Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Spring Forward!
Posted by nafsnep on March 7, 2025
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…
In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.
Mark Twain
I can see it. March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.
The Setup
Road trip to Hartford Friday, home against Belleville Saturday and again on Sunday against the Crunch.
They lost 5-2 last Wednesday to Rochester in a game they were straight outclassed from the start. It seemed they did everything right but were beat by a better team.
They got right in Syracuse on Saturday, shutting out the Crunch 2-0.
Saturday, in a game I am still hot about, they had a 3-0 lead evaporate on them as they crumbled under the intense pressure that the Hershey Bears put on them. Bears tied it 3-3, Pens score 8 seconds later to go ahead but lose 5-4 in overtime. That ended up being Tristan Jarry’s swan song, as he was recalled to Pittsburgh Tuesday.
This past Tuesday, Belleville comes in and throttles the Pens 4-1. Wilkes-Barre looked great the first ten minutes then lost the final fifty.
Opponent wise, Hartford won in Bridgeport 6-3 to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Providence beat them 5-2 Sunday and Utica clipped them in a shootout on Saturday.
Belleville loses 4-1 in Laval on Saturday, trounces Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday 4-1 and then does the same to the Hershey Bears the very next night to the tune of 6-2 on Wednesday. They are idle Friday.
Syracuse lost in a shootout against Rochester Saturday. They fared better against the Amerks than we did, getting a point but we shut the Crunch out. Maddening. Syracuse loses. in OT against Utica Sunday. They are back in Utica Friday, off Saturday then here Sunday.
Records
Pens are third in the Atlantic with a 29-15-7-1 record good for 66 points.
Hartford is seventh in the Atlantic with a 23-26-5-2 record and on 53 points.
Belleville is fifth in the North Division with a 26-19-4-4 record good for 60 points.
Syracuse is sixth in the North with a 23-18-8-4 record and on 58 points.
This is through Friday, March 7.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Hey, there it is! I omitted this by accident last week.
Sebastian Aho returned form injury Tuesday…Isaac Belliveau was sent to Wheeling…Scooter Brickey is injured (day to day)…Gabe Klassen is up from Wheeling…Sergei Murashov is too…Tristan Jarry went up to Pittsburgh and Joel Blomqvist returned to Wilkes-Barre but didn’t dress Tuesday….Joona Koppanen, Jonathn Gruden and Sam Poulin are day to day with injuries.
The Roster Tracker page has all the updates. For now, since this is the NHL trade deadline.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
A month ago this team blitzkriegs these cupcakes by multiple goals and sweeps the week easily. Now? Not so much.
I think it is apparent they lack straw stirrers like Gruden, Koppanen and Poulin. Gruden the most followed by Poulin because I think he is more refined than Koppanen.
Depending on how you look at things, they are either five points out of a playoff spot or five points from the top of the division. It’s a little bit of both and I know that sounds like a cop out, but it is.
Listen, it isn’t easy. This is the “grind” part of the season. They simply have to grind points at this point and keep their heads above water. Can they? Running it back against Belleville and Syracuse I think will tell the tale. I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in Hartford because they have been in a tailspin for months. Finding a way to beat Belleville is a must on home ice and then trying to duplicate what worked against a stingy team like Syracuse on Sunday on one hour less sleep isn’t going to be easy, but that’s why I suppose Kirk MacDonald makes the big bucks.
Getting some combination of Gruden, Poulin or Koppanen or better yet, all three this weekend, would be a huge kick in the ass this team desperately needs.
Who’s in Goal?
Good question. Do they let all three get a game this weekend? If so I would go Blomqvist, Murashov, Larsson. I think that’s crazy, by the way, but we will see.
Louis Domingue, Leevi Meriläinen, Brandon Halverson is my guess for the opposition.
Who’s Running the Show?
Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Brody Sutter have the assignment Friday in Hartford with Nick Briganti and Trevor Disbennett on the lines.
Saturday sees Riley Brace and Kurtis Pare with Robert Peterkin and John Rey on the lines. Wilkes-Barre debut for Pare I believe.
