Time To Panik? Pens Lose 2-1

The Penguins have won just one game in their last 11, and end 2012 with another loss. This one a 2-1 decision to the Syracuse Crunch.

Richard Panik scored both Crunch goals, one a breakaway goal with Joey Mormina on his back in the second period. The other was a bad angle play in the opening minute of the third period. Hence the title, is it time to panic if you're the Penguins?

Trevor Smith ended Dustin Tokarski's shutout bid with just one second left in the game, but too little too late for the Penguins. Brian Dumoulin added the lone assist.

Brad Thiessen got the start in net for the Penguins and played great, stopping 33 of 35 shots. Dustin Tokarski stopped 18 of 19 for the win.

The Penguins scratched Benn Ferriero tonight, perhaps sending a message that everyone will be held accountable no matter if it's a rookie or in this case a veteran forward. The Penguins went with seven defensemen tonight as Joey Mormina replaced Ferriero in the lineup. The scratches were as follows: Reese, Kuhnhackl, Grant, Ferriero, Farnham, MacIntyre and Veilleux.

Per the radio during the pre game, Keven Veilleux has been cleared for games. Veilleux didn't play tonight but could play next week. Now the injury list has just one name on it as Tom Kuhnhackl is recovering from an upper body injury.

Admirals Sink Penguins in OT

Patrick Maroon scored a power play goal 1:21 into overtime to lift the Norfolk Admirals to a win over the Penguins. The Pens are now 1-6-2-1 in their last ten games.

The Penguins had a decided edge in play during the first 20 minutes, and Brian Gibbons gave the Pens a 1-0 lead after a nice passing play on the blue line between Joe Morrow and Philip Samuelsson.

The Admirals had the decided edge in the middle frame, taking a 2-1 lead after a tip in goal from Chris Wagner and a breakaway tally from Peter Holland. Jayson Megna later tied the game at 2 after a faceoff win by Trevor Smith.

The third period saw both teams exchange chances and both goaltenders making saves. But Benn Ferriero's hooking minor in the first minute of overtime gave the Admirals a power play that they would cash in on for two points in the standings tonight. 

ROSTER NOTES

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net tonight for the Penguins tonight, despite being pulled after two periods on Thursday. Dylan Reese and Dominik Uher sat for Philip Samuelsson and Steve MacIntyre respectively. Joey Mormina and Alex Grant were also healthy scratches. Beau Bennett, Tom Kuhnhackl and Keven Veilleux are still out of commission. For the third straight night a new set of forward lines. Tonight looked like this:

Gibbons - Smith - Megna
Tamgradi - Ferriero - Thompson
Dupuis - Peters - Holzapfel
MacIntyre - Sill - Farnham

Bad News Bears, Pens Lose 4-1

Another frustrating game for the Penguins tonight. Add another one to the loss column. Nobody likes losing, but losing two nights in a row to your most hated rival can not sit well with the team and the fans. They get back in action Saturday night.

The lone bright spot of the night came in the third period with the Penguins trailing 3-0 and on a four minute power play. Joe Morrow's shot from the point was deflected by Paul Thompson and eluded Dany Sabourin for the Pens lone goal of the contest. Good for Thompson to get back to his scoring ways. He seemed alive the rest of the third period.

Add in a Bobby Farnham fight in the first period and an absolute gong show by Simon Despres on Cameron Schilling (who started the altercation) and that's about all there was to get excited about tonight, from a Penguins standpoint.

I think it's safe to say the Pens are sorely missing Beau Bennett on the ice. Bennett is the play-making forward missing from the lineup. And with no one to set up the shooters, it continues to be an uphill battle. Here's to hoping Bennett returns sooner rather than later.

Roster Notes

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Dany Sabourin in net. Brad Thiessen replaced Zatkoff to start the third period. Jayson Megna returned to the lineup as did Joe Morrow. Alex Grant and Philip Samuelsson were scratched to make room for those two. Steve MacIntyre and Joey Mormina were also healthy scratches tonight.  Keven Veilleux, Tom Kuhnhackl and Beau Bennett are still recovering from injury. 

