Chirps from Center Ice

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins clinched a playoff spot last week, and now it’s all about positioning for either the division lead or the second seed. Either way, they are gunning for the first round bye.

Music to Set the Mood…

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All about the bye, baby.

A Quote…

The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
– John Buchan

Are the Hershey Bears a rainbow trout and the Charlotte Checkers a 20 inch pickerel? I don’t know…

The Setup

They hit the road for Cleveland, to take on a reeling Monsters side for a pair of games in Ohio Friday and Saturday.

They clinched a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs Wednesday with an OT win over Hartford. All they needed was a point, but Avery Hayes’ overtime goal made it more jubilistic. Is jubilistic a word?

They split with Charlotte in North Carolina over the weekend, which is about as good as you can get when you travel there as the Checkers are hard to beat on back to back nights for some reason.

Cleveland is mired in a bit of a slump, dropping a midweek contest to the Belleville Senators Wednesday last, then losing at home to Texas in a shootout and then in regulation to the Stars Friday and Saturday respectively.

Records

Penguins sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 37-19-7-1 record, good for 82 points.

Cleveland is fourth in the North with a 31-22-5-6 record, on 73 points.

Check your surroundings…

We are back and better than ever with this section checking out other teams in the division the Penguins are jockeying for a seed with.

Hershey was swept by last place Utica this past weekend to remain on 85 points. If you listened to the post game press conference with Bears head coach Todd Nelson Sunday, they were tired coming of a long road trip and were taking Monday / Tuesday off to recharge and get away from the rink. The Bears are vulnerable now because they still don’t control their first place fate. They have two more games with the Penguins. This weekend they have Lehigh Valley in Allentown Friday, then host a desperate Hartford team Saturday and Sunday.

Charlotte, whom the Penguins are tied with on points with 82, are in Providence Friday and Sunday with a trip to Bridgeport, who have only won four home games all season, set for Saturday.

Providence is on 79 points and are in Utica Saturday. That’s a four hour trip one way and almost not fair this late in the season.

ATO Season

Immediate impact from defenseman Harrison Brunicke, whom the Penguins have under contract for the foreseeable future. Brunicke looked okay in his first two games, so expect him going forward unless he burns out which, at 18 years old, isn’t expected.

Nolan Renwick joined the club on an ATO Tuesday out of the University of Maine. He signed an AHL contract for next season. With a lot to play for yet we aren’t at, “play your kids” quite yet, so I don’t know when he will see the former Black Bear.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Status quo-ish on the hurt guys. They have Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty up in Pittsburgh till the end of the season, Emil Bemstrom cleared waivers but wasn’t immediately re-assigned Tuesday and Wednesday Joona Koppanen went up.

Kyle Jackson and Jack Beck are up from Wheeling. Beck is interesting because he’s a point machine for the Nailers and had injuries or else we would have seen him sooner.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

The time to make a move is now. Charlotte / Providence series should be a war which you want decided in regulation. Are the Bears running on fumes with all the games they have played in the past two seasons? Meanwhile the Penguins would have already left for Cleveland Thursday and roll into town against a team that is 3-6-0-1 in their last ten.

No consolations here. Beat the Monsters clean and let your rivals tear each other apart or continue to implode from within due to past circumstances.

Who’s in Goal?

If I told you that the Penguins were guaranteed a split last weekend in Charlotte you would have figured that Sergei Murashov gets the win and Filip Larsson takes the loss. The opposite happened, though. My thought is that Murashov goes Friday and Larsson goes Saturday.

Jet Greaves is a really good puck stopper for the Monsters. He will likely start Friday with Zach Sawchenko on Saturday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Jordan Deckard and Jared Cummins have the Friday assignment with Luke Pye and Felix-Antoine Voyer on the lines.

Saturday sees Mike Sullivan tag in for Cummins and Brandon Grillo tag in for Voyer.

Looking Ahead

Hershey at home next Friday, Springfield on Saturday then a road trip to Bridgeport Sunday at 3.

