Comments Off on Weekend Preview – What Are You Made Of?
Posted by nafsnep on November 29, 2024
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have not had a lot of action in the past two weeks, but the action picks up with the top teams in the Conference in the Laval Rocket and Hershey Bears on the schedule this weekend, it’s time to see what this team is made of.
Sure, the Penguins are 9-4-1 and better than most teams in the AHL, but they haven’t really had a test yet. That comes this weekend.
Music to set the Mood…
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Snips and snails and puppy dogs tails? Sounds disgusting to me, but I didn’t write the nursery rhyme!
A Quote…
Sugar and spice and everything nice. –What Little Girls are Made Of
Much nicer. Anyway, let’s move off this.
The Setup
The North Division leading Laval Rocket head to town on Friday and then the Penguins hit the road for their first meeting of the season with the 13 time Calder Cup Hershey Bears.
Last week the Penguins shutout the Bridgeport Islanders 5-0 with a resounding triumph after the Islanders gave them fits and beat them the week before and they needed a shootout a few weeks prior to beat Bridgeport.
It was an important game because you wanted to see how they responded. I’d say they passed with flying colors but the teams standing in their way are going to be teams like the Rocket and Bears.
The Rocket dropped 2 out of 3 this past week against Rochester and split a home and home against a scrappy Belleville Senators team.
Hershey lost in overtime last Wednesday against Toronto, needed a late Mike Vecchione goal to force OT and then a Vecchione goal to win in OT in Rochester Friday then beat Syracuse in a shootout on Saturday.
The Rocket and Bears met Wednesday and it was the Bears coming out on top 5-3.
Hershey will be in Allentown Friday.
Records
I gave you the Penguins record above. Hershey leads the division with a 14-4-2 record and Laval is 13-4-1
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Owen Pickering is up in Pittsburgh. Vasily Ponomarev was reassigned Saturday. Defenders are getting healthy. I think I saw Dan Renouf in a regular practice sweater on the teams socials this week.
Sam Poulin was reassigned Monday and Taylor Gauthier was sent to Wheeling then too.
The Pens got a bit of a lucky break when no one claimed Valtteri Puustinen on Wednesday. Puustinen was formally assigned on Wednesday.
Like the headline says, what this team is made of.
You can lose and beat Lehigh Valley, but what does that say when the Phantoms are so mercurial?
You can beat the Islanders and lose to them, but what does that say when the Islanders are so bad as their record indicates?
You have two teams who are at the top of their divisions on the schedule this week. If the Penguins beat both, it’s not a matter of if, but when they catch the Bears and likely see the Rocket again down the road. If the Penguins lose both games, then they are what they are, an above average team that isn’t division leading worthy.
I think there’s a swagger about this team. They are good, I think they know they are good but not cocky about it and have coaching they are receptive to that puts them in position to win every game.
Getting an injection of three really good forwards in Poulin, Ponomarev and Puustinen helps also.
Who’s in Goal?
Joel Blomqvist for both games if you are asking me which I think if you are here you kind of are. Do you want to run Filip Larsson out there against Laval and save Blomqvist for Hershey because you see the Bears more then the Rocket and have six games in hand on them, then go ahead.
Jakub Dobeš for the Rocket Friday and likely Clay Stevenson for the back to back champs on Saturday.
Who’s Running the Show?
Liam Maaskant and Mitch Hardy get the Black Friday assignment at home against Laval with J.P. Waleski and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines. Saturday sees Maaskant again with Riley Brace with Colin Gates and Tommy George on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Calendar flips to December (wow!) and the Bears drop in Wednesday for a home game (boo, work night home games, boo!) and then they take to the road to Hartford Saturday (Friday off, alright!) and Providence Sunday and then the next five at home.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Get in the Groove…
Posted by nafsnep on November 13, 2024
So I think they are getting in the groove. I think they know they have something here and it’s good. They are winning games. They are at the top of the Atlantic pursuing their biggest rival they have not played yet.
