Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

2024-25 AHL Schedule Released

Comments Off on 2024-25 AHL Schedule Released Posted by on July 11, 2024

A tradition unlike any other…

League release here. Penguins release here.

Let’s cut and paste what we cut and pasted last year!

1) Do you have a schedule matrix of opponents? Anyone in the Conference we are not playing?

No Western Conference teams this season. All 14 teams in the Eastern Conference, however.

2) Longest road trip? Longest home stand?

Longest road trip spans late February going into March, eight games. Longest homestand is mid-December, before Christmas.

3) How many three in threes?

There were four last year, up from two the year prior. That number this year is five, but not until late in the season starting mid-February for back to back weekends, two in March and one on the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

4) How many work night and Sunday home games?

Two Sunday home games (January and March) and eight Wednesday home games.

5) Any off the wall schedule time quirks?

No. They don’t play on a Monday or Thursday at all. Standard start times, no kids day games.

6) Where’s the All-Star Classic this year?

Sticking with the “I don’t know why we are having a League showcase in Central New York or New England when we can have it in ,much warmer weather” trope, Coachella Valley will host the 2025 festivities in February.

7) Playoff structure?

No official mention, but you have to assume that it will be the same as it was last year. 23 teams, same format. Get ready to have the Calder Cup hoisted on Independence Day weekend, buddy.

8) What about preseason games?

No word on that yet.

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This schedule release is blah, drab and very disappointing because the only thing that changes is the year. 12 games against Hershey, 12 games against Lehigh Valley and the rest is  just fill in games against the rest of the Conference fodder. Other teams are seeing Western Conference teams (like Lehigh Valley and Springfield) but not us. I’m not going to waste the energy on how I think it can work to add just a few Western Conference teams every year. Disappointing, disappointing, disappointing.

Anyway, back to summer. If you don’t know I love this time of year. Talk to you in the Fall.

The AHL

2024-25 AHL Schedule Thursday

Comments Off on 2024-25 AHL Schedule Thursday Posted by on July 10, 2024

Well, it’s the middle of July and you know what that means…

AHL Schedule for 2024-25 headed your way Thursday. My guess is in the afternoon. Some notes…

Pens open Saturday, October 11 at home against Charlotte. Opening night is the night prior League wide.

The Penguins are not anyone’s opener. Remember last year they were on I think two or three other teams openers (Charlotte, Utica and Hartford if I remember right)

Interesting that Toronto opens with San Diego. Do the Penguins see any Western conference teams and if so at the expense of what team or teams? When they did the Milwaukee, Rockford, Grand Rapids deal a few years ago they weren’t in Laval, Belleville or Toronto.

Cut two games each from Lehigh Valley and Hershey and you can make a Western Conference team or two work while seeing everyone in the Conference.

Nothing on realignment, would like to see Colorado and Tucson go to the Central for an 8-8-8-8 setup.

Back tomorrow to break it all down.

The AHL

Catching Up — NHL Free Agency – Day 1

Comments Off on Catching Up — NHL Free Agency – Day 1 Posted by on July 1, 2024

Debated even doing this, but since it’s mid-July I want to see if I still have zip on my fastball.*

First things, first, congrats to the Hershey Bears for going back to back and winning their thirteenth title over Coachella Valley in six games last week. Hershey’s road was a bit bumpy to get to 13 but the issue was never in doubt. They nearly lost the Conference Finals and needed overtime in Game 7 to advance past a game Cleveland Monsters team who came back from 0-3 to force Game 7.

Coal Street has a Head Coach. Kirk MacDonald is his name (e-i-e-i-o) (sorry, I had to) – we will see what type of team MacDonald has in the fall.

Monday was Day 1 of NHL Free Agent Signing Day. Here‘s a rundown of the signings that will likely impact the AHL team this upcoming season:

  • AHL All Star for Hartford this past season.
  • Power play point machine.
  • Assist merchant.
  • This is a big addition to the WBS blueline.

