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Cheap way out is burying the officials. Jeremy Tufts and Conor O’Donnell were awful today. I have seen a lot of bad officiating at this level for years. Today’s game was about the worst I have seen from the officiating side all season.

But I am not going to bury stripes. No, not today.

Total lack of effort by the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins who could have cut the magic number to five with a regulation win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The coaching staff set the week up right by staying in Toronto for the week and then staying in Utica Friday night with resting three regulars Saturday plus the starting goalie for today’s game. Sometimes you just don’t have it.

Stick fouls. A rested opponent that bussed down from Syracuse Friday night and spent two nights in Wilkes-Barre. Questionable officiating seemed like an afterthought. A road weary team gets slaughtered after a hellish week of travel at the tail end of a three in three. Bridgeport wins 6-3.

It was a snowball of the Pens tired from all the travel, mixed in with their slow starts and a little of a rested, desperate Bridgeport team currently out of a playoff spot mixed in with some bad officiating. I suppose when you say that the referees, “lost control” of a blowout win for a team over another when there are fights and guys getting 10 minute misconducts like kids at Halloween, this was the total opposite.

Tristan Jarry opposed Eamon McAdam.

Lines were…

Garrett Wilson – J-S Dea – Daniel Sprong
Adam Johnson – Josh Jooris – Ryan Haggerty
Tom Sestito – Jarrett Burton – Christian Thomas
Joseph Cramarossa – Teddy Blueger – Tom Kostopoulos

Chris Summers – Kevin Czuczman
Andrey Pedan – Lukas Bengtsson
Jarred Tinordi – Zach Trotman

Tristan Jarry – Anthony Peters

Lineup Notes: Tom Kostopoulos and Tom Sestito were back in after getting the night off Saturday in Binghamton for Sam Lafferty and Gage Quinney. Anthony Peters backed up. Michael Leighton was given the night off. As expected, Thomas DiPauli is week to week with an upper body injury, he will be evaluated this week to learn the extent of his injury.

First Period: Bridgeport set up shop in Pens end all period and took a 2-0 lead into intermission.

Ryan Hitchcock scored his first professional goal after a shot blocked by Kevin Czuczman came right to him to put Bridgeport on the board.

Sound Tigers extended their lead on a power play goal by Travis St. Denis when St. Denis collected a shot that rang off the post.

All of Wilkes-Barre’s chances, but for one power play seemed one and done. Result of a team that spent the entire week on the road against a team that didn’t play yesterday?

Shots were 10-8 for the Sound Tigers but seemed like there were more than didn’t register as actual shots at Jarry.

Second Period: Sound Tigers made it 4-0 before the Penguins finally respond with a Chris Summers goal, but then with a turnover in the Penguins zone, the Sound Tigers quickly re-establish their four goal lead to make it 5-1.

Sound Tigers made it 3-0 when Ryan Bourque scored just as a double minor against the Penguins expired. Bourque scored again on a power play that made it 4-0.

Penguins would get two cracks at full power plays and could not score. They won’t get far in the postseason if that isn’t figured out quickly in the next three weeks of the regular season.

Summers finally scored to break up the McAdam shutout to get the Penguins on the board. But then Bridgeport scored again and through fights involving Tom Sestito and Garrett Wilson separately, all momentum the Penguins built to this point went out the window.

Third Period: Penguins got two back on the power play. J-S Dea from the slot while the Penguins were on a two man advantage and then Andrey Pedan finished off the other end of the power play that made it 5-3.

But that’s where the momentum died.

Penguins took three straight penalties; Haggerty and Czuczman for interference and a roughing penalty to Trotman. Penalties where you let them go if a team is battling late in the third period of a Sunday game in the AHL.

Sound Tigers hit an empty net which ended up being a power play goal that made it 6-3.

Three Stars: 3) Ryan Hitchcock (goal, assist, even) 2) Garrett Wilson (two assists, even) 1) Ryan Bourque (two goals, +1)

Around the Division: Toronto shuts out Springfield 2-0. Hershey loses to Hartford 4-2. Everyone else were off.

Standings: Lehigh Valley (.684 percentage points) — Providence (.644) — Penguins (.636) — Charlotte (.596) — Bridgeport (.545) — Hartford (.500) — Hershey (.478) — Springfield (.463)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

Power Rankings Monday at 4. I will be surprised if the Penguins practice this Tuesday, the next day they are scheduled for any on ice activity.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Michael Leighton has appeared in three games for the Wilkes-Barre  Scranton Penguins.

All have been against the Binghamton Devils.

All have been wins.

