Chirps from Center Ice

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have three straight games with their in state rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms this weekend and next Wednesday. Two, (Saturday and Wednesday) are in Wilkes-Barre. Gotta protect that home ice.

Music to Set the Mood

I don’t know what this is. I typed in “three ghosts” into YouTube and the came up, so let’s roll with it.

We Have a Trade to Announce…

Jake Guentzel was traded to Carolina with Ty Smith. In return, Pittsburgh got Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius and a bunch of draft picks. Out of  that group, Ponomarev has spent time in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves and would have the most impact, as he has 29 points with the Wolves currently.

Pittsburgh has traded away its AHL clubs leading scorer now three times this season. Rem Pitlick in the Fall, Alex Nylander a few weeks ago and now Smith. Jonathan Gruden, you’re next!

One thing that’s worth considering is that Carolina doesn’t have a bonafide AHL team to stash its prospects and Chicago is independent. If Ty Smith isn’t earmarked for the NHL, where does he end up? Does he stay with Wilkes-Barre as a Carolina property (awkward) or go to the NHL with the Canes or the island of misfit toys out in Chicago? I guess we find out soon.

The Setup

Three straight with the Phantoms, starting this Friday in Allentown.

Last weekend, the Penguins split with the Charlotte Checkers with a 4-1 win Friday and a 4-2 loss Saturday, when on Saturday they were up 2-0. Sam Poulin returned from injury and had five assists across two games but that wasn’t enough to get him AHL Player of the Week honors.

Lehigh Valley were shutout in Utica 3-0, lost to last place Bridgeport 2-1 at home Saturday and then at the tail end of their three in three weekend grit out a 1-0 shootout win over the Category 5 superteam known as the reigning, defending, undisputed 12 time Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears. Go figure.

One thing to note, the Phantoms will travel to Bridgeport on Sunday, completing yet another three in three weekend, then head back to Wilkes-Barre Wednesday, which starts an hour earlier because on the drive up to Connecticut, the Phantoms (and everyone else) will lose an hour when everyone turns their clocks forward one hour this Sunday. Just brutal.

Records

The Penguins are in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 28-19-7-1 record, good for 64 points.

The Phantoms are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, currently out of a playoff spot with a 23-22-5-2 record, good for 53 points.

The Penguins (55 games played) are chasing second place Providence Bruins, who have also played 55 games. Providence leads the Penguins by 9 points.

The Penguins are trying to ward off the Hartford Wolf Pack (52 games played) and the Charlotte Checkers (54 games played) – Hartford has 63 points and the Checkers have 60.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Valtteri Puustinen and Jonathan Gruden are on NHL recall. Joona Koppanen joined them on Tuesday. They all will need to be “papered” back to the AHL by Friday in order to be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Justin Addamo, Dillon Hamaliuk, Raivis Ansons, Owen Headrick and Lukas Svejkovsky remain on recall from Wheeling.

Max Cajkovic was returned to the Nailers on Monday. Tanner Laderoute was signed to a PTO Thursday morning. He has 20 goals and 41 points.

Injured are Svejkovsky above along with Peter Abbandonato, Sam Houde, Marc Johnstone and Jack Rathbone. I think it’s Rathbone, Abbandonato, and then you’re guess is as good as mine after that as to who returns from injury first.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I think they should beat the Phantoms handily. If they want to remain in the faint discussion for a first round bye, they need at least 5 out of a possible 6 points out of this three game set with the Phantoms. How do they do this?

– Get good goaltending from their backup Magnus Hellberg, who should start Friday or Saturday.
– Limit turnovers. Radim Zohorna had his pocket picked behind his own net Saturday which led to the Michael Benning go ahead goal for the Checkers late in the game Saturday.
– Get a power play goal in each game. I know it’s a heavy lift, but before that Benning goal Saturday they had a power play they squandered in a tie game. If they score there, it’s probably a different outcome.

I mean I think that’s it. What do you think? Everything else should take care of itself. Joel Blomqvist will get two of the three starts here. The defense should take care of itself also. How hurt is Jack Rathbone, who is good on the power play and blocks a boatload of shots?

Force the Phantoms into mistakes, press the issue cautiously and there’s no reason why they can’t beat this team clean for a full six points.

Check Your Surroundings

New feature this week till the end of the season or as I see fit will look at the teams ahead of and behind the Pens in the standings.

Providence has Hartford Friday and Springfield Sunday. You just don’t want overtime Friday and want a Springfield win of some type.

