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You expect games between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre to be tight checking, closely contested affairs. Tonight lived up to the expectations, as the Hershey Bears outlast the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins 2-1 in a shootout and draw to five points behind the Penguins for the East Division lead.

The lead over Hershey has been extended now for a few weeks. It was four last weekend, it’s five now. The Bears have two games in hand on the Penguins but that no longer matters at this point, Hershey can win those games and still be a point behind the Pens. Breathing room, while slim.

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent down Jayson Megna today, so the lines looked like this:

Conor Sheary – Nick Drazenovic – Tom Kostopoulos
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald
Dominik Uher – J-S Dea – Jayson Megna
Pierre Leblond – Matia Marcantuoni – Tom Kuhnhackl

Taylor Chorney – Brian Dumoulin
Reid McNeill – Barry Goers
Nick D’Agostino – Alex Boak

Zack Torquato yielded to Jayson Megna in the lineup, Clark Seymour took warmups but was scratched. Also, in Pittsburgh, Bobby Farnham and Derrick Pouliot were healthy scratches.

First Period: This hit on Taylor Chorney by Dane Byers highlighted the period. Penguins would get 1:23 of 5-on-3 time at the midway point of the period but not convert. Shots were 12-4 Wilkes-Barre after one in a period dominated by Penguin pressure but one upped by Pheonix Copley being up to the challenge for the Bears in net.

Second Period: Bears would score and break the Penguins shutout streak at 167:24 when Bears defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer scored on a floater of a shot that Zatkoff never saw through a mangrove of bodies to put the Bears on the board. It felt at the time that it may be good enough to hold up, with the way that Copley was playing in net and the way that Hershey had turned the tides on the Penguins as far as puck possession.

But the Penguins generated a turnover in the Hershey zone and Matia Marcantuoni scored this goal 3:56 later to tie the game at one, Marcantuoni’s second goal in as many nights.

Third Period: More Hershey pressure and domination in the offensive zone. Jeff Zatkoff with highway robbery of a Chris Brown shot on his doorstep off of a nice centering feed by ex-Penguin Chris Conner. Later, Copley stops a Tom Kostopoulos one time from a nice setup from Barry Goers while the Pens were shorthanded. Neither team would find the back of the net here as we would then head to….

Overtime: Because of last minute penalties in the third period, the teams started three on three. The sides ended up back on three on three with 73 second to play, but jot was onto….

Shootout: Philippe Cornet scored on a snipe on Jeff Zatkoff in Round 5 and Tom Kostopoulos couldn’t respond and the Bears take the extra point home with them.

Three Stars: 3) Jeff Zatkoff (28 saves on 29 shots) 2) Erik Burgdoerfer (first AHL goal, even) 1) Pheonix Copley (25 saves on 26 shots)

Around the Division: Binghamton storms back from down 3-0, take the lead at 4-3, only to lose in overtime 5-4 to the Syracuse Crunch. Ex-Penguin Peter Mannino was in net for the B-Sens, making his debut for the Senators…..Lehigh Valley beats Norfolk 3-2 in a shootout.

Standings: Penguins 44 — Hershey 39 — Lehigh Valley 37 — Binghamton 34 — Norfolk 27

Conference: 1) MCH (50) 2) SPR (48) 3) WBS (44) 4) SYR (48) 5) HFD (40) 6) HER (39) 7) POR (39) 8) PRO (38)

Wheeling Update: Nailers lose a close one, 3-2 in Cincinnati. Eric Hartzell started the game but was pulled in favor of the backup after stopping 13 of 16.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens are off until Tuesday, when they host Dany Heatley and the Norfolk Admirals Tuesday and again Friday. My Week 13 AHL Power Rankings will go up Monday at 4.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Picture this. You get promoted at your job. You want to make an impression to show management that they made the right choice in promoting you and you want to prove to others that they can count on you when it hits the fan.

That’s exactly what happened tonight in the 5-0 Wilkes-Barre win over the Binghamton Senators.

Matia Marcantuoni and Sahir Gill both netted goals, their first in the AHL. Zack Torquato had an assist. The Penguins have shut out their opponents in back to back contests.

Matt Murray this time was the one with the shutout. His third on the season. Jeff Zatkoff sat this game out, and will probably get the net tomorrow in Hershey.

About Zatkoff, I was all set to blog about his Goaltender of the Month Award for December, before Andrei Vasilevskiy from Syracuse won it. Here’s the thing though, Vasilevskiy only played in five games! By rights though, Laurent Brossoit out in Oklahoma City probably earned it, he played in ten games and was just as good if not better than Zatkoff and Vasilevskiy.

Anyway, I don’t want to complain any longer. Murray was opposed by Andrew Hammond. Here’s the lines….

Conor Sheary – Nick Drazenovic – Tom Kostopoulos
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald
Tom Kuhnhackl – J-S Dea – Dominik Uher
Pierre Leblond – Matia Marcantuoni – Zack Torquato

Taylor Chorney – Brian Dumoulin
Reid McNeill – Barry Goers
Nick D’Agostino – Alex Boak

Matt Murray – Jeff Zatkoff

Patrick McGrath took part in warmups but was scratched.

First Period: Three goals in a span of 4:10, had the Penguins up 3-0. Drazenovic knee drop one timer on a tic tac toe pass from Conor Sheary on a deflection of a Taylor Chorney shot from the blue line, and a Derek Grant own goal on a Sahir Gill whiff of a shot he missed on when he cut to the net and missed.

