Chirps from Center Ice

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With apologies to Soccer Moses, and on this first day off Lent for us practicng Catholics, the Penguins needed some divine intervention it seemed in order to win Wednesday night.

It came in the form of three power play goals, two in the final 5 or so minutes of regulation and the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins rally from behind and defeat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-3.

Let’s get into it on this work night. Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Jamie Devane and Corey Andonovski for Justin Addamo and Ty Glover up front. I wouldn’t have made any defensive changes after only giving up two Sunday to Bridgeport in a tight one and they didn’t, Dustin Tokarski was bak, Tommy Nappier back to Wheeling.

First Period: Garrett Wilson scores on his former team and the Phantoms were off to the races.

No light or point from the referee, but it was a good goal after video review.

Penguins were chasing in the period.

Second Period: Nolan Maier relieved Troy Grosenick to start the period. This is because Grosenick was run into by Lukas Svejkovsky in the first period.

Penguins still couldn’t get out of second gear, and were being handcuffed by all the penalties they were taking.

Max Willman scored an even strength goal on a low shot that beats Dustin Tokarski for a goal that made it 2-0.

Drake Caggiula played fast and loose, taking two penalties in the period.

Caggiula’s high risk, high reward style of play remained evident when he scored the first of three power play goals for the Penguins on the night which cut the Phantoms lead in half.

They looked better, obviously, in the period getting the goal but lacked something.

Third Period: Nothing the first twelve or so minutes, then they tie the game on a Nathan Legare even strength goal which tipped the scales in favor of the Penguins.

I mentioned weeks ago that if you get role guys like Caggiula and Legare going, you get guys like Alex Nylander going.

Alex Nylander got going with this power play goal which gave the Penguins the lead.

Get Alex Nylander going and you get Sam Houde going.

Back end of the 4-on-3 power play they were on at the time.

Penguins still had to navigate out of trouble and Lehigh Valley connects on a late power play goal when Eliot Desnoyers pounces on a rebound in the slot he puts home to get it back to one for the visitors, but they never found that equalizing goal.

Three Stars: 3) Nathan Legare (goal) 2) Alex Nylander (goal) 1) Sam Houde (goal)

The Good: Lehigh Valley coughs up third period leads like they are going out of style, so maybe tonight’s comeback wasn’t a good measuring stick, but it was still good to see them come back late and pull out a win.

The Bad: Can’t play fast and loose like that. Yeah, Lehigh Valley has a top ten power play and all, but that isn’t a recipe for success. Play like that against Providence or a better team and you embarrass yourself.

Turning Point: You just knew that when Legare scored it was over for the Phantoms from then on.

Around the Division: This was a good win for the Penguins for another reason, and that’s because Hartford, who was in seventh place coming into Wednesday, beats Springfield 5-1 to bump up to sixth.

Standings: Providence 70 – Hershey 69 – Charlotte 62 – Springfield 56 – Lehigh Valley 55 – Hartford 53 – Bridgeport 52 – Penguins 51

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Friday on the road in Syracuse for the first time this season.

Let’s Go Pens!

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They were close today. But there aren’t any cigars in hockey and the Wilkes-barre / Scranton Penguins will be fuming over a goal taken away on account of a goaltender interference call in the first period.

A shot from Mitch Reinke goes in, but Kyle Olson buzzes the tower of starting Islanders goaltender Jakub Skarek and referee Peter Schlittenhardt immediately waves off the goal. No review in this situation. I have seen worse calls. My issue is this. No one knows what goaltender interference is at any level. They spent three and a half minutes Saturday reviewing a shootout goal in Lehigh Valley when it was clear as day on every camera angle imaginable that it was a good goal. Why not do the same in this situation? What do you have to lose? It’s baffling.

Penguins lose 2-1 and lose more ground for playoff qualification. Bridgeport played a bend, don’t break style of play and it worked. Penguins couldn’t convert enough offense to work for a goal.

They are slumping, but the hits keep coming.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Nathan Legare and Kyle Olson in for Jamie Devane and Jonathan Gruden up front and Colin Swoyer for Ty Smith on defense. Smith had a dentist appointment and Jonathan Gruden needs to be evaluated. Corey Andonovski and Filip Lindberg are day to day with ups body injuries.

First Period: Not a good welcome back to the AHL for Tommy Nappier from The Ohio State University, as Chris Terry makes a deke on the goaltender and scores :39 in to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

Penguins respond with Alex Nylander’s 21st goal of the season with a spin-o-rama then a shot for a power play goal at 5:55 to tie the game at one.

