Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

If it Wasn’t For Luck… — Pens LOSE 4-3

Comments Off on If it Wasn’t For Luck… — Pens LOSE 4-3 Posted by on January 14, 2022

So they outshoot their opponent 42-16 and lose it in the third period 4-3. They faced another goalie I never heard of and of course the kid plays out of his mind and befuddles the Penguins.

When it rains, it pours.

Here is how they lined up, Alex D’Orio opposed Garrett Metcalf:

First Period: Penguins outshot the Phantoms 16-6. It was good to see, especially with how they got pushed around by the Bears these last however many games they have played Hershey. Felix Robert opened the scoring with a low shot in the slot that beat Metcalf to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

But Linus Sandin scored a goal for Lehigh Valley on a power play that tied the game at one.

But for that blemish on the penalty kill, a decent first period for the Penguins.

Second Period: No scoring, Pens continued to pepper Metcalf.

Third Period: Phantoms get two goals, another from Linus Sandin and one from Cal O’Reilly, to go up 3-1. Refs let them play so there wasn’t many power play opportunities. Not that it would have mattered with the Penguins dead last power play.

Valtteri Puustinen got a goal with just under 4 minutes to play to make it 3-2. J.D. Forrest pulled D’Orio and Adam Clendening scored on an empty net to make it 4-2 but as fate would have it Alex Nylander would score to make it 4-3.

Amazing. They did everything possible to score in the first two periods and in the games last four minutes, score two and still lose.

Three Stars: 3) Garrett Metcalf (39 saves) 2) Felix Robert (goal, two assists) and 1) Linus Sandin (two goals)

The Good: The quantity of shots was a good thing to see.

The Bad: The quality of shots were a bad thing to see. Most were routine.

Turning Point: Felt like the next goal to be scored would win the game in the third period and it came to fruition with Sandin bagging one for the Phantoms.

As fate would have it the empty net goal by Clendening stands as the game winner. What’s that about luck again?

They get a chance at revenge Saturday against the Phantoms.

Postgamer

Weekend Preview: Off Hiatus, Sorta…

Comments Off on Weekend Preview: Off Hiatus, Sorta… Posted by on January 14, 2022

If you don’t love me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best.

Or something like that.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins, on an 0-6-0-1 streak to begin 2022 and in last place in the Atlantic Division, come into a weekend set of games against in state rivals Lehigh Valley (who occupied the same grippe befuddling the Penguins for much of the Fall) and the Hershey Bears, who the Penguins are 0-7 against and can pinpoint the root cause of their misfortunes of late.

Where the hell have you been?

I needed a break. I still need a break, but I can’t stay away. Twitter is a desolate wasteland for me now, haven’t looked at or opened the app in a few days but for folks pinging me asking where I am. I have tweeted less, and smiled more.

This is sports. It’s an obtuse reality world where regular people vent their frustrations at paid professionals playing and coaching a game. In the end, it really doesn’t matter. Life goes on.

The moral here is, don’t take it seriously. When you do, like I have from time to time, step away. That’s what I did. I will gradually step back in.

The Setup

Home and home with Lehigh Valley Friday and Saturday and Sunday at home against the Bears.

The Phantoms are probably the hottest team in the AHL right now, at 6-0-1-1 in their last eight games. They were supposed to play up in Providence last weekend but, guess what, COVID worked its way into their locker room and those games were postponed.

Hershey has, well, beat up on a bad Penguins team. They lost last Friday to Syracuse, then curb stomped the Pens in back to back games, one was a shutout. The Bears coughed up a two goal lead Wednesday at home against Bridgeport and lost in a shootout. Seems like they are only good against the Penguins and meh against everyone else.

The Records

Hershey is up to second in the division with a 18-10-2-2 record, good for 0.625 points percentage. Lehigh Valley is sixth, 9-11-5-2 and .463 win percentage. The Penguins are in last, 9-14-1-3 with a .407 win percentage.

Who’s Up, Who’s Down, Who’s Out?

Recently, they have dressed a half decent lineup, which to be fair, hasn’t been really good. It’s a toothless offensive attack, dead last in the AHL in goals for (60), dead last in the League on power play (10.3%) and near the bottom (25th) on the penalty kill.

