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Tristan Jarry faced a firing squad today. They wore white Providence Bruins jerseys and shot 50 pucks at him Sunday afternoon.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins did not allow the top rated Providence power play unit to score with the man advantage today, scoring twice shorthanded. The Penguins had two shorthanded goals scored all season coming into this game.

The Penguins came up short this afternoon and lose 3-2. It was an effort that, but for all the shots in the first period, the Penguins could have came out on the better end of.

Tristan Jarry vs. Zane McIntyre

More videos in this postgame so if you didn’t link in direct, hit the jump to see the rest.

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This was a game that the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins had to have. Plain and simple.

The Penguins came into Springfield owning the Falcons, beating them eight straight times before. You looked at the schedule of games this weekend on Wednesday afternoon after getting crushed by Hershey the night before and put all of your money on this game tonight as one that the Penguins would easily win.

Well, I have some bad news for you. The Penguins lost tonight by a score of 5-2. Springfield captain Craig Cunningham had a natural hat trick and Phil Lane added two more goals.

I have determined that the problem is one part coaching and one part player attitude. There is no one on a consistent basis that stands out for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins anymore on a nightly basis. It used to be Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson and Bryan Rust but those players are in Pittsburgh now. In Wheeling, a team that is pillaged by recalls equally as bad as the Penguins, they battle. They continue to win. Those players want it. There has not been a single player in the past few weeks that has stood out to me as a player in danger of a recall. Not one. Carter Rowney, Tom Kostopoulos and Sahir Gill are all AHL contracted players. They call can’t carry the load night in and night out. You have guys like Josh Archibald and J-S Dea that are just “bodies” and not players or difference makers. You have excellent goaltending in Tristan Jarry that’s wasted because players coast. I am going to start calling it the, “Wilkes-Barre Mentality” of just put the uniform on and expect that the other team is going to lay down before you and hand you the win.

It doesn’t work like that, sadly. Everyone wants the big time. No one wants to work for it.

Anyway, gamer with video highlights is after the jump. Caveat Emptor.

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First impressions are lasting ones. It’s an old saying. In an important weekend for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins with the Hershey Bears dangerously breathing down the necks of the Penguins, a strong start to a five game road trip beginning with a three in three starting in Portland, Maine was key to keeping the Penguins at the top of the Atlantic Division.

It took a shootout this time, but the five game losing streak is over. The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins defeat the Portland Pirates by a score of 3-2 in a shootout.

It was Matt Murray vs. Mike McKenna in goal in what turned out to be a classic battle between an old lion in McKenna and a young lion in Murray.

Lots of video highlights in this one again as I am working on my terrible video edit skills. So please, jump through if you didn’t link in direct.

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are in free fall mode.

With top scorers on recall to Pittsburgh, a goaltending department rife with question marks about the immediate future of the status of Matt Murray in Wilkes-Barre and line juggling around the dynamic trio of Carter Rowney, Tom Kostopoulos and Sahir Gill, it seems like the Lenguiks can’t get out of their own way when it comes to things.

So the wrong team showed up as the opponent tonight in the second place Hershey Bears.

The Bears beat the Penguins 4-1 and draw dangerously close to dethroning the Penguins for tops in the Atlantic Division.

Tristan Jarry vs. Dan Ellis

Lines were…

Anton Zlobin – Kael Mouillierat – Dominik Simon
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Tom Kostopoulos
Josh Archibald – J-S Dea – Ty Loney
Tom Sestito – Jarrett Burton – Matia Marcantuoni

Reid McNeill – Steve Oleksy
Niclas Andersen – Dave Warsofsky
Tim Erixon – Will O’Neill

Tristan Jarry – Brian Foster

Lineup Notes: Matt Murray was not seen tonight. He was re-assigned Monday and it was expected that he would start but that wasn’t the case. Obie tweeted pregame that he was ill…Matia Marcantuoni was back in the lineup after missing the last 8 games…Patrick McGrath took warmups but was scratched.

First Period: Bears jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Nathan Walker snapped a shot through the legs of Steve Oleksy and past the five hole of Jarry for a 1-0 Hershey lead. Penguins couldn’t capitalize on two power plays in the period and couldn’t cash on a nice penalty kill. Carter Rowney had a memorable dash up the ice with a dangle that didn’t pay off. Pens started to match the Bears chances.

Second Period: Pens had to kill a penalty to start the period and the Bears used nice passing to set up Travis Boyd in from to double their lead. Then Reid McNeill hauled down Jakub Vrana and referee Geno Binda awarded a penalty shot. It was a penalty, but a clear penalty shot? I’m not so sure. Regardless, Riley Barber took the penalty shot, snaked in, and well…

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After that, the Penguins started to skate with purpose, Carter Rowney picked his corner…

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Pens continued to skate with purpose, continued to pressure, Ellis was forced into some saves but Liam O’Brien then took a puck 180′ down the ice, with David Warsofsky in close pursuit, but O’Brien managed to get a backhander off and score to make it 4-1.

Feeling at the time was that the air was let out of the tires a bit. Pressure and make it look like you are going to battle back from two goals down and you are back to three.

Third Period: Bears didn’t let the Penguins get any closer. Pens matches them chance for chance but were trailing three goals. Of note, Sahir Gill left the game with what appeared to be a lower body injury.

Three Stars: 3) Carter Rowney (goal, even)  2) Dan Ellis (26 saves on 27 shots) 1) Riley Barber (goal, assist, +2)

Around th Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Penguins (.651 percentage points) — Hershey (.636) — Portland (.588) — Providence (.577) — Bridgeport (.575) — Hartford (.528) — Lehigh Valley (.500) — Springfield (.433)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off. They host Greenville on Friday.

I’ll post an infographic and any video highlights later if I see them.

Let’s Go Pens!