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Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 2: Binghamton Senators (WBS leads 1-0)

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on April 28, 2013

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Eastern Conference Quarterfinal – Game 2

AHL Game: D2

Who: Binghamton Senators

Where: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

When: 5:05 p.m.

Series: WBS leads 1-0 (best of five)

Media Kit

Last Game: Last night in Binghamton, the Pens won 3-2 in overtime on Chad Kolarik’s overtime game winning goal. He had two goals in the contest.

What to Watch For: With Game 2 being the most important game in a five game series, the best effort from the trailing team, that being Binghamton. The Penguins, with an exact copy of last night with maybe some better bounces, can take control of this series.

Referees: Jamie Koharski / Jon McIsaac

Linesmen: Mike Emanatian // Steeve Lemay

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @BSens_Hockey

Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /binghamtonsenators

Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @PSBSens

Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / BNG: Grady Whittenburg @BSensRadio and Bob Howard @PPPShow

Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Binghamton: Big 107.5

Television: AHL Live

When is Game 3?: Thursday, May 2 in Wilkes-Barre at Mohegan Sun Arena

Gameday

Cool like Kolarik – Pens WIN 3-2 (OT) (WBS leads 1-0)

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on April 27, 2013

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Other teams hate him. Says he’s too flashy. Celebrates too much.

He scores goals. He plays for the Penguins. Go ahead, try and stop him.

I am talking about Chad Kolarik, who scored two goals tonight for the Penguins including the overtime game winner, as the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins go on to beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2 in overtime in this best of five series.

Game 2 is tomorrow afternoon at 5:05. The second game in a five game series is the most important one in the series. The series comes back to Wilkes-Barre with the Pens up two games to none or split with new life for the B-Sens.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Nathan Lawson – Cody Wild took warmups but he and Chris Collins were among the regulars scratched.

First Period: The Penguins jumped out of the gate and controlled every aspect of the game. B-Sens would get the puck in, a defender is there to take it off him and it’s back out. Puck possession. Puck possession. Puck possession. Brian Dumoulin passes to Brian Gibbons who taps it past Lawson to make it 1-0 Pens. Gibbons was everywhere early. B-Sens don’t register a shot on goal until 5:54 remaining in the period. Then, the Pens force a turnover behind Lawson’s net, find Kolarik who cuts to the slot and snipes it home for a 2-0 lead. B-Sens late and on a power play score when Penguin killer Shane Prince backhands a shot past Zatkoff to bring things to 2-1.

Second Period: Pens looked to have all the momentum when they find themselves on a 5×3 with 1:28 but three seconds later it gores to 4×3 when Derek Nesbitt high sticks a B-Sen off the ensuing faceoff. No dice with the penalties. Penguins continued puck possession.

Taking this to a second paragraph. The puck possession I talked about earlier? Gone. Shifted completely over to the Binghamton side like the teams were on a see saw. They had every bit of the chances and it was a matter of time before they scored and sure enough Mark Stone forechecks Philip Samuelsson backwards and takes the puck from him and scores to tie it. Absolutely back breaking goal at the time.

Third Period: Pens bend but don’t break. Both club gets a chance on the power play. The Brian Gibbons Breakaway of the Game™ was seen but Lawson made the save. On to…..

Overtime: Zatkoff with some unreal saves. Kolarik ends it from the top of the slot.

Three Stars: 3) Nathan Lawson (30 saves on 33 shots) 2) Jeff Zatkoff (34 saves on 36 shots) and 1) Chad Kolarik (2 goals, +2)

Have worried that the goal scorers that we have would ball up and fade away like last season but Trevor Smith had two assists, Riley Holzapfel had an assist and Kolarik two goals. Derek Nesbitt chipped in with an assist too. One game does not a playoffs make.

Game 2 is at 5:05 tomorrow. Gameday for that is up at 1 p.m.

One final note before I go, Beau Bennett was scratched in Pittsburgh’s final regular season game. Will he be sent back to get playoff action? Time will tell.