Give us a bold prediction…

The Penguins overtake the top spot in the division by a point over Hershey.

Simply put, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins punch their ticket to the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs with a win Wednesday over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Music to Set the Mood…

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Seems inevitable, doesn’t it?

A Quote…

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
– Vince Lombardi

The Penguins are no strangers to the playoffs, but have not won the ultimate prize. Is this the year? Will they ever win it all?

The Setup

Hartford at home Wednesday then a road trip to Charlotte Saturday and Sunday.

The Penguins got smoked 10-2 on Friday against the Providence Bruins then beat Hershey in overtime Saturday then walloped a terrible Bridgeport team on the road Sunday.

Hartford kept its playoff hopes alive with a big comeback win over Hershey in regulation on Friday then an OT win over Milwaukee on Saturday. For the Wolf Pack, every game is a playoff game because there is no margin for error.

Charlotte won in Rochester Friday and again in overtime in Utica Saturday. They played Providence yesterday and won and will see the Bruins again Wednesday.

Records

The Penguins are 35-18-7-1 and on 78 points and third in the Atlantic.

Hartford is 27-29-5-2 and on 61 points and seventh in the Atlantic.

After last nights win against Providence, the Checkers are 36-19-3-3 and on 78 and second in the Atlantic.

Check your surroundings…

This feature will return when the Penguins make the playoffs, for seeding purposes.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Status quo on the hurt guys. They got Nate Clurman back last week but I don’t think they were happy with his game at all as he wasn’t in Saturday or Sunday.

Joona Koppanen and Emil Bemstrom are up. They got Sebastian Aho and Matt Nieto back.

ATO season will be upon us soon…

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Nothing was figured out last week. They still haven’t clinched yet and are still no closer (or farther) from Hershey, but for a point. The heat is on them for second place, as they dropped from second to fourth on Friday, but regained second place stature by Sunday, but dropped back to third Tuesday night.

They will make the playoffs. Does it happen Wednesday, though?

Division leading Bears have cupcakes this week, Bridgeport and a home and home with Utica. Best the Pens can hope for is a miracle or to keep pace.

They should simply win where they can (punch a spot Wednesday) and continue to hold onto or keep pace with second (win in Charlotte) and hope for the best with Hershey’s fate against two last place teams.

Who’s in Goal?

I think this is Sergei Murashov’s team and you can tell Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist to go the hell home. Remember John Curry? Remember Matt Murray? They rode those cats to deep playoff runs. Murashov is as green as grass yet he plays like he’s a 15 year vet. You start him Wednesday against Hartford. He’s 10-0 in the AHL.

After that, you split him with Larsson and start him again Saturday.

Dylan Garand, Ken Appleby and Kaapo Kähkönen for the opponents and damn, that’s a lot of umlauts.

Who’s Running the Show?

Austin Rook and Mason Riley are here Wednesday with Patrick Dapuzzo and J.P. Waleski on the lines.

Jordan Watt and Phillip Kasko are the refs Saturday in Charlotte with Shane Gustafson and Jake Rennert on the lines.

Sunday sees the same refs with Tyler Willie and Jake Paugh tagging in to run the lines.

Looking Ahead…

April! Road trip to Cleveland next weekend! Woo! Pens aren’t home again until April 11.

Give us a bold prediction…

They hold onto second place and draw within four points of the Hershey Bears.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins magic number is six points entering this weekend of play. Sweep this three in three with the Bruins, Bears and Islanders and the rest takes care of itself. Win against Providence, have Hartford lose against Hershey Friday then win against Hershey or have Hartford lose against Milwaukee and the Penguins are in before you go to church on Sunday.

Double edged sword. You want to get in this weekend, but you don’t want Hershey to get too far away from you. There’s three games left with the Bears on the schedule and Hershey is up eight points on the Pens. I know it has been said to death here recent, but this weekend is vital.

Music to Set the Mood…

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Again, this comes from a YouTube search where I put, “six pack song” in and it returns the above result.

