Last Game: Wednesday at home against Lehigh Valley, the Penguins staged a third period comeback down 5-2 and won in overtime 6-5. Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos has five assists in the game. For Bridgeport, the Sound Tigers were in Syracuse last night and lost 5-2. Bracken Kearns and James Wright scored goals for Bridgeport in the loss.
Last Meeting: February 6 in Wilkes-Barre, the Penguins lost 3-2. Carter Rowney had both goals in the loss.
Record: For WBS: 36-19-4-1 (77 pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division) — For BRI: 31-23-3-3 (68 pts., 5th place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: Penguins lineup should look retooled and revamped with the additions of Conor Sheary back from Pittsburgh and Oskar Sundqvist coming off of injury. The Penguins will be the fresher group on the ice with Bridgeport having battled the night before in Syracuse. Look for a quick start from the Penguins out of the gate.
Television:AHL Live and locally on MyNetworkTV and on 22 The Point in Pittsburgh
Promotion(s): None
Other Game to Watch: Toronto heads to Providence to take on the P-Bruins where the Bruins have a home point streak currently ongoing since December 4. Does that continues against the best team in the AHL tonight?
Next Five Games: @ BRI 3/13, HER 3/19, @ HER 3/20, BNG 3/23, @ BNG 3/25
Comments Off on Transaction Thursday 3/10
Posted by nafsnep on March 10, 2016
I wasn’t expecting to have a blog entry today, but the events of the day almost require it.
The organization is finally getting healthy.
Starting up top, the Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned forward Conor Sheary to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins today. This after word from the morning that basically everyone practiced today including injured players like Broke Beau Bennett, Eric Fehr and even Ben Lovejoy. It was a full compliment of players. 15 forwards, 8 defensemen and 3 goaltenders. Almost like the week before the regular season when the final cuts need to be made.
Then news today out of Coal Street that Oskar Sundqvist practiced in full and should be good to go for Saturday against Bridgeport. That is good news for the Penguins because getting the firepower of Sheary injected back into the lineup with Sundqvist balancing out your third or even fourth line is certainly welcome.
Defenseman Niclas Andersen is recovered from his illness and is looking like he is ready to go again for this weekends games.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry did not practice. Donatelli indicated today that he is, “getting better.”
The thought here with many is that Foster was a mess last night and Palazzese won the game for the Penguins without giving up a goal in his AHL debut. I don’t agree with that at all. The Penguins are most successful when they play in front of goaltenders not named Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry when they are successful at shot suppression. They limited Hershey to five shots in the third period Sunday in a 5-4 game in the third game in three nights for both teams. They limited Lehigh Valley to three shots in the third period yesterday playing in front of Palazzese and one shot in overtime. They need to insulate whoever the backup is to Jarry as best they can in order to have a chance at winning. It is that simple.
The Pens reassigned three to Wheeling today in what I am guessing is a sign of things to come from Pittsburgh. I would assume that you will see one more transaction at least from Pittsburgh before Saturday nights game against Bridgeport. You may even see a second. But who?
I think the Pittsburgh Penguins are at an interesting crossroads when it comes to Derrick Pouliot. Pouliot has been scratched the last two games in the NHL while the Penguins worked Justin Schultz into the rotation. Ben Lovejoy is getting healthy enough to play. In practice today Pouliot was on the fourth defensive pairing. Pittsburgh is in a fight for its playoff life amidst a battle with its Metropolitan Division brethren. Every point is crucial for them going forward so Head Coach Mike Sullivan needs to dress the best players available now that everyone is seemingly healthy again. Does the organization want to stunt the continued progress of Pouliot by burying him in the press box night after night or do they want him to play top defensive minutes?
Maybe I am grasping at air falling backwards, but don’t be surprised if you see Derrick Pouliot back in Wilkes-Barre sooner rather than later.
Who knows. Certainly I don’t or else they would be paying me to write these things. Time will tell.
They will be talking about this one for a while. In the history of Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins comebacks, this one will rank right up there.
After two periods, the Penguins were down 5-2. Brian Foster started the game and stopped just 15 of 20 shots. The Penguins just signed goaltender Franky Palazzese to a PTO in the morning and things were looking bleak. It wasn’t looking like the Penguins night.