It’s not good. The players know that, the coaches know that and boy, the fans know that too.

What can we learn about the Penguins this week?

Where is rock bottom? Are we there yet? Can we start climbing back to the top? Is there any hope left? Lehigh is on a run, but cooled off by not playing last weekend due to COVID and Hershey is who we thought they would be.

So what’s a fair expectation? Shootout losses? Overtime losses? All losses? All wins? Depends.

They have to show competitiveness. They did, in parts, in Utica and Sunday in Hershey, but for most of the weekend, it was a toothless, feckless effort. No one wants that.

I think it is also fair to ask if J.D. Forrest is in over his head? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result every time. But, if you are handed a Porsche with four flat tires, you aren’t going to go very far no matter who you are.

Who’s in Goal?

Tommy Nappier or Alex D’Orio. Take your pick. I think they go D’Orio, Nappier, D’Orio, unless Filip Lindberg comes back then you go Lindberg, D’Orio, Lindberg. Or, if he does return, you go D’Orio, Nappier, Lindberg. Who knows.

For Hershey and Lehigh, probably Felix Sandstrom for the Phantoms on both nights and I don’t think it matters for Hershey. The Bears can put a cardboard cutout in goal and probably still beat the Penguins. It’s insane how good and how deep Hershey is in goal.

Who is running the show?

Veteran referee Tim Mayer is paired with Casey Terreri Friday with Jud Ritter and Richard Jondo on the lines. On Saturday, Mayer takes the trip down the PA Turnpike to meet up with Reid Anderson and probably takes Jud Ritter with him as those two will be in Allentown with Tom George on the lines.

Sunday sees Casey Terreri again with Morgan MacPhee running things and Tyler Loftus and Bob Goodman on the lines.

Looking Ahead…

Four more at home. Lehigh Valley Wednesday, Toronto Friday and Saturday, and Cleveland next Monday. It’s hellacious, but at least you factor out the travel.

Give us a bold prediction…

I’ll be back next week with another weekend preview.

Weekend Preview

On Hiatus

Comments Off on On Hiatus Posted by on January 4, 2022

Blog is on hiatus for the time being. They brought back taxi squads, and the AHL club is dressing half baked, ECHL type lineups. You may or may not have noticed I didn’t even write about the last two Penguins games against Hershey, completely non-competitive 4-1 and 6-1 throttlings at the hands of the Hershey Bears.

I am not paying to watch this anymore, and I know a lot of people with me in this regard. With that said, the luster of watching a half dressed / half attempt of a club come in to a game night and have the [redacted] kicked out of them isn’t something that interests me.

The AHL’s grand idea was to just add a week to the end of the regular season schedule. As if a COVID pandemic will conform to what Scott Howson and the rest of the clowns driving this car off a cliff’s ideas are. You postpone games daily, clubs just lost their six best players and starting goaltender to the NHL taxi squad and your bright idea is to whistle past the graveyard, pretend everything is normal and when pressed, just add an extra week and let the teams figure it out. Fantastic leadership being displayed there.

Pens have a lot of games to make up and not a lot of time to do so. I’ll direct you to their website on information in that regard. I have totally lost interest.

So I am hiatus for the time being. My opinion can change at any time and I’ll start putting content up again.

They have Utica this Friday, who has only lost one (1) game in regulation thus far this season and a Saturday and Sunday in Hershey, who have beat the ever living tar out of them. If they score more than four goals across the three games I’d be surprised.

I’ll still be around, just not involved as much.

Deliberately Uncategorized

Pens / Americans Postponed

Comments Off on Pens / Americans Postponed Posted by on December 21, 2021

This is getting old.

Includes Penguins at Rochester with the explanation as follows: “The American Hockey League today announced that due to league COVID-19 protocols affecting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins…”

This isn’t working. The NHL hit pause on their season early, I think it is high time for the AHL to do the same.