They get the Phantoms again midweek, a Friday off and then an Islanders team that gave them fits a few weeks ago but dropped three straight last week. Wilkes-Barre is in a groove, they are looking to stay there.
Music to Set the Mood…
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You know I had to. Also, I heard this song on the radio on my way home from church Sunday and thought it vibed, in case you are wondering.
A Quote…
When you get a groove going, time flies.
— Donald Fagan
The Setup
Trip to Allentown on Wednesday, a Friday off (yes!) then home against Bridgeport for something the Penguins are touting as, “nerd night.”
Yeah, no idea either.
The Phantoms took 5 of 6 points last week, including a win over the Penguins in Tristan Jarry’s swan song and a huge bump in the AHL Power Rankings.
Lehigh Valley also beat Utica (that’s not impressive, the Comets are still winless) and lost to the Penguins last Wednesday in overtime.
Bridgeport saw Springfield score five straight against them in a kids day game then got swept by the Providence Bruins in a home and home. They hosted Hershey in another kids day game Tuesday and lost 5-4 and will be in Hershey Friday.
Records
Penguins are 8-3, good for 16 points and second in the Atlantic. The Phantoms are 5-3-2-1, on 13 points and in fourth and Bridgeport is 2-9-1-1, good for 6 points and last in the Atlantic.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
I think having Matt Nieto here on a conditioning stint is good for them because it looked like he was a threat every time he was on the ice Saturday against Rochester, scoring a goal in the process.
Sam Poulin went up Monday.
Mats Lindgren went down Monday.
My Roster Tracker has all the up to date information. Please head there.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
I am not still totally sold on the defense, but Saturday was a step in the right direction. Do they give Luke Richardson a start? What’s the status of the always injured Taylor Gauthier?
Eventually they are going to have to turn the reins over to Richardson or recall Musharov from Wheeling. How will they look then?
I think it’s a good schedule this week. Lehigh Valley may not be the pushover we think they were, but again playing Utica and beating Utica isn’t as impressive at all. Friday was a fluke I think in parts with they way they played, and Bridgeport didn’t look good at all last week, hasn’t been all season but gave the Penguins fits when they played a few weeks ago.
Don’t take anything for granted and stay in the groove.
Who’s in Goal?
I don’t think there should be any doubts this week. It’s going to be Filip Larsson both games.
Opposition wise, Cal Petersen for the Phantoms and Henrik Tikkanen for the Islanders.
Who’s Running the Show?
Beau Halkidis and Amanda Tassoni have the assignment in Allentown on Wednesday with Patrick Dapuzzo and John Rey on the lines. No info on Saturday’s crew yet.
Looking Ahead…
Just one next week and it is home next Friday against the Bridgeport Islanders again.
Give us a bold prediction…
They sweep the week and score four power play goals.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Raking Leaves, Raking Points
Posted by nafsnep on November 6, 2024
So the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins always historically rake in points in October, November, and December. Just like raking leaves in your backyard, you pile them up and dispose of them. Only for the Penguins, they rake in points and use them to secure playoff spots.
I think they are fine. I liked the way they came out on Saturday night when they had a slim lead against the Wolf Pack, played like they were losing and came away with a big win.
Music to Set the Mood…
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Get out there and rake the leaves!
A Quote…
Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.
— Christopher Parker
Staying with the amassing credit so you are there for a good payoff. Fun fact about me, I always pay my credit cards (I only have two) in full.
The Setup…
A couple more games with our $5M / year NHL All Star goaltender who is 3-0 on this conditioning assignment. A home and home with a surging Phantoms team Wednesday – Friday and Rochester drops in for their only visit this season on Saturday.
I don’t think Jarry will be on the bus headed to Allentown Friday but I am usually wrong about those things. Who knows.
Phantoms beat Hershey clean midweek last week and then beat up a depleting Springfield team so they are riding pretty high. As they should be. I think it’s a good club, I just don’t like their coach.
