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Jonathan’s tweets summed this one up nicely:

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So you can guess how this one would go.

A 17 save shutout by reigning AHL Goaltender of the Month Peter Mannino and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins roll the Bridgeport Sound Tigers by a score of 3-0. The Penguins, with a loss by the Binghamton Senators to the Rochester Americans tonight, pull into a tie with the B-Sens for first place in the East Division.

Peter Mannino vs. Kenny Reiter

Housekeeping: There appears to be a new radio home for the Penguins. It’s 103.1 WILK radio, announced this morning by Coal Street. In that press release, a bunch of AM radio stations added so the Penguins broadcast network grows to places like West Hazleton and Scranton and beyond…..Andrew Ebbett was recalled to Pittsburgh before the game but according to reports, it’s for insurance and nothing more.

First Period: Puck driven in deep. Caroms off of the back wall. Reiter goes out to play, misplays it, and Bobby Farnham scores on an empty net to put the Pens ahead 1-0. Later, Chuck Kobasew picks off a D to D pass and drives in to expend the lead to 2-0. Bridgeport would go without a shot for the games first 15:00 and it had the look and feel of a game that was going to get out of hand, quickly.

Second Period: Not so fast, my friend. Bridgeport would really take it to the Penguins at times during the period, but the Pens had a bend but not break mentality. Dominik Uher would score his second shorthanded goal in as many games on a pass off of the pads play to Harry Zolnierczyk, who shot the puck again at Reiter. Rebound laying right there for Uher to slam home to extend the lead to 3-0.

Third Period: Penguins protected a 3-0 lead. Really played more to protect Mannino’s shutout than anything else. Sound Tigers never had anything memorable that I could recall as far as a quality scoring chance.

Three Stars: 3) Chuck Kobasew (goal, +1) 2) Bobby Farnham (goal, +1) and 1) Peter Mannino (17 save shutout)

Around the Division: Binghamton loses 4-3 in Rochester…..Norfolk needs a shootout to get by Adirondack in a goaltending battle, 2-1…..Syracuse pays a favor to teams in playoffs by beating Albany 2-1. Hershey was off.

Standings: Binghamton 86 — Penguins 86 — Norfolk 79 — Hershey 78 — Syracuse 67

Conference: 1) MCH (94) 2) SPR (94) 3) BNG (86) 4) STJ (88) 5) WBS (86) 6) PRO (83) 7) ALB (82) 8) NOR (79)

Springfield punched their ticket to the postseason in a wild, wacky game up in St. John’s in my game to watch tonight. Falcons had a 5-1 lead in the first period and won 8-7. Falcons are tied with Manchester for tops in the Conference and are three points off Texas for best in the AHL overall.

Wheeling Update: The Nailers also won tonight by a score of 4-1 over the Evansville IceMen. Denver Manderson had a goal in that one. The Nailers are 2 points away from clinching playoffs.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens welcome the Albany Devils tomorrow night at home. Gameday for this will be up at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

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An exact 2-1 Wilkes-Barre win Saturday night just like the same 2-1 Wilkes-Barre win from the night before.

While it wasn’t a repeat of what happened last night, it sure looked awful similar. Pens jump out to a 2-0 lead. Admirals cut the lead in half with a goal by Devante Smith-Pelly.

Regardless, the Pens travel to Norfolk and take all four points away from the Admirals. A needed perfect weekend for the Pens, with a lot of jockeying behind them. It doesn’t matter what happens behind you as long as you keep winning.

Peter Mannino vs. John Gibson

The only lineup change tonight was Nick Drazenovic for Spencer Machacek, veteran for veteran.

First Period: A predictably more stronger period for the Norfolk Admirals as they are in a mix with other teams battling for their playoff lives. Shots were 10-4 Norfolk this period, in a real defensive battle.

Second Period: Brendan Mikkelson breaks the scoreless deadlock with this shot from the blue line to put the Pens on the board first. Chuck Kobasew didn’t have a point in the game, but he did have a fight, tangling with Kevin Gagne.

Third Period: If you tried to watch this game or any other game on AHL Live tonight and had difficulty, it wasn’t you, it was them. I managed to get a piece of this nice Dominik Uher shorthanded goal before it went out to pasture completely on me. Then, Devante Smith-Pelly scores a power play goal when the Penguins took a delay of game call. Pens would get two power plays but up against the top rated penalty kill in the AHL would not get a goal. Two Norfolk power plays bookended the Penguin power plays but the Pens did not allow a game tying goal. With Gibson pulled late, they never found the equalizer.

Ice Chips: Tonight was Tom Kostopoulos’ 400th game as a member of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins….With the secondary assist on the Brendan Mikkelson goal, Andrew Ebbett extended his point streak to 11 games….The Penguins are 19-3-4 when Ebbett tallies a point in the game.

