Chirps from Center Ice

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Full disclosure. I have been sitting on this headline for a while with the play of Gabe Klassen of recent.

Another goal, this time at a big moment of the third period where it puts Wilkes-Barre / Scranton ahead for good is Klassen’s 10th goal of the season. Penguins win 3-2 in Springfield on Monday afternoon.

Sergei Murashov stopped 25. A goal and an assist for Valtteri Puustinen and Chase Pietila scored his first AHL goal.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty were back into the lineup. Hayes returned from injury and McGroarty was sent back yesterday. Joona Koppanen went back up to Pittsburgh. Zach Urdahl came out for Zach Gallant. Avery Hayes had a bubble on during the game confirming my speculation that he broke his something in his face.

Tristan Broz was conspicuous by his absence and Nick Hart didn’t even mention him in the benign waste of space “injury report” so I have no idea what’s going on with him. Suspension, sickness, personal matter, your guess is as good as mine.

No changes on the defense pairings.

First Period: Tons of early pressure by the Penguins, shots were 7-1 for the Penguins before Springfield recorded their first shot of the game at 4:48.

But, Wilkes-Barre got lax in its defensive zone when the Thunderbirds finally did establish some offensive zone time, and Simon Robertsson was left unmarked at the top of the crease and after some cycling down low, they found him for a goal at 12:09.

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Not for a lack of effort for the Penguins, Finn Harding hit a post and then Aidan McDonough couldn’t finish a three on one rush.

Second Period: They kept to the game plan, and the breaks went their way.

Four power plays awarded to them helped, by Springfield’s penalty. kill is good and stingy. This helped swing momentum to the Penguins, where Valtteri Puustinen tied the game at one.

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Aidan McDonough’s shot blocked by Calle Rosen and the puck goes straight to Puustinen who scores.

Puustinen would continue to aid the offense, dropping a pass to Chase Pietila who scored his first AHL goal with this one here tht made it 2-1.

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Shots were 18-8 in the period, largely aided by the four power plays awarded to the Penguins in the period.

Third Period: Springfield didn’t have a power play all game and it wasn’t a “lets call one on the Penguins” situation for Austin O’Rourke or Johnny Daniels, this was a legit high sticking penalty on Ville Koivunen which drew blood.

Matthew Peca would cash in the goal when a high shot from the point looked to be gloved by Murashov but deflected and struck Murashov and went right to McGing for the goal that tied it at two.

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But this was a lesson of, “a hockey game is 60 minutes and not moments” so the Penguins, methodically as they were, hem in the Thunderbirds for a good minute and then Rutger McGroarty connects with Gabe Klassen for the go ahead goal.

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What a find and what a revelation Gabe Klassen has been for this team.

The question was would Springfield net another. With a late power plat and with their goaltender Vadim Zherenko pulled after an unsuccessful power play, they would not find the equalizing goal.

Three Stars: 3) Vadim Zherenko (45 saves) 2) Gabe Klassen (goal) 1) Valtteri Puustinen (goal, assist)

The Good: This was a gritty road win.

The Bad: It shouldn’t have been. Springfield just fired their coach and isn’t really contending. Maybe the change at head coach kick starts them in the right direction and this is a game they can build on, but thePenguins should have won this game going away.

Turning Point: The Klassen goal that put them ahead is the obvious choice here.

Around the Division: Break up the Bridgeport Islanders, who have won five in a row, clipping an all of a sudden slumping Lehigh Valley Phantoms team who have lost four in a row. Islanders win 6-2.

Standings: Penguins and Providence 55 – Charlotte 47 – Lehigh valley 42 – Hershey 40 – Bridgeport 37 – Hartford 33 – Springfield 32

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: Likely on your own for these, AHL VideoCenter is your best bet at some point.

Back at it Wednesday when Belleville stops in for their only visit of the season. Weekend Preview will be up around lunch time.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Finn Harding’s first AHL goal comes at a big moment of the game in the second period Saturday night. With Hartford scoring in the periods opening moments, the Wolf Pack continued to pressure for a good stretch until Aidan McDonough set up the Penguins rookie defenseman. That made it 4-1 at the time and took the pressure off and Wilkes-Barre / Scranton exacts revenge and holds on and wins by that score.

