Chaput went up to Pittsburgh on Monday after the NHL returned from their All-Star Break.
Goalie Filip Lindberg remains out with an ankle injury. Chris Bigras and Jamie Devane are week to week still and Sam Houde was upgraded to day to day. They all have upper-body injuries.
Who’s in Goal?
My guess is Alex D’Orio starts two and Tommy Nappier starts one. D’Orio is a lock for Rochester, so where to Nappier fit? My guess is with Belleville on Friday. But, D’Orio has had the lion share of starts (by happenstance because Nappier was down with COVID) so does D’Orio start all three? It’s a possibility.
One of the reasons Rochester has slowed down is because they have been a mess in goal. It’s been a merry go round. Mat Robson and Aaron Dell started both games for the Amerks this past weekend. My guess is Dell.
For Belleville, Mads Sogaard is the Senators horse, starting 20 games. Filip Gustavsson is the backup. The Penguins drafted and traded this guy away.
For Lehigh Valley, it’s anyone’s guess with it being a Saturday game. My guess will be Pat Nagle with Felix Sandstrom starting Friday against Hershey.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
They have turned the corner, now what? Can they keep winning without their leading scorer Puustinen?
I think they have figured out their goalie and the defense seems pretty set. I think they are slowly becoming a threat on the power play and the penalty kill seems OK for the norm. So building the house from the inside out is working. I guess the only question is how high can they go. What’s the ceiling?
Division leaders? I don’t think so. They have too many hurdles to get through to get to the top. Are they a playoff team? I have said yeah all along. Top three? May be a stretch. You are confident (obviously) as a three, four or five seed. I don’t like hanging at six. That’s the drop zone. One injury or one bad weekend can derail your momentum.
So really it is important to make sure that they keep the momentum rolling against two known tough opponents in Rochester and Lehigh Valley and an unknown with Belleville.
Who is running the show?
Conor O’Donnell and Kyle Lekun get the assignment Wednesday in Rochester with Brian Wasilewski and Adam Tobias on the lines. Friday sees Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Laura White in the orange armbands and Justin Johnson and Patrick Dapuzzo on the lines. Saturday sees Samuels-Thomas again with Jeremy Tufts and Richard Jondo and Bill Lyons working the lines.
Looking ahead…
Trip to Charlotte early part of next week, Tuesday and Wednesday, a Friday off then a Saturday home game against Springfield.
Give us a bold prediction…
The Penguins score a power play goal in each of their three games this week.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 