Bears Shutout Pens, Rematch Tomorrow

Going to start this recap with an impressive stat courtesy of Pens' beat writer Jonathan Bombulie. Since turning pro in 2009, Braden Holtby is now 14-6-1 with six shutouts against the Penguins. The rest of the Bears' goalies against the Pens in that span: 8-10-1. It's safe to say that Holtby is a Penguins killer.

Holtby was credited with a 33 save shutout tonight, and his biggest save came with about two minutes left in the game. Trevor Smith got around a Bears defenseman with a nifty move and appeared to have beaten Holtby on a wrap around attempt, but Holtby's skate got a piece of Smith's wrap around shot, preserving a 1-0 lead.

The Bears took the 1-0 lead 3:56 into the game after Brian Strait's pass out of the zone went right to Ryan Potulny. Jeff Zatkoff stopped Potulny, but Garrett Mitchell slapped home the rebound into an empty net.

From there the Penguins played better, but couldn't find the back of the net. They held the Bears without a shot for more than 16 minutes in the 2nd period and actually outshot the Bears 20-8 through the final 40 minutes.

The Penguins pulled Zatkoff with about 1:05 to play and an Alex Grant turnover to Jeff Taffe ultimately sealed the deal. Taffe's empty net unassisted goal with 48 seconds left gave the Bears the 2-0 final score.

The two teams rematch tomorrow night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre at 7:00 p.m. EST.



Roster Notes

• It was Jeff Zatkoff vs. Braden Holtby in net tonight for the Pens and Bears, respectively.

• Simon Despres returned to the WBS lineup after a six game absence with an undisclosed injury. Joe Morrow was scratched to make room. 

• Alex Grant played on the 4th line and the point on the power play. 

• Steve MacIntyre and Joey Mormina were the other healthy scratches.

• Beau Bennett (undisclosed), Jayson Megna (undisclosed), Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body) and Keven Veilleux (knee) are still out of the lineup.

Penguins End Skid, Beat Crunch 3-2

The Penguins ended their six game losing streak tonight on the road, holding on to beat the Syracuse Crunch by a 3-2 score despite a late barrage of shots by the home team. The win was head coach John Hynes' 116th win behind the Penguins bench, the team's all-time most winningest coach.

It was Jeff Zatkoff vs. Dustin Tokarski in net tonight. Brian Dumoulin was scratched on defense. Steve MacIntyre was the healthy scratch up front. Alex Grant played forward on the WBS 4th line.

The Penguins jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Paul Thompson was set up in the slot for an easy one-time goal. Brian Gibbons and Riley Holzapfel got the assists on the power play goal.

The Crunch tied the game at when on Alex Killorn's 10th of the season but the Penguins took the lead back on the ensuing faceoff. Joey Mormina notched his first of the season to bring the game back to the Penguins 14 seconds later.

The Penguins added to their lead halfway through the second period when Trevor Smith banged home the rebound of an Eric Tangradi shot to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Philip Samuelsson also added an assist on the play.

The Crunch got active at the end of the middle frame, drawing within one goal with 1:15 left in the period when Tyler Johnson scored his 18th of the season. But that's as close as the Crunch would get.

Penguins Slide Continues 12/19

Everything seemed to be in control for the Penguins. They had a 3-0 lead heading into the third period and had been outplaying the Binghamton Senators most of the night.

Not so fast. Four unanswered goals by Senators in the final 16:08 and the Penguins losing streak hits six games, a first for the Pens under coach John Hynes. It's only December and while it's a tough loss for the Penguins, there's no time for the team to sulk.

"It's not the end of the year. We gotta wake up tomorrow and get back to work," Hynes said.

A lot of lineup notes for tonight so I have them listed below:

• Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net tonight. It was his first start since 12/7 as he was out with a minor injury.