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had a big first period playing into every goal with a goal and two assists, Gabe Klassen and Tristan Broz continued their hot streaks and Joel Blomqvist stopped 26. Treat Fix-Wolansky had the lone goal for the Wolf Pack.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Zach Urdahl for Zach Gallant up front and David Breazeale for Scooter Brickey on defense.

First Period: Wilkes-Barre rolled five forwards on an early power play; Broz, Puustinen, Harvey-Pinard, Koivunen and Gabe Klassen. Times like these I miss Jonathan Bombulie because he would have looked up how many AHL goals all but Gabe Klassen had and yet it’s Klassen netting his ninth of the season here on the power play.

Edit: Who needs JB when I have time and and internet connection. Harvey-Pinard – 60 career AHL goals; Puustinen – 71; Koivunen – 26; Broz – 33 and Klassen – 9, leading up to his 10th, right here.

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Tristan Broz wired one in at half way of the first and it was 2-0.

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Then Finn Harding took a shot that was deflected to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard who got it to go for his third point of the period and a 3-0 lead for the Penguins.

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Second Period: Oh no, here we go again. Trey Fix Wolansky scores 1:27 into the period and Hartford is out of the gate blazing and it’s a 3-1 game all of a sudden.

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Joel Blomqvist kept busy, and his team did little to help the cause taking three penalties, but they navigated through it all and then Finn Harding scored his first AHL goal that alleviated some of the concern that was bearing down on the Penguins and gave them a three goal lead.

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Harding seems like a good kid to pull for. Also, free coffee!

Third Period: Seemed like it took an hour, Jackson Dorrington and Chase Pietila fought early, but there was no scoring. Tristan Broz had a breakaway and had Wolf Pack goalie Callum Tung dead to right but couldn’t elevate the puck on the backhand high enough.

Three Stars: 3) Tristan Broz (goal) 2) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (goal, two assists) 1) Finn Harding (goal, assist)

The Good: Whatever the message was 24 hours ago was received and they were lasered in and ready. No blown leads.

The Bad: It’s nitpicking, but skate away when a guy is egging you on. If Blomqvist isn’t dialed in the second, it’s a different story written about another blown lead because stupid penalties did you in.

Turning Point: The Harding goal gets it here. Hartford didn’t have an answer after looking for a lot of them leading up to the goal.

Around the Division: Syracuse beats Lehigh Valley 4-1…Hershey overcomes a multiple goal deficit and beats Charlotte 4-3 in overtime…Bridgeport wins 4-1 over Springfield and Providence shuts out Cleveland 5-0.

Standings: Penguins and Bruins 53 – Charlotte 45 – Lehigh Valley 42 – Hershey 39 – Bridgeport 35 – Hartford and Springfield 33

Wheeling Update: Norfolk doubles up Wheeling 6-3.

Video Highlights:

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Right back at it Monday afternoon in Springfield. More then. Are you off Monday? I am!

Let’s Go Pens!

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I wonder if Sergei Murashov went as a pair of pants for Halloween.

Or maybe it was a nice button down.

Perhaps a fitted sheet?

Nevertheless, Hartford comes into Wilkes-Barre and wins 4-3 over the first place Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins would score, and seconds later a lapse in judgement by Murashov’s teammates and the puck ends up behind him.

Gabe Klassen had a pair of goals and Aidan McDonough had the other for the Penguins. Murashov stopped 28.

Here’s how they lined up. Hartford never posts lines.

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Lineup Notes: Scooter Brickey for Caleb Jones was the only lineup change. Jones left the game Wednesday with an injury and is here on a conditioning stint. I didn’t hear what the issue was but it can’t be good if he is missing games on a. conditioning stint.

First Period: Penguins off to a hit start early, with Gabe Klassen scoring to the Penguins a quick 1-0 lead.

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But less than three minutes later, Jaroslav Chmelar scores on a power play and it’s a tie game.

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Second Period: It was a close game to this point, but the foreshadowing was Hartford pressuring to open the period, but it’s Gabe Klassen again putting in a rebound of a Finn Harding shot that puts the Penguins ahead 2-1.

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But :26 later. a Scooter Brickey giveaway leads to a 2-on-0 and Brett Berard scores to tie the game at two.

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Hartford would edge ahead on a deflection in front and go ahead 3-2 with Kalle Väisänen getting the goal.