A 5-4 shootout win for Wilkes-Barre tonight is enough to lower the Penguins magic number to nine, but with a shootout win, which is not considered when breaking ties, the Penguins and Providence Bruins have 34 regulation or shootout wins (ROWs) as the two teams jockey for home ice over the other.

Yes, I am calling it now. Well, I have been for a while now, but officially here, the Providence Bruins will be the first round playoff opponent.

Really should not have been this close tonight on the Southern Tier. Wilkes-Barre was up 4-1 at one point, only to see Binghamton rattle off three straight goals to force overtime. Garrett Wilson’s gaol in the top of the eighth inning holds up as the winner for the Penguins.

The aforementioned Michael Leighton opposed Mackenzie Blackwood.

Lines were…

Garrett Wilson – J-S Dea – Daniel Sprong
Joseph Cramarossa – Jarrett Burton – Adam Johnson
Gage Quinney – Josh Jooris – Ryan Haggerty
Christian Thomas – Teddy Blueger – Sam Lafferty

Chris Summers – Kevin Czuczman
Andrey Pedan – Lukas Bengtsson
Jarred Tinordi – Zach Trotman

Michael Leighton – Anthony Peters

Lineup Notes: Thomas DiPauli was out, probably an upper body injury, week to week, blah blah blah. Remember playoffs are coming and they want your money…Tom Kostopoulos and Tom Sestito were given the night off alone with Tristan Jarry. Josh Jooris, Christian Thomas and Sam Lafferty were all in after given last night off.

First Period: In what seemed like a marathon period, the Penguins got the scoring started first with this blast by Andrey Pedan 91 seconds into the period…

That was through a screen. First time the Penguins scored first in a game since the last time they were in Binghamton.

Devils tie it right back up when John Quenneville cycled from one side of the ice to the other and pushed a pass to Jacob MacDonald. Mac Donald did the rest, and the game was tied.

Penguins had a couple of chances on the power play but couldn’t score. Stop me if you have heard that before.

Wilkes-Barre then found themselves on a quick developing three on one and Dea centered to Cramarossa who looked off the trailer and did this…

Play really dragged after that, with a ton of whistles, pushing and shoving and penalties. Shots after one were 14-11 favoring the Penguins.

Second Period: Penguins score on the power play, the first time since March 13 or Game 1 in Charlotte or the last 23 tries on the man advantage.

Garrett Wilson set the screen in front and Pedan scored on the power play.

Those two were at it again when Pedan threw a long shot at the net that Wilson deflected in that made it 4-1.

Teddy Blueger takes an unnecessary penalty in the periods final minute and the lethal Binghamton power play took the ice.

Bracken Kearns skated to Leighton’s far post, passed to Nick Lappin who put one home past Leighton to cut the deficit to two.

Leighton had to fight off a flurry of shots right after the goal. Time ran out on the period though so it was off to the…

Third Period: Blake Speers scores unassisted from the slot to cut the Devils deficit to one.

Blackwood stops Adam Johnson bearing down on a three on one and then later Mario Lucia mines a two on one out of nothing in the neutral zone and ties the game.

Binghamton came into the game with the AHL’s worst -30 goal differential in the third period. The get two to make it -28.

Tim Kennedy was high sticked by his own man and bled. Referee Brandon Schrader sees this but leaves out the “own man” part and puts Andrey Pedan in the box and the Devils get a 4:00 power play. Penguins kill it all off. It was then off to…

Overtime: No scoring, but the Penguins had a power play they couldn’t score on to start the extra frame.

Shootout: Daniel Sprong scored in Round 3…

But it was answered by John Quenneville so the shootout continued….

…and continued…

..to Round 8 where Garrett Wilson scored.

Mario Lucia missed on his attempt and the Penguins reduced their magic number to 9.

Three Stars: 3) Andrey Pedan (goal, assist, even) 2) Blake Speers (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Garrett Wilson (goal, +1)

Around the Division: Hershey beats Hartford 2-1…Charlotte beats Laval 5-3…Providence thumps Lehigh Valley 6-1 and Rochester beats Springfield 4-2. The Sound Tigers were off.

Standings: Lehigh Valley (.684 percentage points) — Penguins (.646) — Providence (.644) — Charlotte (.596) — Bridgeport (.538) — Hartford (.493) — Hershey (.485) — Springfield (.470)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose 3-2 in overtime to Cincinnati at home in overtime as they continue to push for a playoff spot.

Binghamton is normally good with video highlights. If I see them while I am able to work an edit in, they will go here.

Pens close out the three in three weekend with a 3 pm home start with Bridgeport. Gameday setup hits the blog Sunday at 11.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I’m sensing a trend here, and not a good one.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins battled back from an 0-2 hole Tuesday in Toronto to force overtime only to lose.

