Eight Is NOT So Great - Pens Fall 2-1

The Penguins let a 1-0 slip away and fall 2-1 tonight. You have to go back to February 26th, 2011 for the last time the Penguins defeated the Norfolk Admirals at home. That's eight straight wins for the Admirals at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Tom Kostopolous scored his second goal in as many games while the Penguins were on the power play 7:33 into the 2nd period. Riley Holzapfel fed Chad Kolarik for a shot form the point. Frederick Andersen made the initial save, but Kostopolous was in perfect position for the rebound and tapped in to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

With Joe Morrow in the box for high sticking, Brandon McMillan tied the game with his 5th of the season. The Admirals power play goal tied things at one with less than a minute to play in the middle frame.

In the third, Jeff Zatkoff came out of his net to make a play and got tangled with a Penguins defenseman who was trying to play the puck. The result was a bad angle shot and goal by Josh Brittain, who caught Zatkoff out of position at the side of the WBS net.

The Penguins practice at Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow before hosting their biggest rival in the Hershey Bears Friday night.

ROSTER NOTES

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net. The Penguins had been alternating starts for the goaltenders the past few weeks. With that said, expect Brad Thiessen back in net Friday.

Penguins beat writer Jonathan Bombulie noted the return of injured defenseman Alex Grant (upper body) and forward Chris Collins (lower body) in yesterday's practice. Neither took the warmup skate tonight and they were both scratched. They could return to the lineup this weekend as head coach John Hynes said they could return as early as tonight.

Only lineup change from Sunday was Philip Samuelsson back in for Reid McNeill.

Lines

Kolarik - Smith - Holzapfel
Gibbons - Megna - Kostopolous
Payerl - Peters - Uher
Farnham - Sill - Minella

Reese - Dumoulin
Mormina - Wild
Morrow - Samuelsson

Zatkoff

Shootout Success - Pens Sweep Weekend

Tight, low scoring games decided by one goal has been a recurring theme for the Penguins this weekend. They battled back to win Friday in Philadelphia. Then came an overtime game winner from Joe Morrow last night. 

Today, the Penguins found themselves in another 1-0 hole in the first period after Aaron Ness roofed a puck to the top shelf for the Sound Tigers. But like the two nights before, the Penguins were down but not out.

"It's nice when you can play these types of games because they really help your team and individuals grow," head coach John Hynes said. "Every play matters. Every puck decision matters."

Morrow was at it again, firing a puck through traffic 4:13 into the 2nd period. His shot was tipped home by Tom Kostopoulos, who tallied his first goal of the season and first in a Penguins uniform in over nine years. Speaking with him postgame, he said he was starting to get frustrated and was glad to get one today.

The teams played a scoreless third period and a five minute overtime wasn't enough to break the tie, so on to the shootout it went. Chad Kolarik and Riley Holzapfel scored for the Penguins in the shootout and Brad Thiessen stopped four of five Bridgeport shooters to preserve the win and the weekend sweep.

Earlier this week in practice I asked Trevor Smith about the importance of this weekend and he told me the team needed at least two out of three.  I caught up with him after the game tonight to talk about playing in these tight games and the confidence winning these types of games gives a team.

"Pulling out these games out right now is huge for our team, to get comebacks in third periods and to get that momentum to know we can win heading into the third," Smith said.

I asked goaltender Brad Thiessen the same question. 

"It was nice for us to pull out the wins and find ways to get points," Thiessen said of this weekend's games. "Anytime you get into situations like this and you're fighting for that extra goal it'll help when points are at a premium."

ROSTER NOTES

Brad Thiessen got the start in net. Reid McNeill made his AHL debut on defense. Hynes said it was a late decision to put McNeill in the lineup but that he fit in just fine. Philip Samuelsson was the late scratch but no injury worries as Hynes said Samuelsson is fine. 

Kolarik - Smith - Holzapfel

Gibbons - Megna - Kostopoulos 

Payerl - Peters - Uher

Farnham - Sill - Minella

Reese - Dumoulin

Mormina - Morrow

Wild - McNeill

Morrow to the Rescue - Pens Win in OT

Another low scoring game last night as the Penguins knocked off the Connecticut Whale in overtime.

The game was scoreless into the third period, when Trevor Smith found former Whale and current Penguin Chad Kolarik for a cross ice one-timer that Cameron Talbot had zero chance of stopping.

Fifteen seconds later, Tom Kostopoulos took an interference minor and shortly after Zach Sill made it a two man disadvantage after a double minor for high sticking. Brandon Segal tied the game at one 1:27 after Kolarik opened the scoring.

Kolarik took a delay of game penalty with 1:26 left in regulation and luckily the Pens killed it off. No one wanted to win this game for the Penguins more than Kolarik. After all, the Rangers organization traded him to Pittsburgh last month.

With less than a minute to go in overtime, Trevor Smith wins an offensive face-off back to Joe Morrow. The puck was on edge so instead of taking a quick one-timer, Morrow decided to corral the puck and make the safe play and just wrist it on net. Well, the wrister through traffic eluded Talbot and sent the sold out Mohegan Sun Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Penguins finish their three-game weekend with a 3 p.m. game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this afternoon.

Penguins/Whale PREVIEW 2/24

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins look to continue through their three game weekend strong with a home game matchup tonight against the Connecticut Whale. The game is SOLD OUT.

Expected Starting Goalies

Jeff Zatkoff (WBS): 16-15-0, 2.01 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO

Cameron Talbot (CT): 19-20-1, 2.58 GAA, .918 SV%, 1 SO

Breaking Down the Matchup

Connecticut: 5th Place Northeast Divison, 25-22-4-2 = 56 points

PENGUINS: 3rd Place East Division, 27-22-2-1 = 57 

Leading Scorers

Connecticut: Kris Newbury (17G, 28A), Brandon Segal (14G, 14A), Logan Pyett (5G, 20A)

PENGUINS: Chad Kolarik (19G, 24A), Riley Holzapfel (16G, 18A), Trevor Smith (16G, 16A)

Re-Visiting the Kolarik/Ferriro Swap

The Penguins and Whale meet up exactly one month after the trade that sent Benn Ferriero to the New York Rangers in exchange for Chad Kolarik. Ferriero saw some time in New York, but will be playing his third game with the AHL's Connecticut Whale tonight, and against his former team.

The Whale are coming off a 5-1 loss to St. John's on Wednesday night. The Penguins were come from behind winners over the Phantoms last night in Pholadelphia.

For the Penguins, Alex Grant never returned after an apparent head injury from a hit by Norfolk's Mat Clark last Friday and won't play this weekend. Chris Collins, who coach Hynes originally told me missed practice due to a maintenance day, also appears to be out of the lineup.