If you guessed Pare and Brace again Sunday, you’re right. I see the AHL is racking up those hotel points by keeping the same dudes marooned in Wilkes-Barre for 48 hours. Chandler Yakimowicz and John Rey are on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Wednesday at home against Hershey then a Friday and Sunday in Alletown. More Sunday games, fantastic!
Give us a bold prediction…
The year is 2030. Referee Jonathan Gruden is working his ninth straight game in Wilkes-Barre in some kind of an obscure record that hasn’t been broken in the AHL for years. It happens on a Sunday, the third Sunday home game in a row for the Penguins.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Give It Away Now?
Posted by nafsnep on February 26, 2025
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.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – A New England
Posted by nafsnep on February 21, 2025
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.
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.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Three More?
Posted by nafsnep on February 14, 2025
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are going to be the busiest team in the Atlantic Division so of course another three in three weekend is on the menu for them this week. But the good news is they don’t have to go far.
Music to Set the Mood…
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If you haven’t figured it out by now, the Pens travel to Allentown on Sunday.
A Quote…
Omne trium perfectum – Latin for “everything that comes in threes is perfect”
I don’t think they need to be perfect in this three in three, but I wouldn’t mind.
The Setup
Home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, the Hershey Bears on Saturday then on the road Sunday afternoon in Allentown against the Phantoms.
Wilkes-Barre shutout the Bridgeport Islanders 3-0 last Friday in a game I didn’t like then gave up four goals in the first Saturday against Cleveland but battled back to win 5-4 in overtime then had a similar fate in Hershey Tuesday but fell 5-4 in regulation.
Lehigh Valley needed a shootout to beat Cleveland Friday and won 3-2 then went to Hartford, who hadn’t won in a while, and lost 4-2.
Hershey was shutout 5-0 at home against Syracuse last Saturday then responded in a big way and beat the Pens 5-4 Tuesday.
Records
The Penguins are in second in the Atlantic with a 26-12-4 record with 56 points.
Lehigh Valley sit in sixth place in the Atlantic with a 22-18-5-1 record and 50 points.
Hershey is in first in the Atlantic with a 29-13-5 record good for 63 points.
Pittsburgh traded Corey Andonovski to St. Louis for Mathias Laferreire on Thursday. Laferreire will report to Wilkes-Barre.
Wilkes-Barre sent Sergei Murashov to Wheeling and called up Isaac Belliveau.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Conceivably the way out of the division is going to have to go through Hershey, whether they are in first, second or worse. They are the defending Calder Cup Champions and the Penguins play the Bears more than any other opponent the rest of the season.
Then there’s the Phantoms who remain a threat, and the team that beat the Penguins in the playoffs last year.
If you think the Penguins are a threat this year, then they need to prove that to you by winning all three games this weekend, or at the very least get 5 out of six points or be valiant in defeat.
I didn’t like the way that they shutout Bridgeport. The Islanders are bad and the Penguins should have also beat them 9-0 like they did to the Bears a few nights prior.
I didn’t like the way they showed in Hershey. The Bears are sick and called up half of their ECHL roster and the Penguins were at full strength. There was no reason the Penguins could not have won that game by multiple goals also.
I did like the way they weren’t out of it at all against the Monsters and battled back the way they did. They played like they weren’t going to be denied.
They need to bottle that up and sprinkle that in and out this weekend. If they do, they will be fine.
Who’s in Goal?
Getting Joel Blomqvist back from Pittsburgh threw a monkey wrench in the plan. I would have started Sergei Murashov against the Bears, but, if Pittsburgh tells you to start Blomqvist (no one will say they did) you do it.
Just to be clear I don’t have an issue with Blomqvist. He’s in the NHL for a reason, he’s really good, but there’s something about Murashov and the Bears.
Sending Murashov to Wheeling means Filip Larsson is good to go.
So… who gets the starts? I’d go Blomqvist / Larsson / Blomqvist, but that means Larsson against the Bears Saturday. If not, Larsson / Blomqvist / Larsson, but that means Larsson starts twice and I can’t see that happening. With them playing a three in three I can’t see a goalie playing back to back, so my original guess of Blomqvist / Larsson / Blomqvist stands.
