Last Game: Friday in Game 6 the Penguins won 6-2. The line of Tom Kostopoulos, Jake Guentzel and Carter Rowney combined for 11 points and a +12 rating.
What to watch for: Sticking with the theme of the series and regular season, first goal. The team that has scored the first goal in every contest between these two teams has gone on to win the game. Who scores first tonight may be crucial in determining who advances.
Comments Off on They Couldn’t Get One More? — Pens WIN 6-2
Posted by nafsnep on May 13, 2016
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My headline tonight was spoiled because had the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins scored seven goals the headline tonight would have been, “Using Seven to Get to Seven.”
If anyone expected anything different, they are crazy.
The only thing that I can’t get a handle on is what happens in Game 7. I have no idea. The series has gone the distance, yet I have no idea what to expect in the final game of the series. The team that has scored first has gone on to win since the beginning of the season. Does that change? No idea. Expect the unexpected.
Casey DeSmith opposed Justin Peters.
Jump through if you didn’t link in direct, lots of eye candy for you in this one.
In what could very well be his final season, a five point performance propels the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins to a 6-2 win which forces a deciding Game 7 Sunday in Hershey.
Kostopoulos and his linemates Carter Rowney and Jake Guentzel swept three stars and combined had 11 points between them.
The most complete 60 minute game I think I have ever witnessed.
Last Game: Wednesday in Hershey in Game 5, the Pens lost 5-3. After battling back from a three goal deficit to tie it, Zach Sill scored a shorthanded goal that broke the tie and gave the Bears the win. Casey DeSmith came in to relieve Tristan Jarry after Jarry gave up the third Bears goal.
What to watch for: First goal. The team that has scored the first goal in this series has gone on to win every game. Not just this postseason, but the regular season as well. The Penguins will also need to watch on special teams. They have given up four shorthanded goals this postseason and two just in this series with the Bears. Any more mistakes like this and it’s going to be offseason quickly.
Comments Off on Pens to the Brink — Pens LOSE 5-3
Posted by nafsnep on May 11, 2016
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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins need to win their next two games if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against either the Albany Devils or Toronto Marlies. The Penguins, in a valiant effort, come from behind a 0-3 hole to tie the game only to lose 5-3 tonight in Hershey in Game 5.
Something to ponder as Game 5 got going between these two teams.
When a best-of-7 #CalderCup Playoff series is tied 2-2, the Game 5 winner wins the series 81.8% of the time #HERvsWBS
I don’t think that this matters at all in Game 6. While I initially had it going six with the Penguins advancing, you could see early on in Game 2 that this series was going to go seven games. These two teams are so evenly matched. It spells out that the series by default is going to go seven.
But here is the thing. I say this goes to seven, but have no blessed idea who wins that seventh game. What if they just kept playing and playing and playing?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Tristan Jarry opposed Justin Peters.
Lines were…
Kael Mouillierat – Dustin Jeffrey – Daniel Sprong
Jake Guentzel – Carter Rowney – Tom Kostopoulos
Mattias Plachta – J-S Dea – Dominik Simon
Tom Sestito – Teddy Blueger – Josh Archibald
Will O’Neill – Steve Oleksy
Ryan Parent – Barry Goers
Tim Erixon – Harrison Ruopp
Tristan Jarry – Casey DeSmith
Lineup Notes: Dominik Simon was back in the lineup since his injury in Game 1. Simon was in for Sahir Gill from last game. Also, Harrison Ruopp was in for Niclas Andersen.
First Period: :02 in, this happened:
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Sestito was given an extra 10 minutes for continuing the altercation and O’Brien tried to confront Sestito in the penalty box after the fight. Glad that was put out of the way early so the teams could focus on hockey.
Pens got a quick power play, spent the entire time in the Bears end but was unable to score one on Peters. Great kill by the Bears.
Carter Camper followed his shot after Harrison Ruopp failed to clear a puck…
Penguins continued to pour on the pressure. Shots were 8-1 Pens at one point. Wilkes-Barre continued to cycle and press with Mattias Plachta and Dustin Jeffrey getting good looks but they were unable to score.
Then the Penguins found themselves in penalty trouble. They killed a Daniel Sprong trip then got caught on :54 of 5-on-3 where the Bears scored again with :06 to double their lead…
Sill had about a foot of space skating the wrong direction to backhand a pass to Vrana for the goal. Nothing Jarry could do.
Second Period: Had a feeling at the start of the period that the Penguins needed to play a perfect period and not allow the Bears to get another goal. Period started and it looked like the Bears were content to sit on the two goal lead but after a while you started noticing that they were constantly in the Penguins end and looking for a third. Finally Steve Oleksy got beat on an icing call and Sean Collins made it 3-0…
That goal chased Tristan Jarry and in came Casey DeSmith. Hard to fault Jarry on any of the three goals. He can’t clear pucks out of his crease (the first one, where Ruopp should have) and take penalties (the 5-on-3 late in the first) and beat out icing calls. So you were looking at the goalie switch hoping that it would be a kick in the pants to the Penguins.
Turns out, it was.
The next shift, Jake Guentzel marched towards the net and Tom Kostopoulos cleaned up the mess to answer for the Penguins and made it 3-1.