Rochester obliterated a very, very bad Utica team 8-2 Friday then 3-2 in a shootout Saturday. You think your club is bad? The Comets don’t have a win yet. The Americans are in Cleveland Wednesday then host Hartford Friday before having to bus 4+ hours to Wilkes-Barre for a 6 o’clock game.
Records
Penguins are 6-2, good for 12 points and third in the Atlantic. Phantoms are 3-3-1-1, on 8 points and fifth in the Atlantic and Rochester (coming into the week) are 5-3 and on 10 points, good for fifth in the North.
Who is Up? Who is Down? Who is Out?
They got Vasily Ponomarev back from Pittsburgh last week but their defensive corps is depleted. That’s causing a lot of the younger guys to step up and it’s a trial by fire. They are getting by OK because they have an NHL goaltender moonlighting in the AHL again, but that honeymoon is concluding.
My roster page is your best bet for up to the day-ish updates.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
The question becomes what happens when Jarry goes back up and the goaltending goes back in mortal hands?
That really becomes the bigger issue / question. Can they get three more wins this week? Sure, they can. But they are likely looking at having Filip Larsson in goal for them likely Friday and/or Saturday. How does that spell for a depleted defensive corps?
I guess that’s why you buy the ticket.
I see them as an above average team at this point, but you are obviously grading on a curve because Jarry is on a 3-0 heater heading into the last week of his AHL conditioning stint. They have Lehigh Valley, Bridgeport twice, Laval and Hershey to close out November. No pushovers. Something about that Bridgeport game last week makes me think the Islanders matchup better then you think. Laval may be better then Hershey, and Hershey won back to back Calder Cups.
Do they run the November table? No. That doesn’t happen in the AHL. Will they be competitive in all the games? Yes.
Who’s in Goal?
Tristan Jarry Wednesday, Filip Larsson on Friday in Allentown and maybe Taylor Gauthier? He’s on the roster, I don’t think he’s hurt, so why not?
For the opposition, some combination of Eetu Makiniemi and Cal Peterson for the Phantoms Wednesday / Friday and Michael Houser probably on Saturday for the Americans.
Who’s Running the Show?
Patrick Hanrahan and Samuel Heidemann dole out the discipline Wednesday with Josh Cleary and John Rey on the lines.
Friday sees Liam Maaskant and Casey Terreri doling out the penalties and Brandon Grillo and Jud Ritter on the lines.
Saturday sees Terreri and Grillo head north on the Turnpike and meet up with John Lindner (referee) and Chandler Yakimowicz (linesman)
Looking Ahead…
Another Phantoms game Wednesday in Allentown, then another Friday off (I will never complain) and then Bridgeport stops in Saturday night.
Give us a bold prediction…
5 out of a possible 6 points. Power play goals in every game and Tristan Jarry plays in Allentown on Friday.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – What Does $5 Million Get You?
Posted by nafsnep on October 30, 2024
The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have the services of NHL All-Star goaltender and $5.3M / year man Tristan Jarry, down on a conditioning assignment, for this week and parts of next.
Music to Set the Mood…
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Playing in the minors while collecting ~$203,900 on a bi-weekly basis? Can I sign up for this to write my old high schools newsletter?
Oh wait, the Diocese of Scranton closed my high school. Anyway…
A Quote…
Everybody’s got a price! – The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
The Setup
A Wednesday trip up to Bridgeport to take on the Islanders, a Friday off, then a Saturday home game against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The Penguins split a series with the Syracuse Crunch where the home team won both game. The Pens were shutout in Syracuse 2-0 on Friday and then beat the Crunch at home 3-2 on Saturday.
The Islanders went to Charlotte last weekend and were obliterated by the high octane offense Checkers and lost 13-4 on aggregate (8-2, 5-2) – Bridgeport has allowed the most goals in the Division with 27. It’s looking like a long year again on the Sound Island.