The AHL, WBS

There Was an Attempt — Pens LOSE 8-3

Comments Off on There Was an Attempt — Pens LOSE 8-3 Posted by on December 18, 2021

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3                            8

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They got their heads kicked in tonight and dressed two forwards short while Anthony Angello sat as a healthy scratch.

This season is devolving into a joke, like last year.

You have games being postponed daily. The Penguins have three players who played Tuesday in protocol. With the roster jockeying and postponements, it stops becoming fun and interesting anymore.

Pens lose 8-3.

I’m giving the AHL till the end of the year to figure out what to do. Pause the season, something. This isn’t hockey, this forcing a season through to force a  season through for the sake of forcing a season through.

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to watch this anymore nor do I want to devote anymore time towards it.

Here’s a half assed attempt at a game recap.

Lineup Notes: Michael Chaput is week to week after he was injured on Tuesday. Pens took precautions and held Felix Robert, Radim Zohorna and Nathan Legare out because of COVID or a possibility of COVID. Anthony Angello is clear of all this and as a result Pittsburgh wants to hold him out now in event of a recall.

Bears were in the same boat. At some point this roster jockeying becomes dumb. Holding out Angello as a healthy forward when you have to dress 10 and float Will Reilly as a forward / D and go 8 defensemen? Why? If you don’t have enough players to play, why play? Dangerous and unsafe.

First Period: It went 3-0 Bears and you thought (I did too) that the game was going to go off of the rails quickly.

Kale Kessy scores on a tic tac toe play by the Bears to make it 1-0.

Kody Clark on a steal on a Penguins breakout. 2-0.

Ryan Dmowski with a slap shot in the slot and it’s 3-0.

I’m not GIFing all that.

Pens went 2/2 on the kill and were good in that department. After they killed the second, that was a kick in the pants I think that got them a goal to make it a two goal game. Here’s Jordy Bellerive:

Second Period: Bears got three more. Valtteri Puustinen scored the most desperate power play I think I ever the Penguins execute and scored to make it whatever it was at that time.

I think Taylor stayed with the game the whole night. I sure didn’t.

Third Period: Matt Bartkowski got one.

Bears got another, meaningless short handed goal that Nick Hart said after drove the Hershey faithful to the exits. They saw enough of a slaughter and wanted to go home.

Pens have a game Wednesday in Rochester. Will they have enough players?

Postgamer

No, Canada! – 12/21 Pens at Marlies Postponed

Comments Off on No, Canada! – 12/21 Pens at Marlies Postponed Posted by on December 17, 2021

Includes the December 21 game the Penguins were supposed to play up North. Instead, the Pens will just head to Rochester where they will play the Americans on Wednesday.

Logistically, this is a nightmare. The Pens and Marlies play four times this season, two home and two away. Wilkes-Barre isn’t scheduled to go back to Toronto till March 23. That’s a Wednesday. My guess is that it will likely be a back to back to some type, either a Tuesday-Wednesday or a Wednesday-Thursday. If they do Thursday, they have to make an exception because the League eliminated four games in five nights a few years back. After the Pens head to Rochester, they are finished with the Americans this season, so it’s not like they can just cross over the next time they play Rochester, after Wednesday there is no next time.

Probably worse for Toronto, because their two games at Grand Rapids this weekend were also postponed. Again, logistical nightmares.

More tomorrow after the Hershey game. I just can’t commit to putting a preview series out when everything is so volatile.

Canada, The AHL, Travel, WBS

From Canada to Syracuse

Comments Off on From Canada to Syracuse Posted by on December 15, 2021

One of them is the December 3 game that the Pens were supposed to play in Syracuse. That gets moved to Sunday, March 27. Wilkes-Barre will be wrapping up a FRiday stop in Belleville and a Saturday trip to Laval. Instead of bussing straight home, the Pens will play in Syracuse that Sunday at 5.

All but one game (the December 5 game in Hershey) needs to be rescheduled. Edit: This game was rescheduled for February 22. Thank you Brian for the correction. The Charlotte game that the Pens were supposed to play at home after the Friday trip to Syracuse was moved to the middle of April. Yesterday’s game played was supposed to be last Wednesday’s game.

Canada, The AHL, WBS

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