But then Nappier spills a big rebound which goes right to Ruslan Iskhakov for a goal and a 2-1 lead for the visitors.

Then the Reinke incident, where the puck goes in but is adjudged to be illegal on behalf of goaltender interference. No review.

Second Period: Pens looked like the better team, but couldn’t crack Skarek. Not a lot of shots were getting through, as they only had 15 shots through forty minutes.

Third Period: They navigated through fine with a penalty kill, their only one of the day missing Jonathan Gruden, their best penalty killer. They couldn’t score on a power play about halfway through and with Nappier pulled for the extra attacker, never found the equalizer.

Three Stars: 3) Alex Nylander (goal) 2) Otto Koivula (two assists) 1) Ruslan Iskhakov (goal)

The Good: They kept it close.

The Bad: They couldn’t score or generate anything worthwhile of a goal.

Turning Point: The washed out goal.

Around the Division: They had a 4 o’clock start then a 5 o’clock start. It’s Sunday and I want to enjoy it. Here’s the scoreboard.

Standings: Pens are in last. Here’s the link once the late start go final.

Wheeling Update: Nailers win in overtime 5-4 out in Iowa.

Video Highlights: If I see em I’ll work an edit in, maybe.

Back at it Wednesday against the Phantoms. Have a lot of work to catch up on, no promises on a Weekend Setup for Wednesday, will try for this Friday. Stay tuned, I guess.

Let’s Go Pens!

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I am back, kind of, after the death of my father, in case you only read my blog and don’t follow my other social platforms. I’m a maybe for the in person Sunday home game, depending on how my mother feels. Debated even firing up the game and writing about it, but I watched most of the Wednesday home game against Hershey, so felt it was as good as time as any to get the blog out of the moth balls and back up and running again. This past month has been hell. Medicine is war.

Tale of two games here as an inauspicious start turns into a quite entertaining hockey game. Lehigh Valley wins in a shootout 4-3.

Here’s how they lined up.

Lineup Notes: I am back, partially, that’s all that matters. Ty Smith too. I think Filip Lindberg is battling injury. I know for a fact that Xavier Ouellet is done for the year after I think ankle surgery.

First Period: No shot for either team before the first media break. It was a bit of a slog to generate any type of offensive threat. Pens had the only power play in the period and got close on a Valtteri Puustinen chance but Troy Grosenick made the stop.

Second Period: Pens navigate through a sleepy first period and a sleepy start to the second frame and get two goals. The first comes from  Drake Caggiula on a boffo play from Grosenick, who makes a glove save and drops the puck right in front of a game Caggiula who sweeps it in for a 1-0 Wilkes-Barre lead.

Penguins don’t score on one of their power plays but do on the second when Valtteri Puustinen fires a shot off a Phantom defender where Alex Nylander is for a power play goal that gives Wilkes-Barre a 2-0 lead.

Penguins convert a sloppy game and get two goals in the period. Not bad, but they needed to tread carefully.

Third Period: Sometimes I hate when I’m right.

Phantoms score :16 apart. I didn’t love when Lehigh Valley went to a power play immediately into the period.

Igor Zamula scores a second or so after the expiration of the power play to make it 2-1 and then Ty Smith takes a shot off the face that Alex Kile puts in.

Bad to worse, seemingly, as Jonathan Gruden is slammed violently into the bench by Garrett Wilson. The resulting power play leads to a Valtteri Puustinen goal that gives the Penguins the lead again.

Ty Smith did return with a bubble shield. Gruden did not.

Alex Kile scores again to tie the game again.

Felt like a last shot wins type of a game at this point.

They battled to…

Overtime: Tyler Sikura was awarded a penalty shot with 35.5 seconds left and when the Penguins had the majority of possession time but Sikura was unable too score.

Shootout: Bobby Brink scores the only goal after a lengthy video review from referees Jake Kamrass and Dre Barone, who were fine tonight but not in this instance, three different reviews clearly show the puck enter the net but the Barone / Kamrass review took over two minutes.

Three Stars: 3) Alexander Nylander (goal, assist) 2) Troy Grosenick (25 saves, first win since October 23) 1) Alex Kile (two goals)

The Good: Playoff like atmosphere here Saturday night in Allentown.

The Bad: I think that the Penguins win this game if they play it under playoff rules, but they didn’t.

Turning Point: That :16 turned the game on its head and in the favor of the Phantoms.