But Wilkes-Barre mounted an epic comeback. Two early goals in a span of :44 in the third period that cut it to one then J-S Dea scored with 4.1 seconds left that forced overtime. Carter Rowney scored the overtime game winner.
I am working on my fourth paragraph and haven’t even mentioned his name yet. Tom Kostopoulos had not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE assists in the game. It is his second three assist game or more in a row for the Penguins captain.
Early in the day today it was announced that Carter Rowney was signed to a two year NHL contract by the Pittsburgh Penguins that begins in the 2016-17 season. Certainly well deserved contract for Rowney who has been the most consistent player on the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins amidst countless call-ups to Pittsburgh.
Brian Foster opposed Anthony Stolarz.
Lines were…
Kael Mouillierat – Dustin Jeffrey – Dominik Simon
Matthias Plachta – Carter Rowney – Tom Kostopoulos
Ty Loney – J-S Dea – Josh Archibald
Derek Army – Jarrett Burton – Patrick McGrath
Ryan Parent – Steve Oleksy
Will O’Neill – Barry Goers
Reid McNeill – Tim Erixon
Brian Foster – Franky Palazzese
Lineup Notes: Nic Andersen is ill and he must have passed it onto Jarry as that was the official word given as to why Jarry missed the game. Harrison Ruopp and Anton Zlobin were the healthy scratches. Derek Army replaced Tyler Biggs place on the fourth line. Biggs has an upper body injury, apparently from the hit that Garrett Mitchell laid on him Sunday.
First Period: Sleepy start to begin. Many whistles. Finally the Phantoms chipped one behind Foster’s net and won the race to the puck when Aaron Palushaj found Kevin Goumas parked in front. Goumas shot the puck over Foster’s shoulder and in for the 1-0 Phantoms lead.
About five minutes later and after a Penguins power play that came and went, Steve Oleksy hammered his second goal of the year home when Stolarz was screened for a tie game at one.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 10, 2016
–
Lehigh Valley edged ahead off of a face off play when Cole Bardreau one timed one past Foster and in far post for a 2-1 Lehigh Valley lead.
The Penguins were getting shots to Stolarz, 11 of them exactly, so the offensive effort was there.
Second Period: Phantoms extended it to 3-1 off a similar play that opened their scoring. Phil DiSimone scored a tap in when Lehigh Valley chipped it in deep. Pens couldn’t make the clear needed.
Phantoms would score on both power plays awarded them in the period. Adam Comrie took a shot from the mid slot that beat Foster that made it 4-1. The Penguins blocked the initial shot but it went straight to Comrie who got all of it.
Foster to this point stopped just 4 of 11 shots.
Pens got one back on a power play goal by Carter Rowney. Will O’Neill took the shot that Rowney deflected.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 10, 2016
–
The Pens were a step quicker than the Phantoms and were buzzing for the third goal. Not for anything but you had the sense that despite the play of their goaltender and the two goal deficit that they were still in the game.
So the last thing they needed to happen, did. Tim Erixon took an interference penalty and that changed the momentum completely for the Penguins.
Danick Martel left his stick on the ice, Max Lamarche made a perfect slap pass to Martel’s tape and the puck deflected top shelf and in. Nothing Foster could have done there. It was an elite deflection goal by Martel.
Third Period: Franky Palazzese took over for Foster to begin the period. It was his AHL debut. Foster stopped 15 of 20 Phantoms shots sent his way.
The comeback was on.
In a span of :44, the Pens made it a one goal game.
Kael Mouillierat swept in a puck left on the paint by Stolarz on a power play.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) March 10, 2016
–
The Phantoms were on tilt. The Penguins were winning every single puck battle. But time was beginning to become the enemy of the Penguins. Then with 70 seconds left, Clark Donatelli used his timeout and pulled Palazzese for the extra attacker.
The Penguins actually went with six forwards in a desperate effort to tie the game.
It wasn’t looking like the Penguins were going to get the equalizing goal but then Dustin Jeffrey took a shot that Tom Kostopoulos collected a rebound on, Kostopoulos calmly slid the puck over to J-S Dea and Dea scored with 4.1 seconds left.
(Coal Street didn’t post a GIF of the Dea tally, sorry)
The six forward gamble paid off big.
