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Inert.

That’s your answer.

Pens look flat in the first two-thirds of the game tonight, then turn it on late in the game, can’t muster anything and lose 1-0 in Syracuse.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Cedrick Desjardins

No Chad Kolarik or Steve MacIntyre for the Pens tonight with what Tom Grace said on radio were “maintenance days” for both. For Kolarik, he’s played 64 games this season, one more than the Penguins as a team. Having come over from the Connecticut Whale in a trade earlier this season for Benn Ferriero and coming off of a bad knee injury from last season, I could see where his absence is justified. On the other hand, scratching your leading scorer in the thick of a playoff push seems a bit fishy to me. I’ll keep my nose on the ground for any potential call-ups to Pittsburgh. But, for what it’s worth, Grace did say right before the game started that Kolarik would be back in the line up Saturday.

Cody Wild took warmups but was the healthy scratch.

First Period: All Crunch to start, the Pens third and fourth lines of Dom Uher / Warren Peters / Adam Payerl and Bobby Farnham / Zach Sill and Christiaan Minella had pretty much all the chances in the period for the Penguins. The Brian Gibbons Breakaway of the Game™ made an appearance while the Penguins were shorthanded, but Desjardins made the save. The Pens had a power play but didn’t register a shot. Grace called the Penguins effort “methodical” to start, which I agreed with.

Second Period: Pens get scored on in the opening five minutes. Philip-Michael Devos corrals a bouncing puck and wires it past Zatkoff to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead. Off the faceoff, the Pens looked inert and nearly got scored on again. John Hynes uses his time out, and Grace describes him as having “furnace face” with how mad he was of his teams effort at the time. The Penguins respond led by, who else, the Pens third line. Adam Payerl throws a puck at net, chases after it and nearly fights ex-Penguin J-P Cote. They slowly picked up the pace from there. For as bad as it seemed, the Pens were only one shot away heading into the….

Third Period: Good news: Pens clamped down on defense. They generated chances. Bad news: They didn’t score a goal. Not for lack if effort. They threw the kitchen sink at Desjardins, but he held firm and that was all she wrote.

Three Stars: 3) J-P Cote 2) Cedrick Desjardins (20 save shutout) 1) Philip-Michael Devos (goal, +1)

I have said, jokingly on Twitter, that I am a closet Tampa Bay Lightning fan because I want them to make playoffs to keep all the good players up. The way that tonight went, with pretty much all of Syracuse’s good players up, it may not matter.

Around the Division: Norfolk shuts out Adirondack 3-0. The only other game in the League was Springfield / Manchester in my “game to watch tonight” – the Falcons beat the Monarchs 2-0 tonight. Yes, that’s right, all home teams tonight shut out the visiting team.

Standings: Syracuse 84 — Binghamton 80 — Penguins 71 — Hershey 68 — Norfolk 63

Conference: 1) SYR (84) 2) PRO (81) 3) SPR (79) 4) BNG (80) 5) POR (73) 6) WBS (71) 7) HER (68) 8) CT (68)

SendToNews Highlights: Are here. Again, from a WBS Pens fan perspective, not a whole heck of a lot to look at.

Wheeling Update: Nailers fight back at home vs. the Kalamazoo Wings and win 2-1. Keven Veilleux had a shootout goal.

Pens have a rare Friday off and battle the Norfolk Admirals Saturday night at home in front of what will most likely be a sold out crowd.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Penguins cap off an eight point New England road trip in comeback fashion, winners 3-2 tonight in Portland.

A :30 sequence cost the Pens a 0-2 hole to dig out of early in the first, but thankfully they had all game to dig out of it, and dig they did.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Chad Johnson

First Period: Pirates were all over the Pens to start the game. Chris Brown had a chance but Zatkoff saved it. Then, Andy Miele picks off a pass at the WBS blue line, skates in and scores to make it 1-0 Portland. :30 later, Boris Valabik, he of all three games played for the Pens last year, makes it 2-0 Portland. Things were unraveling quickly. Then, Brian Gibbons had a couple of chances. Gibbons for his effort was the best Penguin on the ice all night long.

Second Period: Pirates looked quick out of the gate, establishing themselves in the Penguins zone for a while before the Penguins finally clear. Penguins find themselves on a 5-on-3 power play. Local boy Brian Dumoulin scores to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then, the aforementioned Gibbons was absolutely pancaked on the boards by Max Goncherov. Goncherov got a 5:00 penalty for boarding. The Penguins had extended 5-on-3 time again. Only this time, the Pirates get the better of the chances shorthanded and Wilkes-Barre only manages one shot on goal. I said at the time that it was a turning point.

Third Period: Turns out that the 5-on-3 was a turning point. Portland could have extended its lead, that’s how bad the Pens power play looked. They didn’t. John Hynes must have said something to the team in intermission that lit a fire under them because they came out gangbusters. Joey Mormina scores even strength to tie the game at two. It would turn out to be Chris Collins’ first point back with the Pens as he would get and assist on the Mormina goal. Later, Joe Morrow shoots a puck that deflects on a rebound to Trevor Smith in the slot who scores to make it 3-2 Pens. Pens would then defend the lead after that and hold on and win.