Sestito was tossed for his antics in the celebration. Apparently a player that isn’t known for his goal scoring prowess can’t celebrate in the slightest in front of fans that are known for spelling out a profane word whenever something borderline such as a Tom Sestito goal scoring celebration that ties the game at three after his side was down 0-3. Not like Sestito would have factored in on anything else in the game.
Penguins found themselves on a power play and had all of the momentum on their side.
Zach Sill scored shorthanded on a 2-on-0 breakaway.
(sorry I didn’t get a video of this thinking that the AHL would)
Backbreaking goal to be allowed by the Penguins. The fourth shorthanded goal allowed by Wilkes-Barre this offseason and second shorty scored by the Bears in this series against Wilkes-Barre.
There was a little over fourteen minutes left. Loads of time for the Penguins. But Barry Goers took a penalty. Chris Bourque rang a post, and the Penguins killed it.
Dustin Jeffrey, who has been snake bitten in this series (just two assists) was robbed by Peters with the glove with under five minutes to play.
With DeSmith out for an extra attacker, not only did the Penguins not find an equalizer, Ryan Bourque hit an empty net.
Three Stars: 3) Josh Archibald (goal, assist, +1) 2) Carter Camper (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Zach Sill (game winning goal, two assists, even)
Wheeling Update: Riley Brace scored in the first overtime to give the Nailers the win in Game 7. Wheeling advanced to the Eastern Conference Final with a 4-3 win over Reading.
Highlights, which include the Sill shorthanded goal, here…
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I will see if I can update my postseason charts some time Thursday. If there are any news or notes on the off day, I will drop a blog update then.
Last Game: Monday in Game 4, the Penguins went to 4-0 n overtime this postseason with a 2-1 overtime win against the Hershey Bears. Kael Mouillierat scored the overtime game winner with Tristan Jarry stopping 22 of 23 shots.
What to watch for: Physicality. The series physical side is just now starting to wear through four games in to a best of seven series. The Penguins need to continue doing what they were doing in Game 4 if they want to match the same result in Game 5. Will Dominik Simon make a return?
Comments Off on All Even – Pens WIN 2-1 (OT)
Posted by nafsnep on May 9, 2016
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Sunday morning. Tom Sestito had just been assigned to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins from Pittsburgh. I saw the news and tweeted this at the time.
A lot of weird things have happened in the last 24 hours. Leicester are the Champions. Bartolo hit a HR. Sestito could be a series changer.
Sestito didn’t have a hat trick or anything, but the Bears ran around on the Penguins Saturday in Game 3 in a blowout win for Hershey without Sestito’s presence. Tonight, was a bit of a different story.
Pens win in overtime 2-1 that ties this best of seven at 2-2 with Game 5 Wednesday in Hershey and Game 6 back here in Wilkes-Barre. Tom Sestito did not score the game winning goal, but did pick up the primary assist on the game winner.
Tristan Jarry started Game 4 and opposed Justin Peters.
Lines were…
Kael Mouillierat – Dustin Jeffrey – Daniel Sprong
Jake Guentzel – Carter Rowney – Tom Kostopoulos
Mattias Plachta – J-S Dea – Sahir Gill
Tom Sestito – Teddy Blueger – Josh Archibald
Niclas Andersen – Steve Oleksy
Ryan Parent – Barry Goers
Will O’Neill – Tim Erixon
Started by, who else, Tom Sestito. More on that with more pictures from our friends at Chocolate Hockey here.
First Period: Lively start by both sides but no scoring. Both goalies made spectacular saves, Peters with the glove on Rowney and Jarry with the stick on a Bears chance. Interestingly enough, both saves led to penalties from the other team. Neither team scored.
Second Period: Tom Kostopoulos collected a power play goal off of this redirect of a Will O’Neill shot and the Pens were on the board…
Bears got it right back when Carter Camper cashed on a rebound on a long power play by the Bears that started as a 5-on-3. Pens could never clear it and a tired corps could never clear the puck away from Jarry’s crease.
Pens were giving away the farm taking needless, silly penalties. A referee may let a borderline interference call go or a hard hit into the boards in playoffs, but not a high sticking call, holding the stick call or an elbow across the head of an opponent call five feet in front of him. You had all of these taken by the Penguins in the period.
Third Period: Penguins dominated the period 14-2 with shots, had three kicks at a power play can, but could not cash. They got close, but this is hockey, not horseshoes. Off to…
Overtime: Officiating being what it was, the Penguins found themselves on a power play when Jake Guentzel’s stick was held by Madison Bowey. Kael Mouillierat cashed in on this that tied the series at two a piece…
Three Stars: 3) Tristan Jarry (22 saves on 23 shots) 2) Tom Kostopoulos (goal, even) and 1) Kael Mouillierat (game winning overtime goal, even)
Penguins were without the services of Niclas Andersen for much of the second half of the game, he was apparently injured. Also, Daniel Sprong was used sparingly also.
Wheeling Update: The Nailers force a Game 7 with a 8-3 blowout win over the Reading Royals. Brian Foster stopped 32 of 35 shots to pick up the win. The decisive Game 7 is Wednesday night in Wheeling.
Video highlights…
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Overnight Fallout: From this tweet by Russ Hryvnak…
#WBSPens forward Tom Sestito talks about the scuffle between the two teams during warm ups and his views on O'Brien. pic.twitter.com/UhJNxffxxu
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WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 