I'll have the latest on who's starting for the Penguins tonight as well as updates of all the action and a recap with thoughts from the players and coaches shortly after the game. Follow on Twitter tonight with @H_P_Hockey.

Injured list: Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body), Paul Thompson (upper body), Phil Dupuis, Alex Grant (upper body), Chris Collins (lower body) and Steve MacIntyre.

Healthy Scratches: Reid McNeill

Expected lineup:

Kolarik - Smith - Holzapfel
Gibbons - Megna - Kostopoulos
Payerl - Peters - Uher
Minella - Sill - Farnham

Reese - Dumoulin
Wild - Mormina
Samuelsson - Morrow

Pens Break Heeter, Win 2-1

Another game on a big stage. Another come-from-behind 2-1 win for the Penguins, this time against the Adirondack Phantoms in front of a large Wells Fargo Center crowd in Philadelphia.

Trailing 1-0 with less than seven minutes left to play, head coach John Hynes opts to put the 4th line out on the ice. Bobby Farnham takes a nice pass from Philip Samuelsson and ties the game.

"In that atmosphere it felt good to get that one," Farnham said of his second goal on the season. "Big crowd, great atmosphere. You love to play in these games."

Two shifts later, Brian Gibbons scores a greasy goal, completing the third period comeback. Two unanswered goals 1:47 apart swings the game the other way, after it seemed the Penguins would be shut out for the third time in their last four games.

"Some games you get them and some games you don't," Gibbons said on his game winning goal. "Luckily for us tonight, we got one."

I spoke with Penguins head coach John Hynes after the game and he summed things up quite well. The team knew what they had to do in the third period and they went out and got it done tonight.

"The difference was really our mindset. The last couple games we had opportunities to score but there became more frustration than raising the compete level," Hynes said. "That was the challenge we talked about between the second and third period."

Brad Thiessen improved to 3-0 against the Phantoms this season, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced.

The Phantoms opened the scoring halfway through the first period while on a two-man advantage. Brad Thiessen stopped a Matt Mangene shot through traffic, but the three WBS penalty killers lost sight of the rebound and Marcel Noebels swooped in from the point to blast home the puck.

From there, the Penguins began to get pressure on Phantoms' goalie Cal Heeter. Heeter was up to the task in the first frame, stopping all 10 shots he faced, including a one-timer in the slot by Tom Kostopoulos.

The 2nd period belonged to the Penguins as they outshot the Phantoms 10-3 in the middle frame, but Heeter again made the necessary saves.

Things got physical in the second period, particularly in the second half of the period. Bobby Farnham, Philip Samuelsson and Tom Kostopoulos all had 2nd period fights, much to the delight of the Wells Fargo Center crowd. 

ROSTER NOTES

Brad Thiessen got the start in net tonight. Reid McNeill was the lone healthy scratch on defense. Forwards Paul Thompson, Phil Dupuis, Chris Collins and Steve MacIntyre are still out with injuries.

The Penguins are back in action tomorrow night in Wilkes-Barre as they take on Chad Kolarik's old team in the Connecticut Whale.

Penguins/Phantoms PREVIEW

The Penguins embark on another three games in two and a half days stretch starting tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. The Pens take on the Phantoms at 7 p.m. EST.

Expected Starting Goalies

Brad Thiessen (WBS): 10-9-1, 2.59 GAA, .903 SV%, 4 SO

Scott Munroe (ADK): 11-12-0, 2.57 GAA, .918 SV%, 1 SO

Thiessen is 2-0 against the Phantoms this season, including a 20 save shutout in the last meeting between the two teams back on February 2nd in Wilkes-Barre.

Breaking Down the Matchup

Adirondack: 5th Place Northeast Divison, 20-25-2-1= 43 points

PENGUINS: 3rd Place East Division, 26-22-2-1 = 55 points

There's still opportunity this weekend for the Penguins to creep back into East Division race.  The Penguins trail Binghamton by 10 points and Syracuse by 13 entering tonight's games. 

Leading Scorers

Adirondack: Jason Akeson (7G, 18A), Danny Syvret (4G, 21A), Jon Sim (7G, 10A)

PENGUINS: Chad Kolarik (19G, 24A), Riley Holzapfel (16G, 18A), Trevor Smith (16G, 16A)

Renewed Rivalry?

 
For the Penguins, Alex Grant never returned after an apparent head injury from a hit by Norfolk's Mat Clark last Friday and won't play this weekend. Chris Collins, who coach Hynes originally told me missed practice yesterday due to a maintenance day, also appears to be out of the lineup.

The Penguins signed forward Christian Minella to a PTO this morning. Minella had been playing with the Penguins' ECHL affiliate in Wheeling and is a big body that hovers around the net. Another hard working, grind it out type player at the Penguins disposal this weekend. From those I have talked to, his style is comparable to that of Adam Payerl.

I'll have the latest on who's starting for the Penguins tonight as well as updates of all the action and a recap with thoughts from the players and coaches shortly after the game. Follow on Twitter tonight with @H_P_Hockey.

Injured list: Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body), Paul Thompson (upper body), Phil Dupuis, Alex Grant (upper body), Chris Collins (lower body) and Steve MacIntyre.

Healthy Scratches: Reid McNeill

Expected lineup:

Kolarik - Smith - Holzapfel
Gibbons - Megna - Kostopoulos
Farnham - Peters - Uher
Minella - Sill - Payerl

Reese - Dumoulin
Wild - Mormina
Samuelsson - Morrow

Thursday Practice UPDATE

A quick, but up-tempo practice from the Penguins at Coal Street today. The Penguins get ready for another three game weekend, starting Friday night in Philadelphia and ending Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport. The Penguins return home in between those two for a Saturday night home affair with the Connecticut Whale.

Alex Grant did not practice today and is "more than likely out this weekend" per head coach John Hynes. With Mark Eaton released, the defense is set for the weekend with Dylan Reese, Joey Mormina, Philip Samuelsson, Cody Wild, Joe Morrow and Brian Dumoulin. Recent ECHL call up Reid McNeill will serve as the team's 7th defenseman and could make his WBS debut sometime this weekend.

Chris Collins was missing from practice today with what Hynes termed as a maintenance day. With Collins' absence, the Penguins had just 11 forwards on the ice today. It isn't out of the question for the Penguins to call up someone from Wheeling to carry 13 healthy forwards into the weekend, and I expect that guy would be Chris Barton if that is indeed the case.

I spoke with Trevor Smith about the importance of this weekend's games and how the guys prepare for a busy weekend like the one they are about to begin starting tomorrow against the Phantoms.

"We just came off one of those three-in-threes so we got a few days rest here during the week. We got to start with the Friday game and come out guns blazing because we need to get at least two out of three this week."