Same thing happened tonight in Utica, but it was an 0-3 hole tonight that the Penguins battle back from to tie it way late in the third period only to lose tonight 5-4 in overtime.

Wilkes-Barre was essentially asleep tonight against a stumbling Comets team who were 2-8 in their last ten games in the first period and through Tristan Jarry’s calm play in net for his team, the Penguins steal a point.

Jarry opposed Thatcher Demko.

Lines were…

Garrett Wilson – J-S Dea – Daniel Sprong
Joseph Cramarossa – Jarrett Burton – Adam Johnson
Tom Sestito – Gage Quinney – Ryan Haggerty
Thomas Di Pauli – Teddy Blueger – Tom Kostopoulos

Chris Summers – Kevin Czuczman
Andrey Pedan – Lukas Bengtsson
Jarrred Tinordi – Zach Trotman

Tristan Jarry – Michael Leighton

Lineup Notes: Andrey Pedan returned from injury and as a result, Kevin Schulze was released from his professional tryout agreement….Josh Jooris was returned from Pittsburgh but was not in the lineup for the Penguins.

First Period: The game started at 7:05. Someone forgot to tell the Penguins.

Initial shot blocked by Tristan Jarry 1:31 into the game is kicked over to Mike Carcone who scores to put the Comets on the board.

Utica nearly makes it 2-0 but the puck somehow stays out, but in the chaos, Chris Summers takes a hooking penalty.

Michael Chaput makes it 2-0 Utica on the ensuing power play.

Later, Chaput scored his second of the period when Jarred Tinordi bowled over two men in the neutral zone and Chaput used the trailing defenseman as a screen to make it 3-0 Utica.

:19 later, J-S Dea scored to make it a 3-1 game.

Not quite the response as was Tuesday in Toronto when the Penguins went down 2-0 early then scored to make it 2-1.

Penguins looked goon on their only power play of the period but Thatcher Demko closed the door on several Wilkes-Barre opportunities.

Shots were 18-14 Penguins after the first. 32 shots in one period seemed like a lot.

Second Period: Penguins started the period out with great aplomb and scored a goal when Daniel Sprong stripped Ashton Sautner of the puck and raced up ice with Gage Quinney which became a 2-on-none. Sprong scored here on a nice give and go.

Busted line change by the Penguins, Chris Summers dives to break up a play then Sprong swooped in from out of the box to cut it to one.

Game turned on this play.

As you can imagine, that angered the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins. Not so much like a few weeks ago in Rochester but the game was past its boiling point with the referees losing control. Tristan Jarry did what he could coming up with big save after big save, but was finally beaten again this time by Zac Lynch that made it 4-2 Utica.

Penguins couldn’t score three times on the play before the Lynch goal. If you thought Tristan Jarry was having a bad game, think again.

Grand Theft Auto is probably frowned upon in the State of New York and Tristan probably doesn’t have a CDL license to drive such a lengthy vehicle anyway.

Pens were on tilt, Jarry was doing what he could to bail his team out and keep them in it. Wilkes-Barre needed to shake off the happenings in the second and come out with vim and vigor in the third.

Third Period: Penguins and Comets trade power plays to open, as Utica’s expired Tom Kostopoulos scored to draw Wilkes-Barre within one.

Penguins had a power play they didn’t score on, but the roles were reversed with Gage Quinney and Daniel Sprong with Quinney leading a two-on-one and scoring to tie the game at four a side.

It was then off to…

Overtime: Ashton Sautner scores for Utica.

Three Stars: 3) Gage Quinney (goal, assist, +1) 2) Micheal Chaput (two goals, assist, +1) 1) Ashton Sautner (overtime game winning goal, -2)

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley is the first Atlantic Division team to punch a ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs and third team overall. They did it via a Bridgeport regulation loss (4-1 to Syracuse) while losing to Lehigh Valley 5-4 in overtime. Charlotte beats Laval 3-2 in overtime. Everyone else (Springfield, Hershey, Charlotte) were off.

Standings: Lehigh Valley (.694 percentage points) — Penguins (.641) — Providence (.638) — Charlotte (.583) — Bridgeport (.545) — Hartford (.500) — Hershey (.477) — Springfield (.477)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers picked up a big two points with a 4-3 win over Brampton. Kevin Spinozzi scored what ended up being the game winning goal.

If the Comets put up video highlights, I will post them here.

Penguins will stay in Utica tonight and bus to Binghamton Saturday for their 7:05 start against the Devils. Look for the Gameday setup here Saturday at 3.

Let’s Gp Pens!