Hartford beat Lehigh Valley 4-3 in overtime, had Saturday off and then got smashed by a Springfield club playing a third game of a three in three weekend 5-2. They will host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, then travel to Syracuse on Friday.
Records
The Penguins are 4-2, on 8 points and third in the Atlantic Division. The Islanders are 1-5-1-0, on three points and in last place in the Atlantic. Hartford is 3-2-0-1, on 7 points coming into Wednesday and in fourth in the Atlantic.
Defensemen Dan Renouf and Filip Kral, forwards Jimmy Huntingdon and Jagger Joshua are the week to weekers that we know of.
Isaac Belliveau remains day to day, but he hasn’t played at all, and it’s been weeks, so is he really day to day?
Sam Houde remains in Wheeling. Sergei Musharov went to Wheeling in the Jarry transaction and I can’t tell you what the status is with Taylor Gauthier because the ECHL’s roster rules are more complex than they need to be. Compounding that, Coal Street signed G Luke Richardson, who was with the Pens in training camp, to a PTO on Monday.
Four points playing in front of an NHL All-Star goalie is a must, unless said goaltender malfunctions. I don’t think he will though. Going back to Saturday’s goals against, go ahead and find me a goaltender in the AHL or NHL that stops those scenarios. It’s unfair and nitpicking if you blame Jarry for those goals.
Bridgeport is a mess and unless a miracle happens expect the Penguins to win handily. Hartford should put up a bit more of an opposition but expect the Penguins to compete and have the edge. Provided they keep the power play clicking and stay healthy, they should be in a position to pick up two points with under ten minutes to play in the third period in each game.
Who’s in Goal?
Sometimes it’s fun having the answers before the test. Jarry isn’t here to be anyone’s back up. It’s him Wednesday and Saturday.
For Bridgeport, expect Jakub Skarek, who at this point should be getting hazard pay.
Hartford should probably roll out Dylan Garand, because you figure old buddy Louis Domingue will see the start against the Griffins Wednesday and again in Syracuse.
Who’s Running the Show?
Stephen Hiff and Austin Rook get the duties Wednesday in Bridgeport and Mitchell Hunt and Dylan Lewis are on the lines.
Graedy Hamilton and Mason Riley have the referee assignments on Saturday, with Jud Ritter and J.P. Waleski on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Home Wednesday against Lehigh Valley, Friday in Allentown, then Saturday back home against the Rochester Americans who stop by for their only visit of the season.
Give us a bold prediction…
Tristan Jarry gets a shutout Wednesday in Bridgeport then beats the Wolf Pack in a seven round shootout on Saturday.
Comments Off on Weekend Preview – Walking Wounded?
Posted by nafsnep on October 25, 2024
So the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are down four injured defensemen through four games. They didn’t (that we know of) see anyone go out in the Saturday road game in Allentown.
They sure as hell aren’t playing like it though, shutting out the Phantoms Saturday 3-0 where Lehigh Valley put up 41 shots. Filip Larsson had a hell of a bounce back and was sharp as a tack after letting in six a week before against Charlotte.
Now, the Syracuse Crunch are on the radar for a home and home series starting Friday in Syracuse.
Music to set the mood…
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A Quote…
I had no idea a living being could sustain so much injury and go on living. — Yann Martel, Life of Pi.
Always wondered where the “day to day” injury description came from, apparently hockey coaches read that book.
The Setup
Another home and home for the Penguins. It’s must be a thing. I don’t know if you saw or not but I resurrected the AHL Power Rankings from the ashes and if you go in depth on the team capsules you will note that there are a lot of teams playing other teams on home and home backs to backs. Some are playing the same opponent three times in a row which I think is silly.
But I digress. The Penguins swept their home and home with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by a 4-3 score on Friday and a 3-0 score Saturday. Friday they scored all four goals in the first. Saturday I thought was a much better played game structurally (but for the icing fest in the second period) and certainly would be a building block for the coaching staff to help mold the identity of this team.