  • Just won a Calder Cup with Hershey. Carried the Bears at times and if you ask anyone in Hershey, they don’t win 13 without him.
  • 33 points in the regular season, 14 more in the postseason.
  • I liked his game with Hershey. Good addition.

  • You will fall in love with this guy by the end of October. Put him on a line with Marc Johnstone and let them cook.
  • Hits like a truck.
  • Fights like a grizzly bear. Penguins have their enforcer.
  • One concern I have on him is he’s prone to suspensions a lot because he oversteps sometimes and the League smacks him.

  • Defensive defenseman. Played with Colorado Eagles last year.
  • Blocks shots.
  • Solid addition.
In addition, a while ago, Pittsburgh signed G Filip Larsson who had a sub 2 goals against and a .920 save percentage playing in the Swedish league last year. Pittsburgh also re-signed Alex Nedeljkovic so your night one pairing projects to be Joel Blomqvist and Larsson.
  • Jonathan Gruden also re-signed.
  • Jack St. Ivany also, but he’s likely an NHL-er.
  • Gabe Klassen, Atley Calvert and Jack Beck to American Hockey League contracts.

They will all need waivers.
Guaranteed dates:
  • Saturday, October 12
  • Friday, November 29
  • Saturday, December 14
  • Saturday, January 18
  • Saturday, February 15
  • Saturday, March 22
Schedule should be out soon. No surprises here, sadly but I will break it down when it gets here.

If there is anything worthwhile in Day 2, I will drop in again, if not talk to you again when the schedule drops. Don’t forget the sunscreen.

* – yeah, I still got it.

Pittsburgh, WBS

J.D. Forrest / Kevin Porter Contracts Non-Renewed; WBS Head Coaching Vacancy

Comments Off on J.D. Forrest / Kevin Porter Contracts Non-Renewed; WBS Head Coaching Vacancy Posted by on April 28, 2024

I thought I was done with the blog till July. Guess not…

Announced at 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided not to renew the contract of Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest and assistant Kevin Porter. Other assistant coach Sheldon Brookbank’s name was absent in the release this morning.

The news comes as a surprise to me.

First, to be clear, this wasn’t a firing. This was a non renewal of a contract. Forrest wasn’t your issue. It was lack of depth and filling those spaces with guys who couldn’t function at the AHL level, much less NHL, and then when they could, you trade away for yesterday’s garbage.

He graduated Jack St. Ivany and Valtteri Puustinen; Joel Blomqvist is next.

He got this 6 cylinder Pinto of a franchise to a few points away from a second round bye in arguably the toughest division in the AHL.

Unless you’ve found the fountain of youth it will be more of the same under a different coach.

And I’m sorry but he didn’t trade away Rem Pitlick, Alex Nylander and Ty Smith. Radim Zohorna is not an NHL player, much less AHL.

Ask yourself this question: does AHL coach of the year Todd Nelson still have this team playing in the playoffs?

Forrest is a good man. Yeah, I called for his head many a time on here but then I stepped back, took a breath and looked at the bigger picture. He will find work, quickly.

Time is ticking on the new coach of this team. Have to think it will be a highly sought after position.

Pittsburgh, WBS

2023-24 Player Grades

Comments Off on 2023-24 Player Grades Posted by on April 27, 2024

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins wrapped up their 25th season with an overtime loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday and were swept out of the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs by their Turnpike rival.

The Penguins finished with a 39-24-8-1 record, good for third in the Atlantic and 87 points. They accomplished this with 56 players in the regular season and two debutants making their appearances in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That number is up from 43 the year prior, when the Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.

Here’s words on every guy that put on a jersey this season in any game that mattered grouped into sections, similar to what I did last year.