Hartford has the Bruins Friday and Bridgeport Saturday, so no eating into the games in hand.

Charlotte hosts Hershey Friday and Saturday.

So it’s a positive schedule week for the Penguins I think, and important that they handle business against a Lehigh Valley team which is a consistent model of inconsistency.

Who’s in Goal?

Blomqvist Friday, Hellberg Saturday, Blomqvist Wednesday is what I would do if I were running things.

Parker Gahagen and Cal Petersen are the Phantoms current goaltending duo. Figure you see each this weekend and the better of the two Wednesday. It was Petersen who shutout the Bears on Sunday.

Who’s Running the Show?

Mike Sullivan (no, not that one) and Austin O’Rourke are scheduled to be in Allentown Friday with Brandon Grillo and Bill Lyons on the lines.

Saturday, Sully (do they call him that?) and O’Rourke make the drive up the Turnpike and are with us again live and in person Saturday with Grillo in tow and Chandler Yakimowicz on the lines.

Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre sees Jake Kamrass and Jordan Watt as the assigned referees and Yakimowicz again on the lines joined by J.P. Waleski.

Looking ahead…

No games Friday or Saturday for the Penguins. A Sunday game which starts at 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland followed by a Monday game at 7.

I haven’t decided when I put the Weekend Preview out yet. To be determined…

Give us a bold prediction…

Blomqvist finally gets a shutout, or I drop the notion of same in this spot altogether.

So let’s talk about it.

At the beginning of last week I said that they were primed to make a run in March. Then last week happened. Let’s review.

– Alex Nylander given away for Matthew Phillips’ replacement, Emil Bemstrom.
– Colin White was lost on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens.
– Lukas Svejkovsky (good on the power play), Peter Addandonato (good overall) and Radim Zohorna were added to the injured list. Abbandonato was a late scratch in the last two games.
– Sam Houde (lower, week to week), Marc Johnstone (upper, week to week) and Sam Poulin (upper, day to day) remain on the perpetual injured list.
– They lose in overtime because they suck in overtime to Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. They are 1-7 in overtime.
– They lose a squeaker in a penalty marred affair in Hershey on Friday.
– They obliterate a game Bridgeport team on Saturday and end the week with 3 of 6 points.

Meanwhile, the gap to second place Providence is nine points with equal games played and three points from fourth place Hartford with three more games played then the Wolf Pack.

How bad are the Wolf Pack that they are given a head start and still can’t catch up to the Penguins? Hartford is 3-5-1-1 in their last ten and the Penguins are 4-3-2-1.

Don’t look now, but Charlotte is nipping at the heels (paws? webbed feet?) of the Checkers and Penguins.

Can the Penguins catch Providence? Not without help. No more regular season matchups with the Bruins this season. Providence has one game with Hershey left in the season. They have Springfield, Hartford, Springfield, Lehigh Valley, in the first half of the month of March. I think if they take 8 out of a possible 12 points between now and the Ides of March, barring a collapse it’s probably ballgame on the second seed for the Penguins.

Music to Set the Mood…

I don’t have one for you this week. When I YouTubed “Checkmate” I got a rap video and a bunch of chess stuff. Beyond my comprehension so let’s move on.

The Setup

Two with Charlotte this weekend, at home.

I gave you what the Penguins did last week above.

The Checkers lost in overtime Friday at home against Lehigh Valley, then beat the Phantoms clean Saturday. This past Wednesday in Hartford, the Checkers beat the Wolf Pack 2-1 in overtime.

Records

The Penguins are in third in the Atlantic with a 27-18-7-1 record, good for 62 points and third place in the Atlantic.

Charlotte is 26-20-6-0 and fifth in the Atlantic with 58 points. They are a point off Hartford for third and for back of the Penguins. The Penguins have 53 games played, the Wolf Pack have 50 and the Checkers have 52.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

The only guy up is Valtteri Puustinen. Pittsburgh is in Western Canada so he isn’t walking through any doors around here this week or next likely.

Justin Addamo, Dillon Hamaliuk, Raivis Ansons and Lukas Svejkovsky are the recalls from Wheeling.

I gave you the injured list in the opening monologue.

Bit of good news is that Avery Hayes was sent to Wheeling on Wednesday, apparently healed from his upper body injury and good to go.