Opposition wise, Parker Gahagen, Hunter Shepard, Parker Gahagen.
Who’s Running the Show?
Riley Brace and Jack Young with John Rey and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines on Friday.
Saturday sees Young stick around with Mike Sullivan and his ineptitude swing into town with Bill Lyons tagging in for Rey and Yakimowicz sticking around.
Sunday sees Sullivan follow them to Allentown with Jack Hennigan joining him with Michael Magee and J.P. Waleski on the lines.
Still not a fan of the way these are assigned. We see the same dozen or so referees with some outlier guys like Hennigan come in from time to time. Mix it up more, please.
Looking Ahead
They are on the road the rest of the month and, wouldn’t you know it, another three in three! Friday in Hartford, Saturday in Springfield and Sunday in Providence.
Give us a bold prediction…
Power play goals scored in each game. A shorthanded goal, 5 of 6 points and closer to Hershey Sunday night then when they started the weekend.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Working on a Tuesday
Posted by nafsnep on February 7, 2025
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins break into the second half of the AHL schedule with a lot of work to do.
No, they aren’t out of a playoff spot. To the contrary, they have the fewest amount of games played in the Atlantic Division and are going to be very busy making up all of the games in hand.
It starts Friday against the lowly Bridgeport Islanders, continues Saturday against the Cleveland Monsters and keeps going Tuesday in Hershey where, the Penguins dropped not five, not six, but NINE goals on the Bears the last time these teams met.
Music to Set the Mood…
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I always consider myself a Skynyrd fan. Don’t for whatever like this song.
A Quote…
Tuesday is a day to finish what’s left undone on Monday and prepare for what’s coming on Wednesday.
— Unknown
I always like Tuesday. They aren’t Monday’s, Wednesday’s get a rap because, “hump day” Thursday isn’t a Friday and Friday is what we all look forward to.
The Setup…
They dropped nine on the Bears last Wednesday in a 9-0 throttling of the back to back Calder Cup Champions. They went to Charlotte and split against a team they don’t match up well with in my opinion.
This week, as mentioned above, they have Bridgeport, Cleveland and Hershey. All winnable.
The Islanders had nine goals dropped on them last Wednesday by the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and then went to Hershey and lost two close games by a score of 5-4.
Cleveland split a pair of games at home against the Providence Bruins last week and will be in Allentown Friday.
Hershey, mentioned above, lost 9-0 to the Penguins, narrowly beat Bridgeport 5-4 on back to back nights and will host Syracuse Saturday.
If they obliterated Hershey 9-0, they should beat Bridgeport by one hundred on Friday. With their current form, they should beat the Cleveland Monsters and should expect a battle when they get off the bus Tuesday in Hershey.
We are at the point of the season where they are primed to make a push and it’s time to start moving. 5 out of 6 points is an absolute must if they want to make a push for first place and start eyeing a first round bye in about eight weeks.
Who’s in Goal?
As long as Sergei Murashov is the first Penguin to touch the ice Tuesday around 6:20 p.m., I think the rest takes care of itself.
Wanna give Tristan Jarry an ego boost? Put him out there against the team with the fewest amount of goals scored in the Division and start him Friday. Give Murashov the Saturday start against slightly stiffer Cleveland competition. Hope that he gets through that game OK and run him out there again Tuesday.
Henrik Tikkanen, Zach Sawchenko, Clay Stevenson is me taking a shot in the dark for the opposition.
Who’s Running the Show?
Casey Terreri was one of the referees selected to officiate the All Star Classic (Jordan Samuels-Thomas the other) and will be here Friday and Saturday. On Friday, he’s paired with Bobby Jo Love with Dylan Blujus and Jud Ritter on the lines. On Saturday, Will Kelly joins him in the orange arm bands. Blujus and Ritter stick around on the lines.
Again. 88 referees employed in this League with 146 linespeople and they can only swap out one on back to back nights in Wilkes-Barre. They must really get good hotel rates in Wilkes-Barre.