I'll be live from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia tomorrow night when the Penguins take on the Adirondack Phantoms on a big stage at the home venue of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. I'll preview the game tomorrow morning and have all the latest on Twitter (@H_P_Hockey).

Wednesday's WBS Practice UPDATE

McNeill (#18 on left) during warmups in Brighton, NY for a WBS preseason game this year.

The Penguins continued practice at Coal Street today in preparation for another three games in three nights weekend starting Friday in Philadelphia against the Adirondack Phantoms.

The big news of the day is that Mark Eaton has been released from his tryout with the Penguins. Oddly enough, Eaton is in Pittsburgh and practicing with the NHL Penguins. No deal has been reached between the Pens and Eaton at this time.

The move to recall Reid McNeill from Wheeling makes much more sense now that Eaton has been released. McNeill briefly joined the team last week and is back for another stay with WBS.

Trevor Smith, who didn't practice yesterday with what John Hynes termed a maintenance day, was back in practice today. He should be fine for this weekend.

I spoke with Smith after practice and he said after coming off a three-in-three, yesterday was a chance to "re-coop the body" before getting back into practices in preparation for another three-in-three this weekend. I asked him about these three games in three days swings and how the team prepares for a lot of hockey in a short amount of time. Check back tomorrow for his response.

Alex Grant hasn't skated since Friday night, and left that game against Syracuse and did not return. He missed practice again today, leaving his status for this weekend very much in doubt. I'll ask coach Hynes about his status after tomorrow's practice.

Also missing from practice were forwards Paul Thompson, Phil Dupuis and Steve MacIntyre.

One more practice at Coal Street tomorrow, then a weekend full of games starting Friday night in Philadelphia, a trip back home for a Saturday night game with the Connecticut Whale and a Sunday day trip to Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers.

Highland Park Hockey will be live from press row in Philadelphia Friday, keeping you close to the Penguins while they're on the road. Be sure to follow in-game updates of all WBS Penguins games via Twitter (@H_P_Hockey).

Tuesday Practice UPDATE 2/19

Not much coming out of Penguins practice at Coal Street today. I caught up with John Hynes and asked what the message was in practice this week, with another three game weekend coming up.

"We just gotta get better, keep working on our game and continue to get better," Hynes said.

The Penguins practice at Coal Street again tomorrow and Thursday before traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Adirondack Phantoms at the Wells Fargo Center, home to the NHL Flyers.

• Alex Grant did not practice today and is day-to-day per Hynes. Grant took that high hit from Mat Clark on Friday night and hasn't played since.

• Trevor Smith didn't practice today either, leaving just 11 healthy forwards on the ice for practice. Hynes said Smith's absence from practice was a maintenance day. I saw Smith signing autographs after practice.

• Dylan Reese, who didn't play Sunday, was at practice and participated in full. Reese looked like he was in pain during Saturday night's warmup in Binghamton, and he actually left the warmup early and came back on the ice before making the decision to play.

• Paul Thompson even came out with gloves and a stick and skated on his own for about ten minutes after practice had ended. Not sure how close he is to returning but its encouraging to see him out there skating and passing with teammates.

• Also missing from practice today were forwards Phil Dupuis and Steve MacIntyre.

Dynamic Duo? 2/18

When the Penguins traded for Chad Kolarik back on January 24th, he instantly became the team's leading scorer. When he scored his first goal with Wilkes-Barre 1:36 into his season debut up in Rochester, I knew it was only a matter of time until Kolarik transitioned, found new linemates and continued to rack up points.

Well here we are some three weeks later and I think it's safe to say Kolarik has found his spot in the lineup: on the team's top line, playing alongside Riley Holzapfel and Trevor Smith.

"I like the way he sees the ice," Smith said of Kolarik. "He's got a great shot and great vision."

On Saturday night in Binghamton especially, Smith and Kolarik seemed to have a pretty good sense of where each other were on the ice and it showed. Smith finished the game with two goals and an assist. Kolarik finished with a goal and three helpers.

"I think things are starting to click now and we are starting to find each other and with Holzy (Holzapfel) on the other side we've got some fire power on this line," Smith added. "It's fun to play with these guys and its perfect timing for this time of year"

I first talked to Kolarik after his first game with the team in Rochester and he talked about how this team was on a roll before he got here and he certainly didn't want to be a problem here. With eight points (3G-5A) in his first 11 games with the Penguins, that's the kind of problem I'm fine with Kolarik creating: A more balanced scoring attack throughout the lineup. He was quick to credit his line mates for his recent success.

"Smitty (Smith) is a leader on this team. He's counted on for many different things face-offs, PK, he's a first line guy and point per game player in this league" Kolarik said. "You kind of feed off of him, he's a great player."

"I think we are starting to build that chemistry, the three of us, and hopefully it'll continue to grow."

Three Goal Third Haunts Penguins

Through two periods, the Penguins did everything they wanted to. Except score goals. They possessed the puck most of the first 40 minutes, and held the Syracuse Crunch to just five shots until the third period.

With the Penguins at the tail end of a three games in two and a half days, I sort of got the feeling that the first Crunch goal was deflating. Much like Friday night, the Penguins did a lot of things right on the ice but were just not rewarded for it.

Kyle Wilson scored 2:02 into the third period and Brett Connelly followed it up just 1:23 later to put the Penguins in a 2-0 hole. Wilson tallied his second of the game with about eight minutes to go for the 3-0 final.

Tough game for Jeff Zatkoff, who saw just five shots in the first 40 minutes, to get much of a rhythm going. Zatkoff stopped 7 of 10 in the third period. He only faced 12 shots in Friday's 1-0 loss to Norfolk.

Lineup changes tonight were Zatkoff in net for Thiessen and  Dylan Reese (upper body) out and Mark Eaton in.

The Penguins have a scheduled day off tomorrow before resuming practice on Tuesday. Check tomorrow for a feature story on Chad Kolarik and Trevor Smith, two guys who formed quite a duo Sarurday night in Binghamton.

Penguins Beat Battered BSens

I'll start with a quote from head coach John Hynes that really sums things up.

"Tonight was the same team playing the same game but a different end result."

When you're a team struggling to score goals, as the Penguins were heading into tonight's game, you look for your best players to play at their best. The top line of Chad Kolarik, Trevor Smith and Riley Holzapfel did just that tonight, as the Penguins put five past Robin Lehner tonight in route to a 5-2 win.

"Funny how things work," Kolarik said describing his assist on Dylan Reese's goal. "Those are the bounces you gotta get when you go to the net."

The Penguins had been having trouble finishing power plays off. Tonight, they cashed in on three of their 11 power plays. 

"The last two games we've played we've had opportunities and were doing some good things and pucks weren't going in," Smith added.

