News of the day includes Evgeni Malkin being sidelined for what is probably the rest of the year with a torn ACL and MCL. Also, Tim Wallace was recalled to Pittsburgh.

Wilkes-Barre needed its scorers to score and they didn’t, and lost 4-2. The Crunch power play went 3 for 5. Look no further than that right there.

We have now lost three in a row. Mettle is being tested. Teams are getting up to play us. We remain the leagues best, but if more of the same continues, not for much longer.

John Curry vs. J-P Levasseur. Joey Haddad was recalled from Wheeling tonight and was in.

First period: Crunch couldn’t get out of their own way, offsides here, icing there. Finally Nick Bonino scored on the power play for an Andrew Hutchinson slash at about half way through the period with Curry screened. Later, Ben Street would notch his first AHL goal to tie the game at 1.

Second period: Early, Keven Veilleux would fan on an open net. Robert Bortuzzo would sit for a tripping call and Maxime Macenauer would cash in on the power play. At this point out PK was 1 for 3. Soon thereafter, the shots on goal were 23-15 in favor of the Pens. Quantity over qulaity I suppose. Then Bombulie dropped this nugget on the Twitter side:

http://twitter.com/#!/CVBombulie/status/34070827079180288

Third period: Teams would go back and forth, then Andrew Hutchinson would go off for holding the stick and Matt Belesky would score to make it 3-1. Later, Beleskey would punch Keven Veilleux in the face with his glove on and Keven would retaliate and draw a penalty. Both would get 4:00 for roughing. Later Nate Guenin, who will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst players to ever put on a WBS uniform, clotheslined Chris Collins which led to a fracas. Collins would skate off the ice under his own power with Trainer Steidle but not return. Stuccio on radio called it the hardest hit he has ever seen in person. Late, Mat Clark would sit for cross checking ans Steve Wagner would score to make it 3-2, but Coach Hynes would call timeout, pull Curry and Nick Bonino would score on the empty net and that was all she wrote.

Fully realizing what the purpose of an AHL team is for, this sucks. Crosby’s hurt. Malkin’s hurt. Letestu’s hurt. Asham is hurt. Who fills the roles? Damn right, your best AHL players. I want to see Wilkes-Barre win. Pittsburgh can take care of itself. Such is life.

Around the Division: Hershey lost in a shootout tonight, 5-4 to the Manitoba Moose. This after the Bears were up 4-1 and ready to run away with it. Sami Salo, who terrorized Wilkes-Barre last night, did not play in this one. Adirondack, who was shut out 5-0 by this Crunch team, shutout the 1st place Hamilton Bulldogs tonight 4-0. The Hammer had a hat trick. ManchVegas goes into Albany and shuts out the Devils 4-0. Apparently the Devils think they can still make the playoffs. Binghamton beat Norfolk 3-2.

Standings: With the shootout loss, the Bears get a half step closer, within 8 now. The lead was 13, it’s 72-64 now. Hershey has two games in hand. Norfolk could have closed to within 1 of Hershey if they won, but they sit in third with 61 points. Charlotte hasn’t played in forever, and sit fourth with 59 points. Binghamton is getting closer. They have 56 points. They’d make the playoffs today because fourth place Connecticut has 55 points in the Atlantic. Syracuse sits sixth with 42 points. Albany, 39 points in seventh and Adirondack draws within two of them with 37 points.

Tomorrow: Hershey loses one of those games in hand with a rematch I will be watching vs. Manitoba. Charlotte plays Providence. That’s not fair because Charlotte is rested and the Peebs got shut out by the Sharks tonight 2-0 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger. Let’s Go Pens!

For this game, look no further than having an NHL defensemen come down on a conditioning stint and score two goals for you and a goaltender who is the Vancouver Canucks future in net. Combine the two and win you win the game.

That’s all she wrote, as Sami Salo would score two goals, one the game winner and Eddie Lack would save 40 of 42 as the Moose skated away with the two points and the 3-2 win tonight.

John Curry vs. Eddie Lack. Jesse Boulerice, as it turns out, got sick before the game and was a late scratch per Bombulie so John Hynes went with 17 forwards.

First period: Pens fired something like 6 shots at Lack, he turned them all aside then Mark Flood fires a lukewarm shot at the net, Curry was screeened, never saw it, and it ended up in the back of the net for the 1-0 Moose lead. Then a few minutes later, Sami Salo dekes around Curry to give the Moose a 2-0 lead. Hynes would use his timeout then. The Pens would get two straight power plays handed to them and not score, whether it was for lack of success on the power play or Lack just being that good. Manitoba has the league’s best PK, and with the Pens having a power play which is just not good these days, of course we went 0 for 3 on the night.

Second period: I prescout these teams. I have the AHL Live All-Access Pass. That said, I see a lot of Manitoba Moose games when I can. Eddie Lack is a fantastic goaltender. He is even better in person. Everything he sees he stops. You need to get bodies in front to have a chance at scoring. Well, Nick Johnson scored on a net front scramble to make the score 2-1. Later, Andrew Hutchinson would sit on a tripping call and Sami Salo would uncork an NHL caliber slap shot to put the Moose up 3-1. Pens would later sit in the offensive zone for a good two minutes but Lack was on his game and denied all chances. At the end of the period, the Moose would come in three on none and Curry would deny the chance with a pad.

Third period: Zach Sill would deflect a Corey Potter point shot to bring the Pens within one but they would get no closer. They would get chances, but not anything Lack couldn’t handle. The Moose are now 15-0-1-3 when leading after two and the Pens are now 2-8. Ryan Craig would have a golden chance in front of Lack late, but nothing doing.

Thoughts: Pens had some golden opportunities to get back into the game with the power play, but again, failed to convert. This will doom this team in the long run. If not but for Salo’s performance, I think we win this game.

Around the Division: Hershey has won 7 in a row, 5-3 winners over Albany in Atlantic City, NJ. The Bears keep winning and are within 9 and closing fast. Tomorrow’s opponent, the Syracuse Crunch, won 5-0 over the Adirondack Phantoms. Norfolk beat Binghamton 4-3 in overtime in Norfolk. Unrelated to the doings in the division, Milwaukee beat Rockford 4-2. Check out who got goals for the IceHogs in that one.

Standings: WBS (72) HER (63) NOR (61) CHA (59) BNG (54) SYR (40) ALB (39) ADK (35)

Tomorrow: If the Manitoba Moose go into Hershey tomorrow and get blown out to the tune of say 5-1, I officially start to worry about the Big Bear Machine. The Moose play two in Titletown Saturday and Sunday. Bears in the mirror may be closer than they appear. Bingo / Norfolk in a rematch. Charlotte is idle tomorrow. ManchVegas invades Albany. Wilkes-Barre is in Salt City for a game versus the upset-minded Crunch.

Let’s Go Pens!