Get ready for Binghamton’s best tomorrow.

Let’s Go Pens!

Postgamer

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 1: Binghamton Senators

1 Comment Posted by nafsnep on April 27, 2013

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Eastern Conference Quarterfinal – Game 1

AHL Game: D1

Who: Binghamton Senators

Where: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

When: 7:05 p.m.

Series: Tied 0-0 (best of five)

Media Kit

Season Series: Oct 13: WBS 1 @ BNG 2 — Nov 7: BNG 0 @ WBS 1 (SO) — Dec 14: BNG 3 @ WBS 1 — Dec 19: WBS 3 @ BNG 4 — Jan 4: WBS 1 @ BNG 3 — Jan 9: BNG 3 @ WBS 1 — Feb 12: BNG 5 @ WBS 1 — Feb 16: WBS 5 @ BNG 2 — Mar 27: BNG 2 @ WBS 4 — Mar 30: WBS 3 @ BNG 2 (SO)

Top four scorers for the Penguins vs. the Senators: 1. Trevor Smith (10 GP, 6-3-9, +1) 2. Chad Kolarik (4 GP, 3-5-8, even) 3. Riley Holzapfel (10 GP, 0-5-5, -3) 4. Brian Gibbons (9 GP, 2-2-4, -3)

Top four scorers for the Senators vs. the Penguins: 1. Hugh Jessiman (10 GP, 4-2-6, +5) 2. Shane Prince (9 GP, 4-1-5, +3) 3. Stephane Da Costa (6 GP, 1-4-5, even) 4. Corey Cowick (10 GP, 1-3-4, -4)

What to Watch For: Special teams. The B-Sens led the AHL in shorthanded goals for. For the Penguins, success on the power play is key.

Referees: Darcy Burchell / Keith Kaval

Linesmen: Jim Harper / Jud Ritter

Twitter: @wbspenguins / @BSens_Hockey

Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // /binghamtonsenators

Beat Writers: @CVBombulie / @PSBSens

Broadcasters: WBS: Tom Grace @TGracePens and Mike O’Brien @MikeOBrienWBS / BNG: Grady Whittenburg @BSensRadio and Bob Howard @PPPShow

Fan Bloggers: @nafsnep

Radio: For WBS: 102.3 The Mountain / For Binghamton: Big 107.5

Television: AHL Live

When is Game 2?: Tomorrow night, April 28, at 5:05 from Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Gameday

Penguins / B-Sens Series Preview

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on April 26, 2013

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The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most frustrating time of the year.

For the eleventh straight season, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs. With the amount of roster turnover that goes on year to year, team to team, making playoffs eleven consecutive times as a minor league hockey franchise is a remarkable achievement.

For these Penguins, its been ten years in and ten years out with no Calder Cup. Meanwhile Hershey, Norfolk and the opponent in our way in Binghamton have all lifted the championship trophy in recent years. The Penguins started off the season with a strong lineup and fine-tuned as the season wore on with the additions of Chad Kolarik and Derek Nesbitt. The journey begins tomorrow night in Binghamton and hopefully ends in June with a party.

But before we let visions of grandeur enter into our psyche too vividly, there is a series to breakdown.

The Penguins open the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs Saturday night on the Southern Tier of New York vs. a Binghamton Senators team which defied expectations all season long. The B-Sens have used the term “pesky” to describe themselves and played their way to a 4 seed and nearly snuck up on the East Division Champion Syracuse Crunch.

The Penguins went 4-6 vs. their closest rival this season but some of that is obscured by the NHL lockout that ended in January. Goaltender Robin Lehner was called up to Ottawa shortly after the labor strife ended peacefully and then the Penguins started having success. Lehner is not available for Binghamton this go around.

And now it’s time for the breakdown:

Forwards:

The B-Sens have three rookies in Mark Stone, Shane Prince and Cole Schneider who are among the top five in scoring for the team. Their best players are first year guys who are going to be experiencing Calder Cup playoffs for the very first time.