A Quote…

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening in the axe.
– Abraham Lincoln

Pens have some work to do if they want to catch Hershey.

The Setup

Home against Providence for the first time all season, home against Hershey Saturday and then a Sunday road trip to Bridgeport.

Wilkes-Barre had an okayish week last, beating Hershey in a shootout March 12, then splitting a pair in Allentown against the Phantoms.

Providence lost tin Toronto March 12 4-2, then in a shootout in Rochester last Friday then won in Springfield last Sunday.

Hershey is 8-1-0-1 in their last ten and in the midst of a hellish road trip. Whatever you throw at this team they devour. This past weekend they were in Chicago and put up swept the Wolves 5-0, 5-2. They went to Springfield this past Wednesday and, after seeing the Thunderbirds tie the game at two, rattle off two more and win 4-2. Bears are in Hartford Friday.

Bridgeport, already eliminated from playoffs, skunked Laval last Wednesday and won 5-2 but then got throttled in Belleville 6-1 on back to back nights. The Islanders will be in Springfield Saturday.

Records

Pens have 74 points on 58 games played with a 33-17-7-1 record, second in the Atlantic.

Providence has 73 points on 59 games played with a 33-19-4-3 record, third in the Atlantic.

Hershey has 82 points on 59 games played with a 38-15-5-1 record, first in the Atlantic.

Bridgeport has 33 points on 60 games played with a 13-40-4-3 record, last in the Atlantic.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Joona Koppanen went up, scored a goal Tuesday for Pittsburgh. Emil Bemstrom is still in the NHL and there are shenanigans with Matt Nieto and Sebastian Aho on the transactions page.

Status quo with the rest of the injured guys.

Zach Gallant was signed to a SPC, sent to Wheeling.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I think this weekend gives us a clear picture on what the odds are for the division lead. Eight to Hershey coming into Friday means you need help and have to be perfect with your remaining games against them. One of those is Saturday. Pens matchup really good against Hershey but so do the Bruins against the Pens.

Then there’s the first round bye. We didn’t mention fourth place Charlotte (72 points on 58 games played) or fifth place Lehigh Valley (69 points on 61 games played) – Pens are protecting second place. You want to make the playoffs, but you don’t want to play in the First Round. It is vital that the Pens handle business against Providence Friday, replicate the same against the back to back champs Saturday and not get trapped against a terrible Bridgeport team on Sunday.

Can they? Sure. Will they? We hope. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Who’s in Goal? 

I think they are foolish if they don’t do 8-0 in the AHL Sergei Murashov Saturday against Hershey. Is Joel Blomqvist back yet? If not you have Filip Larsson, fully capable, against Providence Friday.

Michael DiPietro, Clay Stevenson, Jakub Skarek for the opposition.

Who’s Running the Show?

Mike Dietrich and Andrew Bell are the refs Friday with J.P. Waleski and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines.

Dietrich sticks around and meets Casey Terreri in the hotel lobby and they both run the show Saturday with John Rey and Richard Jondo on the lines.

Jake Kamrass and Jackson Kozari have the assignment in Bridgeport Sunday with Mitchell Hunt and Devon Gale on the lines.

Looking ahead…

They close out March with a home game against Hartford Wednesday (sigh) and then a road trip to Charlotte Saturday and Sunday.

Give us a bold prediction…

Ticket will be punched to the postseason with the rest of it in flux as the ride continues.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins again have a chance to draw ever closer to the first place Hershey Bears when the two teams meet in a few short hours Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre.

The Penguins have been casting away points and games in hand, and the lack of success in these departments have them bearing the brunt of a possible First Round series instead of a first round bye.

Music to Set the Mood…

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Seems like they have been primed to catch and pass the Bears all season and it hasn’t happened yet, there is still hope they do and the ultimate expectation is that it happens. The waiting is the hardest part.