Max Cajkovic and Owen Headrick joined Hayes on the bus to Wheeling on Wednesday. They all retuned from their 20 minute car ride (Facebook special) and were back with the Pens Thursday.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

This very well could be a playoff preview here with Charlotte. If the Penguins stay in third, or even drop to fourth, it’s a good possibility that it’s the Checkers as their first round opponent.

The season series is 3-3. The Penguins would win one, then the Checkers would win the other or vice versa. The Checkers always stack games when they play the Penguins so it is very hard to beat them in back to back games. Is it impossible? Of course not, but in recent seasons the Penguins just can’t solve the Checkers by beating them in back to back games.

So, expect a three game series when these two teams inevitably meet in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in late April.

Who is the better team? I think it’s the Penguins. I’d favor Wilkes-Barre over Charlotte in a three game playoff series. Defense and goaltending is what wins playoff games and I think the Penguins have that advantage. Both teams are good on the penalty kill but suck on the power play. The Penguins are 30th out of 32 teams on the man advantage. Where have you gone Rem Pitlick?

But we aren’t there yet, still having to play a month and a half more of regular season hockey.

If the Penguins want to stay ahead of Hartford, Charlotte, et. al and pursue Providence, they need to win both of these games.

Who’s in Goal?

Split the weekend with Joel Blomqvist going Friday and Magnus Hellberg going Saturday. Or flip it, it doesn’t matter.

Same thing applies with Spencer Knight and Evan Cormier. You’ll see both this weekend, I don’t think it matters when.

Who’s Running the Show?

Liam Maaskant and Casey Terreri have the honors on Friday with Chandler Yakimowicz and Dylan Lewis on the lines.

On Saturday, Jared Cummins and Chris Rumble will be ensuring things remain on the straight and narrow. Linesman Yakimowicz returns with J.P. Waleski.

Looking ahead…

Another Friday – Saturday set against one opponent, a home and home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms; Friday in Allentown, Saturday in Wilkes-Barre and then Wednesday at home against the Phantoms. I am including that Wednesday game in next weeks Weekend Preview because the following weekend they are in Cleveland Sunday and Monday. That means no Friday and Saturday games. I won’t know what to do!

Give us a bold prediction…

Another series split between the Penguins and Checkers.

So I think they are primed for a run.

They have a loaded March schedule. They play Lehigh Valley five times, the most out of any of the teams, in March. Utica is in there. Syracuse too. They have Cleveland’s number and are out there twice. Charlotte starts them off for a pair next weekend.

I think Pittsburgh’s goose is unfortunately cooked. I don’t see them making playoffs. Unless Kyle Dubas can make a trade with Father Time, they are only going to get older. Sidney Crosby is a Hall of Famer, Evgeni Malkin is too and so is Kris Letting, but they can’t do it all. Does Dubas get cute and trade assets now for one last ditch run now or does he sit tight and do nothing? It’s a fine line. I think that Wilkes-Barre should get through this relatively unscathed and should, if anything, get stronger as the season reaches its conclusion.

Music to Set the Mood…

Keep marching. Keep pushing.

The Setup…

A Wednesday game against Lehigh Valley, a road trip to Hershey Friday night and then home against Bridgeport for the first time this season.

The Penguins went to Toronto and pounded the Marlies on a Wednesday afternoon game in Ontario. Jack St. Ivany had a pair of goals. They bottled up Toronto and had their way with them.

Then they went to Rochester on Friday and ran into a hot goalie who does this all the time it appears and lost. It stunk, because Magnus Hellberg struggled again in goal.

They hosted the Laval Rocket and battled and won. 4 of 6 points from the week. You can take that.

Lehigh Valley had one game this past week and lost at home against Syracuse 2-1.

Hershey beat Toronto in overtime on Saturday then beat Belleville clean on Monday. They close out their Canada trip in Laval on Wednesday.

Bridgeport upset Providence 3-2 on Friday, lost to Hartford in overtime on Saturday and beat Laval in overtime on Saturday. In the last three games, they have only allowed five goals. The Islanders will be in Hartford on Wednesday.

Records

The Penguins are 26-17-6-1, good for 59 points in third in the Atlantic Division.

The Phantoms are 20-19-5-2, 27 points and seventh in the Atlantic.

Hershey is 39-9-0-2, 80 points and first place overall in the AHL.

Bridgeport is 15-26-6-1, 37 points and last in the Atlantic.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

I think I am going to consider Jansen Harkins up for good. He’s only played 11 AHL games and hasn’t been here since November.

