Chirps from Center Ice

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…

–

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.

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…

–

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.

The Penguins made a recall from Wheeling on Monday and yes, you guessed correctly, another defenseman. Mats Lindgren. I don’t know what it means, either.

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.

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…

–

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.

Who’s Up? Down? Out?

Keep my Roster Tracker bookmarked for the most up to date information.

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.

Phip Waugh was recalled as the insurance defenseman for the trip, recalled from Wheeling Tuesday.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

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.

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…

–

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…

–

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.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Please bookmark this page which will constantly update as the transactions and injuries occur.

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.

Sorry about the lack of coverage last weekend. These camping trips I do with my family are made months on advance. One thing about campgrounds is that they always tout Wi-Fi access but when it’s you and 75 other campers and their families, and those families have kids, it’s tough to get a good connection.

That’s why I have cats.

Anyway.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t be playoff bound, so Valtteri Puustinen, Ryan Shea, Jack St. Ivany and Radim Zohorna are all be Wilkes-Barre bound.

Things are still up in the air for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins as far as seeding goes. Put it this way, if Providence finds a way to get one more point, the Penguins cannot catch the Bruins for second and the Bruins will have the first round bye. Also, the Penguins have to win out. If the Pens win out and the Bruins lose out, the Pens and Bruins would be tied in points, but since Wilkes-Barre has more ROW (regulation or overtime wins) they would get second place.

How do you feel about the Penguins and the bye? I am split. They can use the time to heal up key guys. But, you don’t want rust or any of those things creeping into the team.

I ultimately think the scenario of the Bruins losing out is more unlikely than the Penguins winning out. I will get to that in a minute.

Music to Set the Mood…

Once again this is another one of those, “type the headline for the blog post this week in youtube.com and see what happens. Here’s what I found.

Edinburgh based rock band with an exciting live presence, who write and perform their own material and at the time of writing , are looking to tour anywhere and everywhere in the next few months, before dropping a load of new songs via Infinite Hive.

I let it play a bit in the background when I was writing it. Not really my thing, but I played it longer than I would have.

A Quote…

Let ’em Cook
— Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 

That’s your playoff theme this year. The puns if they don’t go all the way would be “cooked” or, “well done” among other things.

The Setup…

Hartford on the road Friday and Lehigh Valley on the road Saturday.

The Penguins ran the win streak to seven games with home wins over Bridgeport, 5-2 on Friday and Hershey, 4-1 on Saturday before losing in Hershey on Sunday 4-1. That was a bit of a bad loss for the Penguins because both Providence and Charlotte lost on Sunday.

Hartford snapped out of their funk with a pair of wins over Springfield, 5-3 on Friday and Charlotte, 5-2 on Sunday. The Wolf Pack clinched a playoff spot last weekend and will likely be the five seed.

Lehigh Valley lost 4-1 to Hershey in Hershey on Friday then beat Bridgeport 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The Phantoms will be in Bridgeport on Friday.

Records

Penguins are 38-23-8-1 with 85 points and are third in the Atlantic.

Hartford is 32-27-7-3 with 74 points and are fifth in the Atlantic.

Lehigh Valley is 30-30-6-3 with 69 points and are sixth in the Atlantic.

Accomplishments

This happened Wednesday…

This is notable because Blomqvist plays in the same division as fellow rookie Clay Stevenson of the Hershey Bears who has an astonishing seven shutouts.

This happened on Thursday…

Oh, and this too.

It’s good to have a future in goal for the organization.

Check Your Surroundings…

Alright so Providence has a three in three weekend where they play a hapless but scrappy Springfield team at home Friday, a straight up hapless Bridgeport team on Saturday and host a not really much left to play for stuck in fifth place Hartford Wolf Pack team on Sunday. Remember that any point gained by Providence (or lost by the Pens) seals up a first round bye for the Bruins. That said, the records don’t really matter.

Charlotte is still buzzing around the face of the Penguins. The Checkers played Hershey own Wednesday and lost their game in hand on the Penguins with a 4-3 defeat to the Bears. They will rematch against the Bears on Saturday and then conclude their regular season against the Phantoms on Sunday.

Charlotte cannot get to second now and if the Penguins amass two more points, they can’t get to third either. If they tie, the Pens have one more ROW than the Checkers.

The Checkers are 38-25-7-0 and have 83 points in fourth place. The Checkers have 37 ROW also.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

The kids are alright, aren’t they? Avery Hayes has turned it up, Evan Vierling too. Beau Jelsma made his AHL debut last weekend and didn’t look out of place. When you are young, talented and hungry, you can go places. These kids may not know any better.

The issue for them this weekend is that a lot of their seeding fate is out of their hands. It’s unlikely they get the second seed. All they need is two more points out of their final two games and third is theirs, so there is some work to do. Alternatively, if Charlotte loses two points in any form or fashion over their next two games, third place is the Penguins.

Also, the reinforcements from Pittsburgh will likely push out some guys in the lineup. Here’s who I would bounce if I was J.D. Forrest.

Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany for Taylor Fedun and Isaac Belliveau. Let Belliveau eat minutes for Wheeling in ECHL playoffs.

Valtteri Puustinen and Radim Zohorna for Matt Filipe and Matt Quercia. Same story with Quercia, let him eat minutes in the ECHL in the playoffs.

Jonathan Gruden for Raivis Ansons once Gruden is healthy.

Eventually Marc Johnstone for Lukas Svejkovsky, etc. I would keep Mathieu De St. Phalle, Evan Vierling, Avery Hayes and Beau Jelsma in the lineup for asd long as possible and only replace them if you need to.

We may have a special team here. There’s scuttlebutt about a late 2000’s early 2010’s vibe about this team. Who knows. Gotta beat Hershey in Hershey, something they haven’t done all season.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Puustinen, St. Ivany and Zohorna were sent back from Pittsburgh Thursday. Ryan Shea needed waivers, so he will likely clear and be officially assigned Friday afternoon.

Out: Peter Abbandonato, Marc Johnstone, Sam Houde, Vasily Ponomarev, Joona Koppanen, Taylor Gauthier and Jonathan Gruden were unavailable this past weekend due to injury. The news on Ty Smith wasn’t positive, longer term lower body. The hope is that Johnstone and Gruden are back sooner than later and you see Ponomarev, Abbandonato and maybe Koppanen in a few weeks, if they are still around. I think some combination of those five are vital if they were to have a prayer against Hershey.

Who’s in Goal?

No reason to start Blomqvist in back to back games. I would get Ludovic Waeber in there Friday against Hartford and let Blomqvist go against the Phantoms.

Old buddy Louis Domingue for the Wolf Pack Saturday and Felix Sandstrom for the Phantoms if you make me guess, which you have all season.

Who’s Running the Show?

Mathieu Menniti and Austin O’Rourke are the referees Friday with Jeremy Faucher and Ryan Jackson on the lines. Saturday sees Chad Ingalls and Jake Kamrass as the referees with Shawn Oliver and Kirsten Welsh on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

They are in the playoffs, but won’t know until likely Sunday night who and when they are playing, so look for something here Sunday evening.

Give us a bold prediction…

They will end up as the three seed and will have a first round date with the Phantoms. Penguins in two.