MVP Division

Ty Smith, Joel Blomqvist

Ty Smith was injured April 7 on a nasty knee on knee hit that went uncalled by ex-Penguin Garrett Wilson and the Penguins weren’t the same. His 43 points led the team and his presence on the blue line was calming and steady. Wilkes-Barre was in good position to qualify for the playoffs when he went down, but he was sorely missed in the First Round series against Lehigh Valley both on the power play and on defense. He’s property of the Carolina Hurricanes, who don’t have an AHL affiliate at the moment but if they do next season, Smith is gone. Smith would have been a difference maker for the Pens in the playoffs, as he was all season long Wilkes-Barre in the regular season.

Blomqvist was the Penguins sole AHL All-Star, named to the Rookie Team and was a second team end of year all star. In my opinion he is the number one prospect in the organization and will be in the NHL full time one day. When? Well, after a shaky series against Lehigh Valley the answer may be later rather than sooner.

Class of 2024

Valtteri Puustinen, Jack St. Ivany

Both should be full time NHLers next season. Puustinen is a Group 6 UFA next season so we will see where he goes. St. Ivany is a restricted free agent and probably priority one to get a qualifying offer out to. St. Ivany was a diamond in the rough find and played a level headed, steady NHL game that endeared him. I’d be shocked if he made it back down to the AHL anytime soon. The job of the AHL is to graduate players to the NHL and I think that mission was accomplished with this pair here.

You’re the best we have! Now, get out of here!

Rem Pitlick, Alex Nylander, Ty Smith

I threw Smith in this group with Alex Nylander and Rem Pitlick as the leading scorers on the team at the time they were traded. Only Nylander didn’t see the AHL after he left Wilkes-Barre. Pitlick was traded for essentially nothing as a dead cap shred to Chicago but ended back in AHL Rockford, Nylander was given away to Columbus by some guy in Pittsburgh they didn’t let play on the final day of their season because of the conditions that went with it and Ty Smith was traded to an NHL team that didn’t have an AHL affiliate and was allowed to stay via loan.

Glue Guys

Vinnie Hinostroza, Sam Poulin, Corey Andonovski, Austin Rueschhoff, Jagger Joshua, Jack Rathbone, Xavier Ouellet, Jonathan Gruden, Marc Johnstone, Peter Abbandonato

Big list of guys that make up the heart and soul of the team. Hinostroza played 42 games and had 35  points and was in and out of the lineup due to recall or injury. Poulin had a little bit of a bounce back after last season but the jury is still out on if he is a bonafide NHL player, Andonovski was a good player that made you want to tear your hair out at times but improved as the season wore on and he was given more of a role, Rueschhoff and Joshua were cut from the same cloth. I would actually like to find a tier for these two as B level players, not superstars but not average, in between but this tier makes the most sense. Jack Rathbone seemed to get better as the season wore on and Ouellet and Gruden were the hard nosed type players  that gave everything night in and night out. Gruden was rewarded with a decent look in the NHL. I would argue that he is more of an NHL player than say Sam Poulin at the moment. Abbandonato doesn’t have a contact for next season and was hurt February 21 in a game against Lehigh Valley. Prior to, he had 23 points in 33 games for the Penguins. He was acquired in a trade with Owen Headrick for future considerations by the Chicago Wolves.

Marc Johnstone gets his own paragraph because he busts his tail every shift and if not but for an injury that sidelined him February 3 in Lehigh Valley until Game 2 of the First Round series with the Phantoms, the Penguins could have been in a better position for a potential first round bye. Johnstone is under contact next season, so that’s good news and a good start.

C’s Get Degrees

Radim Zohorna, Dmitri Samorukov

May be more of a recency bias with Samorukov, who played in 64 regular season contests but had a bad Game 1 and was scratched for Game 2. He was OK this season but there has to be better options out there. I don’t think Radim Zohorna is much of an NHL player to be honest. He has size and that’s all. His skill set is average. He went from a player you wanted to a player you are OK with being on the team because of flashes of brilliance. I doubt he’s highly sought after this summer as an unrestricted free agent.

