Penguins play arguably the best game of the young season this evening getting a 26 save shutout from Brad Thiessen and playing a defensive, gritty, shutdown game getting goals from Geoff Walker and Eric Tangradi and a shorthanded empty net goal from Bryan Lerg, winning 3-0 tonight in Springfield.

Brad Thiessen vs. Manny Legace

First Period: Thiessen was in form early making saves off of set Springfield faceoff plays early. Then, Dane Byers hits Eric Tangradi in open ice. Soon after, Byers and Joey Mormina mix it up and Byers ended up with a double minor for roughing. The ensuing power play saw very little from the Penguins. Passes were received on the backhand and every time Wilkes-Barre entered the offensive zone they were dispossessed by Springfield. Penguins would not capitalize. Some good saves from both netminders late.

Second Period: Thiessen robs rookie sensation Cam Atkinson in close to start the period. Defense really clamped down despite some near misses with Dane Byers jumping in behind the defense but Thiessen made the saves. Then Legace made some saves of his own on a couple of Penguins shots, best in the sequence being a Geoff Walker shot to a Bryan Lerg rebound. Late, John Moore would sit for a cross checking call and Geoff Walker would score a power play goal to put the Pens up late.

Third Period: Quick moving first half. Brian Gibbons is quite the playmaker, beating out an icing call. Thiessen made some quality, big saves. After killing a Bryan Lerg trip, the Falcons would buzz but Eric Tangradi would score after Bryan Lerg broke away being marked by Dalton Prout for Springfield. Lerg would spin, fall and dish to Tangradi who had an open net. Springfield would pull Legace late being a man up on a power play and Bryan Lerg would score to send Wilkes-Barre away with the two points.

Three Stars: Manny Legace (20 saves on 22 shots) Bryan Lerg (goal, assist, +2) and Brad Thiessen (26 save shutout)

I think everyone who cheers for this team needed this game for the psyche.

Around the Division: Tomorrow’s opponent Hershey beat Albany 4-1 tonight in the New York capital. Norfolk beat Binghamton 7-0 allowing the defending champs 14 shots on goal while taking 53 of their own. Wow. Syracuse won in overtime 4-3 at home against Lake Erie.

Standings: Hershey 9 points, Norfolk 8 points, Syracuse 7 points, Wilkes-Barre / Scranton 6 points and Binghamton 5 points. Things are tight.

Pens bus straight to Hershey for the 7 p.m. game in Chocolatetown. Gameday will be up at 3:30 here on the blog Saturday afternoon.

Let’s Go Pens!

The keystones which guided the Penguins to the second best record in league history ever are missing right now. Defense being the largest gaping hole missing.

Right now whatever “it” is that is keeping WBS from winning games, one goal games especially, is not there. At all. It is almost a feeling of not a matter of if but a matter of when. It happened again. The Pens lost in overtime, 5-4.

Once again, I am pontificating. Someday I will stop. To the game…

Brad Thiessen vs. Robin Lehner

First Period: Brandon DeFazio beat Lehner with a clean wrister about 6 minutes in to put the Pens on top 1-0. Semi-scary moment as Nick Petersen returned from concussion this game when an Alex Picard clearing attempt off of a face-off struck Nick sitting on the bench in the face. He would go to the locker room but return, fine. Then, Eric Tangradi would score a garbage goal on a goal mouth scrum to put the Pens up 2-0 going into the first intermission.

Second Period: Derek Grant would skate in from his own blue line in alone, unmarked and put the B-Sens on the board to make it 2-1. Shaun Heska would sit for interference. Jim O’Brien would get a chance shorthanded on a breakaway but be denied by Thiessen. Then, Geoff Walker would score on the power play to make it 3-1. Then, right after that Mike Hoffman would score on what would be the B-Sens 4th shot of the game. After the two teams had chances on the power play the Pens would go into the second intermission clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Third Period: Patrick Wiercioch would backhand a pass cross ice to Mark Parrish to tie things. A goal which, last year, a stick gets to and action goes the other way on. Then, another defensive breakdown nips the Pens and Kaspars Daugavins made us pay putting the B-Sens up 4-3. Bryan Lerg would score the last goal of the night about 1:30 later to tie things at 4. The Pens would seem to out work the Senators in the offensive zone, keeping lax clearing passes onside and getting good chances on Lehner, but the Pens would end up going to overtime but not before Binghamton used a timeout.

Overtime: Binghamton buzzed and buzzed and buzzed and finally broke through when Mark Parrish scored on another defensive breakdown. He toasted the defense.

Three Stars: 3) Eric Tangradi (goal, assist, even) 2) Bryan Lerg (goal, assist, -1) and 1) Mark Parrish (two goals, one of them the game winner, two assists, +3)

Around the Division: Hershey lost to Norfolk in overtime. The pesky Ads are a legit threat as they never went away and never backed down from Hershey all weekend. Syracuse. beat the hot Adirondack 6-2. Nick Bonino had 4 assists, Kyle Pamieri a hat trick.

Standings: Hershey 7, Norfolk 6, Syracuse 4, WBS 4 and Binghamton 3.

Right now we are the worst team in the division. No one pushes us around on home ice. Nobody. That team has yet to be seen.

Pens have to heal bodies. Expect Jason Williams and Robert Bortuzzo back next weekend. Tom Grace said on the post game show that Ryan Craig will be evaluated Monday. He also said that Matt Rust had a “long term” injury. Both of these maladies happened last night and no one saw how.

Here is a head scratcher. Springfield is a great team this year, class of their division. Providence is a bottom feeder and won’t make the playoffs this year. Guess who beat who tonight? If that’s not enough, picture being on the losing end of this debacle.

Updates, as they are made available this week. Back on the stick Friday night in Springfield, MA.

Let’s Go Pens!