• Beau Bennett and Phillipe Dupuis didn't make the trip to Binghamton. Coach Hynes said both are "day-to-day".

• With Bennett and Dupuis out of commission, the Pens were down to 11 healthy forwards. When MacIntyre was announced as a healthy scratch, a 10 forward/ 8 defensemen was used tonight.

A great first period for the Penguins, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead 5:49 into the contest when Warren Peters banged home a rebound for his 4th of the season. Brian Gibbons and Paul Thompson got the assists.

Then Bobby Farnham made his presence felt. Not with a fight, but an absolute blast to the top shelf. Farnham's first of the season came unnassisted and it seemed the Pens were rolling.

"We did a lot of things the right way tonight but didn't get the end result," Farnham said.

Philip Samuelsson extended the Penguins lead in the second period with his first of the season as well. Gibbons picked up his second assist and Trevor Smith also added a helper.

The Penguins seemed to be in control heading into the third period. Like coach Hynes said, a few untimely turnovers ended up in the back of the net and that was the difference tonight.  No time to sulk, as the Penguins have to get back at it Saturday night up in Syracuse.

Pens Blanked By Crunch 4-0

The losing streak hits five games as the Penguins lay an egg against the Syracuse Crunch. Much like last night, Brad Thiessen kept the Penguins in the game through 40 minutes but the offense never got it going.

It was Brad Thiessen vs. Dustin Tokarski in net. Dylan Reese and Brian Strait returned to the lineup on defense. They replaced Joey Mormina and Alex Grant. Up front, Zach Sill returned after sitting out the previous two games as a healthy scratch. Steve MacIntyre also returned to the lineup. Dominik Uher and Bobby Farnham were scratched to make room for Sill and MacIntyre.

Sill was very active in the first period, beating on Mike Angelidis right after the opening face-off. Sill also fought J.P. Cote shortly after getting out of the box for his first fighting major.

The Crunch took a 1-0 lead on a bad break for the Pens. Brian Gibbons was hustling back and when he and a Crunch forward slid into Thiessen and took him out, the Crunch capitalized and buried one into what was basically an empty net.

They took a 2-0 lead with a power play goal in the second period and nearly got another as the Crunch hit the post and fooled the referee who originally signaled goal. It was reviewed and waved off.

Add two more goals in the third period and an ugly 4-0 loss for the Penguins.

Checkmate! Bishop Beats Penguins 3-1

The Penguins drop their 4th straight game, this one a 3-1 decision to the Binghamton Senators. They played much better in the third period but it was too little, too late.

The Penguins fell behind 2-0 early before Trevor Smith pulled the Pens within one in the third period. But a quick goal off a face-off soon after by the BSens ultimately ended any thoughts the Penguins had of coming back in this game.

Tonight featured lanky Ben Bishop (6'7) vs. Brad Thiessen in net. Both goalies played well, especially Brad Thiessen. Thiessen kept the Penguins in the game through the first two periods while the offense sputtered.

Joey Mormina replaced Dylan Reese on the blue line tonight. Reese appeared to have been hurt Wednesday in Albany, but he finished that game. Reese didn't dress tonight. Zach Sill was scratched for the second straight game and I'm wondering whether Sill has had a setback after returning from a broken hand.

Penguins are back in action tomorrow night up in Syracuse against the Crunch. Stay tuned as Highland Park Hockey hits the road again tomorrow!

WBS Penguins 1st Quarter Report 12/12

1st Quarter Report (Games from 10/13 to 12/1)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
20 games played, 13-7-0-0
3rd Place East Division
5th Place Eastern Conference

Despite an 0-4 start to the 2012-13 campaign, the Penguins are just two points out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference 20 games into the season. The team is clearly starting to gel, entering this week's games in the midst of a seven game points streak (5-0-1-1). The new faces on this team are showing what they bring to the rink and having seen all but one of the team's games live in person, I feel confident in providing a more comprehensive update on each guy at the quarter mark of the season.
 