If it’s Boeing, I’m Not Going!

Colin White, Will Butcher, Mark Pysyk, Mark Friedman, Libor Hajek, Cedric Desruisseaux

These guys were either lost on waivers (Colin White) traded (Will Butcher to Minnesota, Mark Friedman to Vancouver) or here for an PTO and released (Pysyk and Hajek)

The biggest one in the bunch was obviously Colin White, who was recalled by Pittsburgh January 13 then placed on waivers and lost to the Montreal Canadiens. White had 21 games with the Penguins and 10 points and was good on the power play (2 goals, one assist) White’s absence eroded key points that the Penguins couldn’t come up with either in regulation or overtime, overtime especially because the Penguins struggled there (3-8) – are the Penguins in a first round bye as a two seed if White is still around?

Butcher was a good hand defensively but ultimately expendable. Pysyk and Hajek were older dudes trying their hand at AHL work on PTO’s and when they either couldn’t hack it or found greener pastures, bounced. Mark Friedman played in two games for the Pens on opening weekend in Charlotte and was traded to Vancouver with Ty Glover for Jack Rathbone (Glover didn’t appear in any games for the Penguins prior to the trade) and played 21 games for the Canucks.

Desruisseaux had 40 games for the Nailers, two for the Penguins and then bolted overseas. He had more success playing for Wheeling and really should have stayed in my opinion. He had a goal in Charlotte around Thanksgiving.

Hired Guns

Jesse Puljujärvi, Vasily Ponomarev, Jansen Harkins, Alex Nedeljkovic, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, John Ludvig

Puljujärvi and Ponomarev are under contact to Pittsburgh for next season. You’ll likely see Ponomarev in parts again next year in the AHL on the Penguins and Harkins was here for the first half of the season then called up for good to the NHL in the second half. He was here for the final week of the Penguins season down on conditioning. Same with Alex Nedeljkovic, who appeared in one game for the Pens in Providence and scored a goal, the second goalie goal in the history of the WBS Penguins. Puljujärvi joined Pittsburgh on a PTO working his way back from hip surgery, then signed with Coal Street and found his game with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games. Other fans weren’t fans of his because they still thought he was an NHL player. He kind of still is, because he was recalled by Pittsburgh and stuck.

P-O Joseph appeared in two games in an early December conditioning stint and had and assist against Charlotte. Ludvig had two stints, one mid November and another at the end of January and into February.

Box of Nails

Evan Vierling, Raivis Ansons, Owen Headrick, Lukas Svejkovsky, Justin Addamo, Dillon Hamaliuk, Justin Lee, Garrett Sparks, Jordan Frasca, Tanner Laderoute, Taylor Gauthier, Matthew Quercia, Isaac Belliveau, Max Cajkovic

These guys were or have been Wheeling mainstays for most of the season. Out of the group, Svejkovsky (19 games) Ansons (34 games but hurt for most of the time here) Headrick (20) and Addamo (21) had the most significant impacts in Wilkes-Barre. Addamo and Svejkovsky had the same amount of points (2 goals, 2 assists each) that’s disappointing for Svejkovsky, which you will read more about in the next capsule down.

Vierling and Hamaliuk showed flashes. I am really excited to see if the Penguins would consider signing Vierling over the summer. Hamaliuk is an RFA.

The rest save for Gauthier had little to no impact on the current Penguins roster save for Cajkovic who had two goals and three assists in ten games. Gauthier, who you will read more of below, had a shutout in Syracuse back in November. Issac Belliveau is under contact and next season may be make or break for him.

Summer School

Joona Koppanen, Avery Hayes, Taylor Gauthier, Lukas Svejkovsky, Isaac Belliveau

These are players under contact for next season you want to see more of. Koppanen and Hayes played with Wilkes-Barre all season but Hayes had most of his season cut short back when he was injured in the Taylor Gauthier shutout game in Syracuse back in November but then caught fire down the stretch, finally scoring a goal against the Phantoms March 30 which set him on a tear that saw him score a point or more in 6 out of the last 9 games.