At the tail end of a WBS power play, Trevor Smith found Chad Kolarik open in the slot. Kolarik's one-timer beat Robin Lehner 4:53 into the game, giving the Penguins an early 1-0 lead. Brian Dumoulin added a power play assist as well.

While on the power play, a turnover in the defensive zone gave Cole Schneider a chance and while Thiessen made the save, defenseman Tyler Eckford positioned himself for the rebound and put it past Thiessen for the game tying shorthanded goal 4:42 into the 2nd period.

The Penguins scored on their 8th man advantage when Trevor Smith put home the rebound of a Chad Kolarik point shot. Riley Holzapfel added an assist on the goal with 4:31 left in the 2nd period. 

Kolarik and Smith have formed quite a duo lately. I asked them both about that after tonight's game. Check for their thoughts tomorrow.

Reese's power play tally with 5:54 left put a bow on it. Kolarik finished with a goal, three assists and a fight. Smith added two goals and an assist. Holzapfel with three assists. 

The Penguins wrap up a three game weekend with a home game against Syracuse tomorrow.

PENS/BSENS PREVIEW 2/16

The Penguins look to battle back in Binghamton tonight against a 1st place Senators team decimated by call ups and coming off a 7-1 thrashing by Syracuse last night.

Expected Starting Goalies

Brad Thiessen (WBS): 9-9-1, 2.62 GAA, .902 SV%, 4 SO

Robin Lehner (BNG): 18-9-2, 2.02 GAA, .941 SV%, 3 SO

Breaking Down the Matchup

Binghamton: 1st Place East Division, 29-14-1-4= 63 points

PENGUINS: 3rd Place East Division, 25-21-2-1 = 53 points

There's still opportunity this weekend for the Penguins to creep back into East Division race.  The Penguins trail Binghamton by 10 points and Syracuse by nine entering tonight's games. 

Leading Scorers

Binghamton: Mike Hoffman (12G, 12A), Hugh Jessiman (9G, 13A), Corey Cowick (8G, 12A)

PENGUINS: Chad Kolarik (18G, 21A), Riley Holzapfel (16G, 15A), Trevor Smith (14G, 15A)

Penguins Connection?

The Penguins and Senators rematch tonight after the Senators took Mohegan Sun Arena by storm on Tuesday. The Penguins need to take advantage of an even more depleted Sens roster tonight.

For the Senators, it will be interesting to see who's in the lineup all the way through. Robin Lehner was torched for seven goals last night but is former Pens goalie (well for a brief time) Marc Cheverie ready for AHL action? Cheverie was acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Zbynek Michalek back to Phoenix, but became a free agent when the Penguins opted to sign Brad Theissen and Jeff Zatkoff.

Three more called up for the Senators as defenseman Eric Gryba and forwards Derek Grant and David Dziurzynski headed to Ottawa before last night's game.  The BSens added another former Penguin, forward David Marshall, to a PTO contract and recalled defenseman Ben Blood from Elmira this morning.

For the Penguins, Alex Grant never returned after an apparent head injury from a hit by Norfolk's Mat Clark. With the veteran rule as it is, it's likely Cody Wild will replace him in the lineup. With only 12 healthy forwards, the second veteran scratch will most likely a defenseman, so either Mark Eaton or Joey Mormina, who sat out last night, will not dress.

I would expect to see Brad Thiessen in net after Zatkoff played last night. Zatkoff stopped 11 of 12 last night so with a light workload it's also possible to see Zatkoff in net. I'll have the latest on who's starting for the Penguins tonight as well as updates of all the action and a recap with thoughts from the players and coaches shortly after the game. Follow on Twitter tonight with @H_P_Hockey.

Injured list: Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body), Paul Thompson (upper body), Phil Dupuis Alex Grant (upper body) and Steve MacIntyre

Expected lineup:

Kolarik-Smith-Holzapfel
Payerl-Megna-Collins
Peters-Sill-Kostopolous
Farnham-Gibbons-Uher

Reese-Dumoulin
Eaton-Wild
Samuelsson-Morrow

Bobkov, Irwin Lead Admirals Past Pens

Through two periods of play, the Penguins had a decided edge in play and despite going 0 for 6 on the man advantage to that point, you got the sense that one goal might be enough. Well, one goal was enough tonight. 

With the Admirals 4th line on the ice, Brayden Irwin scored his first goal of the season on a rebound of a Pierre-Luc Letourneau LeBlond shot 3:17 into the third period and Igor Bobkov pitched a 32 save shutout in route to the Penguins 1-0 loss to the Norfolk Admirals.

The Penguins finished 0-for-8 with the man advantage tonight, but it wasn't due to a lack of chances or shots on net. Credit must be given to Bobkov, who made several big saves tonight.

The Penguins outshot the Admirals 32-12 tonight, including a 27-7 advantage through the final two periods but couldn't find the back of the net and are shut out for the first time at home this season.

The Penguins head to Binghamton tomorrow night to take on a Senators team that has been battered by call ups. The Sens lost 7-1 to the Syracuse Crunch tonight, so you can imagine how much they want to avenge that loss, especially considering what happened in Tuesday's meeting.

ROSTER NOTES

• Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net tonight and stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced. 

• With Beau Bennett called up, Chris Collins made his WBS season debut and had a particularly active first period. Collins said he was excited to be back and looked forward to getting out there this weekend when I talked to him at practice this week.

• Dylan Reese returned from Pittsburgh and with the maximum number of veterans reached, Joey Mormina served as the veteran scratch along with injured forward Phil Dupuis to make room for Reese. Other scratches tonight were Cody Wild, Paul Thompson and Steve MacIntyre. 

Bye Bye Beau 2/14

The biggest news of the day in Wilkes-Barre is that Beau Bennett has been called up to Pittsburgh. Bennett was already in Pittsburgh yesterday for what WBS head coach John Hynes termed a "maintenance day". With the lack of production on Evgeni Malkin's wing, Bennett gets a shot to stick with the big club.

Missing from practice were forwards Paul Thompson, Phil Dupuis and Steve MacIntyre. Recently re-assigned defenseman Dylan Reese was not on the ice today for practice. Head coach John Hynes said Reese will be ready to go this weekend.

With only 12 healthy forwards on the ice, it appears as though Chris Collins will make his WBS season debut tomorrow night when the Norfolk Admirals come to town. Collins has said repeatedly he's glad to be back and looks forward to getting on the ice.

Some new lines at practice today:

Kolarik-Smith-Holzapfel
Collins-Megna-Payerl
Peters-Sill-Kostopoulos
Farnham-Gibbons-Uher

"Major" Disappointment - Pens Lose 5-1

The Penguins were looking to cut the division lead by Binghamton down to six points last night, but after a 5-1 loss in which the Pens seemed off their game the lead is back to double digits at 10 points.

