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Shoot the puck.

That was the message delivered this morning by head coach John Hynes to his team.

Shoot the puck.

It worked.

The Penguins roll into Toronto and sweep the season series from the Marlies winning this afternoon 3-1. They hit the All-Star break winners of six of their last seven games.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Mark Owuya

Joey Mormina, Cody Wild, Beau Bennett and Steve MacIntyre were the scratches. Warren Peters returned from injury and Dominik Uher replaced Steve MacIntyre.

First Period: If the Penguins lose this game, it is because they were handed four straight power plays and could do nothing with them, including a 5-on-3 for 1:23 that saw a turnover by the defensive pairing of Alex Grant and Brian Dumoulin and a shorthanded chance by the Marlies. John Hynes even used his timeout to draw something up during the extended 5-0n-3, but the Pens and Marlies went scoreless.

Second Period: Bobby Farnham gets in the way of an Alex Grant slapshot and takes a puck off an unprotected area on his leg. He’d turn out to be fine. The Penguins were throwing everything at Owuya. He wasn’t necessarily sharp, but the shots offered by the Penguins made it easy on him to save. Finally, Riley Holzapfel dangles the puck like a yo-yo and scored to put the Penguins out ahead 1-0.

The Penguins would continue to throw everything at Owuya. It was at this point that he was sharp, because he would stop three or four shots every sequence. Second period shots on goal were 19-3 in favor of the Penguins, just one off the season high.

Third Period: Tim Connolly, down from the NHL, has two goals in two games. Well, make it three goals in three games. At the top of the slot on the power play, he wrists one past Zatkoff to even things up at one a piece.

At this point, maybe six games ago, the Pens allow the floodgates to open and the opposing team to dance and dangle all over them and continue to put in goals. Not so.

:59 later, Paul Thompson picks off a Toronto clearing bid and puts a shot on Owuya that he fumbles with the glove and lets into the goal to put the Penguins up 2-1. Then, on the power play, Adam Payerl chases down his own rebound and scores to put the Penguins up 3-1. It would be all the run support that Zatkoff would need, as with Owuya pulled the Marlies generated good chances but couldn’t stick one past Zatkoff.

Three Stars: 3) Adam Payerl (goal, even) 2) Riley Holzapfel (goal, +1) 1) Jeff Zatkoff (27 saves on 28 shots)

Notes: Tom Kostopoulos has really helped guys like Payerl and Zach Sill. Payerl had six shots on goal this game alone, mostly from passes from Kostopoulos. … Marlies were an AHL best 13-2-0-1 at home coming into this game. … Three Marlies players made their AHL debuts today from the ECHL.

Around the Division: We were all watching the wrong game tonight as there was a goalie fight in Syracuse tonight as the Crunch triple up the St. John’s IceCaps by a score of 6-3. Binghamton beats Hershey in a shootout 3-2 and Norfolk whitewashes Bridgeport 5-0.

Standings: Binghamton 58 — Syracuse 56 — Penguins 45 — Hershey 44 — Norfolk 39

Conference: 1) BNG (58) 2) SPR (56) 3) POR (52) 4) SYR (56) 5) PRO (47) 6) MCH (46) 7) WBS (45) 8) WOR (45)

Wheeling Update: Nailers win 3-2 in Trenton tonight.

SendToNews Highlights: Aren’t up yet. May not be, I’ll check again in the morning.

Penguins break now for the All-Star break. I will be heading to Providence tomorrow and pinch hitting for Tom Venesky from the Times Leader and writing stories for that newspaper for Monday and Tuesday. Make sure you pick up a copy. I’ll probably have stuff here for the blog as well.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Take the tape of all the defensive plays and burn them.

A forgettable defensive effort tonight by Wilkes-Barre and they lose tonight 4-2 in Rochester.

Rochester is one of the highest scoring teams in the AHL, averaging 3.44 goals a game. Coaching knows this. The players know this. The effort just was not there tonight defensively. Hopefully its a learning experience and you move on.

Brad Thiessen vs. David Leggio

Lineup Notes: Chad Kolarik started on the second line with Brian Gibbons. He and Gibbons worked well tonight. Beau Bennett is still battling the flu and also has a small lower body injury. His status for All-Stars at Providence is up in the air. Philippe Dupuis didn’t take morning skate in the morning and should be ready after the All-Star break. Cody Wild has the flu. Warren Peters is on the cusp of returning. He may tomorrow. Dom Uher took warmups but was scratched.

First Period: In his very first shift, on his very first shot, newcomer Chad Kolarik scores a goal for the Penguins to push Wilkes-Barre out to a 1-0 lead. Kolarik’s impact could be felt almost immediately, with his vision making the players around him better. No scoring the remainder of the period, mainly because the goalies were sharp.

Second Period: Nightmare period for Wilkes-Barre. Mark Pysyk blows by a D-man and wrists one past Thiessen to tie the game. Later, Tom Kostopoulos keeps a puck in and throws it at the net, Adam Payerl hacks and whacks at it and Zach Sill swoops in from out of nowhere to push the Pens out ahead 2-1.

Then, with the Amerks on a power play, Mark Mancari throws a puck cross ice that deflects off of the skate of Brian Flynn and into Thiessen’s net. That one surprised everyone. Then, Phil Varone wheels around the net, gets a step on Joe Morrow, passes to Adam Pardy who one times the puck home past Thiessen to put the Amerks out front 3-2. Then, with 7.2 seconds left and two Penguins draped all over him, Kevin Sundher scores a wrist shot after falling down to make it 4-2.