Nothing on the Tuesday crew yet. If you hear a scream Tuesday morning, it was me because some combination of Terreri, Kelly, Love, Blujus or Ritter have the assignment in Hershey.
Looking Ahead…
Next three in three. Friday and Saturday at home against Lehigh Valley and Hershey respectively then a Sunday trip to Allentown which starts a seven game road trip.
Give us a bold prediction…
Six points this weekend, six different referees for next weekends three in three.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Going to California…
Posted by nafsnep on January 29, 2025
The Penguins have three games this week and then they and the rest of the league pause for the All-Star festivities in Coachella Valley, California.
Music to Set the Mood…
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Which leads in to the…
A Quote…
This music is timeless. It transcends generations. My parents listened to it, I listen to it, my teenage sons listen to it. – Commenter on the above video.
There’s a reason they call it classic rock. This is classic rock. Timeless.
The Setup
Home game with the Hershey Bears on Wednesday then they are off to Charlotte, North Carolina for a pair with the Charlotte Checkers Friday and Saturday.
Very important games for the Penguins this week.
The Penguins lost in Utica on Friday and then won at home against the Comets on Saturday and then beat the brakes off of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday to complete their three in three weekend. Emil Bemstrom, who is headed to Coachella Valley to participate in All-Star festivities, had a had trick and an assist on Sunday.
Hershey had their Canada trip and lost in overtime Wednesday in Laval, Friday in Belleville and then beat the Senators on Saturday.
Charlotte gets to have all the fun, taking on the Western Conference’s Iowa Wild and Milwaukee Admirals. They were in Iowa last Wednesday and shutout the Wild 4-0 then spent a weekend in Milwaukee and lost Friday and won Saturday in overtime. They returned to Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday and won 4-2.
Records
Penguins are 22-10-4, good for 46 points and fourth in the Atlantic.
Hershey is 26-11-5, good for 57 points and they lead the Atlantic.
Charlotte is 23-12-3-2, good for 51 points and tied for second in the Atlantic.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Atley Calvert was recalled from Wheeling Monday, which didn’t make any sense to me. Jesse Puljujarvi went up to Pittsburgh because Evgeni Malkin went on IR. I don’t think they need any forwards, but who knows.
I think it bears repeating, pardon the pun, but it’s a very important week for the Penguins.
They have a ton of head to heads left with the Bears and a boatload of games in hand. If they just win these, they would be in swell shape. Of course, if they just win those, the rest takes care of itself.
Charlotte is a pain in the ass because they are good but painstakingly inconsistent.
When I mention being able to beat Hershey with the rest being able to take care if itself, this is what I mean. Beat Hershey and you shouldn’t have to worry about beating Charlotte.
But that’s never how it works, does it?
I think they are in a great place based off what we saw Sunday. They were nursing a two goal lead and they got a power play goal, three of them actually, to turn a nail biter into a laugher.
Who’s in Goal?
I think they go to Sergei Murashov Wednesday then split the starts with Tristan Jarry going Friday and then Murashov on Saturday.
I’ll take a stab and say Clay Stevenson for Hershey Wednesday then the same split start with Ken Appleby and Chris Driedger in some combination Friday and Saturday.
Who’s Running the Show?
Jared Cummins and Andrew Bell have the Wednesday assignment with Bill Lyons and Robert Peterkin on the lines.
Adam Tobias and Mike Sullivan have the weekend assignment in Charlotte this weekend. Ryan Jackson and Jake Rennert are the linesmen for the Friday game and Shane Gustafson and Ken Radolinski have the Saturday work on the lines.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview — They Come in Threes
Posted by nafsnep on January 24, 2025
After more than a week off due to ice issues at the Mohegan Arena, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins return to the ice in Utica, NY for a Friday night matchup then bus home with the Comets to take them on at home Saturday before closing out their first three in three weekend of the season with a Sunday home game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Music to Set the Mood…
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I don’t know. I just put my thoughts into YouTube and this is what turned up.
A Quote…
Quote’s about long layoffs didn’t turn up anything of substance and talked about the actual layoff of employees and the like. Let’s just skip this for today.