Koppanen was okay playing third line minutes with 21 points. He’s a big body and I think he plays better in that big body than say Radim Zohorna so it will be interesting to see how he is come the Fall.

Svejkovsky you will recall, I had in this similar category last year. He played full time last year in the AHL because they were so talent and injury ravaged that he had to. This season he nearly split time in the ECHL but had only four points this season in the AHL.

Gauthier won ECHL goaltender of the year for the Nailers and is likely in Wilkes-Barre at some point, depending on how the depth chart ahead of him plays out.

Isaac Belliveau comes highly touted and has put up big numbers for the Nailers this season. It’s time for him to climb the ladder into a bigger role in the AHL next season.

It is what it is…

Sam Houde, Taylor Fedun

Getting to the end of the line here with Sam Houde, who had 12 points in 12 games but was injured December 2 against Springfield and never seen again, ruled out with upper AND lower body injuries and Taylor Fedun, who concludes his captaincy of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins with 43 games played, 12 points and a +11 rating. He was a veteran and was scratched for that very reason but had a very average, but OK year for a guy of his type. It never was about the numbers with Fedun. He’s played in 501 AHL games and his playing career is likely over, given he turns 36 this summer. Neither guy is under contract for next season and for Houde, it is unknown what the future holds. EDIT: I knew I would mess one contact status up, Sam Houde is under contract with the Penguins for next season having signed in February.

Get the F out of here

Matt Filipe, Ryan Shea, Magnus Hellberg

Maybe I am not being fair to Matt Filipe, who played in 51 games and had five goals, five assists for the Penguins, but when an aging Taylor Fedun plays eight fewer games and has two more points than you, that slots you here.

I don’t know what the hype was with Ryan Shea, who was unimpressive in my eyes. 23 games, 6 points, NHL contract. Thanks for playing. He’s unrestricted, so he’ll be getting paid for under average production someplace else next season.

Hellberg didn’t really impress with his 9-8-2 record and close to 3 goals against average. He was sent to Florida (AHL Charlotte) in a straight up trade for Ludovic Waeber.

Children are our future

Beau Jelsma, Mathieu De St. Phalle, Scooter Brickey, Logan Pietila, Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz

Broz and Koivinen did not play in the regular season for the Penguins but did in Games 1 and 2 for the Penguins in the First Round. Koivunen may be the most polished of the group, coming over from the Finnish league and having an instant impact with a goal in Game 1.

Jelsma had a goal and two assists, De St. Phalle a goal, Brickey an assist and Pietila like the others are learning to be pros. Look for all of them to have some impact on the 2024-25 Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins next season. I think the future is bright with these kids and if the front office fills in the rest with good AHLers and solid vets, this team could be a contender again next season.

Protect the Nets

Joel Blomqvist, Ludovic Waeber, Magnus Hellberg, Alex Nedeljkovic, Garrett Sparks, Taylor Gauthier

Sparks was here as a third wheel for months before they sent him to Wheeling. Extremely unimpressive, appeared in two games and gave up four goals in 40 minutes of play October 29 against Hershey and was hurt in the second period of a game against Syracuse in November.

Gauthier, Blomqvist, Hellberg, and Nedeljkovic I touched on in parts above. Blomqvist was our MVP, Gauthier is our future and Nedeljkovic scored a goal in Providence when he was down for conditioning in his only start in the AHL this season. Hellberg was a bit of a disaster and was traded for Ludovic Waeber.

Waeber came in and had a bit of a shaky start, giving up three goals against Utica on March 23 but then won his final three games with the final one being a shutout against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on April 20, the final regular season game of the season and the last win for the Penguins this calendar year (so far)

Only Gauthier and Blomqvist are under contact for next season, so if the Penguins want to rest on those laurels they can, but it’s doubtful they do. You’ll probably see another veteran come in, possibly two, with Nedeljkovic unrestricted in the summer as well. Nevertheless the nets in Wilkes-Barre should be in good hands.