Overtime: Palazzese had a big save in overtime that led to the Rowney goal that ended it…
Last Game: Sunday at home against Hershey, the Pens won 5-4. Carter Rowney had a hat trick scored three different ways; shorthanded, even strength and on the power play. For Lehigh Valley, they lost Saturday in Binghamton 3-1. Petr Straka scored the only goal for the Phantoms in the loss.
Last Meeting: March 4 in Allentown, the Pens won 3-0. Tristan Jarry had a 36 save shutout and Dominik Simon scored two goals.
Record: For WBS: 35-19-4-1 (75 pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division) — For LV: 27-28-2-3 (59 pts., 7th place Atlantic Division)
Why you should care: The Penguins need to come out with the same fire they did Sunday in Hershey and match that same intensity against a Lehigh Valley team that is looking to play spoiler here with a month to play in the regular season. Will they? Remains to be seen. Expect Tristan Jarry in net for the Pens.
Other Game to Watch: Nothing in the division tonight. Iowa is in Winnipeg rematching against the Manitoba Moose in a matchup against the two worst teams in the AHL.
Next Five Games: BRI 3/12, @ BRI 3/13, HER 3/19, @ HER 3/20, BNG 3/23
Comments Off on Hershey’s Garrett Mitchell Suspended Three Games
Posted by nafsnep on March 8, 2016
On Tuesday afternoon it was announced by the American Hockey League that Hershey Bears forward Garrett Mitchell has been suspended three games for what the League is ruling an, “illegal check to the head” to an opponent during Sunday’s game, a 5-4 Wilkes-Barre win.
That opponent was Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins forward Tyler Biggs. This is the video I took off of AHL Live which led to the suspension. Two speeds, real time then replay, slowed down.
VIDEO: Garrett Mitchell hit on Tyler Biggs that got Mitchell suspended three games. pic.twitter.com/qiPP76JMRd
The hit by Mitchell went uncalled by the two referees working the game.
Mitchell will miss Hershey’s St. John’s trip this weekend and the March 19 game in Wilkes-Barre. Mitchell is eligible to return on Sunday, March 20 when the Bears host the Penguins at 5 p.m. at Giant Center.
It was reported by the Wilkes-Barre media Tuesday afternoon that Biggs was going through concussion protocol and that the Penguins sent tape to the AHL offices in Springfield for supplemental discipline on Mitchell.
Comments Off on AHL Power Rankings: Week 22
Posted by nafsnep on March 7, 2016
There is a new team at the top of the Week 22 Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.
This team has been a snake in the grass for the whole season and is taking the opportunity of a few faltering teams to strike at the top spot.
It’s the Hershey Bears.
The Bears claimed the top spot in the Atlantic Division last weekend and maintained that position with a big 6-2 win against the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, their only serious challenger for tops in the division this past Saturday. Sure, the Bears lost to the Pens Sunday on the road in Wilkes-Barre, but that was at the tail end of a three-in-three using backup goaltenders.
The Toronto Marlies dropped three straight contests this weekend (!!!) and tumble this week.
To see where everyone ended up and how things look as the calendar approaches mid-March, hit the jump if you didn’t link in direct.
The one side says that take this game and throw it away. Nothing that you can take from the third game in three days for both teams facing off against the backups, Justin Peters for Hershey and Brian Foster for Wilkes-Barre. Both backups were virtual sieves in the first period, a period that saw seven goals. Put it this way, it’s a different game for Wilkes-Barre if Tristan Jarry starts tonight and a different game for Hershey if Dan Ellis started the night.
The other side says that no matter what, a response was needed from the team in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Maybe you throw away the final score and take the Penguins reaction in the games first ten minutes of this one, a Patrick McGrath fight with Liam O’Brien :08 in, two goals for each team and no easy space for either side as something out of it. After getting thrashed in Hershey the night before, firing a limp 14 shots on Bears nets on Saturday, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins got the jump on the Hershey Bears from within the first ten seconds of the game and sent a message that they were not going to take the Bears smashing them up and down the ice and that if Hershey was going to win the game, they would do so bruised and bloodied.
It was an exciting game. Probably the most exciting game under the Clark Donatelli Era. The Penguins were prepared and reacted to everything.
It was the aforementioned Brian Foster against Justin Peters.
The braintrust at Coal Street did GIFs of the Penguins goals so they will run in this recap. Jump though.
vs. 
WBS News
Chirps from Center Ice 