Chirps from Center Ice

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Couple of first goals for a few guys, first assists, first win for J.D. Forrest behind the bench, the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins win their first game of the 2021 season 5-4 up in Syracuse Saturday night.

It wasn’t without a few puff out your cheeks moments, most especially in the third, where they have struggled the most.

After controlling play for the first forty minutes, it was a frenetic, nearly goal a minute pace in the third.

Things settled though without much more incident and the Pens have their first win of the season.

Emil Larmi opposed Sam Montembeault.

Before the game, the Penguins tweeted this…

Don’t want to speculate. Times are weird. Family, always first.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Felix Robert and Luke Stevens made their AHL debuts. Robert took Jordan Nolan’s spot, Stevens was in Justin Almeida’s spot. D pairs shuffled, Dylan MacPherson for Josh Maniscalco. 300th AHL game for Josh Currie.

First Period: I liked the way they played in the period. Syracuse is a dangerously offensive team that like to run you and gun you.

40 seconds out of the gate, Radim Zohorna drives to the net and Jan Drozg sweeps the puck in to give the Penguins an early 1-0 lead.

Penguins would work out of a double minor penalty. They tiptoed in and out of trouble on the kill.

Emil Larmi continued with his on point play, stopping Gabriel Fortier point blank then Alex Barre-Boulet after this ridiculous pass which sprung him for a scoring opportunity.

Barre-Boulet finally got a goal to go when he picked a corner on Larmi and tied the game at one.

Second Period: They clamped down in the second, went on three power plays and scored two goals in the period.

Good to see Berger get going early.

They kept grinding away at Syracuse and got a late goal from Kyle Olson on this dart that gave Wilkes-Barre a two goal lead.

Play by play man Nick Hart mentioned it in the intermission, but Felix Robert was getting under the skin of the Crunch skaters.

Shots were 13-6 Wilkes-Barre in the period.

But the big test was navigating the third period, which hasn’t been kind to them in the first two games.

Third Period: Four goals in the first forty minutes, then four in the games first 4:40.

2:10 in, Grigori Denisenko scored to bring the Crunch to within one.

About 1:40 later, Gabriel Fortier scored to tie the game at three.

Not this again.

Will Reillly scored to push the Pens ahead again.

That was :16 later, by the way. A hell of a response.

But :29 after that…

Chaos indeed.

Wilkes-Barre goes on the first power play of the period.

They scored on it.

And they settled things down from there. No more scoring and the pace of the game stayed quick as the Crunch, with Montembeault pulled for an extra attacker, never found the equalizer.

Those firsts I mentioned at the open?

Three Stars: 3) Grigori Denisenko (goal) 2) Alex Barre-Boulet (two goals) 1) Kyle Olson (goal, assists)

The Good: They stayed step for step with an offensively gifted Syracuse Crunch team when they were running and gunning. They did, for large stretches, control the pace as well.

The Bad: Why all of a sudden after an overall quiet first forty minutes did we get four goals in the first 4:40 of the third?

Turning Point: That power play that they scored on after all of that scoring deflated the Crunch after the frenetic push they made. Penguins hung on from there.

Around the Division: Utica clips Binghamton 6-5 in a shootout.

They are off for a whole week before they meet up with Hershey again. More likely then, no Power Rankings this year or anything like that. News and notes as it warrants.

Video Highlights:

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

          vs.          

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Emil Larmi deserved better. He really did.

He had 33 saves in a very, very, strong game, but his teammates struggled on special teams, going 1 for 6 on the power play and only 5 for 7 on the penalty kill and its the special teams that let them down Thursday as Hershey takes this one 3-2.

Larmi opposed Pheonix Copley.

Lineup:

Lineup Notes: Essentially Jan Drozg for Michael Joly on the second line wing.

First Period: Emil Larmi had a strong period. He really did. He made one mistake. A big one, that cost his team a goal.

It happens.

Larmi was getting shelled, the Bears outshot the Penguins 12-6 in the period, but he was up to task after some very difficult saves.

Penguins get on the board when Tim Schaller, signed this week to an AHL contract, went bar down and in to tie the game at one.

So a mix of what you saw in the third period Monday, but with better puck luck and stellar goaltending play.

Second Period: Penguins open the period with a power play goal when Josh Currie shoots one in off a terrific play by Cam Lee to put the Penguins ahead 2-1.

But the Bears answer right back on a power play of their own, when Mike Sgarbossa sniped one past Larmi to bring the teams level at two.

They then went into a penalty fest, where the Penguins enjoyed a long stretch of two man advantage but were unable to score. There were a few chances at tap in goals but they were foiled for one reason or another by the Bears penalty kill or Pheonix Copley.

Late, this ten bell save by Larmi will go on his personal highlight reel.