A Quote…

Oh baby, don’t it feel like heaven right now?
Don’t it feel like somethin’ from a dream?
Yeah, I’ve never known nothing quite like this
Don’t it feel like tonight might never be again?
Baby, we know better than to try and pretend
Honey, no one could have ever told me ’bout this
I said, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
— Tom Petty from “The Waiting is the Hardest Part”

Really leaning into it here.

The Setup

Hershey at home Wednesday, then a Friday and Sunday game in Allentown against the Phantoms.

Penguins three in three saw 15 goals scored across a game in Hartford and home against Belleville then just one measly goal in a blowout loss to Syracuse on Sunday. They went 2-1. The loss Sunday was a game in hand on Hershey wasted.

Hershey swept Cleveland last weekend 3-0 and 4-3. When they don’t play, they still win, as evidence Sunday when the Pens lost.

Phantoms were in Charlotte last weekend and split with the Checkers. Things are tightening up in the Atlantic Division.

Records

Hershey leads the class with a 35-15-5 record for 75 points.

Penguins are second, but tied with Providence on points, with a 31-16-7-1 record and 70 points.

Lehigh Valley isn’t that far behind, 29-22-5-2 record with 65 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

They got Sam Poulin and Joona Koppanen back from injury, lost Jonathan Gruden to trade with New Jersey, got Chase Stillman in return, sent Gabe Klassen and Matty De St. Phalle back to Wheeling, saw Sebastian Aho and Matt Nieto go up to Pittsburgh and traded Nikolai KNyzhov to Grand Rapids for future considerations.

I get all of the moves but for the last one but understand the thought process. They signed Knyzhov to a preseason PTO, signed him to an SPC, he got hurt, returned, didn’t play in 10 games and then traded him away for nothing.

With an influx of ATOs on the way, Pittsburgh wants to get a look at their future vs. a hired gun they have no plans for. Such is life.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

They either are pushing for a spot at the top or they aren’t and could be a road team in the First Round.

Hershey is in the middle of a hellish road trip which will take them out to Chicago this weekend then a smattering of other places in the Eastern Conference until the end of the month.

Lehigh Valley is far too inconsistent but playing better, to be considered a threat for the top two seeds. They always play the Penguins tough and tight.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they swept all three games and I wouldn’t be surprised if they only won one game. So expect something in between, I guess.

Who’s in Goal?

I think it’s treason if they don’t start Sergei Murashov against Hershey. He’s 7-0 in the AHL, I think he gives the Bears fits and you are at the point of the season where styles make fights.

Filip Larsson can start Friday in Allentown and let Murashov go against the Phantoms on Sunday.

Clay Stevenson, Parker Gahagen and Alexei Kolosov for the opposition is my shot in the dark.

Oh, and Joel Blomqvist is injured, if he comes back this week that throws a monkey wrench in my treatise above.

Who’s Running the Show?

Andrew Bell and Rob Hennessey here Wednesday with Patrick Dapuzzo and Ryan Knapp on the lines.

Friday sees Harrison O’Pray and Chris Conway with Jud Ritter and J.P. Waleski on the lines. First time we are seeing Conway I think.

Sunday sees O’Pray again and Mason Riley with Josh Cleary and Bill Lyons on the lines.

Looking ahead…

Another three in three and another Sunday (road) game. Providence swings by for the first time this season next Friday, Hershey stops by the next day and then they board the bus to Bridgeport Sunday.

Give us a bold prediction…

Nail biter week. OT win over the Bears Wednesday, shootout win over the Phantoms Friday and they get to overtime Sunday and you write your own fate on how you think they do.

Another three in three for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton and a Sunday home game where we turn the clocks ahead an hour which means we lose an hour of sleep. A peaceful Sunday will have an hour cut off from it with a Sunday home game. Fantastic.

I don’t know where you stand on Daylight Savings Time. I have no problem with it and don’t see what’s so inconvenient with falling back in the Fall and springing forward in the Spring. I take it as a passage of good (Spring – Summer) vs. evil (Fall – Winter)

Music to Set the Mood…

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Full disclosure here, not a Sheeran fan only on account of where I go to listen to music he isn’t featured. So I guess I am agnostic to it. Again it’s the first things I type into a YouTube search that I run with here.

