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Well, that was unexpected.

No, I am not talking about the Penguins losing this game 5-1 tonight. Wilkes-Barre has a Jekyll and Hyde side to it where you don’t know what team you are getting. The Pens look like world beaters this past weekend, battling the Portland Pirates and toppling them in overtime on Saturday then clawing back from an 0-3 hole Sunday vs. Manchester to win in a shootout. Battle. Pressure. Fight? That motto must have been left in New Hampshire.

The Worcester Sharks, one of the more one dimensional teams in the AHL, score FOUR CONSECUTIVE power play goals tonight against the top unit in the AHL and make the Pens look like pancakes, because that’s how flat the visiting team was tonight.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Harri Sateri – Chris Collins was out for the returning Steve MacIntyre.

First Period: A very herky jerky start to the period, as there were many whistles. Period will best be remembered for 1:47 5-on-3 power play time for the Penguins about halfway through the period. They say the definition of insanity is repeating something over and over and expecting the same result. Alex Grant attempts to gain entry into the offensive zone, dumps it, Sharks retreat, get it and fire it down the ice. Grant tries again, is dispossessed five feet in. Yet again. Same thing. By the time the Pens had a chance in the zone, the Sharks got a man back then another man.

Second Period: Sharks get two power play goals. Pens looked and played flat in the period. Very uncharacteristic period for the Penguins, who by all accounts, did nothing to generate chances at all towards Sateri.

Third Period: Pens get a power play but can’t establish anything. Couldn’t even gain entry into the offensive zone properly. Then the Sharks get a power play. Adam Comrie gets a power play goal. 3-0 Sharks. Then Warren Peters gets a tip in off of a Joe Morrow point shot. Cardiac Penguins right? Bracken Kearns plays the role of 10,000 cigarettes and scores a nifty backhanded goal not a minute later to make it 4-1 Sharks. Just when you though things couldn’t get any worse than they presently stood, Kearns scored a power play goal to put things out of reach at 5-1.

The two teams rematch Friday in Worcester.

I don’t know what it will mean if the Pens do exact revenge and win Friday against the Sharks. They can very well travel to Portland the following night and lose 6-1 for all I know. That’s one thing that is the huge uncertainty. One weekend you can look like world beaters and sweep the weekend. The next you can look as inept as a team playing for the first time ever and look like tonight.

Three Stars: 3) Marek Viedensky (goal, even) 2) Adam Comrie (goal, three assists, +1) and 1) Bracken Kearns (two goals, one assist, +1)

Around the Division: Binghamton was in Rochester and lost 3-1. Norfolk traveled to Charlotte and won 3-2.

Standings: Syracuse 79 — Binghamton 78 — Penguins 67 — Hershey 64 — Norfolk 61

Admirals are getting closer. I think they make playoffs giving the East Division all five teams in. Although they could get in and Hershey or Wilkes-Barre could miss. But right now, the Admirals are playing like a playoff team.

Conference: 1) SYR (79) 2) SPR (76) 3) PRO (75) 4) BNG (78) 5) POR (73) 6) WBS (67) 7) HER (64) 8) CT (64)

SendToNews Highlights: Are here. Not much to look at as a Penguins fan.

Wheeling Update: Nailers fared no better tonight, getting housed by the Reading Royals 7-1. Keven Veilleux scored the only goal for the Nailers tonight.

Pens look to regroup Friday at 7:30 in Worcester. Gameday for that affair will be up on the blog at 3 p.m. Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Pesky Ads.

Pesky Sens.

Pesky this.

Pesky that.

You see it all over the AHL, a resilient team that comes back from or battles through adversity labels itself “pesky.”

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins are beyond that. Ask any season ticket holder that’s been with this team since the beginning and they will tell you about the “Cardiac Penguins.”

I’d rather be cardiac than pesky.

The Penguins found themselves down 3-0 before they knew it against a Manchester team that has seven guys on PTOs and their best player scratched on a recall to Los Angeles, have won four straight games and six of their last seven. Monarchs scored a five on three goal and two goals shorthanded before the Pens even knew what hit them. The Monarchs didn’t play last night. The Penguins were in Portland last night and Providence the night before. Things were not going the Penguins way at all. Manchester was running all over on them. It did not look like the Penguins team that we have all come to admire.

The Penguins battled. They fought for loose pucks. They battled some more. They won races. They pressured the Monarchs. They rode the wave of pressure that the Monarchs brought.

Finally, a Riley Holzapfel shot from just off the wall was deflected in by Chad Kolarik. 3-1. :28 later, it was 3-2 after Zach Sill crashed the net and the puck squeaked by.

More batting. More pressuring. More fighting.

Andy Andreoff scores a goal when he danced through Pens trying to defend but instead, running into each other. 4-2.

Things looked bleak. Teams around us in the conference were winning or on their ways to winning. The pressure both on and off the ice mounted.

Zach Sill steals an outlet pass, cuts in shoots it, whacks at a rebound and it goes in. 4-3.