Wilkes-Barre has Chad Kolarik, Trevor Smith, Riley Holzapfel and Derek Nesbitt which pace the team in points. Nesbitt was a late add and only has a game with the team. Smith, who won a Calder Cup last year with the Norfolk Admirals centers Kolarik and Holzapfel.

The Penguins are the lowest scoring team in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Penguins look like a one line team on paper. Shutdown one or two of the top line if you are Binghamton and you have a good chance of winning.

Advantage: Binghamton

Defense:

Both teams play stingy defense and were both in the top five in goals allowed. Wilkes-Barre has allowed the fewest goals in all the AHL and that defense has flat out won games for the Penguins this season.

Advantage: Push

Goaltending:

The Penguins have Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff, winners of the Hap Holmes award for fewest goals allowed. Yes, the defense for the Penguins has been the best all year long in the League but the duo of Zatkoff and Thiessen have been better.

Binghamton has Nathan Lawson and Marc Chevrie. Pens fans may remember Lawson from the Bridgeport series a few years ago. Lawson has been dealing with an injury this week and has not practiced. The backup to Chevrie is Scott Greenham, who has played 11:00 of AHL hockey in mop up duty Sunday.

Advantage: Penguins

Intangibles:

John Hynes is the winningest coach in Penguins history. Luke Richardson some say is the primary reason why the B-Sens are where they are. Coaching advantage goes to Hynes slightly, only because the Pens have been to and have had success in the Calder Cup Playoffs with him at the helm in the past. The B-Sens and Penguins won’t be putting on any clinics on how to score on the power play, both teams were in the bottom third in the League in this category. To make up for this, the Penguins have been at the top of the penalty kill all season long and the B-Sens are top ten. Special teams may be a push, but could slide to either side as the series goes on.

Social Media Coverage:

For the Penguins…

Twitter: @WBSPenguins
Radio: @MikeOBrienWBS // @TGracePens
Beat: @CVBombulie
Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins
Fan Blogger: @nafsnep

For the B-Sens…

Twitter: @BSens_Hockey
Radio: @BSensRadio // @PPPShow
Beat: @PSBSens
Facebook: /binghamtonsenators
Front Office: @KateKrenzer

Prediction: Penguins in four. The Penguins have to get the advantage in the series early because the longer that the “pesky” B-Sens stick around the more dangerous they become. I don’t think anyone in Wilkes-Barre wants to see this series go the distance.

Gameday setup for Game 1 drops tomorrow at 3 p.m.

The AHL, WBS

Calder Cup Playoff Preview — Eastern Conference

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on April 25, 2013

Welcome back to the Calder Cup Playoff Previews! Yesterday, I previewed the Western Conference. Today, we return to more familiar territory in the Eastern Conference. Here are the capsules for the teams that made it.

Binghamton Senators

Record: 44-24-1-7 // 96 pts., 2^nd place East Division (4 seed)

Power Play: 27^th // 13.6%

Penalty Kill: 6^th // 85.6%

Top 3 Scorers: Mark Stone 15-23-38 // Stephane Da Costa 13-25-38 // Shane Prince 18-17-35

Overview: The resilient Senators stayed at the top of the East Division all season and gave in-state rival Syracuse a late run for the division title.

First Round Opponent: Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Record vs. the Penguins: 6-2-0-2

Odds to win Calder Cup: 20:1

Hershey Bears

Record: 36-31-3-6 // 81 pts., 4^th place East Division (8 seed)

Power Play: 11^th // 18%

Penalty Kill: 10^th // 84.2%

Top 3 Scorers: Jeff Taffe 18-53-71 // Casey Wellman 16-37-53 // Jon DiSalvatore 18-31-49

Overview: The Bears struggled all season and looked to miss the playoffs but got in on the last day.

