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Here’s why I think tonight’s game, a 6-4 Wilkes-Barre win over the St. John’s IceCaps, is a statement win for the Penguins.

– If you want to play a defensive battle like last night, a 2-1 win for the Pens, it doesn’t matter.
– If you want to play run and gun and just score ten goals combined like tonight, it doesn’t matter.
– If you want to score first, like the IceCaps did last night and again tonight, it doesn’t matter. The Penguins have allowed the first goal four times during the seven game winning streak.

Good teams win games that they are good at winning. Great teams adapt to whatever the opponent throws at them and still find ways to win.

Bolstered by a career high three assist night by Derrick Pouliot, a goal and two assists both by Scott Wilson and Conor Sheary, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins come from behind twice tonight and win their seventh straight game under Head Coach Clark Donatelli and remain undefeated in 2016.

Tristan Jarry vs. Zac Fucale

Lines were the same as they were Tuesday night but for one change besides Jarry in goal. Maria Marcantuoni was in for Ty Loney on the fourth line. In case you forgot…

Scott Wilson – Kael Mouillierat – Conor Sheary
Josh Archibald – Carter Rowney – Dominik Simon
Dominik Uher – Sahir Gill – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – J-S Dea – Ty Loney

Derrick Pouliot – Steve Oleksy
Reid McNeill – Niclas Andersen
Will O’Neill – Clark Seymour

Tristan Jarry – Matt Murray

First Period: Penguins didn’t get scored on :21 in tonight. But they got scored on. This first goal took just one minute, exactly.

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Josiah Didier flubbed a shot from the blue line collected by Lucas Lessio which he backhanded at Jarry. Jarry made the save but the puck pinballed to Jacob de la Rose who dished to Max Friberg who scored to make it 1-0. It was the first even strength goal allowed by Tristan Jarry in 195:59.

Then, after the teams traded some penalties, Charles Hudon, who was in the penalty box for the IceCaps, walked out of the penalty box and dropped to Gabriel Dumont who passed to Mark MacMillan who put it off of Jarry and into the net to make it 2-0…

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The Penguins would respond in kind with two goals in the span of :25. The first one by Dominik Uher after Sahir Gill won a hard board battle on the near wall…

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Then Conor Sheary scored this goal…

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It was the seventh straight game for Sheary in which he has recorded at least a point.

To this point, it was a tale of two halves of the period. The Penguins were trampled underfoot in the first ten minutes, then came alive with the quick strike offense in :25 then started taking control.

But then the Kael Mouillierat Penalty Machine™ fired up. He took a lazy slashing penalty. The Penguins bench wasn’t happy with the officiating crew of Garrett Rank and Mike Mullen. Tom Sestito expressed his displeasure and :25 into the St. John’s power play and was assessed an unsportsmanlike penalty and it was a 5-on-3 for the IceCaps.

Thankfully, just two seconds into the 5-on-3, John McCarron took a tripping penalty but it mattered little as Gabriel Dumont scored on the 4-on-3 power play with Tristan Jarry screened in front…

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Mouillierat has been playing professional hockey for the better part of six years. He’s what you would consider a veteran, yet every single game it seems he takes a penalty. Out of the 31 games he has played this season for the Penguins, he has taken a penalty in 16 of those games. If he was a younger player, he would be scratched because of the penalties.

St. John’s would outshoot the Penguins 17-7 in the period.

Second Period: Both teams came out firing in the middle frame, chances were back and forth and quick. But then Steve Oleksy took a penalty and Bud Holloway wasted no time in extending the IceCaps lead by two once again…

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But the Penguins struck quickly again as Oleksy would take a shot from the point that totally missed the net. But the carom was perfect to Matia Marcantuoni camping out on the far post to Fucale’s right and he stuffed the puck in to bring the Penguins to within one…

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1:19 later and on a power play, Kael Mouillierat atoned for his penalty in the first with this goal…

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Scott Wilson cycled around the net, centered quickly to Mouillierat unmarked low slot and it was a tie game once again heading into the…

Third Period: 1:20 into the third period, Scott Wilson dropped to one knee and proposed that the Penguins take the lead on this knee drop, one timer, power play goal…

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Josh Archibald added another goal for the Penguins with this deflection from a Clark Seymour blast from the blue line…

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This goal chased Fucale in favor of Eddie Pasquale and was the fifth time that the Penguins have scored six ore more goals this season.

Period seemed to crawl along as compared to the second period.

The Penguins took two consecutive penalties towards the end of the game. With Pasquale pulled for an extra attacker, the IceCaps were unable to convert thanks to Tristan Jarry. He had one save that stood out, this one on a shot by Bud Holloway…

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Notes: The Penguins were outshot in the game 40-19 but end up sweeping the IceCaps in the four game season series this year and are 9-1 all time against the IceCaps at Mile One Centre in the regular season….The 36 saves made by Tristan Jarry were a career high for the Penguins rookie, who wins his 10th game….The Penguins power play is 5-for-12 in the last three games….The seven game winning streak the Penguins are on is the longest current streak in the American Hockey League….The Penguins have had one eleven game winning streak, two four game winning streaks and this current seven game winning streak.