Hey Coach

Head Coach J.D. Forrest, Assistant Coaches Sheldon Brookbank and Kevin Porter

I am not in the camp of firing the staff. I was last year and in parts early this season but I’m out. He still has some of the problems he had last season (can’t hold leads) but got better I thought with accountability with older guys but that may have had to do more in part with the glut of veterans on the team. Ask yourself this question. Could any coach done better? Maybe, but this wasn’t and won’t be a championship caliber team for the near term. Trading away Rem Pitlick and Alex Nylander are two or three salary grades higher and not the decision of the head coach.

He graduated Jack St. Ivany to the NHL and if he signs with a team, Valtteri Puustinen. He still needs to work on developing Sam Poulin but it takes a village. Radim Zohorna will be another coaches problem next season. How long does he have the services of Ponomarev and Koivunen for next year? How ready do Koppanen, Svejkovsky, Jelsma, Broz, etc. come to camp in September?

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So that’s all. I think I touched on every body that touched the ice for the Penguins this season. This was a very robust piece here for you, I went 2500+ words, but it’s not like you don’t have all summer to read it.

As always, if you disagree with where I have a guy or if I missed one, drop me a comment. Have a great summer.

WBS

We Got Cooked — Pens LOSE 5-4 (OT) – Lehigh Valley Wins Series 2-0

Comments Off on We Got Cooked — Pens LOSE 5-4 (OT) – Lehigh Valley Wins Series 2-0 Posted by on April 26, 2024

@

4                                  5

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Playoffs are a different animal man.

The Penguins, 20 points better than the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the regular season, are swept in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs on Friday night 5-4 2:11 into overtime on a Jacob Gaucher game winning goal.

The Phantoms will advance to the Atlantic Division Semifinals where they will face the Hershey Bears. The Pens will go home.

Wilkes-Barre had a 3-1 lead in the third period, then disaster struck. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so please read on.

Lines were…

Lineup Notes: Marc Johnstone returned from injury, replacing Matt Filipe. On defense, Scooter Brickey from THEE Ohio State University was in for Dmitri Samorukov.

First Period: Wilkes-Barre seemed a step quicker than the Phantoms with their backs against the wall facing elimination. They kind of needed a quick start and got one 2:17 into the game when Valtteri Puustinen deflected a Jack Rathbone shot that put the Penguins ahead 1-0.

Penguins had three power plays in the period to the Phantoms one. Corey Andonovski had a shorthanded bid and, like he attempted in Game 1 on similar circumstances, tried to go five hole on Cal Petersen but Petersen read the play well then and read the play the same way in Game 2.

Second Period: Theme this period was the Penguins power play and inability to score on same. They had a carry over power play to open the period and didn’t score. They got another crack at 2:30 and didn’t score. Then the scales tipped into the favor of the home team. Lehigh Valley gets a chance on the power play and didn’t score but the Pens survive a scare of sorts when the red light comes on behind Blomqvist but the puck didn’t even enter the crease. Wilkes-Barre navigates out of this, but then the Phantoms get another crack at another power play and Ronnie Attard cashes and ties the game at one at 9:19.

Joel Blomqvist spills a rebound of the initial Attard shot there, bodies bussing in front and Attard picks the near corner.

Deflating, yes, as the Phantoms started running downhill and got some momentum back. But then Louie Belpedio puts a puck over glass for a delay of game and six seconds into the ensuing power play which followed, Radim Zohorna did this…

Big goal here on a rebound off a shot from Hinostroza from the point, and the Wilkes-Barre re-establishes the lead.

2:52 later and Ville Koivunen finds a streaking Jack Rathbone in the slot and Rathbone wires one home that gives Wilkes-Barre a two goal advantage.