Colin White and Valtteri Puustinen are up also. Puustinen went up with Vinnie Hinostroza and Jonathan Gruden, but those two (Hinostroza and Gruden) were sent back Sunday.

Wilkes-Barre has Justin Addamo, Max Cajkovic, Owen Headrick, Dillon Hamaliuk, Raivis Ansons and Lukas Svejkovsky up from Wheeling.

Garrett Sparks is down in Wheeling, having been assigned last week.

Jack St. Ivany is back off the injured list.

Remaining injured are Sam Houde, Avery Hayes, Sam Poulin and Marc Johnstone. Out of those, I am hoping that Hayes and Poulin are closest to returning.

What can we learn from the Penguins this week? 

How good is their backup goaltending and when exactly do we see Magnus Hellberg in goal for the Penguins? Does he go Wednesday and Saturday? Do you save Joel Blomqvist for the Hershey Bears?

Hellberg hasn’t been good. He’s been adequate, but this is a good league. You can’t win when good to great teams run out at you every night with average goaltending.

Interesting setup this week. Do you go Hellberg against the two non playoff teams and give Blomqvist the whole week to prepare straight up against Hershey, the one team the Penguins will have to go through if they want to make it out of the Division? I don’t know. You need to get the points to keep pace with Providence and stay ahead of the Hartford Wolf Pack. If you want to make that march, like I said at the top, every point matters.

Who’s in Goal? 

Ha! I love how this is flowing this week. I’ll go Blomqvist, Hellberg and whoever has played better to get the net Saturday against Bridgeport.

Parker Gahagen, Hunter Shepard and Henrik Tikkanen for the Phantoms, Bears and Islanders respectively. With my recent trend of misses with these predictions, expect the opposite.

Who’s Running the Show?

Jim Curtain and Mason Riley are the refs on Wednesday with Patrick Dapuzzo and J.P. Waleski on the lines.

Nothing on the Friday or Saturday crews yet. This is the last Wednesday game until the middle of March, hopefully we have the full crews when we do this next week.

Looking ahead…

You could just go back to the top of this piece to get that but since you are nice enough to read this far I will remind you that they host the Charlotte Checkers for a pair of games next weekend for Friday and Saturday.

Give us a bold prediction…

Beating this drum, but Blomqvist gets his first shutout of the season Saturday against Bridgeport.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins morph into the Pittston Tomatoes on Saturday when they host the Laval Rocket in their annual change your name to a local town and what that town is known for. Last year they were the Old Forge Pizzas. Next year? The Larksville Pierogis? The Nanticoke Kielbasa? The Jeddo Coal Breakers? Who knows.

Music to set the mood…

Hey why are you putting this out there on a Tuesday night? Good question. They play a school day game Wednesday up in Toronto, which bleeds into the next chapter…

The Setup

Trip North of the Border for the final time this season when they visit the Toronto Marlies in an 11 am Wednesday game, then a Friday stop in Rochester then home against Laval. It’s three North Division clubs on the menu this week for the Pens, and they are 6-3-1 against teams in that division.

Wilkes-Barre is a top ten team overall in the League and top five in the Eastern Conference. I don’t know if it’s a top heavy thing meaning that there truly are only a handful of great teams (Hershey, Milwaukee, Providence, Tucson, Coachella Valley, etc.) then just a bunch of contenders and then a bunch of dreck.

Toronto is in that contender group, Rochester and Laval are teetering on contender / dreck. With the race in the Atlantic Division tightening literally by the day, this is an important week for the Penguins.

The Penguins erased a two goal deficit in the third period Friday in Allentown only to lose in the shootout for the first time this season 5-4.

Toronto walloped Laval 6-1 on Friday and then Laval walloped them 7-1 on Saturday.

Rochester lost in overtime Friday 3-2 to Syracuse and then in the home and home with the Crunch on Saturday…lost 3-2 in overtime! They will be in Utica Wednesday before hosting the Pens Friday.

The Rocket are in the midst of a five game road trip and will be in Hartford Friday before taking the trip down I-84 to play the Pens Saturday.

Records

The Penguins are 24-16-6-1, good for 55 points and third place in the Atlantic Division.

The Marlies are 20-15-6-2 good for 48 points and third place in the North Division.

Rochester is 21-16-5-1, good for 48 points and fourth in the North.