For Syracuse, they played a three in three. They played a pair in Laval and were beat 5-2 Friday and 1-0 Saturday. It’s hard to lose 1-0 in today’s AHL. Like, it happens, but conceivably you don’t score a goal but allow just one and lose.
The Crunch then travelled to Belleville and beat the Senators 5-2 on Sunday.
Records
The Penguins are 3-1, on six points and tied with Charlotte for second in the division.
The Crunch are 3-2, on six points and are in third in the North.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall….
Who’s Up, Down, Out?
Defensemen Dan Renouf, Filip Kral, Marc Clurman and Isaac Belliveau are all out. The long termers are Renouf and Kral, out week to week and Clurman is day to day along with Belliveau.
Who knows if those statuses change. Jagger Joshua is the lone forward out week to week, that we know of.
Sam Houde is with the Wheeling Nailers.
It was actually quiet week transactionally for the team, with nothing doing on the wire for Coal Street all week. I guess that’s good?
One other transaction for the opponent. Conor Sheary was sent down to Syracuse by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Sheary cut his AHL teeth with the Penguins in 2014-15 and 2015-16. You may see him in both games, but for certain I would think he plays Friday in Syracuse.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
Can the offense and the power play stay hot? All indicators indicate yes, as long as Boris Katchouk and Emil Bemstrom keep hopping over the bench and on the ice. I think the defense is OK, shielded a bit by the team putting up 3+ goals a night and getting bailed out by reasonable goaltending. When may the luck run out? When they start hitting really good teams on the schedule. Who’s a good team? Too soon to know, really.
Early returns are the team is good. Building up credit while you are young is good. Anyone over thirty gets this reference in real life scenarios.
Who’s in Goal?
You ride the hot hand and put Larsson out there Friday in Syracuse and then let Sergei Musharov take the Saturday start. You continue to do this until one plays his way into the bonafide starter role. I think the faith is Larsson as the starter as long as Joel Blomqvist plays the role of the NHL backup while Pittsburgh somehow still carries three goalies but Musharov isn’t coming from overseas to play second fiddle to anyone. We will see.
For Syracuse you can expect Brandon Halverson Friday and Matt Tompkins Saturday, or Halverson for both starts. Who knows.
Who’s Running the Show?
Riley Brace and Adam Tobias get the duties on Friday with Justin Johnson and Jason Brown on the lines. Saturday sees Jordan Deckard and Jared Cummins in the orange arm bands with Bill Lyons and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
A Wednesday visit to Bridgeport, a Friday off (woo hoo!) then November starts with a Saturday visit from the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Give us a bold prediction…
No reason to veer off course here. They score power play goals in both games and win both of them. Musharov outduels Larsson and the Penguins have a good problem to have and continue the two headed goaltending monster approach.
Wilkes-Barre / Scranton heads into the second weekend of AHL action with a home and home against a team it sees twelve times in the Lehigh Valley Phantoms who took the Penguins out of the First Round of the AHL Playoffs last Spring.
Music to Set the Mood…
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I remember hearing this song for the very first time up in Binghamton, New York when the then Senators came out to this as their warmup music. It hit then, it hit now. With a pair with a ghost named team this close to Halloween, I find it apropos.
I miss Binghamton…
A Quote…
(yes, I forgot this last week)
The world is full of ghosts, and some of them are still people. — Peter Straub
…but enough about who you like on Election Day.
Oh, sorry. Wrong blog. Anyway. Moving on…
The Setup
A home and home with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on consecutive nights beginning Friday in Wilkes-Barre.
The Phantoms needed a shootout to beat the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday in Allentown in their only action of the weekend. The Penguins scored ten goals and managed a 1-1 record, putting up six in a losing effort against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday and then four more in a 4-1 win in Springfield on Sunday.
They scored a power play goal in each game, which was good, but allowed two shorthanded goals against Charlotte, which was bad.
They will likely roll Filip Larsson in goal in one of the contests this weekend, and which Larsson we get will be the question. Sure, his defense and special teams did him no favors Saturday, but he could have been better.