Highland Park Hockey Quick Stats:

Home games attended: 10 of 11
Road games attended: 9 of 9
Road miles traveled: 3,590
States visited: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey

On Press Row:
10/3/12 in Brighton, New York (Pens/Americans PRESEASON)
10/19/12 in Springfield, Massachusetts (Pens/Falcons - Game 2)
10/26/12 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (Pens/Americans - Game 5)
11/2/12 in Manchester, New Hampshire (Penguins/Monarchs - Game 8)

Grade: I'll leave it to you, the reader. Any comments or suggestions on anything content/coverage related you liked/disliked would be much appreciated.

Three Stars

G Jeff Zatkoff
15 games played, 10-5-0, 1.81 GAA, .930 SV%, 3 SO

Zatkoff was a great addition to the team this off season. For right now, I think it's safe to say he has taken over as the team's starting goaltender. He's started 12 of the last 15 games for the Pens and was named the AHL's Goaltender of the Month for November after posting an 8-1 record, including three shut outs. Grade: A

F Beau Bennett
20 games played, 5G, 11A, -2, 6 PIM

After a preseason that helped him get into game shape, the former first rounder is doing just that - rounding into form. Scoring when on the ice, regardless who his line mates have been, Bennett ended the first quarter of the season with 10 points (4G-6A) in the last nine games. Grade: A

D Dylan Reese

17 games played, 3G, 8A, +4, 12 PIM

Reese missed the first two games of the regular season, but overall has been a leader on defense. The Pittsburgh, Pa native has been the team's top scoring defensemen, doing most of his damage on the power play. All three of Reese's goals this season came on the man advantage. Another one of the guys that the Pittsburgh Penguins brought in during the off season. Grade: A

Updates on the development of the rest of the Penguins player prospects after the jump.

Tuesday Practice Update 12/11

Jeff Zatkoff's injury in yesterday's practice at the Coal Street Rink kept him off the ice at practice today, hence why the Penguins signed former South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) goalie Ryan Zapolski (pictured above) to a professional try-out contract.

Zapolski was playing well in the ECHL, winning his last six starts and being named the league's goalie of the week. In today's practice, he looked particularly good in the team's end of practice shootout. Zapolski stoned most of the shooters he faced.

Also missing from practice was forwards Keven Veilleux (knee) and Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body). Veilleux is taking a few weeks off for rest as the Pens want to ease him back into the lineup. Kuhnhackl left last Saturday's game against the IceCaps and didn't return. Coach Hynes expects him to be out for awhile.

Simon Despres didn't skate either today, making his status for tomorrow doubtful and this weekend's games grim. Despres left the game against Hershey on Friday night after an apparent high hit in the corner from Bears defenseman Steve Olesky.

Beau Bennett skated and looked fine today. I was a little concerned after his shootout attempt against Portland this past Saturday, as he tripped over the goaltender's stick and crashed hard into the boards behind the net.

The Penguins travel to Albany to take on the Devils tomorrow night at 7 p.m. EST.

I would expect Brad Thiessen to get the start in net tomorrow. Here's the line combinations and defense pairings I jotted down while at practice this morning:

Tangradi - Smith - Dupuis
Gibbons - Megna - Ferriero
Bennett - Holzapfel - Thompson
Uher/Farnham - Peters - Sill
MacIntyre

Bortuzzo - Morrow
Reese - Dumoulin
Grant - Mormina
Strait - Samuelsson

Thiessen - Zapolski

Penguins Plunge in Shootout 12/8

Tough loss for the Penguins tonight that leaves many bitter. A 3-0 lead in the second period lead built on by goals from Trevor Smith, Jayson Megna and Riley Holzapfel is tied up in the third period and eventually lost in a shootout to the Portland Pirates.

The Penguins had their chances to regain the lead in the third period after allowing three unanswered goals. Their best chance actually came about 2:30 after the Pirates had tied it. Phillipe Dupuis was clipped up high by Andy Miele and the Pens were awarded a four minute power play. The Penguins were unable to cash in and took back-to-back penalties before making it to overtime.

