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Hockey is a funny game really. If you don’t think karma plays a role, you just aren’t paying attention.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins made history in Providence last Spring becoming the only team in AHL history to come back from an 0-3 hole and win Game 7 on the road. The goalie they defeated? His name was Niklas Svedberg. He was in goal for the Bruins tonight and assisted the Bruins in defeating the Penguins tonight 5-1.

The Pens never really looked into the game, and just looked flat. You know that this will not sit well with Head Coach John Hynes, who will probably be breathing fire on the team all the way up to Lewiston, Maine for tomorrow night’s tilt vs. the Portland Pirates.

With the returns of Simon Despres, Nick Drazenovic and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Denver Manderson was scratched up front, and Nick D’Agostino didn’t even warm up. Harrison Ruopp took warmups but was scratched too.

Jeff Deslauriers vs. Niklas Svedberg

First Period: Providence would strike early, heading to a power play in the games first minute. Reid McNeiil fans on a bouncing puck in front of Deslauriers’ crease and Justin Florek knocked it in for a 1-0 Providence lead. Penguins would head to a power play soon after that and while they would not score, I liked the look of the setup in it. Closest they would get to scoring would be when Brendan Mikkelson would hit the top of the crossbar, but the puck deflected under Svedberg and the Bruins goaltender fell on it.

Later, Mikkelson is hit hard on the boards behind Deslauriers net. Referee Jon McIsaac seemed disinterested in calling a penalty on Bobby Robins. Mikkelson was looking for retribution on the heavy hit delivered to him by Robins and in the process lost Robins who drove the net and scored to make it 2-0 Providence.

Shots were 7-7 in the first period, but it sure didn’t feel like it from a Penguins perspective.

Second Period: No scoring this period but it was all Providence who, at times, seemed a step ahead of the Pens all period. Best chance was really a Bobby Farnham shot from the slot. Later, the P-Bruins had a long period of offensive zone time that the Pens sustained. Shots this period were 13-5 P-Bruins and this time, really felt like it.

Third Period: Bruins score two goals in 2:22 seconds to put the game away. Craig Cunningham, 5-hole and in on Deslauriers on the power play then Zach Trotman on a laser beam dart at the top of the slot even strength that chases Deslauriers.

Harry Zolnierczyk scores a goal on a hack and whack on Svedberg to put the Pens on the board.

Alex Khokhlachev scored later, shaking off the pursuing Brian Dumoulin to snuff out whatever was smoldering on a Wilkes-Barre comeback to make it 5-1 Bruins.

Three Stars: 3) Alexander Khokhlachev (goal, assist, +3) 2) Bobby Robins (goal, +1) 1) Zach Trotman (goal, assist, +3)

How doesn’t Nik Svedberg get a star of the game there?

Around the Division: Binghamton beats Bridgeport 6-2 in Binghamton. Syracuse gets by Hershey 3-2 in Central New York and Norfolk gets a goal late to tie Worcester and forces a shootout but lose to the Sharks 3-2.

Standings: Binghamton 51 — Penguins 48 — Norfolk 46 — Syracuse 40 — Hershey 40

Conference: 1) SPR (56) 2) MCH (56) 3) BNG (51) 4) ALB (49) 5) WBS (48) 6) PRO (48) 7) NOR (46) 8) STJ (43)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers are in the Carolinas this weekend and beat the Greenville Road Warriors 5-2. Chaz Johnson had a goal and an assist and Cody Sylvester had a goal too. Peter Mannino backed up Mike Condon in goal.

SendToNews Highlights: Not up yet and I don’t remember if Providence does ’em. With the Pens losing 5-1 tonight, what really is there to look at unless you are a displaced Bruins fan living in Forty Fort?

Pens are in Portland tomorrow. Gameday for that will be up at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!!!

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Coach John Hynes has said in recents weeks that the Penguins cannot rely on the top line to do all the work.

It worked tonight. The third line did it all for Wilkes-Barre.

Goals by Anton Zlobin (2) Tom Kuhnhackl and Dominik Uher (with an empty netter by Brian Dumoulin at the end) and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins mount another third period comeback and takedown the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-3 in front of the biggest crowd of the year, 8,188 fans.

Oh, and they scored the goals four different ways: shorthanded (Uher) even strength (Zlobin, twice) power play (Kuhnhackl) and empty net (Dumoulin)

Jeff Deslauriers won his 16th game of the season, tied for first in wins among AHL goaltenders.

Jason Missiaen vs. the aforesaid Deslauriers.

In warmups, the recently recalled Scott Stajcer hadn’t made it to the arena on time for the Wolf Pack so Missiaen took warmups alone.

No lineup changes for Wilkes-Barre.

First Period: Dominik Uher scores a shorthanded goal on a funky shot that just beats Missiaen for a 1-0 Pens lead early. Reid McNeill would scrap with Michael Haley in a nice bout. Then the newly acquired TJ Hensick would score to bring the Wolf Pack to even again, in a period which was largely dominated by Hartford and evidence by the two shots taken by the Penguins in the period.

Second Period: Danny Kristo burns a WBS D-man and scores off a long breakout pass to him to put the Wolf Pack ahead 2-1. Anton Zlobin would score his first of the night to bring the Pens even at two a piece again. Then Hensick picks off a WBS exit bid, and you know how those normally go, this time was no different and the Pens trailed again 3-2. Shots through two periods were 17-9 Hartford.

Third Period: Pens get a power play about midway through. You almost got the sense that they needed to score here. They did, Tom Kuhnhackl ties the game at three all. Then, Zlobin crashes the net and scores to put the Penguins ahead 4-3. The Pens really swarmed the ‘Pack in the period, outshooting them 17-2. They took control of the game in the third and used it to win.

Dumoulin tacks on an empty netter and that was that.

Three Stars: 3) Tom Kuhnhackl (goal, +1) 2) Scott Harrington (three assists, +1) and 1) Anton Zlobin (two goals, +2)

Nice game by the third line. Uher / Kuhnhackl had been struggling offensively and Zlobin looks like he is turning the corner.

The Tom, Nick and Harry line? Pointless. But with the third line doing what it did, who needed them?

Around the Division: Nice night for the Pens. Binghamton loses 4-1 to the Adirondack Phantoms and also lost G Nathan Lawson to injury. Norfolk loses 5-1 to Worcester. Syracuse repays a 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Providence Bruins the night before with their own 1-0 win vs. the P-Bruins in Syracuse and Hershey defeats the top team in the AHL, the Springfield Falcons, by a score of 5-3.

Standings: Binghamton 49 — Penguins 48 — Norfolk 43 — Hershey 38 — Syracuse 38

Conference: 1) SPR (54) 2) MCH (54) 3) BNG (49) 4) WBS (48) 5) ALB (47) 6) PRO (46) 7) NOR (43) 8) STJ (41)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lose to the Toledo Walleye 5-3. Nick D’Agostino had an assist in the loss.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens have off until taking to the road in Providence next Friday. I’ll have the Week 15 AHL Power Rankings here Monday with whatever relative news surrounding the Penguins here this week as warranted.

The Penguins sit at 37 games played. Friday will be the half way mark. So I just decided that I am going to put together my Second Quarter Grades this week. Look for them probably Wednesday or Thursday, depending on news.

Let’s Go Pens!!!