Chirps from Center Ice

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Six game point streak ends Saturday in Syracuse. A game where they waited for something to develop but instead got developed. Syracuse wins 3-0, getting all of their offense in the second period. Samuel Montembeault with a 37 save shutout. Emil Larmi Started and took the loss.

Lineup:

https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/1370885056965849088

Lineup Notes: Felix Robert was back after missing the game on Monday, replacing Kyle Olson who replaced him Monday. The Pens sent goalie Shane Starrett to Wheeling earlier in the day.

First Period: Penguins held the Crunch to just one shot in the first 10 minutes of the period but the Crunch caught up on the shot board and it was 8-7 Penguins advantage through the end of the period.

Both teams had a power play and didn’t connect. In the paper tomorrow, you may see, “After a scoreless first period…” because there wasn’t much if anything to write about in the period.

Moving on…

Second Period: Syracuse came alive and scored three goals.

Daniel Walcott off a deflection of a long shot from the point.

Otto Somppi catches the defense flatfooted, is denied on his initial, but follows up for a rebound goal and it’s 2-0.

The Penguins are running around in the defensive zone and Ben Thomas scores.

Yikes.

Third Period: Things settled down from there, Crunch go into a defensive shell to preserve the lead and the Penguins, despite outshooting the Crunch 16-6 in the period, fail to score.

Three Stars: 3) Otto Somppi (goal) 2) Ben Thomas (goal, assist) 1) Sam Montembeault (37 saves)

The Good: They, again, held the opponent to under 25 shots. The Crunch had 22.

The Bad: Syracuse didn’t have the quantity of shots but quality is where it counts. This is a game that the Pens should have won after that first. Syracuse dressed 10 forwards and 8 defensemen. Syracuse was the team scrambling coming in, and it was the Penguins on the ice who were scrambling all game, notably in the second period.

Turning Point: You are either giving it to Daniel Walcott who got the Crunch on the board or Otto Somppi who broke the dam open. There are times in games hone you watch and you know you are at the point of no return. I think Somppi’s goal accomplished that, but your mileage may vary and it could have been Walcott’s.

So they get another week of practice to regroup fro Friday against Lehigh Valley.

Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead.

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

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Seems like they are on the right track as a team. They would be OK I think for playoffs, but I don’t think there will be any this season, pandemic and all.

Phantoms win this one 4-3 in overtime on Ryan Fitzgerald’s overtime game winning goal. These two teams are nearly identical and every game is close. This game was no different.

Prior to the game, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that forward Josh Currie, defenseman Josh Maniscalco, and goaltender Emil Larmi were being re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre and forwards Anthony Angello (NHL) and Frederick Gaudreau (WBS) and goaltender Maxime Lagace (AHL) have been re-assigned to the taxi squad.

So here is how they lined up:

Lineup Notes: Josh Currie for Freddy Gaudreau and the graphic is wrong, Kyle Olson was in for Felix Robert. Martin Brochu backed up Starrett.

First Period: Kind of a benign first, I’ll let Taylor show you what exactly happened in the period which put the Phantoms ahead 1-0.

Pens killed a Josh Currie kneeing penalty.

Second Period: Phantoms, blatantly offside, score to go ahead 2-0. Sam Morin walks through a pair of defenders and dishes to Garrett Wilson for a goal.

Rare that something that egregious goes uncalled. Eh, mistakes happen.

Penguins get the two goals right back when Tim Scahller pounds home a loose puck in the crease to bring them within one.

Penguins tie the game on a great workmanlike effort from Drew O’Connor to keep the Phantoms from gaining possession of the puck when there was a delayed call against Lehigh Valley. Josh Currie scores to tie the game at two.

Third Period: A lot like the first with some mundane, back and forth hockey, until Pascal Laberge scores after Shane Starrett made a pair of saves but the puck squirts into the slot and put in by Laberge to give the Phantoms a 3-2 lead.

Penguins would get a power play late and would cash on it against the Phantoms #1 penalty kill.

Josh Currie’s wicked shot stings McIntyre who makes the initial save but Tim Schaller is tracking the puck the entire time and whacks in the rebound.

Only the second power play goal against for the Phantoms this season.

Overtime: After a bit of back and forth, Ryan Fitzgerald scores his second overtime game winning goal.

Three Stars: 3) Drew O’Connor (two assists) 2) Tim Scaller (two goals, assist) 1) Ryan Fitzgerald (overtime game winning goal)

The Good: Point streak is still alive. It’s six games now.

The Bad: Should have won this one. They did seemingly everything right. Good on PK, scored against the top rated Phantoms PK and got a good game out of their third string goalie.

Turning Point: What else but Fitzgerald’s overtime game winner.

Pens will get a week of practice and travel Saturday to Syracuse.

Let’s Go Pens!

Stay safe.

Late with this one because the family came in and we all went out for dinner Saturday night to celebrate my mother’s birthday. So I missed all of Saturday nights 6-3 win in Newark against the Binghamton Devils.

Here’s what I scraped together after going through the timeline of events:

• P. O. Joseph was back down from Pittsburgh and made his 2021 WBS debut paired with Jon Lizotte.
• Binghamton struck for three goals in the first ten minutes of the first. Two of them on the power play.
• Penguins roar back for two late in the first, both on a double minor power play.
• Wilkes-Barre clamps down from there and allowed Binghamton just three shots in the second and four in the third.
• Jon Gruden connects for his first Penguins goal on a power play about halfway through the second. Jon Lizotte adds an even strength goal with under four to play and Wilkes-Barre was in front.
• Jan Drozg connects 67 seconds into the third to quell any chances at a Binghamton comeback and Drew O’Connor gets his first pro goal with under five to play.
• Billy Sweezy and Ben Thomson fought in the third. It was the first fight of the season for the Penguins.
• Wilkes-Barre badly outshot Binghamton 43-21. Every Penguin player had at least one shot on goal.

Housekeeping: The Penguins parted ways with Jordan Nolan. Recall that he took a leave to be with family. In this pandemic world we are living in, who can fault him. I think the Penguins are doing just fine without him.

Video highlights here:

Back at it on TV a Monday at five against Lehigh Valley. Game day setup Monday at 1.

Let’s go Pens! Stay safe.