First Round Opponent: Providence Bruins

Record vs. the Bruins: 1-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 55:1

Manchester Monarchs

Record: 37-32-3-4 // 81 points, 3^rd place Atlantic Division (7 seed)

Power Play: 23^rd // 15%

Penalty Kill: 14^th // 83.2%

Top 3 Scorers: Linden Vey 22-45-67 // Brandon Kozun 26-30-56 // Tyler Toffoli 28-23-51

Overview: Monarchs got in on the final weekend by winning two of three and while the Connecticut Whale nosedived out.

First Round Opponent: Springfield Falcons

Record vs. the Falcons: 2-3-0-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 45:1

Portland Pirates

Record: 71-30-3-2 // 87 pts., 2^nd place Atlantic Division (6 seed)

Power Play: 15^th // 16.6%

Penalty Kill: 20^th // 82.5%

Top 3 Scorers: Andy Miele 19-34-53 // Alexandre Bolduc* 24-27-51 // Chris Brown 29-18-47

Overview: Pirates could have caught the Penguins on the last day for the 5 seed but lost to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on the final day of the regular season and now face the Syracuse Crunch, a team they have not played at all this season.

First Round Opponent: Syracuse Crunch

Record vs. the Crunch: Did not play.

Odds to win Calder Cup: 25:1

Providence Bruins

Record: 50-21-0-5 // 105 pts., 1^st place Atlantic Division (1 seed)

Power Play: 8^th // 18.5%

Penalty Kill: 5^th // 85.7%

Top 3 Scorers: Ryan Spooner 17-40-57 // Carter Camper 10-37-47 // Craig Cunningham 25-21-46

Overview: The P-Bruins are the only team with 50 wins, no overtime losses, and were the class of the AHL pretty much all season long.

First Round Opponent: Hershey Bears

Record vs. the Bears: 1-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 4:1

Springfield Falcons

Record: 45-22-5-4 // 99 pts, 1st place Northeast Division (2 seed)

Power Play: 6th // 19%

Penalty Kill: 8th // 85.2%

Top 3 Scorers: Jonathan Audy-Marchessault 21-46-67 // Nick Drazenovic 17-36-53 // Ryan Craig 20-27-47

Overview: One of the highest scoring teams in the league. The Falcons boast youth and talent. Curtis McElhinney is a hell of a goaltender too. Will be a tough out.

First Round Opponent: Manchester Monarchs

Record vs. the Monarchs: 4-1-0-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 9:1

Syracuse Crunch

Record: 43-22-6-5 // 97 pts., 1st place East Division (3 seed)

Power Play: 12th // 17.4%

Penalty Kill: 9th // 84.4%

Top 3 Scorers: Tyler Johnson 37-28-65 // Brett Connolly 31-32-63 // Ondrej Palat 13-39-52

Overview: Class of the East Division. Will be getting a cavalry back from Tampa Bay. Only caveat may be the loss of head coach Jon Cooper, who guided much of this group to a Calder Cup Championship last Spring.

First Round Opponent: Portland Pirates

Record vs. the Pirates: Did not play.

Odds to win Calder Cup: 7:1

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Record: 42-30-2-2 // 88 pts., 3rd place East Division (5 seed)

Power Play: 22nd // 15.1%

Penalty Kill: 1st // 87.2%

Top 3 Scorers: Chad Kolarik 31-37-68 // Trevor Smith 23-31-54 // Riley Holzapfel 21-30-51

Overview: One of the hottest teams of late. Best penalty kill, best defense, two of the best goaltenders in the League all season long. Eleven straight playoff appearances. All that is left is that elusive Calder Cup.

First Round Opponent: Binghamton Senators

Record vs. the Senators: 4-6

Odds to win Calder Cup: 12:1

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So there you have it. I return tomorrow with the series breakdown of the Binghamton series and give my prediction.

The AHL

Calder Cup Playoff Preview — Western Conference

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on April 24, 2013

We are about 48 hours away from the first pucks hitting the ice in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs! Below, you will find the Western Conference Playoff Preview.