Three Stars: 3) Brendan Mikkelson (goal, +1) 2) Devante Smith-Pelly (goal, -2) and 1) Dominik Uher (goal, +1)

Around the Division: Shootouts dominated the East Division tonight. Hershey wins a 12 round shootout against the St. John’s IceCaps and keep their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win tonight…..Binghamton just uses the standard five rounder to get by Syracuse 4-3 in a shootout up in Central New York.

Standings: Binghamton 85 — Penguins 84 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 76 — Syracuse — 65

Conference: 1) MCH (94) 2) SPR (90) 3) BNG (85) 4) STJ (87) 5) WBS (84) 6) PRO (81) 7) ALB (80) 8) NOR (77)

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off tonight.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here for your viewing enjoyment. I am actually interested to see what happened in the third period because I couldn’t see it on AHL Live.

The B-Sens burn one of their two games in hand on the Penguins tomorrow when they face off against the Albany Devils in the Capital District tomorrow. The Penguins will want an Albany regulation win and so will you. I will have a blurb on that final score Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

Week 26 AHL Power Rankings will be here Monday at 4 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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Chip. Chip. Chip.

That sound you hear is the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins chipping away at getting into the playoffs.

A 2-1 win in another playoff like game against the Norfolk Admirals tonight. Chuck Kobasew continues his torrid pace since his demotion to the AHL, now with a goal in each of his 6 games played since arriving in Wilkes-Barre (7-1-8) Josh Archibald scores in his second professional game as well. Starting goaltender Peter Mannino stops 19 of 20 shots as the Pens keep pace on the Binghamton Senators for the East Division lead.

The aforementioned Peter Mannino vs. John Gibson.

Lineup changes: Lots. Dominik Uher, Harry Zolnierczyk and Spencer Machacek were all back in the lineup. The veteran scratch was Nick Drazenovic. Also, Carter Rowney was back in the lineup for his first AHL action for the Pens since February 9. Philip Samuelsson was also out and is still, “yet to be evaluated” which, to me, means that he will probably go to Pittsburgh to get looked at by the doctors there. Also, Eric Hartzell and ATO D Alex Boak were sent to Wheeling yesterday. Healthies were Anton Zlobin, Harrison Ruopp and the ATOs Marcantuoni and Sheary. Obie said in pre-game that these two are on the trip.

First Period: Nice opening pop by the Pens to start. Then it screeched to a halt as Zolnierczyk took an inadvertent goaltender interference call then Brian Dumoulin would take a delay of game call :20 later to put the Pens down two men for 1:31. The Penguins would be able to kill it. Later, Josh Archibald would score his first professional goal finishing off this two one one pass from Dominik Uher to put the Pens ahead 1-0.

Second Period: Chuck Kobasew at :43. Finished off a great pass from Andrew Ebbett from the corner to give the Pens a 2-0 lead.

Penguins don’t allow the Admirals a shot on goal for the first ten minutes of the second period. Then, all of a sudden, Dave Steckel picks off a Penguin at center ice and passes to Emerson Etem. The rest is history. Etem scores to bring the Admirals within one. Penguins would then take a penalty and the Admirals would go on the power play. Luckily, Andrew Ebbett would get hooked on a shorthanded rush up ice to end the Admirals power play and put the teams at four on four.

Third Period: Norfolk opens and takes it to the Penguins to start. Mannino and the defense shut the door. The the penalty parade begins for the Penguins. A McNeill cross check and a Barry Goers trip but the Penguins would successfully kill them all.

Time dwindling on the home team, the Admirals would pull Gibson but would never find the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Josh Archibald (goal, +1) 2) Emerson Etem (goal, +1) and 1) Chuck Kobasew (goal, +1)

Around the Division: Binghamton, trailing St. John’s 1-0 to start the third period at home, rally for two goals and defeat the St. John’s IceCaps by a score of 2-1…. Hershey, in the same boat trailing 1-0 to open the third at home vs. Albany, enjoy the same result with a four goal explosion and win 4-1 to keep the Bears playoff hopes alive with a 4-1 win on home ice…. Syracuse beat Adirondack 6-4 and the Phantoms are the first team officially eliminated from the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Manchester Monarchs join the Texas Stars and clinch a spot with a 5-1 pasting of the Worcester Sharks at home tonight. Grand Rapids could have been the third team to qualify, but they lost to Rockford tonight. Edit: Scratch all that. The Griffins are in, on account of some advanced mathematics by the brain trust in Springfield.

Standings: Binghamton 83 — Penguins 82 — Norfolk 77 — Hershey 74 — Syracuse 64

Conference: 1) MCH (94) 2) SPR (88) 3) BNG (83) 4) STJ (86) 5) WBS (82) 6) PRO (81) 7) ALB (79) 8) NOR (77)

Wheeling Update: The Wheeling Nailers were victorious tonight with a 5-3 win over the Toledo Walleye at home. Eric Hartzell stopped 31 of 34 and picked up the win.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

These two teams rematch tomorrow at Scope at 7:15. Gameday for the matchup will be here on the blog at 3:15.

Let’s Go Pens!!!