Not much good can be taken away from last night's game. Dominik Uher broke a 5-0 shutout in the third period, scoring his first goal as a pro while the Pens were on a power play. But that's about it.

One of the most active guys on the ice was referees David Banfield and Trent Knorr. They whistled 30 infractions and dished out five ten-minute misconducts, three game misconducts and a total of 142 penalty minutes.

Adam Payerl was ejected following a five minute charging major early in the first period. Senators goalie Nathan Lawson came racing out of his crease to go after a loose puck that Payerl was approaching. The two players collided and Lawson got the worst of it, leaving the game and being replaced by Peguin-killer Robin Lehner.

At the end of the first period, Tom Kostopoulos was assessed a major for spearing, which the rules state must also include a game misconduct.

Riley Holzapfel blew a fuse in the third period after his goal which would have made it a 5-2 game was waved off, and the result was two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, a ten minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

The mantra among fans seems to be toward blaming the officials, and while that's perfectly understandable with a bunch of questionable decisions by the referees, the referees didn't put five goals in the back of the Penguins net.

Credit must be given to a Binghamton Senaotes team that many thought would be a push over after guys like Stephane Da Costa, Jakob Silfverberg, Andre Benoit and Patrick Wiercioch were moved up to the NHL.

Pens/BSens Preview 2/12

Another East Division battle tonight as the Penguins host the Binghamton Senators tonight at 7 p.m. EST

Expected Starting Goalies

Robin Lehner (BNG): 17-8-2, 1.87 GAA, .945 SV%, 3 SO
Jeff Zatkoff (WBS): 16-12-0. 1.96 GAA, .920 SV%, 3 SO

Breaking Down the Matchup

Binghamton: 1st Place East Division, 28-13-1-4 = 61 points
PENGUINS: 3rd Place East Division, 25-19-2-1 = 53 points

A regulation win by the Penguins cuts the division lead down to six points, which would set up an even bigger rematch when the two teams play in Binghamton on Saturday. A regulation loss extends the deficit to 10 points.

Leading Scorers

Binghamton: Mike Hoffman (12G, 12A), Hugh Jessiman (9G, 12A), Derek Grant (14G, 6A)
PENGUINS: Chad Kolarik (18G, 21A), Riley Holzapfel (16G, 15A), Trevor Smith (14G, 15A)

Who Are These Guys?

This is a very different Binghamton Senators from the last time the two teams faced back on January 9th. Sure they still have the very talented Robin Lehner between the pipes, but the post lockout AHL has seen numerous guys graduate to the NHL. Currently, four players who played in last month's meeting are up with Ottawa: forwards Jackob Silfverberg and Stephane Da Costa and defensemen Patrick Wiercioch and Andre Benoit.

The BSens signed defenseman Brett Lebda to a PTO last week and defenseman Mark Borowiecki returned from Ottawa to help bolster what was becoming a thin BSens blue line.

The Penguins, meanwhile, have been decimated by callups and trades on the blueline. Guys like Joey Mormina and Alex Grant, who didn't have a regular spot in the lineup, are now basically the top pairing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Pens have six guys that were in the last meeting that are in the NHL now: defensemen Brian Strait, Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres and Dylan Reese and forwards Benn Ferriero and Eric Tangradi.

The Penguins have added quite a few players since the NHL lockout ended. They have brought in forward Adam Payerl and defenseman Cody Wild from Wheeling. The Pens have also signed three former Penguins to PTO's: defenseman Mark Eaton and forwards Tom Kostopoulos and Chris Collins.  The new guy to watch from a BSens perspective is forward Chad Kolarik, the Pens leading scorer recently acquired from the Connecticut Whale.

Add in that forwards Steve MacIntyre, Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis are out of the lineup and that's nine guys who were on the roster and healthy just one month ago that won't play tonight.

Monday Morning Practice UPDATE

Reid McNeill was added to the WBS Penguins roster this morning.

A lot of news coming out of practice today at Coal Street so I'll list them below in bullet format:

• The Penguins added defenseman Reid McNeill from their ECHL affiliate in Wheeling. McNeill practiced with the team today at Coal Street. The move appears to be an insurance policy in case Mark Eaton's "tweak" injury prevents him from playing.

• Not sure how long McNeill will be in town as Pittsburgh re-assigned defenseman Joe Morrow back to Wilkes-Barre this morning. Morrow wasn't at WBS practice but I would expect he'll be back in town for tomorrow's game.

• The Penguins brought back another former player today, signing forward Chris Collins to a professional tryout contract (PTO). I spoke with him briefly after practice and he said he was glad to be back and excited to get back out there in front of Pens fans at Mohegan Sun Arena.

• Collins played for the AHL Penguins in the 2010-11 season, recording 34 points (13G-21A) in 77 games. So far this season, Collins has appeared in eight games with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers and four games with the AHL's Springfield Falcons.

• Missing from practice today were forwards Phil Dupuis, Paul Thompson and Steve MacIntyre. Thompson and Dupuis have been out awhile, but MacIntyre didn't return for the third period in Norfolk on Saturday. Didn't get a chance to speak with head coach John Hynes today so I'll defer to Pens beat writer Jonathan Bombulie for an update on Big Mac's condition later today.

• Mark Eaton, who missed Saturday's game with what play-by-play announcer Tom Grace called a minor tweak injury, practiced in full today. 

• Today's practice ended with a shootout, with the last man standing having to be "mustache boy", which means no shaving the mustache until the end of the month. The final three were Beau Bennett, Dominik Uher and Bobby Farnham. Farnham and Bennett were the final two but Bennett scored and Farnham hit the post. So Farnham is your mustache boy for the month of February. 

The Penguins are back in action tomorrow night at home against another East Division foe in the Binghamton Senators, who are coming off a shootout loss to the Albany Devils.

In terms of standings, tomorrow is one of those proverbial "four point" games.  A Penguins regulation win cuts the Senators' division lead over them down to six points. A regulation loss extends the deficit to ten points.

Check back tomorrow night for live in-game updates on Twitter (@H_P_Hockey) and a recap of the night's events here on Highland Park Hockey shortly after the game.

Penguins Return The Favor

The Penguins responded after last night's loss with a 4-1 victory of their own tonight. It seemed the Penguins got back to playing how they were heading into this weekend: tight defensively.

"We talked about certain things we wanted to fix and had a good, complete effort tonight," Hynes said.

Tonight's game picked up right where last night ended, with Alex Grant and Josh Brittian dropping the gloves off the opening face-off.

Trevor Smith burned his former team, giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 13:21 of the first period after a long pass out of the zone by goaltender Jeff Zatkoff caught the Admirals on a line change. Zatkoff got the lone assist on the goal. His 4th helper of the season, which I thought was unusually high for a goaltender.