Every time the Penguins scored, Binghamton came the other way and nearly scored. The B-Sens also had the benefit of two power plays but the Penguins did not allow them to cash in on them. If you are asking me where the game was won tonight, it was after the first period when Binghamton had failed to score on two power plays.

Second Period: Matia Marcantuoni got his first AHL goal on a rebound of a Taylor Chorney shot off a nice pass from Zack Torquato. Nick Drazenovic made it 5-0 on a rebound goal while the Pens were on the power play.

Third Period: Pierre Leblond had a hell of a game for himself. He nearly scored on a shot that Hammond made a toe save on. Carter Rowney had a game high seven shots and had severe chances to score on the oft scored on Hammond but the Binghamton net minder had his number all night. Teams traded power plays with no one taking advantage.

Three Stars: 3) Taylor Chorney (two assists, +3) 2) Nick Drazenovic (goal, assist, +2) and 1) Matt Murray (30 save shutout)

The Penguins have now held opponents scoreless for 122:14* going back to the Norfolk game last Sunday.

Around the Division: Lehigh Valley beat Norfolk in overtime in Virginia 3-2. The teams rematch tomorrow. Hershey was off.

Standings: Penguins 43 — Hershey 37 — Lehigh Valley 35 — Binghamton 33 — Norfolk 26

Conference: 1) MCH (50) 2) SPR (46) 3) WBS (43) 4) SYR (46) 5) HFD (40) 6) PRO (37) 7) HER (37) POR (37)

Wheeling Update: Nailers win in comeback fashion. Down 3-0 at one point in Fort Wayne, Wheeling wins in shootout fashion 5-4. Eric Hartzell stopped 31 of 35 and all 5 Komets shooters.

YouTube Highlights….

Pens travel to Hershey tomorrow. If the Pens win, it takes the two games in hand that Hershey has on Wilkes-Barre out of the picture entirely. Gameday for this will hit the blog Saturday at 3.

Let’s Go Pens!

* – number may be wrong. I am a noted idiot when it comes to math.

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The Penguins may have a lineup stripped of all of their scorers and stars, but one steady remains. His name is Jeff Zatkoff. His numbers this month? 6-1-0 with a 1.28 GAA and a .955 save percentage, including two shutouts.

If that isn’t enough to win AHL’s Goaltender of the Month for December, I would love to see the guy who does.

Zatkoff’s 24 save performance is enough to propel the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins to a 2-0 win over the rival Hershey Bears and a four point cushion over Hershey in the East Division Standings.

Zatkoff was opposed by Philipp Grubauer, starting his second game in less than 24 hours. Grubauer aided the Bears to a 2-1 win over Norfolk last night.

Wilkes-Barre got help from Pittsburgh in the form of Dominik Uher and Brian Dumoulin. That said, this is what the lines looked like tonight…

Conor Sheary – Nick Drazenovic – Tom Kostopoulos
Sahir Gill – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald
Tom Kuhnhackl – JS Dea – Dominik Uher
Pierrre Leblond – Matia Marcantuoni – Zack Torquato

Taylor Chorney – Brian Dumoulin
Reid McNeill – Barry Goers
Nick D’Agostino – Alex Boak

Jeff Zatkoff – Matt Murray

Notes: Reid McNeill was back from his illness. It was reported yesterday that he was being isolated from his teammates and tested for possible mumps….Clark Seymour took warmups but was scratched.

First Period: Went scoreless. Wilkes-Barre had three power play opportunities in the period but were up against the AHL’s top penalty killing unit in Hershey.

Second Period: Hershey got a power play chance. Wilkes-Barre really took advantage of opportunities shorthanded, Carter Rowney had a Grade A chance. Fun fact, the Penguins have yet to score or be scored on shorthanded.

Conor Sheary was everywhere this game. He created chance after chance. Late, Cameron Schilling was booked for interference with under a minute to play. On the ensuing power play, Brian Dumoulin found space at the top of the blue line, fired and Tom Kostopoulos got a stick on it for the deflection goal to put the Pens ahead 1-0.

Big goal at the time, because to this point, it was a chess match.

Third Period: Grubauer would exit with a lower body injury. He would go down to make a save and not get back up. He needed assistance off. Just prior to, he absolutely robbed Sheary with the pad. Sheary never was able to elevate the puck.

Enter Pheonix Copley. Penguins power play. Nothing doing.

Tom Kostopoulos and Hershey captain Dane Byers fought. Byers took down Kostopoulos with a big overhand right.

Wilkes-Barre had to then kill two consecutive penalties. With shot blocking and big time saves from Jeff Zatkoff, they were successful.

Dominik Uher picked off a Bear right in front of Copley and scored with under a minute to play to make it 2-0. Uher’s birthday is December 31.

Three Stars: 3) Dominik Uher (goal, +1) 2) Tom Kostopoulos (goal, even) 1) Jeff Zatkoff (24 save shutout)

Around the Division: Binghamton beat Lehigh Valley at home 6-2. Norfolk was off.

Standings: Penguins 41 — Hershey 37 — Binghamton 33 — Lehigh Valley 33 — Norfolk 25

Conference: 1) MCH (48) 2) SPR (46) 3) WBS (41) 4) SYR (44) 5) HFD (38) 6) HER (37) 7) PRO (35) 8) POR (35)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off today. They are in Fort Wayne, Indiana Friday.

You Tube highlights…

Worth noting that Pittsburgh is finally getting healthy again. It looks like a defenseman and two forwards will be on the way back soon, likely in time for Friday’s game vs. Binghamton. I may drop a blurb in on the blog here Thursday. If not, next blog update will be the Friday setup vs. Binghamton.

Let’s Go Pens!!!