Around the Division: Hershey doubles up Charlotte 6-3….Springfield loses 5-4 in overtime after a Marty Frk hat trick in the first period….Hartford beats Providence 3-2 in overtime.

Standings: Providence 70 – Hershey 68 – Charlotte 60 – Lehigh Valley 55 – Springfield 54 – Bridgeport 50 – Hartford and the Penguins 49

Wheeling Update: Nailers are out in Iowa and late, that box is here.

Back at it Sunday at home against Bridgeport. They are all big from here on out.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Didn’t realize that this was it this season with the Springfield Thunderbirds schedule wise this season. They only play four times this season and this was game number four.

Good thing, too. Because Springfield is on a heater, winning their seventh straight with a 4-2 Friday night win over the visiting Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, who are heading in the opposite direction.

The Penguins didn’t play poorly, per se, getting goals from Colin Swoyer and All-Star Alex Nylander. They just made mistakes against a team you can’t make mistakes against right now and that’s Springfield. It’s a perfect storm team because in games there are going to be power play opportunities and Springfield just goes to work and cashes on them.

Wilkes-Barre is in a funk, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before and something they will eventually work their way out of.

Here’s how they lined up…

Lineup Notes: Ty Smith is hurt, seemingly after getting rocked Wednesday and Filip Hållander is ill. Colin Swoyer and Lukas Svejkovsky, returning from injury, drew in.

First Period: Will Bitten laid a hit on Chris Ortiz that separated the Penguins defender from the puck and in the odd man rush dropped to Keenan Washkurak who scored to put the Thunderbirds on the board just four minutes in.

With :03 on a later Springfield power play, Matthew Highmore scores a between the legs goal to make it 2-0 Springfield.

But the Penguins respond right before the end of the period when Colin Swoyer nabs his first AHL goal.

I don’t know how you get ‘Sauce’ out fo Swoyer…

Second Period: Penguins first shot of the period doesn’t come until 11:08 was played in the period. Then Martin Frk shot a puck so hard (he is known to do this) that I didn’t see it go in nor thought it went in but it did and it was 3-1 Springfield on yet another power play goal.

Nothing went for either team late navigating through more power play troubles.

Third Period: Alex Nylander scored off the hop and you thought they had the jump they needed to get going again.

But the Thunderbirds held the Penguins at bay, and the time started to run out and with that the desperation grew. With Taylor Gauthier pulled for the extra attacker and the scheme drawn up after a Penguins time out, Wilkes-Barre never found the equalizer they were looking for and Springfield found another one with an empty net tally via Matthew Peca.

Three Stars: 3) Brady Lyle (two assists) 2) Martin Frk (goal) 1) Matthew Peca (goal, two assists)

The Good: Not much. They struggle on the penalty kill as others have mentioned to me and tonight it cost them.

The Bad: Giving up an eight point swing to a team they will be battling for a playoff spot isn’t a prime position to be in quite frankly.

Turning Point: The Martin Frk power play goal came so fast that the Penguins didn’t know what hit them. Apropos for the evening.

Around the Division: Hershey beats Bridgeport 4-1 to snap their mini skid….Hartford beats Utica 4-3….Charlotte slips past Syracuse 5-4 in overtime….Providence cools off a surging Lehigh Valley team 4-2 to stay in step with Hershey in pursuit of the division lead.

Standings: Hershey 63 – Providence 61 – Charlotte 52 – Springfield 49 – Lehigh Valley 47 – Bridgeport, the Penguins and Wolf Park 45.

Wheeling Update: Nailers bested at home by the Iowa Heartlanders 2-1.

Video Highlights: May be a morning edit depending on if I want to walk in the morning.

Meetup with Hartford before the All-Star break Saturday night. More then.

Let’s Go Pens!

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Brady Lyle’s two goals propels the Springfield Thunderbirds Wednesday night but it was Matthew Peca’s power play goal late that get the visiting Springfield Thunderbirds a 3-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins Wednesday night.

It’s a rough loss because of how tight things are in the division with a lump of teams and this is the first of nine straight against division foes. But, there’s plenty of time (for now) to make up ground.

Here’s how they lined up. 

Lineup Notes: As the tweet indicates, Filip Hållander, Jonathan Gruden and Dustin Tokarski were all back from either injury (Hållander) or reassignment (Tokarski, Gruden)

First Period: Didn’t take long, Penguins got on the board first courtesy of a Mitch Reinke shot that Corey Andonovski deflected in for a goal just 2:18 into the game. 