Another power play chance in overtime went by the wayside for the Penguins as well. Credit must be given to Pirates goaltender Mike Lee. Lee made his AHL debut tonight, coming in off the bench 6:10 into the game after the starter Mark Visentin gave up two goals in 44 seconds. Lee finished the game with 28 saves on 29 shots, also stopping all four Penguins shot attempts in the shootout. 

Brad Thiessen was in net tonight for the Penguins, stopping 30 of 33 shots he faced. Thiessen allowed two of four shots to go past him in the shootout tonight, the Penguins first shootout loss on the season. They were 3-0 in the shootout coming into tonight's game.

On defense, Alex Grant and Joey Mormina replaced the injured Simon Despres and healthy scratch Philip Samuelsson. Brian Strait (day-to-day) was also out of the lineup.  Up front, Paul Thompson sat again tonight. He played last night after a two game absence last weekend. Steve MacIntyre replaced him in the lineup. Dominik Uher was the 13th forward tonight and a healthy scratch. Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body) is out a few weeks.

The Penguins are off tomorrow before having practices Monday and Tuesday in preparation for their next game, which is Wednesday night in Albany against the Devils. The Penguins beat the Devils in a shootout down in Atlantic City back on November 25th. Expect an update after Monday's practice.

Penguins Can't Solve The Bears

Tangradi tied the game at 4 in the third period with this tough angle shot on Sabourin.

The Penguins are 13-4 in their last 17 games. Their four losses are all to the same team: the Hershey Bears. The Bears got the best of the Penguins again tonight, this one a 5-4 overtime thriller. The Penguins get back at it tomorrow against Portland.

Jeff Zatkoff vs. Dany Sabourin in net tonight. Neither was impressive. Expect Brad Thiessen in net tomorrow for the Penguins.

Benn Ferriero and Eric Tangradi chipped in with a goal and an assist each for the Pens in the loss. Robert Bortuzzo scored his first goal of the season and Simon Despres added his 4th of the season. Despres never returned for the third period tonight and didn't play in overtime either. I'll update his status on Twitter later tonight if I hear anything.

The Penguins were dominant at times tonight, really giving it to the Bears and forcing their opponent to ice the puck or stop play for a whistle early on. Unfortunately, some costly turnovers and bad bounces ended up in the back of their net tonight.

Another loss to the Bears and while a point was earned, it still feels like a loss whenever you struggle against your most heated rival and surrender two points to the opponent in your home building. The Portland Pirates come into town tomorrow, coming off a 6-1 loss to the Binghamton Senators tonight.

Penguins Melt IceCaps, Win 5th Straight

Much of the same from the Penguins tonight against the IceCaps. A fast start with a wide disparity in shot totals, and more importantly two points in the standings. Their fifth straight victory, a 5-3 decision.

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in goal for the second straight night. Zach Sill returned to the lineup for his first game action since the second game of the season. He replaced Steve MacIntyre. The same six defensemen from last night played again tonight.

It didn't take long for Sill to get involved. After Trevor Smith gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead just 1:23 into the contest, Sill fed a pass to Dylan Reese at the point. Reese's shot was tipped past Eddie Pasquale by Warren Peters make it 2-0.

The Penguins were able to hold the IceCaps without a shot through the first 14 plus minutes of the game, but the IceCaps managed to get on the board late in the first period to draw within one.

The IceCaps tied the game at two early in the middle frame and seemed to start to gain momentum before a late penalty gave the Penguins a power play with 2:01 left in the period.

Dylan Reese scored a big goal with 40 seconds left in the period, giving the Penguins a 3-2 lead heading into the final period.

Benn Ferriero scored a goal 2:14 into the third period, giving the Pens a two goal cushion, but the IceCaps didn't pack it in.

They got within one but that would be as close as they would get. Riley Holzapfel added an empty net goal for the 5-3 final.