I try my best to offer up as much intelligent information / analysis on teams the Penguins and the rest of the Eastern Conference never play. If you are a fan of a Western Conference team and you find my capsules to be way off base, drop a line in comments.

Here goes nothing…

Charlotte Checkers

Record: 42-26-4-4 // 92 pts. 2^nd place South Division (4 seed)

Power Play: 5^th // 20.2%

Penalty Kill: 3^rd // 86.5%

Top 3 Scorers: Chris Terry 25-35-60 / Brett Sutter 19-29-48 / Zach Boychuk 23-20-43

Overview: Checkers are one of the few teams that have all three top scorers with the team. They boast sound special teams. This will be the Checkers’ first go at playoffs in the Western Conference.

First Round Opponent: Oklahoma City Barons

Record vs. the Barons: 4-4

Odds to win Calder Cup: 20:1

Grand Rapids Griffins

Record: 42-26-4-4 // 92 pts., 1^st place Midwest Division (3 seed)

Power Play: 9^th // 18.5%

Penalty Kill: 29^th // 80.3%

Top 3 Scorers: Gustav Nyquist* 23-37-60 / Tomas Tatar 23-26-49 / Landon Ferraro 24-23-47

Overview: Won one of the tightest divisions in hockey. Parent Detroit may miss NHL playoffs. If you don’t get the Griffins in Round 1, you may not get them.

First Round Opponent: Houston Aeros

Record vs. the Aeros: 4-2

Odds to win Calder Cup: 15:1

* – on NHL recall

Houston Aeros

Record: 40-26-5-5 // 90 pts., 4^th place South Division (6 seed)

Power Play: 7^th // 19%

Penalty Kill: 18^th // 82.6%

Top 3 Scorers: Justin Fontaine 23-33-56 / Jason Zucker 24-26-50 / Brian Connelly 5-34-39

Overview: Lame Duck Aeros are going to go all out and play with nothing to lose. Is probably one of the stronger lower seeds.

First Round Opponent: Grand Rapids Griffins

Record vs. the Griffins: 2-3-0-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 70:1

Milwaukee Admirals

Record: 41-28-4-3 // 89 pts., 2^nd place Midwest Division (8 seed)

Power Play: 26^th // 14.2%

Penalty Kill: 19^th // 82.6%

Top 3 Scorers: Zach Hamill 19-25-44 / Taylor Beck* 11-30-41 / Austin Watson 20-17-37

Overview: The last team to get in the playoffs, the Milwaukee Admirals have made the playoffs for an eleventh consecutive season, tied with the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins as active leaders.

First Round Opponent: Texas Stars

Record vs. the Stars: 0-1-1-0

Odds to win Calder Cup: 75:1

* – Beck is on NHL recall

Oklahoma City Barons

Record: 40-25-2-9 // 91 pts., 3^rd place South Division (5 seed)

Power Play: 1^st // 21.6%

Penalty Kill: 30^th // 79.3%

Top 3 Scorers: Mark Arcobello 22-46-68 / Jordan Eberle* 25-26-51 / Justin Schultz* 18-30-48

Overview: Funfact: The Barons have the best power play and the worst penalty kill in the AHL.

First Round Opponent: Charlotte Checkers

Record vs. the Checkers: 4-3-1-0

Odds to win Calder Cup: 25:1

* – Eberle and Schultz played for the Barons during the NHL lockout

Rochester Americans

Record: 43-29-3-1 // 90 pts., 2^nd place North Division (7 seed)

Power Play: 4^th // 20.3%

Penalty Kill: 2^nd // 87%

Top 3 Scorers: Mark Mancari 22-39-61 / Kevin Porter* 15-29-44 / Johan Larsson 16-25-41

Overview: Bad draw for the Amerks in Round 1. They have had virtually no success against the Marlies.