A Quote…

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins play their two of their four games in hand they have on the Hershey Bears Wednesday in Rochester and Friday in Syracuse before the Bears and Penguins meet Saturday in Hershey.

Hershey has only played six games this month. Their schedule picks way up in March, where they will play fourteen games, including nine in a row on the road.

The Penguins will play the same amount of games.

So the time is now. But, are they…

Music to Set the Mood…

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…giving it away now?

A Quote…

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas Edison

The Setup

First place Rochester Wednesday, Syracuse on Friday and first place Hershey on Saturday.

But are they giving it away?

They had a 4-1 lead Sunday in Providence and lost 5-4 in overtime. They had what they did to Cleveland a few weeks ago happen to them. The Pens were down 4-1 against the Monsters and ended up winning 5-4 in overtime.

The night before, they ran into a buzz saw Springfield team and a hot goaltender and lost 5-3. The way the scoreboard unfurled for them Saturday could have had them a point behind the Bears. It didn’t happen.

They looked primed to make it happen when they beat Hartford 4-1 Friday.

Rochester shutout Cleveland 4-0 last Wednesday, doubled up Belleville 6-3 and shutout Toronto 1-0. Goaltender Devon Levi, who won Player of the Week, had both shutouts last week. Figure to see him out first for the Amerks in a few hours.

Syracuse shutout Toronto 5-0 Friday and then beat Laval 3-2 Saturday. Toronto got shutout twice last week and only scored one goal in their other game.

Hershey split their pair of games in Charlotte, losing 3-1 Saturday and winning 2-0 Sunday.

Records

Rochester leads the North Division with a 33-14-3-1 record with 70 points.

Syracuse is fifth in the North with a 22-17-7-4 record good for 55 points.

Hershey leads the Atlantic Division with a 31-14-5 record with 67 points.

Penguins have 28-13-6-1 record and sit second in the Atlantic with 63 points.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

They are running the gauntlet. Rochester has a better record than Hershey, I think the North Division is better than the Atlantic and the Penguins play two teams in this division this week.

The confidence level on them is low. Now, you don’t necessarily need Hershey to slip while you basically have to bat a thousand if you want to overtake the Bears for the lead in the division. Providence is charging, trade deadline is approaching, it’s not going to be easy.

Can they? Absolutely. They are a championship caliber team.

But they aren’t playing like a championship caliber team.

Losing to a hot goalie against an average Springfield team you may be allowed to get away with. But losing a 4-1 lead and blowing it in overtime against Providence is a slap in the face.

Do they lose 15 games in a row and miss playoffs? No. But are they still the favorites to win the division? I don’t think so. And I worry that the pressure may be getting to them, playing not to lose and all that.

We will see. I think seeing the respective division leaders will be good for them to see in fact how they stack up. Was last weekend an anomaly?

Who’s in Goal?

I think they made a mistake going with Larsson twice last weekend. Tristan Jarry makes $5 million a year and is an NHL All-Star. Filip Larsson may be the future, but we are trying to win games here.

If I am Kirk MacDonald, I give Tristan Jarry the starts against Rochester and Hershey and let Larsson get the Syracuse game.

But I don’t coach the team, I just blog about them.

Devon Levi, Brandon Halverson, Clay Stevenson for the opposition.

Who’s Running the Show?

David Elford and Chris Rumble are the referees Wednesday in Rochester with Tory Carissimo and T.J. Dockery on the lines.

Elford will head east on I-90 and meet up with Austin Rook Friday in Syracuse. Brandon Grillo and Luke Pye will run the lines.

Mathieu Menniti and Ben Betker get the assignment Saturday in Hershey with Bill Lyons and John Rey on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

They return home to make up the game that had to be postponed for ice issues a few weeks ago and host Belleville on Tuesday, travel to Hartford Friday and then host Belleville again Saturday and (sigh) a Sunday home game against Syracuse.