I ragged on Jack Rathbone earlier in the year. I will admit that he has come into his own and has scored big goals late down the stretch for the Penguins.

Third Period: So the Phantoms have eight comeback wins this season.

The Penguins hit a disaster stretch of 2:43.

First, Jonathan Gruden was called for a check to the head when the replay clearly didn’t show contact.

Then on the power play in a scrum, Xavier Ouellet legitimately cross checks Rhett Gardner in the back and that put the Phantoms on a five on three for :38.

:16 into that, Emil Andrae scored.

But :22 after that, Tanner Laczynski tied the game at three on the back end of the two man advantage. There was some debate as to whether the shot was directed in legally with a high stick, but after a conference between linesmen Ryan Jackson and Jud Ritter, referees Jack Young and Jordan Deckard allowed the goal to stand. You be the judge.

Scoresheet credited the goal to Laczynski, not Brink as Bob Rotruck gleefully indicates above.

The Penguins gave up another power play but Wilkes-Barre navigated clean out of that.

Radim Zohorna to the rescue?

That was a hell of a pass by Valtteri Puustinen there that reestablished the Penguins lead with 3:48 to play. All five Penguins touched the puck on the play.

But, :34 later, Tanner Laczynski scored again to tie the game at four. Sam Poulin was tripped behind the play, no call. Marc Johnstone tackled in the corner, no call.

Suffice to say that Jordan Deckard and Jack Young shouldn’t see another playoff game this season. They will, but they shouldn’t.

No one else scored. It was off to…

Overtime: The Penguins didn’t record a shot, the Phantoms had a quick start and a hot finish.

Defensive zone face-off win. Brandon Furry with the initial shot, Joel Blomqvist with the save, but Jacob Gauthier there for the rebound to put the Phantoms through and the Penguins to the offseason.

Three Stars: 3) Emil Andrade (goal, assist) 2) Tanner Laczynski (two goals) 1) Jacob Gaucher (game winning overtime goal)

The Good: Overall positive season. They finished third, got better as the season wore on and got a playoff spot.

The Bad: Another early playoff exit. Will they ever win the big one? Faceoffs were an issue all series. They got killed in the dot in Game 1, and as you just saw they lose a face-off in the offensive zone which ultimately ended their season.

Turning Point: The 2:43 of madness that they seem to find themselves in the postseason sees Lehigh Valley score a pair of goals in :22, steals all the momentum and they ride the rail to overtime, where they can’t win a face-off and lose on a rush and a rebound that ends their season way too early.

Listen, I didn’t like their chances against the Providence Bruins if they got there. What we are doing is meaningless, because Hershey is the overwhelming favorite in the posteseason, but then sometimes these underdog teams like the Phantoms go on runs and upset everything in their way. Can the Phantoms beat Hershey? I don’t think so. But I’m also the guy that said the Penguins would sweep the team that just swept them.

So that’s it. Thanks for following along again for another season. Lots of woody banter with most of you which I appreciate.

I’ll be around, I may do a player grade thing like I did at the end of last season here and will be around on Twitter and will still pay attention to the Calder Cup Playoffs here to see the Colorado Eagles win the Calder Cup.

Talk to you soon.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Cooked? — Pens LOSE 2-1 (LV Leads 1-0)

2 Comments Posted by on April 24, 2024

vs.

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I guess the easiest thing going for me is that for as long as the Penguins are on the brink of elimination, I am going to whip out this headline because the theme for this postseason from Coal Street is, “Let ‘Em Cook” – just so you know.

A lot of chemists out there all of a sudden.

I say that because of the 2-1 setback the Lehigh Valley Phantoms dealt the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins in Game 1 of their First Round series Wednesday night and all of the chemists out there saying that due to “chemistry” it was one of the reasons the Penguins are already facing elimination.

Game 2 goes Friday from Allentown.