The Pens came out to start the second period and got right back to work. Riley Holzapfel found Chad Kolarik and Kolarik's pass to Beau Bennett was right on the money as Bennett tallied his 7th goal of the season. The power play goal gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead just 47 seconds into the middle frame.

From there, the Admirals battled back, having one goal reviewed and disallowed before making it a 2-1 game while the Penguins were on a power play. Kolarik's point shot was stuffed, springing Patrick Maroon on a 2-on-0 breakaway with Peter Holland. Maroon to Holland to the back of the net made it a one goal game.

After opening the middle period on fire, the Penguins were on their heels at times as the 2nd period ended. They responded with a solid third period tonight.

Riley Holzapfel finished off another nice pass from Chad Kolarik halfway through the third and Warren Peters put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal with 1:02 to play.

The Penguins will bus back to Wilkes-Barre tonight, have the day off tomorrow and resume practice first thing Monday morning.

ROSTER NOTES

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in goal tonight for the Penguins after Brad Thiessen manned the WBS net last night.

Mark Eaton is back on the shelf and is day-to-day. As a result, Cody Wild made his season debut with the Penguins.

Dominik Uher was the healthy scratch up front, while Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis are still out with upper body injuries.

The lines tonight:

Kolarik-Smith-Holzapfel
Megna-Peters-Bennett
Payerl-Sill-Kostopoulos
MacIntyre-Gibbons-Farnham

Mormina-Dumoulin
Grant-Wild
Samuelsson-Morrow

Three Goal Third Haunts Penguins

The Norfolk Admirals score three third period goals in less than a six minute span, breaking open a 1-1 tie in route to snapping the Penguins five game win streak tonight.

I spoke with head coach John Hynes after the game, and while he was pleased with the effort of his team at times tonight, there's still work to be done to make sure the same thing does not happen when the two teams rematch tomorrow night.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't enough to get the win," Hynes said. "We've got to come up with some answers and find a way to get it done tomorrow."

The Admirals took a 1-0 lead 7:46 into the first period when Jay Rosehill deflected a Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond shot past Brad Thiessen.The Penguins were a bit sluggish in the first twenty minutes but bounced back with a better effort in the middle frame. 

The Penguins tied the game at one late in the second period on a weird bounce behind DesLauriers' net. Warren Peters found himself alone in front of the net and the puck squirted out from behind right to him. Peters tapped it into what was basically an empty net as DesLauriers anticipated the clear in going behind the net. The goal was Peters' 8th of the season and his fourth point (3G-1A) in his last three games.

With the game tied at one after two periods, you got a sense that whoever scored first in the third period would go on to win. The Admirals made no mistake about it, taking a 2-1 lead 3:02 into the final period when Josh Brittian received a pass in the slot from Devante Smith-Pelly and beat Thiessen under the glove.

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond scored his first of the season three minutes later and Jay Rosehill tallied his 4th of the year shortly after, springing the Admirals to a three goal lead they would never look back on.

The two teams didn't go silently into the night from there. It actually was quite the opposite.

It seemed nobody on the Admirals wanted a piece of Steve MacIntyre tonight. At one point, MacIntyre had both Rosehill and Leblond in headlocks and neither dropped the gloves until Bobby Farnham got involved. Farnham and Rosehill got fighting majors.

Then to end the game, Leblond went after Philip Samuelsson in the final minute, springing MacIntyre from the bench. Again MacIntyre challenged Leblond and the Admirals enforcer denied. Expect MacIntyre in the lineup again as well as some more rough stuff when these two teams battle again tomorrow night.

ROSTER NOTES

It was Brad Thiessen in net for the Penguins tonight against former Penguins goalie Jeff DesLauriers for the Admirals. Cody Wild and Dominik Uher were healthy scratches. Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis remain out with upper body injuries. Tom Kuhnhackl is out for the season.

Lines tonight:

Holzapfel - Smith - Megna
Kolarik - Peters - Bennett
Payerl - Sill - Kostopoulos
Farnham - Gibbons - MacIntyre

Mormina-Grant
Eaton-Dumoulin
Samuelsson-Morrow

The New Blueline 2/7

The organization has seen a lot of faces come and go on defense this past offseason, and the numbers have increased since the season has started as the Penguins traded former WBS and current Pittsburgh Penguin Ben Lovejoy to the Anaheim Ducks for a 5th round draft pick in 2014.

The Penguins also called up Pittsburgh native Dylan Reese from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to carry seven healthy defensemen heading into this weekend. I would expect Reese will be on his way back when Matt Niskanen returns from injury.

Add that to Zybnyek Michalek (PHX), Brian Strait (NYI) and Carl Sneep (DAL) as moves made by the Pens organization. Throw the graduation of Simon Despres and Robert Bortuzzo to the NHL and that's quite a bit of shuffling for the AHL Penguins. So far it's worked out quite well.

The WBS Penguins head into this weekend having won four in a row and nine of their last ten games. In those nine wins, the Penguins have given up just seven goals. Four of those games were Brad Thiessen shutouts. It's no surprise when you're playing that well defensively that you better your chances of winning every night. 

With Bortuzzo, Strait, Despres and now Reese unavailable to the AHL Penguins, guys will have to continue to step up. Joey Mormina and Mark Eaton anchor a young but talented core in Philip Samuelsson, Joe Morrow, Brian Dumoulin, Alex Grant and Cody Wild. 

The Penguins practice this morning then immediately get on the bus and head out of town for Norfolk, Virignia, the site of two road games against the Admirals this weekend.

Highland Park Hockey will be making the trip down for the weekend and will have all the latest on the WBS Penguins for their Friday and Saturday night action. Be sure to follow on Twitter (@H_P_Hockey) for up to the minute news and updates.

Wednesday's WBS Practice Update

News of the day is that Beau Bennett practiced in full with the team today. After missing the last five games with an undisclosed injury, he appears ready to return to the lineup this weekend against Norfolk. Bennett practiced on a line with Warren Peters and Chad Kolarik today.

Mark Eaton also practiced today. Missing were injured forwards Tom Kuhnhackl, Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis.

Scary moment for Bobby Farnham today at practice. Farnham took a puck to the back of the head while sliding in front of the net during a drilll.He got up after being hit in the neck with the puck in obvious discomfort and after being looked at on the bench, left the ice and headed to the locker room.

A look at today's lines shows a balanced scoring attack at the Pens' disposal:
Holzapfel - Smith - Megna
Kolarik - Peters - Bennett
Payerl - Sill - Kostopoulos
Uher - Gibbons - MacIntyre
Barton

Reese - Dumoulin
Mormina - Grant
Samuelsson - Morrow
Eaton - Wild

The Penguins practice tomorrow before getting on the bus for a 7 hour ride to Norfolk. I won't be at the practice session myself, but I will be traveling  to Norfolk, Virignia to bring exclusive live coverage of this weekend's games.