Zatkoff faced 10 shots in the first period. He faced 13 for the remainder of the game.

Three Stars: 3) Trevor Smith (game winning goal, assist, +1) 2) Andy Miele (goal, +1)  and 1) Brian Dumoulin (goal, even)

Around the Division: Binghamton throttles Norfolk 5-1. Syracuse throttles Albany 6-2. Hershey needs overtime to beat Bridgeport 1-0.

Standings: Syracuse 82 — Binghamton 80 — Penguins 71 — Hershey 66 — Norfolk 63

Conference: 1) SYR (82) 2) PRO (79) 3) SPR (77) 4) BNG (80) 5) POR (73) 6) WBS (71) 7) HER (66) 8) CT (66)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lost again to the Toledo Walleye, this time 3-1. Chris Barton had the lone goal for the Nailers.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here.

Pens come home for a few days before bussing to Syracuse Wednesday for a big game. I’ve conceded the division to either Syracuse or Binghamton, but if we do by some chance make playoffs, Syracuse will be in the way at some point.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I hope that whatever fire that Coach John Hynes lit under the team tonight stays lit for a while.

Pens played like the better team and the better team won tonight, 5-3. 

Not before Worcester made it interesting late with power plays but the Pens, who tumbled from first overall on the penalty kill after letting in four power play goals by the Sharks on Wednesday, don’t let the Sharks score on the power play tonight.

Brad Thiessen vs. Harri Sateri — Chris Collins and Christiaan Minella were in for Dom Uher and Steve MacIntyre.

First Period: A determined Penguins team cycled the puck, kept their feet moving all night and the Sharks chased. The Pens get a power play. Bracken Kearns gets a shorthanded break but is denied by Thiessen. Later, the Pens get a five on three power play and Dylan Reese finishes putting the Pens on the board first. Thiessen had another big save on a 2-on-1 Sharks rush late.

Second Period: Floodgates opened for the Pens. When Chad Kolarik is on, he’s unstoppable. He scores on a power play to make it 2-0. Riley Holzapfel drove the slot, found Kolarik on the wing, pinching, and scored. Then, Joey Mormina drove one that Paul Thompson got a stick on with Warren Peters screening. 3-0 Pens. Right off the faceoff, Yanni Gourde gets one back for the Sharks streaking to the net when four Penguins were below the goal line. Thrill a minute action. Late, Chad Kolarik finds a wide open Riley Holzapfel on the left side who scores to break a 15 game goal-less streak for him to make it 4-1.

I said on the twitter call that the Pens could “coast” from here. They did, and it nearly cost them.

Third Period: James Livingston throws a puck on net just under the blue line that either surprises or handcuffs Thiessen. It’s 4-2. Another shorthanded break by Kearns, who must have had five quality chances tonight, but Thiessen stopped him. Worcester wins races. Pens coast, look flatfooted. Jon Matsumoto slides pne through bodies and its 4-3 now. Then referees Ryan Fraser and Trent Knorr, who by all accounts were quiet all game, decide to start calling penalties. Warren Peters rough with 2:15 to play. Sharks miss an open net. Sateri pulled, 6×4 for the Sharks. Thiessen dives over and stops another. Trevor Smith gets called for a slash. It’s a 6-on-4 for the Sharks now. Pens withstand the pressure. Thiessen a save through a crowd. Sharks take a penalty. Offensive zone faceoff for the Pens, Sateri was not in the net. Warren Peters wins the faceoff and shoots it into the empty net and that is your ballgame.

There are the six points that Penguins beat writer Jonathan Bombulie said the Penguins needed in this New England road trip. Still two more huge points on the line against old pal Nick Johnson and the rest of the Portland Pirates tomorrow.

Three Stars: 3) Travis Oleksuk (two assists, +2) 2) Riley Holzapfel (goal, assist, even) 1) Trevor Smith (two assists, even)

Around the Division: Norfolk beats Syracuse in a shootout, 4-3. The Admirals are coming and they are coming quick. Adirondack bests Binghamton in regulation, 3-2. The Hershey Bears were off tonight, and now have two games in hand on the Penguins.

Standings: Syracuse 80 — Binghamton 78 — Penguins 69 — Hershey 64 — Norfolk 63

Conference: 1) SYR (80) 2) SPR (77) 3) PRO (77) 4) BNG (78) 5) POR (73) 6) WBS (69) 7) ALB (65) 8) MCH (65)

Wheeling Update: The Nailers lost to the Toledo Walleye at home 5-3. Keven Veilleux had a goal.

SendToNews Highlights: Eventually they will go up. I will have them here when they do.

Pens now bus to Portland for a 7 p.m. game against the Pirates. Gameday for that will be here for you at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!