Battle. Pressure. Fight. Battle. Pressure. Fight.

Chad Kolarik finds a streaking Dylan Reese in the slot. Reese has space, and roofs it. Tie game.

Overtime. Manchester came out gunning. Penguins sustained the pressure, then built some of their own. Nothing would be decided.

Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff stops Jordan Weal, Andry Andreoff, Brandon Kozun and Colton Yellow Horn. Martin Jones stops Chad Kolarik, Jayson Megna but does not stop Riley Holzapfel and Trevor Smith and the Pens skate away the victors, 5-4 in the shootout.

They battled. They pressured. They fought. Cardiac Penguins forever.

Three Stars: 3) Zach Sill (goal, assist, +2) 2) Linden Vey (three assists, even) and 1) Riley Holzapfel (shootout goal, assist, -2)

Around the Division: Binghamton stuns Hershey with two late goals including the go ahead with 2.3 seconds left in regulation and beat the Bears 3-2. The Bears went 0-3 on the weekend. The Admirals and Crunch were off tonight.

Standings: Syracuse 79 — Binghamton 78 — Penguins 67 — Hershey 64 — Norfolk 59

Conference: 1) SYR (79) 2) SPR (75) 3) PRO (75) 4) BNG (78) 5) POR (71) 6) WBS (67) 7) HER (64) 8) CT (64)

Wheeling was off tonight.

SendToNews Highlights: A fantastic package put together by the Monarchs here. Ken Cail is the voice of the Monarchs. I’d love to see him on Twitter one day.

Pens remain in Manchester until Tuesday when they bus to Worcester. I have no idea what blog content I will have between now and Wednesday, but I usually get a crazy idea that hops into my head sometimes.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Wow. Haven’t seen that in a while.

No, not a Pens win, there have been plenty those.

Four goals scored by the Penguins. Two in the first period. First time since January 19 in a 3-0 win vs. St. John’s. But another one goal game, one that the Pens win in overtime 4-3 off of a Chad Kolarik overtime game winner.

Or else it seemed that way. Tom Grace on radio called it to Paul Thompson. Earlier, on the second WBS goal, Kolarik looked to have scored the goal cleanly but the goal was credited to Jayson Megna. Regardless, an ironic night for Kolarik.

Tale of two teams for the Pens. They jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first, play relaxed in the second and Portland ties it in a span of 1:27. Both teams trade goals in the third then Thompson Kolarik scores the game winner.

Brad Thiessen vs. Mike Lee

First Period: Pens jump out to a 2-0 lead after pretty much dominating the Pirates in all facets of play. Penalty kill was solid. A Joe Morrow power play goal put them on the board first. Chad Kolarik Jayson Megna scores five on five, which was masterful. The Pens played like they were going to come out of the period with the lead and they did.

Second Period: The scouting report against the Penguins must be, “at some time they let off. when they do, you must capitalize.” Chris Conner scores four on four. I noted on the Twitter call that the Pens let off. Sure enough, Chris Brown scores from the right dot on a power play and it’s a tie game. Pens respond with a great late shift, Pirates looked gassed.

Third Period: Chris Brown again. Comes in on a breakaway after Joey Mormina gambles on a pinch and scores. First regulation lead by the Pirates in the season series. At this point I wouldn’t have blamed you if you thought things were bleak with the way goals have been so scarce for the Pens. But Joey Mormina fires a shot from the blue line, Bobby Farnham corrals it and Zach Sill bangs one home for a 3-3 game. Pens woke up after this, started moving their legs, got a power play they weren’t able to score on and it was on to….

Overtime: … but not before there were carry over penalties from the end of the third. Pens would come away with a power play. An Alex Grant point shot from the blueline is sent in and Paul Thompson Chad Kolarik scores the game winner.

Three Stars: 3) Zach Sill (goal, +1) 2) Chris Brown (two goals, even) and 1) Chad Kolarik (goal, assist, +1)

Around the Division: Syracuse scores four unanswered in Newfoundland and wins 4-2 over the IceCaps. Binghamton wins in overtime vs. the Rochester Americans 4-3 and Hershey is swept by Norfolk this weekend, losers tonight 4-1 to the Admirals.

Standings: Syracuse 79 — Binghamton — 76 — Penguins 65 — Hershey 64 — Norfolk 59

Admirals making noise now on the Pens and Bears, who I think will play a game of leapfrog all the way to April. If either one slips, Norfolk will be right there ready to step in.

Conference: 1) SYR (79) 2) SPR (75) 3) PRO (75) 4) BNG (76) 5) POR (71) 6) WBS (65) 7) HER (64) 8) MCH (62)

SendToNews Highlights: I don’t think Portland has them either.

Wheeling Update: Wheeling wins 3-1 vs. the Reading Royals. Scott Zurevinski was 1-2-3.

Pens bus to Manchester tonight for a 5 p.m. tilt with the Monarchs Sunday afternoon. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead an hour. Gameday will be here on the blog at 1.

Let’s Go Pens!