First Round Opponent: Toronto Marlies

Record vs. the Marlies: 1-7-1-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 100:1

* – Porter on NHL recall

Texas Stars

Record: 43-22-5-6 // 97 pts., 1^st place South Division (1 seed)

Power Play: 2^nd // 20.9%

Penalty Kill: 22^nd // 81.8%

Top 3 Scorers: Colton Sceviour 21-31-52 / Matt Fraser* 33-13-46 / Travis Morin 12-32-44

Overview: Stars are primed for another run at the Calder Cup Finals. Won the most competitive division in hockey. If they continue the pace set, will be skating for Calder in June.

First Round Opponent: Milwaukee Admirals

Record vs. the Admirals: 2-0

Odds to win Calder Cup: 7:1

* – Fraser on NHL recall

Toronto Marlies

Record: 43-23-3-7 // 1^st place North Division (2 seed)

Power Play: 19^th // 16.4%

Penalty Kill: 15^th // 83.1%

Top 3 Scorers: Ryan Hamilton* 30-18-48 / Joe Colborne* 14-28-42 / Keith Aucoin* 10-27-37

Overview: Defending Western Conference champions back looking for revenge. The Marlies dominated their division and their opponent in the first round, the Rochester Americans. Are the Texas Stars biggest challenge.

First Round Opponent: Rochester Americans

Record vs. the Amerks: 9-1

Odds to win Calder Cup: 12:1

* – all on NHL recall, Aucoin isn’t in the organization anymore (New York Islanders)

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So there you have it. Hopefully I sound semi-intelligent here. I will have a better idea of what I am talking about tomorrow when I roll out the Eastern Conference Calder Cup Playoff Preview.

The AHL

Fourth Quarter Grades

1 Comment Posted by nafsnep on April 22, 2013

The Penguins concluded the 2012-2013 regular season with a 3-1 loss to the Manchester Monarchs at home on Saturday night. They have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for an eleventh straight season. They are the five seed and will face off against the Binghamton Senators.

But before we look ahead to the future, it’s time to pass out grades for the final time this season.

The Penguins finished 12-6-1 in the fourth and final quarter, which included a seven game win streak and undoubtedly sealed the Penguins fate for the playoff push.

Here is a look at each player who participated in the 19 games:

Forwards

Chris Collins — (15 GP, 1-3-4, -2) — With the acquisition of Derek Nesbitt at the trade deadline, may be odd man out for the playoff run. In the fifteen games he appeared in, didn’t set the world afire, but held his own. Grade: C

Bobby Farnham — (19 GP, 1-4-5, even) — Plays with an edge. Sometimes goes over the top. Will get under your skin both on and off the ice. He needs to continue to walk that razor thin line in order for the Penguins to succeed. Grade: C+

Brian Gibbons — (19 GP, 1-8-9, -4) — When I sat down and started working out these numbers, was disappointed in what I saw from Gibbons for the quarter. I expected more. However, you do notice him game to game and normally not for bad things, so there’s that. Grade: B-

Riley Holzapfel — (19 GP, 5-11-16, +1) — Top line player was a huge part in the surge to get into the playoffs. Obviously you hope that the trend continues all the way till June. Grade: A

Chad Kolarik — (18 GP, 11-10-21, +2) — Teams best player for the entire season, even though he didn’t start the season in Wilkes-Barre. (traded by Connecticut for Benn Ferriero) Got close to the AHL scoring lead, but fell short. Grade: A+

Jayson Megna — (18 GP, 2-2-4, -5) — Gives me headaches watching him play. Yet night after night he is there in the lineup. Has the worst +/- on the team for the quarter. Grade: C-

Adam Payerl — (19 GP, 1-2-3, even) — Has become a third / fourth line staple. Not a liability. Although, some nights he’s barely noticed. Good thing? Grade: C+

Warren Peters — (19 GP, 2-3-5, +3) — Numbers aren’t anything to write home about, but if the AHL kept faceoff statistics would probably be tops in the League. Grade: B

Zach Sill — (19 GP, 2-2-4, -1) — Is the heart of the team. If he returns next season, is a front runner for the “C” if Mormina doesn’t return. Grade: B