Laval is 20-19-4-2, good for 46 points and sixth in the North.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Since we last did this, Jesse Puljujarvi signed an NHL contract with Pittsburgh, so assume he’s up for the duration. I don’t know if he will be rostered back at the clear day deadline or not. John Ludvig was recalled from his conditioning stint. Colin White and Jansen Harkins remain up. Have to figure one of those two may end back up here after Noel Acciari heals up. Likely White.

Owen Headrick, Dillon Hamaliuk and Lukas Svejkovsky are up from Wheeling.

Injured are Sam Houde, Avery Hayes, Jack St. Ivany, Sam Poulin and Marc Johnstone. Raivis Ansons was a regular customer here on this line he healed up and was sent down to Wheeling, but he’s back now, recalled on Monday.

Coal Street sent Garret Sparks, the third goalie here, to Wheeling. Sparks has played sparingly but will presumably get reps for the Nailers, who are on a tear.

Have to be gutted for Johnstone, who would be returning back to Toronto, a team he played for last season.

Houde and Hayes are week to week. Johnstone is “longer term” meaning likely separated shoulder / fractured collarbone after that hit into the boards two Friday’s ago in Allentown. Poulin and St. Ivany have been updated to “day to day”.

They can get by with this short term, but will miss Johnstone. I mentioned this Friday in my recap.

What can we learn from the Penguins this week?

This is the first bit of adversity they have faced since…November? Missing Poulin and St. Ivany and Johnstone suck. But they are resilient and looked better on the power play with Valtteri Puustinen and Lukas Svejkovsky slinging it around out there. They can get scoring from Vinnie Hinostroza. Radim Zohorna is a threat every time he is out there. The list goes on and on.

I want to set a high standard here and say that six points are a must if you want to consider them a contender for a first round bye come April. Consider Hershey a foregone division winner. They can catch Providence I think but need to win the remaining head to heads and hope for help as the Bruins and Pens are locked in games played wise. It’s not like the four games in hand the Hartford Wolf Pack still have on the Penguins.

Toronto is good but not great. Rochester is good but not bad and Laval is just bad. These are teams that, if you want to consider yourself a contender and not an also ran, you must beat.

Who’s in Goal? 

Have to think it’s Blomqvist, Hellberg, Blomqvist in that order. I’m not as high on Hellberg as I was say three weeks ago or so. He has only won two out of his last five starts, picking up wins against a bad Bridgeport team and an equally as disappointing Springfield club, although that Springfield team beat Hershey clean this past Saturday.

I’d expect Dennis Hildeby again for Toronto, Dustin Tokarski for Rochester and likely Jakub Dobeš or Kasimir Kaskisuo for the Rocket on Saturday.

Who’s running the show?

Riley Brace and Damian Figueira get the assignment for Wednesday with Spencer Knox and Dan Kovachik on the lines.

Nothing on the Friday or Saturday crews yet.

Looking ahead…

Back to divisional action with Lehigh Valley in for a Wednesday home game, a trip to Hershey on Friday then back home against Bridgeport Saturday for I think the first meeting in Wilkes-Barre between the two clubs as they close out February and the calendar flips to March.

Give us a bold prediction…

Blomqvist finally picks up his shutout Saturday playing as a Tomato and they connect for a power play goal in all three games.

This is the last Wednesday game for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins until February 21 when they have to start paying off the home games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms they still have left. The real magic with the Phantoms doesn’t come until March, when the teams meet five times. After hosting Toronto Wednesday, they hit the road for five straight and aren’t home against until Saturday February 17, when they take on the Laval Rocket.

Music to Set the Mood…

So there’s no mention at all about Wednesday in this song. Moving on…

The Setup

Toronto drops in for their only visit of the season this Wednesday then it’s off to Hartford and Allentown for a pair of really important road games this Friday and Saturday.

The Marlies are a lot like the Phantoms in that they are playing at or slightly above average and their standings position reflects that. You always think when you look at the North Division standings to expect that the Marlies will be at or near the top. Well, Cleveland and Syracuse are playing really well then you have three teams in Rochester, Laval and Belleville who are within three points of one another. It’s a more competitive division because last place Utica is only two points out of a playoff spot.

Toronto went to Allentown on Saturday and won in a shootout. Then they turned around and played Hershey on Sunday and the Bears scored with seconds left in regulation to tie and under five seconds left in overtime to win 4-3 in overtime. A stunning loss for the Marlies.

Hartford impressed me by a mile after getting smoked in Wilkes-Barre. They travel all the way out to Cleveland and win in regulation in both contests, beating the division leading Monsters twice on their home ice. The Wolf Pack still have five games in hand on the Penguins. They play Charlotte at home on Wednesday.