It would be the second time this season that the Penguins gave up four goals in the period. Three goals in the final six and a half minutes, too.

Third Period: Jeff Zatkoff comes in to relieve Thiessen. Amerks play prevent defense, allow the Penguins 10 shots on goal, Leggio stops all of them. Penguins pull Zatkoff late, but don’t score a goal.

Three Stars: 3) Adam Pardy (goal, +1) 2) Mark Mancari (two assists, +2) and 1) Mark Pysyk (goal, assist, +1)

Around the Division: Binghamton beats Syracuse in Syracuse 1-0. St. John’s beats Hershey 3-1 and Norfolk beats Bridgeport 2-1.

Standings: Binghamton 56 — Syracuse — 54 — Penguins — 43 — Hershey 43 — Norfolk 37

Conference: 1) BNG (56) 2) SPR (56) 3) POR (50) 4) SYR (54) 5) MCH (46) 6) PRO (45) 7) WOR (44) 8) WBS (43)

Wheeling Update: Nailers beat the Bakersfield Condors with FOUR defensemen tonight 3-2 at home.

SendToNews Highlights: Rochester hasn’t posted them yet. I’ll check again in the morning.

Penguins are in Toronto for a 5 p.m. start. Gameday setup will be here tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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Brad Thiessen is singlehandedly leading the Penguins to the promised land.

Not necessarily, but the key to being a good journalist is writing a good lede. That’s what the book says anyway.

Moving on.

Thiessen stops 26 shots tonight, the Penguins get all the offense in the first period and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins skate away winners tonight 3-0.

Five wins in a row. The lockout ending has done wonders. That thing I said about blogging up the highest level of hockey in America? Keep it. I love writing winning blog recaps.

On a day where big picture items like this actual game could get lost in all the hoopla over the signings of Mark Eaton and Tom Kostopoulos to PTOs, a solid game by the Penguins.

Brad Thiessen vs. Eddie Pasqaule – Cody Wild took warmups but was scratched. Carl Sneep didn’t even dress. Warren Peters and Phil Dupuis were injury scratches.

First Period: I had a feeling coming into this game that if the Penguins wanted to win they would need to strike first and early to do so. They did. On the power play in the early stages of the period, Riley Holzapfel draws a man to him down low, Alex Grant pinches towards the net, Holzapfel finds him and Grant buries it for a 1-0 Penguins lead.

About midway in the first, Steve MacIntyre and the Penguins fourth line are forechecking St. John’s hard in the Penguins offensive zone. Philip Samuelsson picks off an exit pass and zips a wrist shot towards the net that eludes Eddie Pasquale for a 2-0 Penguins lead.

Then late in the period, Paul Thompson puts a shot on Pasquale and the rebound kicks right to Holzapfel who slams it home for a 3-0 lead.

It would be all the offense the Penguins would need.

Second Period: Chris Carrozzi relieves Pasquale in net and really settled things down. It was Carrozzi’s first AHL action of the season, having spent the better part in the ECHL with the Ontario Reign. If I knew what Carrozzi’s favorite color was I would probably list it here because not a lot happened action wise this period.

Oh. Beau Bennett was fighting the flu. He played a bit in the first period, then wasn’t seen much thereafter and didn’t come out in the third period. There was a mention of Bennett’s dislike of the cold in the paper this past weekend. You take a California kid in Bennett that doesn’t like the cold and mix in an outdoor game in Hershey on Sunday and you have the perfect concoction for flu-like symptoms to your lone AHL All-Star representative.

Third Period: IceCaps would throw the kitchen sink at Thiessen, but Brad kept them out of his net. Thiessen has really played well recently. He’s won five of his last six with three shutouts mixed in.

Three Stars: Trevor Smith (two assists, +1) 2) Riley Holzapfel (goal, assist, +1) and 1) Brad Thiessen (26 save shutout)

Around the Division: Norfolk beats Charlotte at Scope 3-1.

Standings: Binghamton 54 — Syracuse 53 — Penguins 43 — Hershey 43 — Norfolk 35

Conference: 1) SPR (56) 2) BNG (54) 3) POR (50) 4) SYR (53) 5) MCH (46) 6) PRO (43) 7) WBS (43) 8) HER (43)

A Binghamton / Wilkes-Barre first round playoff matchup is something I really wish for. Still a lot of season left.

Wheeling Update: The news of the day out of Wheeling was that Patrick Killeen was sent to the Orlando Solar Bears. He couldn’t be traded, so he was “called up” to Wilkes-Barre then reassigned by Pittsburgh to Orlando. The thought is that he and ex-Penguin John Curry will split the time in net for the Solar Bears. Also, a change of scenery would do him well according to those in Wheeling who follow the team closely. The Nailers didn’t play today. Edit: Nailers beat writer Shawn Rine has this article going more in-depth into the move.

SendToNews Highlights: Are here for your viewing enjoyment.

Penguins will practice tomorrow at Coal Street then board a bus bound for Rochester. Expect my next blog entry to come Friday for the Gameday setup unless I think of something interesting to put here Thursday.

Let’s Go Pens!