Trevor Smith — (18 GP, 6-10-16, +6) — Found a home on the top line centering Holzapfel and Kolarik. A line which will be relied on heavily to score in the postseason. He knows what it takes to win a Calder Cup. Let’s hope he hasn’t forgotten. Grade: A

Paul Thompson — (19 GP, 5-1-6, even) — Back from injury from early in the season. Team missed Thompson when he was out. Has heated up of late. You want him to get hot and stay hot. Grade: B+

Dominik Uher — (14 GP, 3-0-3, even) — I love this kid. Plays sound hockey. Surprised everyone scoring all of his points in Newfoundland. If he can chip in offensively here and there in the postseason, we all will be happy. Grade: B

Defensemen

Brian Dumoulin — (19 GP, 2-6-8, +2) — Has improved significantly from the beginning of the season. Played a great fourth quarter for the most part. Grade: B

Alex Grant — (19 GP, 2-10-12, -4) — May be playing for a job next season. Flourishes on the power play. Has maybe been the lone bright spot on the struggling power play this season. Grade: B-

Joey Mormina — (19 GP, 1-5-5, -3) — The Captain. Numbers don’t reflect how much of an important piece he is to the defensive corps and the overall success of the team. Grade: B+

Joe Morrow — (8 GP, 1-2-3, -4) — Morrow was moved at the trade deadline to the Dallas organization where he is now with the Texas Stars. He was a pawn in the trade for Brenden Morrow, a result of Pittsburgh having many defensemen. Grade: Withdrawn

Dylan Reese — (19 GP, 4-5-9, +3) — Best all around defenseman for the Penguins. Has played consistently like this all season long. Grade: A

Philip Samuelsson (19 GP, 0-1-1, even) — Won most improved player at Team Awards Night. I will go ahead and endorse that. Hasn’t been a liability, that’s all you really can ask for. Grade: B-

Cody Wild — (6 GP, 0-2-2, +2) — Because Joe Morrow got traded away, Wild gets to play. Hardly a liability. Has been here before, skating with the Penguins last season. Grade: C+

Goaltenders

Brad Thiessen — Appeared in seven games, posting a 4-2-1 record with a 3.10 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage. Will probably back up Zatkoff in playoffs and may be looking for a new employer next season. Not knocking Thiessen, just saying that he has not played like the #3 goaltender in the Pittsburgh organization for two seasons now. Grade: B

Jeff Zatkoff — Appeared in thirteen games, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.01 GAA and a 0.920 save percentage. Saddle up, we are riding Zatkoff to the promised land. Grade: A

The “five or under” Club

Not grading here, simply acknowledging the players who appeared in five or less games in the quarter.

Beau Bennett — (4 GP, 0-3-3, -3) — Depending on health of the Pittsburgh forward corps, Bennett may be gone totally. Is currently playing in Pittsburgh like he never wants to get sent back to Wilkes-Barre.

Robert Bortuzzo — (3 GP, 0-1-1, +2) — A bit troubling that Bortuzzo’s, +/- is higher in three games than it is for four Penguins defensemen who played the whole quarter. But that may be why Bortuzzo has graduated to the NHL.

Steve MacIntyre — (3 GP, 0-0-0, even) — Baddest man in hockey. Only question is whether he returns next season, retires or goes elsewhere.

Reid McNeill — (2 GP, 0-0-0, +2) — Has shown himself well, that he belongs at this level. Will probably be a full time staple on the WBS blue line come the Fall.

Christiaan Minella — (4 GP, 0-0-0, -2) — Will probably walk the ECHL – AHL tightrope again next season.

Derek Nesbitt — (1 GP, 0-0-0, -1) — Bombulie called him the biggest AHL trade deadline day acquisition in Penguins history. If he can fit in and contribute in the postseason, the Penguins will be an extremely tough out.

So there you have it for another season of grades. If you disagree with my grades, please say so why in comments.

Quarterly Grades

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