The Setup
I kind of gave it to you above. The first three in three weekend of the season and a home and home with the Utica Comets with a (sigh) Sunday home game with the Phantoms.
After coughing up a 3-0 third period lead and losing in overtime last Wednesday in Laval a week ago, ice issues forced the postponement of the scheduled game with the Belleville Senators and all of a sudden the Penguins were off for the weekend while the rest of the League played. That Belleville game will now be played on March 4.
Utica had a pretty decent weekend. They beat the Laval Rocket in Quebec on Saturday then beat the Syracuse Crunch in Syracuse on Martin Luther King Day on Monday and crushed Bridgeport 7-1 on Wednesday. It was 5-0 after the first period and Jack Malone had a natural hat trick.
Lehigh Valley also had a pretty decent week also, beating Belleville last Wednesday then beating the North Division leading Rochester Americans in a shootout before losing a close one to them on Saturday. The Phantoms will host Springfield Friday and Bridgeport on Saturday before bussing up to Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
One thing I noticed this week was that there were a lot of teams playing three in threes this weekend.
Records
The Penguins are 20-9-4, good for 44 points and fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
Utica is 13-19-2-2 with 30 points and seventh in the North Division.
Lehigh Valley is 19-15-5-1 with 44 points and fifthin the Atlantic Division, but will have played two games before seeing the Penguins on Sunday.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
They recalled Sergei Murashov on Monday, so that would seemingly mean that Filip Larsson is banged up enough to warrant a recall that early in the week. Tristan Jarry was waived here so he’s likely the number one. Jesse Puljujarvi was also waived here and played in Laval last week. Jaxon Castor was cut loose of his PTO and will report back to Wheeling.
Won’t know statuses on the injured guys until around 6:20 Friday night, but I did see Jack St. Ivany practicing in what appeared to be a regular practice jersey on their social channels this past week, so that could be a good sign.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
The elephant in the room is protecting a lead. They seem bad at it all of a sudden. They blow one late in Belleville two Sundays ago and lose with 2.2 seconds left then go to Laval last Wednesday, get a goal to go up 3-0 in the third period, but their wet behind the ears débutante in goal Jaxon Castor can’t ride that credit to a win and they lose in overtime to the Rocket 4-3.
They are casting points away when they could be using those points to make up ground on Hershey. Now granted they have a lot of head to heads to go with the Bears and a ton of games in hand, but they don’t mean anything if you can’t win them and they certainly feel like you are just wasting them away losing the way the Penguins have been losing of late.
Conceivably they have had an entire weeks worth of practice and the new car smell is still on Kirk MacDonald, so lets see what they do in a three in three weekend against a pair of resurgent teams in Utica and Lehigh Valley.
They should, hypothetically, have no problems winning all three games, but that said you still never know. How many goal lead is safe with how much time remaining? Up four with five minutes? Up two with less than a minute?
Who’s in Goal?
Tristan Jarry should get the start Friday and Sunday and let Sergei Murashov go Saturday at home.
For the opposition, Isaac Poulter and Nico Daws should get action in net for the Comets and take a guess on who goes for the Phantoms. Cal Petersen? Parker Gahagen? Keith Petruzzelli? Pick one. If you are doing it right, it shouldn’t matter.
Who’s Running the Show?
Mike Dietrich and Rob Hennessey are the referees assigned Friday in Utica with Antoine Bujold-Roux and Tory Carissimo on the lines.
Saturday sees Hennessey again (sigh) with Jake Kamrass as the referees with Kirsten Welch and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines.
Kamrass sticks around and is joined by Mason Riley in doling out discipline. Welch sticks around on the lines and is joined by J.P. Waleski.
Hotels must be posh in Wilkes-Barre.
Looking Ahead…
It’s February. Already? The shortest month, which means March soon. Then April, then warmer temperatures, then the pool. Cigars. Sun. Beach. Ahhh…
Oh. Sorry. Started daydreaming there. Hershey comes to town Wednesday then they hit the road for Charlotte next Friday and Saturday.
Give us a bold prediction…
The Penguins come from behind in two of the games and win both, sweep the weekend.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 