Lehigh Valley dropped a pair of 4-3 decisions this week. After coming back from 0-3 to tie it against the Pens Friday, they lose 4-3. Then they lose 4-3 in a shootout to Toronto Saturday. They will host Hershey on Wednesday and on Friday.

Records

The Penguins are 23-15-5-0, good for third in the Atlantic with 51 points.

The Marlies are 17-14-6-1, good for sixth in the North with 41 points.

Lehigh Valley will have played Wednesday and Friday but enter the week with a 17-16-5-2 record, seventh in the Atlantic good for 41 points.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Pittsburgh sent down a small mercenary unit on Sunday morning when they assigned Valtteri Puustinen and Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre and assigned John Ludvig for conditioning.

Remaining up in Pittsburgh are Jansen Harkins and Colin White.

On recall from Wheeling are Owen Headrick. Raivis Ansons is also a recall but he’s injured.

Injured along with Ansons are Sam Houde, Avery Hayes and Jonathan Gruden.

What can we learn from the Penguins this week?

The nice shot of reinforcements from Pittsburgh is great but don’t expect it to last because it never does, so take advantage of it while you can.

Puustinen should help on the power play. Ludvig will probably play Wednesday and Friday, but not Saturday or maybe he won’t travel to Hartford Friday and they will play him Saturday. Shea should get all games. Does Gruden return? What about Hayes? Can they continue the elevated play? How long will the power play (scoring in the past two games) stay hot?

I expect them to win against Toronto because they played with confidence against the best team in the league on Saturday night and came up on the losing end. I expect a battle in Hartford who again impressed me because I was expecting the Wolf Pack to take a nose dive. That didn’t happen. Anything can and usually does happen in Allentown when the Pens and Phantoms meet.

Who’s in Goal? 

No reason to stray from Blomqvist being your number one in this instance. Who knows though. Maybe rarely used Garrett Sparks will start against his old squad Wednesday. Expect Hellberg if not. This could be a week where you see Hellberg get two of the three stars because don’t forget that Blomqvist is facing a cross country trip to San Jose for the All Star event next Monday.

Keith Petruzzelli, Louis Domingue and Felix Sandstrom for the opposition this week. Just a hunch.

Who’s running the show?

Riley Brace and Mason Riley get the life of Riley and are the referees Wednesday with Brandon Grillo and Chandler Yakimowicz as the linesmen.

And another week of no weekend refs posted yet by the League. I guess we will find out when they drop the puck.

Looking ahead…

Just one next week, a Friday visit to Allentown. I may bust out the old Gameday blog for that one and go old school.

Give us a bold prediction…

I think they sweep the week handily and Providence, due for a slip, has trouble with the Charlotte Checkers and the Penguins are tied or are a point ahead of the Bruins for second in the division.

So the way that the season is shaping up for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, they should aim high for third place in the Atlantic Division.

I don’t have any music to set the mood, but here’s the best 50 three pointers in the 2018-19 NBA season. When you type in “famous three pointers” in the YouTube search bar, you get this…

So let’s take a look at the Atlantic Division and see what we have right now.

Hershey – 64 points: Absolute class of the division, conference and league. Not only is it a foregone conclusion that the division is playing for second, but I think it’s a Hershey repeat.
Providence – 51 points: I think they benefit from playing more of Bridgeport and Springfield and less of the Penguins and Bears. I think they are lucky if they finish second.
PENGUINS – 47 points: Are they punching above their weight? No. It’s a sneaky good team.
Hartford – 45 points: Started good, battling inconsistency and teams have tape on them now.
Charlotte – 44 points: I think they are the most underwhelming team in the division. Jobs may be on the line at some point soon.
Springfield – 41 points: Dealing with a lot; some of Hartford (inconsistency) a bit underwhelming (they have been battling injuries) and are in serious danger of missing playoffs.
Lehigh Valley – 40 points: Still can’t figure this team out. Is Ian Laperriere a better coach than J.D. Forrest?
Bridgeport – 27 points: Thanks for playing, Bridgeport. Don’t forget your parting gift at the door.

I am not considering tie breakers or games in hand yet.

Yet.

(Let’s skip the quote this week, I can’t find anything good on finishing third)

The Setup

Hartford Wednesday, the first trip to Allentown Friday then a Saturday home game against Hershey.