Stay tuned for all the latest on Twitter @H_P_Hockey as the miles continue to rack up. Should be about 7,500 miles when I return home after the weekend, and hopefully with four points.

Kane & Able, Pens Win in OT

Penguins "celebrate" the game winning OT goal. This photo courtesy of Justin Moul.

Boyd Kane must have said something pretty offensive to the officials with 1:15 left in overtime, as the Bears captain was tagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Penguins a late power play.

Chad Kolarik's one-timer on a pass from Alex Grant with 10.8 seconds left in overtime beat Dany Sabourin and just like in the AHL Outdoor Classic, the Penguins again rallied from a 1-0 deficit in Hershey to steal a 2-1 victory in overtime.

With the win, the Penguins complete the weekend sweep, winning all three games this weekend. They have now won four in a row and nine of their last ten games. 

The stat of the night has to be this: The Penguins out shot the Bears by a total of 31-11 from the second period on tonight. 

Not to say Jeff Zatkoff had an easy night, he made plenty of highlight reel saves, but the Penguins clearly took it to the Bears and dominated play for the most part today.  Credit Sabourin for keeping this game close.

The teams skated to a scoreless first twenty minutes today at Giant Center, with both Zatkoff and Sabourin making saves for their respective teams.

Steve Olesky upended Bobby Farnham 3:10 into the game, starting a brawl between the two. Olesky was at it again early in the second period, tripping Steve MacIntyre. Oddly enough, there wasn't a fight after the altercation between those two.

Kane broke the scoreless tie while the Bears were on an extended power play  midway through the 2nd period. MacIntyre was in the box for a charging minor and ensuing unsportsmanlike penalty after targeting Olesky behind the Bears' net. 

Former WBS goalie Dany Sabourin continued to frustrate Penguins' shooters in the middle frame, making some flashy glove saves on Alex Grant and Riley Holzapfel in particular.

The Penguins dominated play in the third period and tied the game with 7:57 left. Riley Holzapfel's 15th of the season with a cluster of bodies in Sabourin's crease tied the contest. Adam Payerl continues to rack up points, assisting on the goal along with the recently hot Warren Peters.

ROSTER NOTES

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net after starting off the weekend with a 4-1 win over his former team, the Manchester Monarchs.

Only other lineup change was forward Steve MacIntyre in for Chris Barton.

Mark Eaton, Beau Bennett, Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis are all still out of the lineup with injuries. Cody Wild and Chris Barton were the healthy scratches. Tom Kuhnhackl is out for the season.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The Penguins have a scheduled day off tomorrow before resuming on Tuesday morning with a practice at Coal Street. Check for the next update then. The Pens also practice Wednesday and Thursday, before heading to Norfolk for two games this weekend.

Currently, I plan on making the trip down to southern Virginia for Friday and Saturday night's games, so be sure to follow Highland Park Hockey on Twitter (@H_P_Hockey) for an exclusive look at all the latest on the Penguins in Norfolk.

Thiessen Shuts The Door, Pens Win 3-0

Another strong performance by Brad Thiessen and the Penguins, who win their eighth game in the last nine with a 3-0 victory over the Phantoms. They look to complete the weekend sweep tomorrrow afternoon in Hershey.

Warren Peters deflected a Joe Morrow point shot halfway through the first period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead, after the Penguins had killed off three minor penalties in the first eight minutes. Brian Gibbons also added an assist.

With less than a minute to go in the 2nd period, the Pens extended their lead to 2-0 after a weird bounce off the back glass saw the puck drop down in front of Scott Munroe's crease. Luckily Alex Grant was in the right place at the right time and tapped it home.

Things got physical in the third. Oliver Lauridsen hit a very vulnerable Adam Payerl hard into the boards as Payerl was on his knees sliding along the ice. Zach Sill took exception, dropping the gloves and cutting open Lauridsen with a few heavy punches.

Tom Kostopoulos continues to do the little things that often go unnoticed. His cross ice pass to Peters for his second goal of the evening was Kostopoulos' third assist in his 4th game with the Penguins. Philip Samuelsson got on the scoresheet with the secondary assist.

No lineup changes tonight for the Penguins other than Thiessen in net for Jeff Zatkoff. It will be interesting who gets the start tomorrow at 2 pm. I'm leaning toward Zatkoff mainly because of the lack of time between tonight's game and tomorrow afternoon's game.

WBS Pens Gameday NOTES

The Penguins have won seven of their last eight games and look to keep rolling along tonight when the Adirondack Phantoms come to town for a 7 p.m. game. Last night's win moved the Penguins into sole possession of 6th place in the Eastern Conference.

The Phantoms snapped a three game losing streak last night at home, beating the Norfolk Admirals 5-2. While the Flyers top minor league affiliate comes into today's action tied for last in the East, their power play the last seven games - 11 for 34 converting at a 35.4% rate - is worth talking about. That stat per Michael Cignoli, Phantoms beat writer for The Saratogian. 

Still, the Phantoms lost a lot of guys after lockout ended, namely guys such as Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, who carried the load for the Phantoms up to this point.  Forward Harry Zolnierczyk leads all Phantoms goal scorers with 9 goals.

Ex-Penguin forward Jon Sim was recently signed to an AHL contract with Adirondack and made his Phantoms debut last night. I anticipate Ex-WBS goalie Scott Munroe to get the start in net tonight against his former team as Brian Boucher played last night.

For the Penguins, expect Brad Thiessen back in net tonight after Jeff Zatkoff played last night. I don't know how I failed to mention this yesterday, but Thiessen has been named the AHL's goalie of the month for January. In seven appearances during the month, Thiessen was 5-2-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and three shutouts for the Penguins.

The team didn't mention it at last night's game most likely because Zatkoff got the start. I'd expect Thiessen to get recognition for that award tonight. So now both goalies on the team have won the Goalie of the Month award this season as Zatkoff was the winner in November.

I also expect Steve MacIntyre might be in the lineup tonight as the Phantoms have more physical, rough and tumble kind of guys than last night's Manchester squad. One of Dominik Uher or Chris Barton could be the odd man out.

Defensively, Mark Eaton was limited in practice and is day to day per head coach John Hynes. He joins injured forwards Beau Bennett (undisclosed), Tom Kuhnhackl (shoulder), Paul Thompson (upper body) and Phil Dupuis (undisclosed). With Eaton and Dupuis both on the shelf right now, the Penguins have their two veterans out of the lineup as they are two above the veteran limit on the roster.
Now that the All-Star break has passed, it's time to take a closer look at the standings. Remember the winners of each division are guaranteed the 1-3 spots in the conference. I have the standings heading into today's actions below. I will update them daily and either include them in every story or add them as a feature to the side of the page like the Twitter feed. Maybe both is the way to go.