Penguins clamped down on Springfield and it was working, the Thunderbirds had just two shots through the first ten or so minutes but worked their way out of it and managed to get closer and more opportunities. 

Second Period: Penguins had the games first two power plays then started giving away power plays to the visitors. On their third such offering, Brady Lyle fired a dart through a screen for a goal. 

Such foreshadowing. 

Penguins couldn’t get a power play to go their way, so at least referees Rob Hennessey and Matt Menniti were calling it down the middle. 

Third Period: Matt Kessel was given a 5:00 major and a game misconduct for a violent cross check on Ty Smith, who left the game briefly but later returned. During the major, Brady Lyle scored at four on four for his second of the game but a minute later or so Alex Nylander, named as a replacement for Xavier Ouellet in Laval at All Stars this weekend, scored to give what seemed like a feckless Penguins attack the kick in the pants it needed to tie the game at two. This came during the 5:00 major. 

The last thing you wanted to see was a silly Penguins penalty. 

:54 later and Matthew Peca roofs one in while in a scrum for his first of the season at a big time and the Thunderbirds lead 3-2. 

But with Tokarski pulled for the extra attacker, the Penguins wouldn’t find the equalizer. 

Three Stars: 3) Alex Nylander 2) Matthew Peca 1) Brady Lyle

The Good: It’s been a hell of a couple days and it’s good to break away and head to a hockey game for the needed distractions of the everyday regardless of the result. I’ll get back to the Weekend Previews hopefully next week. 

The Bad: Too many penalties and too much carelessness. You’re out of a playoff spot. You can’t take silly penalties and be silly with the puck. 

Turning Point: The Peca goal was the dagger in a razor thin contest. 

Around the Division: Providence beats Hartford 4-2 to make up ground on Hershey who lost to Lehigh Valley 5-2.

Standings: Hershey 61 – Providence 59 – Charlotte 50 – Lehigh Valley and Springfield 47 – Bridgeport and the Penguins 45 – Hartford 43

Wheeling Update: Nailers were off. 

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter will probably have ‘em. I have a nephew to beat in a video game. 

Let’s go Pens!

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This one felt like a playoff game.

A pair of goal from Valtteri Puustinen boost the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins to a 3-1 win over the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday night.

It did feel like a playoff game and at some point, if they flirt at or near the cut line, all of them will be. Good to get a solid win in front of a packed house on a Saturday as we head into February. Let’s roll.

Here’s how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: One of these days I will tell you about this week I just had. Today ain’t one of those days.

First Period: Puustinen fires a near dot one timer past Jakub Skarek to put the Penguins on the board at 8:54 via a power play.

Special teams was dog 🤬 last night so it was good to see them going on the first one of the night.

Bridgeport didn’t score on their power play in the period.

Second Period: Cole Bardreau ties the game on a boffo goal and misplay by Taylor Gauthier puts the Islanders on the board at 4:32.

Why bite on something like that and put yourself out of position like that?

Ty Glover responds with his best shift in a while, keeping a puck in and then picking off an Islander and then ripping a shot for an unassisted goal to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

Good to see that fourth line produce for a goal.

Third Period: Penguins kept it simple, took just one penalty they navigated through fine and time starting melting away on the Islanders, who pulled Skarek and later the Penguins found Puustinen who scored his second on the empty net.

Three Stars: 3) Valtteri Puustinen (two goals) 2) Ty Glover (goal) 1) Taylor Gauthier (28 saves)

The Good: Total team effort. They got good goaltending, depth scoring and one of their better players got himself a pair.

The Bad: Boy, say what you want, goaltending is a big question mark right now. Some of what you saw tonight was insulated, big time.

Turning Point: Glover’s goal was huge.

Around the Division: Charlotte beats Rochester 5-3…Syracuse throttles Hartford 7-3…Providence subjugates Utica 5-1…Hershey stomps Lehigh Valley 7-3…Springfield beats Belleville 6-1.

Standings: Hershey 61 – Providence 57 – Charlotte 50 – Lehigh Valley 45 – Penguins 45 – Springfield 45 – Bridgeport and Hartford 43

Wheeling Update: Nailers beat Kansas City 6-2. Adam Smith, fresh from his AHL duties with the Penguins, with a goal and two assists.

Video Highlights: 

Back at it Wednesday against Springfield. Likely that I get a Weekend Preview out at you cats before then.

Let’s Go Pens!