That thing about games in hand? Hartford has five of them on the Penguins. That’s ten (possible) points. They have five on the Pens, six on Providence and five on Hershey. Only the Bakersfield Condors out in the Pacific Division have played fewer games (32) than the Wolf Pack.

A reasonable expectation is that the Penguins finish third in the division, but they can still play for second. Let’s focus on third for a minute. If they want to finish third, they have to deal with Hartford at this point. Discount Charlotte on back at this point. Beat Hartford in a head to head Wednesday and you put four points between third and fourth. You inch closer to Providence who have cupcakes for the rest of the month (two more with Bridgeport, one with Charlotte)

So it’s an important Wednesday game for both teams.

The Penguins managed to salvage two points out of the week after going up 2-1 Wednesday at home against Providence but losing 3-2. Then they went to Hershey, played a really, really good against the Bears and lost 1-0 on a 5-on-3 goal against. They beat a downtrodden Springfield team 2-1 on Sunday.

The power play sucks again. Offense doesn’t look there. Defense and goaltending is carrying them.

Hartford lost 4-2 Friday at home against Hershey and shut Bridgeport out on the road on Saturday.

Lehigh Valley had a Lake Erie trip last week, losing 6-0 in Rochester Wednesday and splitting a series in Cleveland.

I gave you Hershey’s body of work above. They rested guys Saturday and still managed to beat the Penguins. There’s no stopping this team. The Bears will host Springfield Wednesday.

Records

Hershey is a league best 31-7-0-2

The Penguins are 21-14-5-0

Lehigh Valley is 17-15-5-1

Points and standings above.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

I didn’t think we would see Radim Zohorna back with the Penguins but here we are, he was assigned last week after clearing waivers.

Jansen Harkins, Colin White and Valtteri Puustinen remain up in Pittsburgh with Ryan Shea.

Owen Headrick and Raivis Ansons are up from Wheeling with Dillon Hamaliuk.

Jordan Frasca was reassigned to Wheeling Monday. Don’t be surprised to see him up, down, up and back down again when we do this again next week.

Injured: Avery Hayes, Sam Houde and Raivis Ansons. Add Jonathan Gruden who missed Saturday and Sunday with an upper body designation he’s classified as day to day with. Hope for him Wednesday, expect him Friday or else he’s week to week and they are lying.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

I said last week that the two games against Providence nd Hershey would spin a tale on how they do in playoffs because I said that I expect them to make playoffs. They lost both games close, but clean. Maybe the pressure adjusts a bit in April vs. January, but they lost. It really should be them working to solidify third place and push or at least maintain pace for second and a first round bye.

Answer the question but change the response. If they want to finish third, they have to beat Hartford on account of the amount of games in hand they are in arrears to the Wolf Pack.

Last week I was talking about putting distance on third and now I am talking about finishing third. Life comes at you fast.

They should get points out of Lehigh Valley. Who knows about Hershey. Should be a decent Saturday crowd as the January Saturday games usually are, last change…etc., who knows. They are one of a few teams in the AHL who have beaten Hershey and can beat Hershey.

Who’s in Goal? 

Has to be Blomqvist Wednesday, Hellberg Friday and Blomqvist Saturday, right?

Louis Domingue, Felix Sandstrom and Clay Stevenson for Hartford, Lehigh Valley and Hershey, respectively, if you made me guess which you kind of are.

Who’s Running the Show?

Andrew Bell and Jim Curtain are here Wednesday with Patrick Dapuzzo and Tyler Loftus working the lines.

I don’t have the weekend crews yet. Sometimes the league populates the box scores weeks in advance and stop. This is that point.

Looking ahead…

Toronto stops by for their only visit of the season next Wednesday, then it’s five straight on the road with Hartford on Friday and back to Allentown on Saturday.

Give us a bold prediction…

They figure out the power play and score three goals in each game, beating Hartford and Lehigh Valley clean but then losing in a seven round shootout to Hershey Saturday.

So I should have included Wednesday’s home game against Providence in last weekends Weekend Preview because they are off Friday.

Maybe one of these days I will figure out the whole blogging thing.

Music to set the Mood….

Yes, it is indeed the middle of January and no, January isn’t my friend.

A Quote…

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Considering I am advance writing this on my Monday off, which happens to be MLK Day, seems appropriate.

Not a bad weekend for the Pens, who took another 5 out of a possible 6 points and are third in the division. They are a game into the second half of their season and in not bad position, depending on whether you are a pessimist or optimist.