Records
The Penguins are 1-1 and the Phantoms are 1-0. Early days in the division here.
Dan Renouf was dinged up Saturday and has a lower body injury which they don’t think is that bad, per the broadcast Sunday afternoon. Sam Houde and Isaac Belliveau have lower body injuries and are day to day and Jagger Joshua is week to week with an upper body injury. The Pens recalled Mats Lindgren from Wheeling Wednesday mid-morning.
Pittsburgh sent rookie sensation Rutger McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre in a surprising but not surprising move. Kid needs to develop and that’s what the AHL is and does. Look for him to slot in the top six this weekend and we will see how he does.
Like I said, all of those are listed on that page which updates as I get the information.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
The hope is that they play Lehigh Valley tight but find a way to win or blow them straight out, right? Tighten up on special teams, which I think they did on the bus ride up to Springfield Saturday night into Sunday, don’t allow two shorthanded goals and capitalize on the chances given. Easy, right?
I am not concerned, nor should I be when I look at the calendar, and you shouldn’t be either. Now if they are sitting on an 0-2 record, you have every right to let doubt creep in. But honestly, how often do you see 7-6 track meets in the AHL like you saw Saturday? Not often. They are fine. They are still figuring things out, like all the other 31 teams in the League.
Who’s in Goal?
Perfectly reasonable to expect Larsson and Sergei Musharov, but in what combination is the question. I don’t see any reason they don’t start Larsson Friday and let Musharov take the Saturday start, so let’s just roll with that.
Heh. I had this typed up already before Pittsburgh sent Alex Nedeljovic to Wilkes-Barre for a conditioning assignment on Thursday. My guess is Nedeljkovic goes Friday at home and then Larsson and Musharov board the bus Saturday afternoon and Musharov goes Saturday and Larsson backs up. Nedeljkovic will get recalled back to Pittsburgh Sunday.
Or I could be wrong, very wrong, and Nedeljkovic starts both games and sticks around.
For the Phantoms, Alexei Kolosov started Saturday for them, so expect him out of the tunnel first Friday in Wilkes-Barre and Cal Petersen Saturday in the rematch in Allentown.
Who’s Running the Show?
Beau Halkidis and Samuel Heidemann are the refs scheduled for Friday with Tyler Loftus and Justin Johnson. The Pens saw Halkidis Sunday in Springfield and can’t shake the guy. Saturday sees Mason Riley and Jackson Kozari as the referees with Michael Magee and John Rey on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Theme of the home and homes continue, this time with the Syracuse Crunch beginning next Friday in Syracuse.
Give us a bold prediction…
Power play train continues down the tracks, with them scoring in each game. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic does not score a goal in either contest. Wilkes-Barre sweeps the weekend.
Back and marginally better than ever here in Year 14 of this silly little blog. Thanks to all the Day 1ers who have stuck with it since the inception and welcome all new readers. I’m just trying to capture the spirit of the thing.
A word about me and this weekends action. If you are seeing this on Friday afternoon when this posts, I am likely somewhere on I-81 South, thundering my camper to Gettysburg, PA for the last camping trip of the season. I have been everywhere man, from Dover, PA to Cape May, NJ and from Watkins Glen, NY to the Delaware shoreline.
That said, I won’t be in attendance for the first game of the season Saturday night when the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins light the rocket on Year 26 and host the Charlotte Checkers, whom they opened with last year at this time in North Carolina.
Provided I get good Wi-Fi, I’ll watch and recap both Saturday and Sunday’s games. These camping trips are scheduled months in advance and this trip is a rain check from last year. We were originally scheduled to be in Gettysburg last year when it rained and we had to postpone.
Anyway, don’t fret when you look to Section 104 and don’t see me. I will be back next Friday for Game Three against Lehigh Valley…
Music to Set the Mood…
I wanted a “Song of the Summer” vibe here and this, I think, ties in nicely. It was either that or one of my favorite Yacht Rock songs I play out by the pool.