Give us a bold prediction…

Power play goals in each game, 5 of 6 points, they tie with the Bears when they wake up Sunday.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are mired in a road trip that will keep them away from the Mohegan Arena until the start of March. This weekend they make a trip through New England.

Music to Set the Mood…

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The inspiration for this came to me on a walk this past Wednesday.

A Quote…

Snow’s too cold for winter!
— Bugs Bunny

I’m reminded of the old Bugs Bunny clip where he throws the snowball at the guy in the middle of July and the guy asks him where he got the snowball from. Bugs answers it’s too cold for snow in winter.

I guess where I am going with this is that despite it being the coldest winter in these parts in 10 years I haven’t had any snow that I have had to run through my snowblower. So maybe Bugs is onto something!

The Setup

Hartford, Springfield and Providence in that order starting Friday.

The Pens had a Pennsylvania three in three last weekend and went 1-0-2, or 1-0-1-1 if you want to get technical.

It was a 3-2 shootout loss to Lehigh Valley at home Friday, 12 seconds from a win but a 4-3 overtime loss Saturday against Hershey and then a 4-3 road win in Allentown Sunday.

For Hartford, it has been rough. 4-0 shutout and 4-3 overtime losses last weekend in Charlotte and a 5-3 setback in a Wednesday game in Springfield.

For Springfield, a 4-1 win in Grand Rapids last Wednesday, 5-4 loss in Milwaukee the next night and then a 4-3 loss in Rockford Saturday. They got right with the 5-3 result this past Wednesday against Hartford.

For Providence, 5-1 home win against Utica Friday, a 5-0 shutout win in Bridgeport Saturday and then the Islanders clap back and win 4-2 Sunday.

The Bruins will host Utica Friday and travel to Hartford Saturday before hosting Wilkes-Barre Sunday.

Records

Penguins are 27-12-5-1 and in second with 60 points in the Atlantic.

Hartford, 20-24-5-1, seventh, 46 points.

Springfield, 24-19-2-3, sixth, 53 points.

Providence, 27-16-4-1, third, 59 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Jonathan Gruden missed Saturday and Sunday with a lower body injury. He went down hard Friday, left the game briefly but returned against Lehigh Valley. Hopefully, his lower body injury isn’t too bad and he’s OK this weekend, although likely not all three games.

Tristan Jarry was sent back and Joel Blomqvist and Emil Bemstrom went up Tuesday. Matty De St. Phalle, Wheeling’s leading scorer, joined the team Thursday.

Roster Tracker has the latest, but that’s the news.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

They have been okay, but championship caliber teams aren’t just okay. It’s a great weekend to pick up two in Hartford Friday, two more in Springfield Saturday and battle it out and empty the tank Sunday in Providence.

No reason to believe they can’t beat a struggling Hartford team and a beatable Springfield team and, if you want to be considered a championship caliber team, beat a Providence team Sunday.

It’s a prime weekend to maximize points, is what I am saying. A New England, indeed.

Who’s in Goal?

I would go Jarry / Larsson / Jarry. I think that’s reasonable.

Louis Domingue, Colten Ellis, Michael DiPietro for the competition is my guess here. Let the record show I nailed my guess last week.

Who’s Running the Show?

Beau Halkidis and Sydney Harris have the Friday assignment in Hartford with Jeremy Faucher and Brent Colby on the lines.

Liam Maaskant and Tyler Spott are the referees Saturday in Springfield with Shawn Oliver and Nick Briganti on the lines.

Sunday sees Maaskant and Harris again with Mitchell Hunt and Shawn Oliver on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

March, you say? Wow!

It’s a Wednesday in Rochester, a Friday in Syracuse then a Saturday in Hershey. They return home for Belleville the following Tuesday.

Give us a bold prediction….

Penguins close to under three points off the Hershey Bears by close of business Sunday.