Larmi stayed dialed in, the Penguins power play was a jumble and the teams were tied at two heading into the…

Third Period: They killed one penalty but then Chase Berger put a puck over glass and Connor McMichael scored to make it 3-2 and put the Bears in front for good.

Wilkes-Barre didn’t get a single power play in the third, Hershey got three and scored on that one there. In a game full of microcosms, that is what wins Hershey the game.

Three Stars: 3) Emil Larmi (33 saves) 2) Garrett Pilon (two assists) 1) Mike Sgarbossa (goal, assist)

The Good: I have a feeling they are going to ride Larmi for all he is worth in this shortened season, and he passed the test with flying colors tonight, just could not get any run support.

The Bad: Can’t really get on the power play tonight when they score one and two on Monday, but the lack of success and maybe the undisciplined play leading to them having to kill penalties does them in tonight.

Turning Point: Tyler with the foreshadowing:

This is after Wilkes-Barre failed to score on the two man advantage there in the second.

So far, I haven’t seen anything special out of Hershey, Lehigh Valley or Syracuse. Binghamton may be the best out of all four Penguins opponents this season, but there is time to get things shook out.

Around the Division and Standings: I don’t think I am going to update these, since the Penguins didn’t see anyone in the division play Thursday and standings may be useless because I honestly don’t think there will be a playoff this year.

Wheeling Update: Same goes here. Half of what was on Wheeling when they started the season are playing in Wilkes-Barre now anyway.

Video Highlights: 

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

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I knew they were young at the back, I didn’t think they were that young at the back.

The Penguins played five rookie defensemen in their opening contest against Binghamton, delayed 48 hours because of COVID and carried a 3-1 lead into the third period. That was where they were met with a Devils buzzsaw. Binghamton gets two in the third and the one in overtime to win 4-3 Monday evening.

Emil Larmi opposed Evan Cormier.

Here is how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: If you are wondering where Shane Starrett is, you aren’t the only one. Apparently he is still getting in shape and they have Brochu backing up. I guess that explains his horrible ECHL numbers….Jan Drozg was scratched because of COVID….earlier Monday the Pens signed Tim Schaller to an AHL contract.

First Period: They went back and forth for about fourteen minutes in a virtual deadlock and then Jordy Bellerive scored the first goal of the 2021 season (I am not calling it 2020-21) when he chipped a puck off of the wall and put the shot on Cormier which ricocheted off him to Devils defenseman Brandon Gignac and careened into the net for a goal.

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They closed the period a defense mess, which I suppose you will need to get used to dressing 5 of 6 rookie defenseman but Emil Larmi was up to task, stopping Tyler Irvine and then ex-Penguin Ben Street on separate chances.

Foreshadowing.

Second Period: I was ready to point out some more lax defending by the rookies, but then play by play man Nick Hart noted that Binghamton was without a shot with about six minutes left to play, then get a flurry of shots and one of them goes in, deflecting off of Nolan Foote’s foot and in.

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Matt Miller takes a puck off the helmet while the Penguins were on a penalty kill.

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It didn’t take long for the Penguins to regain the lead when Josh Currie scored his first as Penguins captain on a power play.

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Then, an absolute gaffe of epic proportions by the Binghamton Devils.

On a delayed penalty against the Penguins, Evan Cormier leaves his net. Binghamton plays the puck back and it eludes everyone, Cormier included, and rolls harmlessly into the net to give Wilkes-Barre a 3-1 lead.

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Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail.

Third Period: That slow start that I eluded to in the second period by the Devils was non-existent in the third. Binghamton peppers Larmi with shots and gets one to go when Danick Martel redirects a Tyler Irvine shot at the net which beats Larmi to cut the Penguins lead to just one.

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Devils continue to roll, outshooting the Penguins at a four to one pace and Ryan Schmelzer sees a shot hit the post then hits him in the chest, where he sweeps it in the net to tie the game at three.

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Penguins would get a late power play. Jon Gruden digs a puck off of the wall and tries to beat Cormier over the glove but the Binghamton goalie makes the save.

It was then off to…

Overtime: Reilly Walsh didn’t waste any time with all that open ice.

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Three Stars: 3) Cam Lee (two assists) 2) Danick Martel (goal, assist) 1) Reilly Walsh (overtime game winning goal)

The Good: Power play clicked at a 50% pace. Probably not sustainable in the long term, but good to see.

The Bad: That defense is green, man. No answer whatsoever for the blitzkrieg the Devils unloaded in the third period at a four to one pace. Got to tighten up.

Turning Point: Late power play, game on the line and the Penguins come up empty. Game heads to overtime. Binghamton wins it. It may be meaningless because I don’t think they are doing playoffs, but two points would have been nice in this shortened season versus just one.

 Around the Division: They all watched us.

Standings: I am not going to pay much attention to this until there is word on if there will be a playoff. Don’t bet on it.

Wheeling Feeling: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: Coal Street didn’t offer any.

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.