I think it ties in nice, as we all love this team and wish them good luck.
The Setup
A home game against Charlotte and a Sunday road trip to Springfield.
A bit of a Preview, say…
Off the hop I don’t expect Hershey to three peat. Also, don’t get mad when you see me refer to them as the 13ears on social media, as I think it works with the 13 Calder Cups Hershey have amassed and the back to back run our friends to the south are riding.
No, I think it’s Providence’s turn to have a run at the top, and I think they jump out to a hot start and contend all season long. They were the 2 seed late last Spring and I think they are primed to pick up where they left off.
1 – Providence – see above.
2 – Hershey – I still think the Bears contend, don’t get me wrong.
3 – PENGUINS – If either one of the top two ursine named teams slip, yeah, I see an outside chance that Wilkes-Barre can have a few good weeks at the top of the division.
4 – Hartford – I think the Wolf Pack will be sneaky good. Underestimate them at your peril.
5 – Lehigh Valley – I think the Phantoms are primed to be better than people think, but I am not sold on Ian Laperriere as their head coach and have never been.
6 – Springfield – I don’t think the Thunderbirds miss playoffs like they did last year. I expect them to contend.
7 – Bridgeport – Could slightly be better. They finished last last season and the only way is up.
8 – Charlotte – Someone has to finish last. I could see it turning out just OK for the Checkers but could also see them as a non-contending team.
I am normally wrong, very wrong, with these, so please take these with a grain of salt.
Records
This is the first game for the Checkers and Penguins. The Thunderbirds open Saturday with Laval.
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
I have dedicated a page that I will (try to) constantly update throughout the year. It’s pinned at the very top of the home page if you are viewing on your computer. If not, it is here. I’ll refer to it throughout the season provided I stay on top of it, which I should, because it would be just moving names around.
Anyway, the lineup is missing Joel Blomqvist who is up in Pittsburgh for the injured Alex Nedeljkovic. Vasily Ponomarev is also injured up in Pittsburgh. Those are the only two players you could see again in Wilkes-Barre this season.
But that’s OK because Filip Larsson and Sergei Musharov are good goaltenders and they are about as strong as they will be at forward and on defense. It’s a good club, one that should contend, but don’t get your hopes too high. It is October, after all.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
New coaching, something about a renewed sense of optimism with the organization running good prospects through the pipeline. But it all can fall apart in an instant. Pittsburgh is old and not expected to contend, but they still have a guy named Crosby on their team and can upset a few apple carts along the way but they are a cold start away from upending it all and blowing it all up for a future in a few years. How does that affect the farm team on Coal Street is anyone’s guess.
I think the Penguins are favored to beat the Checkers and the Thunderbirds this weekend and a 2-0 start is within the margins of error for the Kirk MacDonald Era. Where does it go from there? What if they are down 3-0 against the Checkers at the end of the first on Saturday night?
Who knows. You bought the ticket. Now it’s time to take the ride. Strap in.
Who’s in Goal?
Toss a coin regarding Larsson and Musharov. Musharov saw a ton of preseason minutes but Larsson played the whole game Sunday against the Phantoms. I think it may be Larsson Saturday and then Musharov Sunday.
For the Checkers, expect Chris Driedger and Colten Ellis for Springfield on Sunday.
Who’s Running the Show?
Veteran ref Jim Curtin and Andrew Bell get the duties on Saturday with J.P. Waleski and Devon Gale on the lines.
Sunday in Springfield sees Beau Halkidis and Mathieu Menniti in the arm bands with Dylan Blujus and Nick Briganti on the lines.
Looking Ahead…
Home and home with Lehigh Valley, who the Penguins didn’t see till January last season. Pens are home next Friday against the Phantoms then are in Allentown for the 7:05 7:15ish start on Saturday.
Give us a bold prediction…
They get a shutout, and score a pair of power play goals in each game and start the season gangbusters.
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 