Three Stars: 3) Morgan Ellis (goal, assist, even) 2) Derrick Pouliot (three assists, +1) 1) Conor Sheary (goal, two assists, -1)

Around the Division: For the second time in as many nights, they all watched us.

Standings: Penguins (.770 percentage points) — Portland (.603) — Hershey (.579) — Bridgeport (.539) — Providence (.514) — Lehigh Valley (.474) — Hartford (.459) — Springfield (.431)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Here are the video highlights…

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And the Coal Street post game infographic…

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The Penguins will travel back to the States Thursday and practice Friday in Syracuse in advance of their only game of the weekend against the Crunch Saturday night. But for anything breaking, look for the next blog update to be the 3 p.m. Gameday setup for the game against the Crunch Saturday at 7.

Let’s Go Pens!

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On the first shot of the game tonight, St. John’s IceCaps captain Gabriel Dumont scored a goal on Matt Murray :21 in. It was the fastest goal allowed by the Penguins this season and injected a ton of energy into an IceCaps side that came into the game losing four of their last five.

Any mortal team with any mortal goaltender probably rear another goal, then possibly another, then likely pack it in this far away from home all the way out in Newfoundland and lose the game.

Not the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Backstopped by a 33 save performance by AHL All-Star goaltender Matt Murray and a goal ahead goal by IceCap killer J-S Dea in the third period, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins win their sixth straight game by a score of 2-1.

It was the aforementioned Matt Murray vs. Zach Fucale.

Lines were…

Scott Wilson – Kael Mouillierat – Conor Sheary
Josh Archibald – Carter Rowney – Dominik Simon
Dominik Uher – Sahir Gill – Tom Kostopoulos
Tom Sestito – J-S Dea – Ty Loney

Derrick Pouliot – Steve Oleksy
Reid McNeill – Niclas Andersen
Will O’Neill – Clark Seymour

Matt Murray – Tristan Jarry

Lineup Notes: Clark Seymour was in for the recalled Adam Clendening. No other lineup changes. Oskar Sundqvist did not make the trip as he is still ill. Also not on the trip is Tim Erixon, who is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Obie said on radio that his status for Syracuse Saturday is still to be determined.

First Period: As noted in the lede, :21 in Gabriel Dumont scored the fastest goal allowed by the Penguins this season…

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Penguins were caught straight out flat-footed for the start of the period. Later, caught in a line change, St. John’s pounced on the opportunity to go tic-tac-toe passing but the shot went wide. Murray needed to be sharp and was.

The Penguins finally started to come alive as the period wore on. Scott Wilson stepped into a shot on a one-timer that went off of Fucale’s mask and caromed to Steve Oleksy but the puck deflected out.

Murray was again called upon late when Lucas Lessio took a shot that rebounded to Stefan Fournier but Murray got over in time.

Then, Nic Andersen shot a puck at the blue line at Fucale that Josh Archibald deflected in, but it was ruled immediately that the puck was deflected in via a high stick…

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Second Period: Much better period by the Penguins who controlled play early and often. Derrick Pouliot would bring the Penguins even on the power play with this shot…

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Wilkes-Barre would continue to come in waves and nearly went up 2-1 but Zach Fucale made this timely save while down and seemingly out…

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The Penguins would outshoot the IceCaps 8-5 in the period. Scott Wilson fought Mac Bennett in the period and his presence was missed when the Penguins were on a late power play and did not register a shot on goal.

Third Period: J-S Dea became the fourth Penguins player to reach double digit in goals with this shot…

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Dea took the initial shot, followed his rebound, shot again and that went in.

Nick Hart had this gem…

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IceCaps could not convert on two power play opportunities. The Penguins were undisciplined with constant penalties but St. John’s was unable to convert. After a timeout with Fucale pulled, St. John’s was never able to find the equalizer.

Some out the door notes…

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Three Stars: 3) Conor Sheary (assist, even) 2) Gabriel Dumont (goal, +1) 1) Matt Murray (33 saves on 24 shots)

Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: Penguins (.764 percentage points) — Portland (.603) — Hershey (.579) — Bridgeport (.539) — Providence (.514) — Lehigh Valley (.474) — Hartford (.459) — Springfield (.431)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Here is the infographic from Coal Street…

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And the video highlights…

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One more thing, John Slaney was announced as the fourth member to be enshrined in the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Hall of Fame. Release here. Slaney is already an AHL Hall of Famer and is currently an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes. The Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held January 30 when the Penguins host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Meanwhile, the rematch tomorrow vs. the IceCaps goes off at 6 p.m. Wilkes-Barre time. Gameday setup will hit the blog Wednesday at 2.

Let’s Go Pens!