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And then they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off and Justin Dowling scores with 44 seconds left to play in the period and the Wolf Pack had a two gaol lead.

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It was like the Penguins were in slow motion and the Wolf Pack were like that podcast you listen to a 1.5x speed.

Third Period: Penguins with the obvious pressuring, but the pass first mentality has to go when you are down two in the third.

Finally Aaron Huglen sets up Aidan McDonough for a goal and the Penguins were within one.

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But they would get no closer.

I always appreciate when the referees stay out of the way so I liked, to some extent the work that Luke Stork and Adam Tobias put in, but the Penguins didn’t have a single power play all night and it’s the second game in a row where the Wolf Pack didn’t take a penalty. I also didn’t really see much in the way of infractions, and there wasn’t anything egregious.

With Murashov pulled (after a late Matt Dumba penalty) the Penguins would not find an equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Jaroslav Chmelar (goal, two assists) 2) Gabe Klassen (two goals) 1) Brett Berard (goal, two assists)

The Good: Klassen is a hell of a find and a great player.

The Bad: Unfortunately he had no help from the guys that you would expect to provide the offense.

Turning Point: The late Dowling goal that gave Hartford a two goal lead gets it here.

Around the Division: Strange, for a Friday, that only Lehigh Valley at Bridgeport is the only other action in the division. Bridgeport wins 3-1.

Standings: Penguins 51 – Providence 51 – Charlotte 44 – Lehigh Valley 42 – Hershey 37 – Hartford and Bridgeport 33 – Springfield 32

Wheeling Update: Nailers fared no better, losing 2-1 down at the Norfolk Scope. Logan Pietila (Chase’s brother) had the only goal for the Nailers. Taylor Gauthier stopped 23.

Video Highlights: If you really want them, you should know where to find them by now.

These two teams rematch Saturday, an hour earlier, and I’ll be here after to write about it. Let’s hope for a better effort.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins concluded their road trip with a midweek trip to the division leading Providence Bruins, who have been on a better form then the Penguins of late and who still have a bunch of games in hand on the Penguins.

You wouldn’t know it if you watched the game Wednesday, as the Penguins, with a huge assist from services and skills of their goaltender Sergei Murashov, win 4-1 to reclaim first place in the Atlantic Division and first place in the Eastern Conference.

Tristan Broz had a pair of goals, Joona Koppanen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard also had goals.

Murashov stopped 36 and was 1:36 away from a shutout.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Aidan McDonough returned from injury. Tristan Broz was sent back from Pittsburgh right as my Weekend Preview went up this morning around 10:30. Max Graham was returned to Wheeling. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard drew in also, replacing Brayden Edwards and Zach Urdahl up front. Caleb Jones made his WBS debut on his conditioning stint, Finn Harding drew in. David Breazeale and Ryan Graves.

First Period: Good start for the Penguins, as a Gabe Klassen shot was stopped by Michael DiPietro, but then batted in from out of the air by Joona Koppanen that gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead before the game was two minutes old.

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But then, the Bruins heavily leaned on Sergei Murashov who made saves like this, that kept the Bruins off the scoreboard in the period.

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The Bruins carried play for the last 12 minutes but ran into Sergei Murashov.

Second Period: Bruins continued to pile up the shots and were aided by two power plays awarded to them by refs Jim Curtin and Austin Rook, but Sergei Murashov and the Penguins penalty killing unit kept them off the score sheet.

Had a feeling that the next goal (if it were to come) would be a big one.

Hey, Tristan Broz!

NHL caliber snipe for the Penguins leading scorer here gives the Penguins a 2-0 lead.

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This gave the Penguins an obvious cushion heading into the…

Third Period: Penguins had two cracks at the power play and let’s just say they didn’t do well.

Bruins, feeling the heat, pull DiPietro for the extra attacker but Dans Locmelis bounced a pass off the boards for a player that wasn’t there. The puck then slid harmlessly all the way down and into the unguarded net.

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Tristan Broz was credited with the goal.

The Bruins tried it again, and this time Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was credited with the empty net goal.

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Michael Callahan scored through a Murashov screen that spoiled the shutout bid with under two minutes to play.