So, by these peoples logic, they would allow Raivis Ansons to play over Valtteri Puustinen because Ansons has been on the team all season here in the AHL and Puustinen hasn’t. All of these new players and this influx is allegedly messing with the “chemistry” all of a sudden. They complain when Pittsburgh takes the players then blame it on chemistry when they return them.

Going a step further, the Penguins would have about 24 points this season and would have only won 12 games if the chemistry argument was to believed, what with the constant lineup changes and recalls and injuries.

No, tonights game was a game of inches.

About midway through the first period in a then scoreless contest, Jonathan Gruden fed Matt Filipe on a two on one rush. Filipe received the pass, shot it into a wide open net but Cal Petersen was there for a diving save, knocking the puck out of the direction of the net with the backside of the glove.

Lehigh Valley strikes at 14:37 of the first when Adam Brooks sneaks in a shot through the right armpit of Joel Blomqvist and it was 1-0 to the visitors.

Inches.

Then, just :58 into the second period and the Penguins desperate for a response after getting run over in the last 10 minutes of the first period, Rhett Gardner, a Penguins killer, sweeps in a pinballing puck off an uncorralled rebound from Blomqvist and it’s 2-0.

There were multiple problems facing the Penguins in Game 1. None of it had anything to do with chemistry.

  • Want. Phantoms played hungrier and a perfect road game, taking the fans out of it early after the first TV time out, dominating possession time.
  • Bodies. Wilkes-Barre was manhandled below the dots in Game 1. The Phantoms played the game from the bottom up and it seemed to work.
  • Joel Blomqvist was shaky. Remember he’s a rookie and this is his first playoff series. A lot of brass in the building tonight as well. He’s human and pressure busts pipes.

Ville Koivunen scored his first North American pro goal off a deft feed from Sam Poulin far side late in the second which gave Wilkes-Barre life.

He was acquired in the trade for Jake Guentzel and early returns on him were positive. He skated on a line with Poulin and Puustinen.

Nothing doing in the third for either side. I counted three posts that the Phantoms rang in the game, two in the second and one in the third. Evenly played period for the most part with a lot of play and not many whistles. It seemed at times that referees Jim Curtin and Riley Brace threw out the AHL rulebook because I counted a few blatant cross checks and trips that went uncalled that three weeks ago puts a team on a power play. They were fine. The Penguins did not lose the game because of the officiating.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup Notes: Jonathan Gruden (injury return) Tristan Broz and the aforementioned Ville Koivunen made their season debuts for the Penguins. No changes defensively from the last regular season game.

I, for one, didn’t particularly like the play of Dmitri Samorukov or Ryan Shea Wednesday. The Phantoms owned the ice from the dots down and Samorukov and Shea were a part of that, in part. I saw chatter about Taylor Fedun having a poor night, I didn’t notice him much which is a good thing in my book, your mileage may vary.

Three Stars: 3) Ville Koivunen (goal) 2) Cal Petersen (21 saves) 1) Rhett Gardner

The Good: Future is bright it would seem with Koivunen. He comes from overseas where they play on bigger ice but didn’t look out of place at all.

The Bad: I don’t know what defensive adjustments J.D. Forrest has at his disposal. I’m not advocating for placing Owen Pickering or Emil Pieniniemi in there for Game 2 with the season on the line. He may be in a box here.

Turning Point: I think it’s below…

Here’s your highlights…

The Petersen save on Filipe is right around the minute mark of the video. An argument can be had that if that goes in, it’s a different result for the Penguins maybe because it completely would turn the tide in the game. Since it really was just a save on just a shot, if you want to give it to Gardner and his goal :58 into the second period that made it 2-0, I am not going to stop you.

Game 2 is Friday with the season on the line. They better be ready.

I really am not looking forward to a Sunday at 5 p.m. start in Wilkes-Barre with both teams seasons on the line. Que será, será.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

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