Eastern Conference Standings

Team                             Games Remaining       Points
1. Binghamton (BNG)             34                       58
2. Springfield (SPR)                33                       58
3. Portland (POR)                   32                       54
4. Syracuse (SYR)                  34                       56
5. Providence (PRO)              33                       51
6. PENGUINS (WBS)            33                       47
7. Worcester (WOR)             33                        46
8. Manchester (MCH)           31                       46
9. Bridgeport (BPT)               32                       45
10. Connecticut (CT)            31                       45
11. Hershey (HER)               33                       44
12. Albany (ALB)                   35                       43
13. St. John's (STJ)               31                       43
14. Adirondack (ADK)          34                       39
15. Norfolk                             33                       39

Shorthanded Penguins Beat Monarchs

The Penguins got their seventh win in eight games and start off the weekend with a 4-1 over Manchester tonight.

Not only were the Penguins shorthanded on the roster with leading scorers Paul Thompson and Beau Bennett out of the lineup, the Penguins scored two goals tonight while the Monarchs were on the power play.

After a scoreless first period, Joe Morrow got the Penguins started offensively tonight, taking a pass from Dylan Reese and firing a puck over Peter Mannino's shoulder 9:01 into the 2nd period. Adam Payerl picked up his first of two assists on the play.

Trevor Smith picked up a loose puck behind the Monarchs net while shorthanded and fired a tough angle shot past Mannino. Smith's 12th goal of the season put the Penguins up 2-0 heading to the third period.

Riley Hozapfel took a penalty 1:03 into the third period, but Zach Sill stole a puck and made it 3-0 Penguins on the team's second shorthanded goal of the game.

Then Adam Payerl continued to show his dominance as of late, firing a nice shot at Mannino with about 8:30 to play. Mannino made the initial save but the rebound squirted to Holzapfel, who blasted it home to make it a 4-0 edge.

Tom Kostopoulos started the play with a nice pass to Payerl and picked up an assist in his first home game since returning to the Penguins this season. Tonight's game was Kostopoulos' 1,000th career regular season game of pro hockey. I had mentioned it on Twitter earlier in the week, and it was good to see the Penguins use that stat during their 2nd period guess the player promo on the video board.

Vincent LoVerde snapped Zatkoff's shutout bid with 7:56 to play to round out the scoring tonight.

The Penguins picked up big points in the Eastern Conference standings tonight. They came into tonight's game trailing the Monarchs by one point and have now leapfrogged them in the standings. More on the standings tomorrow morning.

The Penguins continue with a home game tomorrow night against the Adirondack Phantoms. As always, live updates of all the action of Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins right here at Highland Park Hockey: THE source for all WBS Penguins news and information.

ROSTER NOTES

Jeff Zatkoff got the start in net for the Penguins. Peter Mannino manned the Monarchs net.

Scratches for the Penguins tonight were Cody Wild, Mark Eaton, Beau Bennett (undisclosed), Paul Thompson (upper body), Phil Dupuis (undisclosed) and Steve MacIntyre.

Chris Barton was added on a professional tryout contract today and played on the Pens' 4th line. A look at tonight's lines:

Holzapfel - Smith - Kolarik
Gibbons - Peters - Megna
Payerl - Sill -Kostopoulos
Farnham - Uher - BartonReese - Dumoulin
Grant - Mormina
Samuelsson - Morrow

Pens Prepare For the Stretch Run

Now that the All-Star festivities have passed, the Penguins look to get back to playing how they were before the break. Since the NHL lockout has ended, the AHL Penguins are 6-1.

Heading down the stretch, the Pens have added two veterans in forward Tom Kostopoulos and defenseman Mark Eaton.

They've also acquired a forward via trade. Enter Chad Kolarik.  Benn Ferriero was moved in exchange for Kolarik and had an assist for the New York Rangers in a game I watched. Kolarik scored on his first shift on his first shot last Friday in Rochester and tallied two goals in the AHL All-Star Game Monday night in Providence. Looks like both players are benefiting from a change in scenery so far.

Every team deals with injuries and heading into this weekend, the Penguins have their fair share up front. Tom Kuhnhackl is out for the season after having surgery to repair a separated shoulder. Phil Dupuis hasn't skated since what was originally diagnosed as a minor injury during practice January 14th. Now head coach John Hynes says Dupuis will be out for awhile, but it is not season ending.

Then there's Paul Thompson, who skated by himself after practice yesterday without any equipment. Not even gloves. Hynes says Thompson will be out a few weeks with an upper body injury.

Don't forget about Beau Bennett either. He thought to be battling the flu but it's apparent after missing last weekend's games and the All-Star Game that Bennett isn't 100%. He didn't skate at practice yesterday and even though he came out for some off ice shooting, I don't think he'll be in the lineup tonight. We'll see about the rest of the weekend.

But that's what the AHL is about after all. Isn't it? Guys like Bobby Farnham, Dominik Uher, Adam Payerl and Chris Barton, who has been signed to another PTO this morning, have come up and filled in nicely.

Defensively, Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres and Brian Strait have graduated to the NHL. Carl Sneep was traded to Dallas for a draft pick to clear some more room for the young guns like Brian Dumoulin, Joe Morrow, Philip Samuelsson and Alex Grant. Dylan Reese and Joey Mormina are the veterans on the blue line.

Goalies Brad Thiessen and Jeff Zatkoff have both had times of success as well as some inconsistency in net. Zatkoff began the season as the team's number one goalie and was AHL Goalie of the Month earlier this season. Thiessen has been strong of late. Both

Two or three guys I suggest you watch heading down the stretch?

I think defensively Alex Grant can be a difference maker on the point of the power play unit. He has a big shot and if it doesn't beat the opposing goalie clean, a deflection in front is nearly impossible to react to. 

Up front, Adam Payerl is a big power forward the Penguins were missing with Eric Tangradi's departure to Pittsburgh. Payerl is good around the net and isn't afraid to go to the "dirty areas" of the ice to work out the puck and battle along the boards. His offensive touch is starting show since his last recall from Wheeling.

Home games tonight and Saturday at 7 p.m. for the Penguins. Tonight it's the Manchester Monarchs. Tomorrow the Adirondack Phantoms come to town. Sunday, the Penguins travel to Hershey to take on the Bears at 2 p.m.

As always, you can get live in-game updates on the Twitter feed @H_P_Hockey (right hand side of the Highland Park Hockey main page) with recaps of the action here on the website shortly after.