(it’s late on a work night, I’m not sticking around to see if the Bruins post a GIF or not)

Three Stars: 3) Valtteri Puustinen (two assists) 2) Tristan Broz (two goals) 1) Sergei Murashov (36 saves)

The Good: This was a statement win, if there ever was one. I think both the Penguins and Bruins have their flaws. Charlotte exposes those flaws on the Penguins and the. Penguins expose those flaws on the Bruins.

I liked how Murashov stayed unnerved after the barrage the Bruins set off on him for about 40 minutes of play.

The Bad: Caleb Jones, returning from injury and here on a conditioning stint from Pittsburgh, was injured in the second period and didn’t return.

Also, for goodness sakes try to get your goaltender a road shutout, willya?

Turning Point: The Broz goal in the second gets it here. It gave the Pens confidence, a two goal road lead, and gave some cushion to Murashov. Providence wasn’t the same after.

Around the Division: Hartford beats Hershey on the road 3-2 in overtime and Charlotte creams Springfield on back to back nights, winning 8-2.

Standings: Penguins and Bruins 51 — Charlotte 44 – Lehigh Valley 42 – Hershey 37 – Springfield 32 – Bridgeport and Hartford 31

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter is your best bet.

The Penguins return home to host the all of a sudden pesky Hartford Wolf Pack for a pair this Friday and Saturday.

Let’s Go Pens!

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A complete flip of the script from Friday where the Penguins all pulled in the same direction sees the Checkers get revenge on Wilkes-Barre and win 5-1 on Saturday night.

It’s the first win for the home team in this series.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was recalled to Pittsburgh this afternoon as Bryan Rust is day to day. This meant that Brayden Edwards got back into the lineup for the Penguins up front. David Breazeale for Finn Harding on defense.

First Period: Seemed like a slow start for the Penguins and the Checkers took advantage.

Michael Benning crashes the net, the puck pops up in the air and Jack Devine was the last player to touch it which gave the Checkers a 1-0 lead.

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Later, on four on four, Nolan Foote ripped a shot past Blomqvist that made it 2-0 Checkers.

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Bit of a dreary start.

Second Period: Alex Steeves like he did Friday, scores from out of no where that makes it 3-0 Charlotte.

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The Penguins had a few power plays that looked really bad and were just awarded on here and you got the sense that they needed to get one here as this seemed like a turning point.

Enter Ryan Graves.

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But that turning point I was telling you about? Yeah, well not that turn, but this turn, a few seconds later where Jack Devine nets his second of the game, makes it 4-1 Charlotte and re-establishes the Checkers three goal lead.

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Collectively they were flat and to have a guy like Devine just. floating in the slot unmarked there for the goal is just bad.

Third Period: I am not going to talk about how bad and out to lunch the officials both on and off the ice were, the list of penalties in the second period should do that for you.

Nothing going for the Penguins and it’s always a sign of desperation when the head coach pulls the goalie for the extra man with about eight minutes to play. I mean you are a bad team on the man advantage to start with, why do that?

Nate Smith scored an empty netter that made it 5-1. I am not going to post a video of that.

Three Stars: 3) Kirill Gerasimyuk (23 saves) 2) Jack Devine (two goals) 1) Ben Steeves (goal, two assists)

The Good: Overall I thought Zach Urdahl and Brayden Edwards were probably the best players on the ice on both ends. Finished checks, played hard, et cetera.

The Bad: When I say a flip of the script, Dumba was a -2, Ryan Graves a -3 along with Valtteri Puustinen and Ville Koivunen. Tristan Broz was frustrated overall, taking 12 minutes in PIMs.

Turning Point: Gave it to you above, the second Devine goal.

Around the Division: I will probably jump in an edit these in later, but here’s the finals as this goes up around 8:45 on Saturday night…Bridgeport wins 4-2 against Utica…Lehigh Valley beats Springfield 3-2. Hershey beat Cleveland 3-2 and Hartford beat Providence 5-1.

Standings: Penguins and Bruins 49 — Lehigh Valley 42 – Charlotte 40 – Hershey 35 – Springfield 32 – Bridgeport and Hartford 29

Wheeling Update: Nailers hosted the Trois-Rivières Lions and shut them out 5-0. Max Pavlenko with 26 saves.

Video Highlights: Hard pass, thanks.

Big game to kick off the second half of the season coming Wednesday when they travel up to Providence. Weekend Preview will be out Wednesday afternoon. Stay warm.

Let’s Go Pens!