Pessimist: Good now, but only five points out of a playoff spot in an extremely tight division with no real point scorer and a power play which looks lost.

Optimist: Better than we thought, even if we are being honest. Third place at the halfway point? I’ll take it!

I’m ever the centrist, so I am kind of in between. Did I expect them to be third in the division at the half way point? No. Middle of the road, in fourth or fifth or even possibly sixth was more where I thought they would be. Are they punching above their weight? I don’t think so because of how tight they are in with the other non-Hershey divisional teams. Are they surviving? Yeah, I think it’s evident, because they kind of have to.

The Setup…

Home against Providence, an off night on Friday, a trip to Hershey Saturday then a (sigh) Sunday home game against Springfield.

Pens got roughed up a bit in Providence, losing in overtime after coughing up a 2-0 lead. They went to Bridgeport and saw a three goal lead evaporate on them but got a late goal from Jonathan Gruden that got them a clean two points over the last place Islanders then went to Springfield on Monday and won clean 3-2.

After beating the Pens in overtime Friday, the Bruins lost in overtime in Hartford Saturday then shutout Bridgeport Sunday.

Hershey had a light points week by their standards, winning in overtime at home but then losing in a shootout away against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms then played Bridgeport on Monday and also lost in a shootout. They will be in Hartford on Friday.

Springfield, after hosting the Pens on Monday, will have a trip out to Rochester on Saturday. Fun fact about the T-Birds, they don’t play Cleveland this season.

Records

Pens are 20-12-5-0, good for third in the division and 45 points.

Providence is 21-12-3-2, good for 47 points and second in the division.

Hershey is 29-7-0-2, good for 60 points and first overall in not just the division, but the entire AHL.

Springfield is 18-14-3-2, good for 41 points and sixth in the division.

Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?

Pittsburgh: Jansen Harkins, Colin White and Valtteri Puustinen.

Up from Wheeling: Jordan Frasca, Owen Headrick and Raivis Ansons.

Injured: Avery Hayes, Sam Houde and Raivis Ansons. They are all week to week. Houde is undisclosed, Ansons is lower and Hayes is upper.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Really these next two games against teams that are ahead of them in the division are going to tell the tale of what kind of team we have here. Do I think they make playoffs? Yes, this season, barring an absolute collapse (which is still possible) they are a playoff team. Inevitably, they will need to deal with Providence and / or Hershey at some point likely early on in late April. Are they favored right now over Hershey in a playoff series? I don’t think any team in the AHL would be favored. Are they favored against Providence? Well, what are my terms? I like them better in a five game series then I do a three game series, if that makes sense.

One step at a time here. I think they can put some distance on third place here but they need to play a great game against Providence. A power play goal is a must, limiting mistakes and not going into a shell when you face adversity is a must.

I think Hershey is a bit vulnerable now and is regressing a bit. Do I still favor them over every other team in the AHL? You bet I do, but every team regresses. After a hot start, they have cooled off a bit, having to work overtime against non-playoff teams in Lehigh Valley and Bridgeport. If the Pens, who will be the fresher team Saturday when these teams meet, play a leveled game, they can catch Hershey and maybe continue eating into what looks like an insurmountable division lead that the Bears own.

Right now I have Lehigh Valley as a team that makes playoffs before Springfield. I think the shine has worn off with that club. Sure, they are dealing with injuries to key guys but every team does. The Pens are a perfect example, so those Sunday afternoon two points are there for the picking for Wilkes-Barre.

Who’s in Goal?

No reason to believe it will be Blomqvist Wednesday and Saturday with the off night Friday then Hellberg on Sunday.

Brandon Bussi, Clay Stevenson and Malcolm Subban if you made me bet a nickel for the Bruins, Bears and Thunderbirds respectively.

Who’s Running the Show?

Beau Halkidis and Alex Lepkowski are the assignments Wednesday with Jud Ritter and John Rey on the lines.

David Elford and Jack Young are your referees scheduled for Saturday in Hershey with John Rey and Tommy George on the lines.

On Sunday, Elford and Young will be back with Jud Ritter and J.P. Waleski on the lines. I wonder if Elford and Young toss a coin after the game in Hershey to see who makes the drive up I-81.

Looking ahead…

Home against Hartford on Wednesday, the first trip of the season to Allentown to visit the Phantoms on Friday then home against Hershey.

Give us a bold prediction…

Four clean points against Providence and Hershey but then they are shutout against Springfield at home Sunday.