#WBSPens Comeback Falls Short in Last-Second OT Loss To Bears

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Trailing 2-0 heading into the third period tonight, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins needed another third period comeback. But with six regular forwards out of the lineup, who was left to step up for the WBS Penguins?

Tonight it was Pierre-Luc Leblond and former Hershey Bears and current Penguin Mike Carman, tallying back-to-back goals in the third period to get the Penguins to overtime, though the Bears would win it with 6.6 seconds left in overtime as David Kolomatis swatted a loose puck into the net after a mad scramble in front of Jeff Deslauriers' net.

The win was the Bears' first against the Penguins this season, in the 5th meeting between the teams. The Pens OT loss, combined with a Binghamton Senators shootout loss to St. John's, still leaves the Pens in first place in the East Division tied with the BSens.

VIDEO: Garrett Mitchell's Hit on Brian Gibbons

Early in the second period, with the Penguins on a power play, Garrett Mitchell finishes off Brian Gibbons after Gibbons makes a pass to Harry Zolnierczyk. Mitchell was assessed a major for charging and a game misconduct for the hit.

What is your take on the hit?


 

#AHL Game Preview: #WBSPens Take On Hershey Tonight

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins look to take sole possession of first place in the East Divsion tonight and can do so with a win over the Hershey Bears tonight at Giant Center. The Bears are looking to get out of the East Divsion cellar and earn their first victory over the Penguins this season, in the 5th meeting between the two teams.

The Bears are coming off back-to-back losses, most recently a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the St. John's IceCaps. The Penguins bounced back after Wedensday night's loss to Adirondack with a 1-0 shutout victory over Binghamton last night.

Tune into Highland Park Hockey on Twitter tonight for all the latest in-game updates of tonight's AHL action. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Roster notes, lineups for both teams and more after e jump.

Hartzell Hangs In, Cools Off Red Hot BSens

Friday, November 29, 2013
Eric Hartzell stopped all 25 shots for his first career AHL shutout.

It's only been two games into the Eric Hartzell era for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but it's hard not to be impressed with the rookie goaltender from Quinnipiac after his first career AHL shutout, a 25-save performance, and 1-0 victory in his 2nd start tonight against a hot Binghamton team.

An interesting quote from Hartzell about playing in the AHL after his first AHL win last Saturday:
"The higher up you go the better it gets," Hartzell said.  "I think the way guys shoot the puck and the ice that people see. It's incredible. The hockey's great. It's an unbelievable league."
Hartzell seemed to be in the right place tonight and was able to hang in there in the third period to hold onto the 1-0 lead and improve to 2-0-0 on the season. The win puts the Penguins back into a first place tie with these BSens.

With 3:24 left in regulation, after a pile up in Hartzell's crease, play was stopped after Hartzell was slow to get up. WBS trainer Kyle Moore tended to Hartzell and after some stretching and skating around, Hartzell remained in the game to kill off a Penguins penalty.

The Penguins were able to grind out a 1-0 win tonight and look to build off that heading into tomorrow night's matchup at the Giant Center against the Hershey Bears.

#AHL Game Preview: #WBSPens Host Red-Hot #BSens

The top two teams in the American Hockey League's (AHL) East Division battle at the Mohegan Sun Arena in northeast Pennsylvania tonight as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) host the red-hot Binghamton Senators (BSens), winners in nine of their last ten games coming into tonight's game. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

The Penguins are coming off a disappointing offensive effort in a 3-1 loss to the Adirondack Phantoms on Wednesday night. The BSens continued their recent hot streak with a convincing 5-1 win over East Division foe Syracuse on Thanksgiving Eve.

Follow Highland Park Hockey on Twitter tonight for all the latest from Mohegan Sun Arena for warmups, lineup notes and in-game updates. A closer look at the two teams after the jump.

Penguins Fall 3-1 to Phantoms

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got off to a slow start and after falling behind in the second period, were unable to muster up much of anything offensively, falling 3-1 to the Adirondack Phantoms. The Phantoms snapped a four game losing streak with the victory.

For the Penguins, an offensive effort they would like to forget about. They were held without a shot on goal for an over 24 minute span in the 2nd and 3rd periods, and were unable to get many quality shots. The lone Pens chance came with Scott Harrington's shot in the slot late in the 3rd period that Phantoms goaltender Yann Danis was able to glove down.

The Penguins host a red-hot Binghamton Senators team on Friday night.

Trading Places: Gibbons Re-Assigned, Megna, Conner, Despres Recalled

Jayson Megna impressed in his first NHL stint and has a second crack at the NHL lineup tonight.

The revolving door of injured bodies in Pittsburgh and recalled skaters from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins continued today. The latest news from Pittsburgh is that Paul Martin has a broken tibia and will be out 4-6 weeks. Also, forward Matt D'Agostini has been claimed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres.

Add that to these injured players - Beau Bennett, Tanner Glass, Chuck Kobasew and Rob Scuderi, and forwards Jayson Megna and Chris Conner and defenseman Simon Despres were on their way to Pittsburgh last night to make it for today's NHL Penguins game day skate.

So for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) tonight against the Adirondack Phantoms (ADK), they will be without five of their top nine scorers (Ebbett, Despres, Conner, Megna and the injured Nick Drazzenovic). Add Zach Sill as another guy in Pittsburgh and not on the AHL Penguins roster, and the AHL Pens are missing five forwards and a defenseman from their regular lineup.

Leading scorer Brian Gibbons, recently re-assigned from the NHL club, and Harry Zolnierczyk will have to lead the way. I also think this is a great chance for a guy like Paul Thompson, Dominik Uher or Tom Kuhnhackl to get some added playing time and separate themselves from the pack tonight too.

#Pens Re-Assign Gibbons, #WBSPens Recall Rowney From #Nailers

Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Brian Gibbons has been re-assigned to the AHL Penguins, but with all the injuries in Pittsburgh right now how long will he back?

Lots of news this morning as the Pittsburgh Penguins re-assigned forward Brian Gibbons to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL). Gibbons scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in debut with the NHL Penguins for two points in five games played in his first NHL stint.

Pittsburgh also put forward Matt D'Agostini on waivers today. If D'Agostini clears waivers, he'll be eligible to play in the minors with the AHL Penguins. D'Agostini tallied one assist and a minus one rating in eight games with the NHL Penguins.

The AHL Penguins also announced a roster move, adding forward Carter Rowney from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL). Rowney ranked second on the Nailers in scoring with 13 points (6G-7A) in 15 games.

All this was going on while I was at the newly renamed Toyota Sportsplex, the AHL Penguins practice facility in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Monday's #WBSPens Practice Update

Monday, November 25, 2013

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had a light practice this morning at the newly re-named Toyota Sportsplex (formerly The Ice Rink at Coal Street), and while there were no new faces on the ice, a recall from Wheeling looks closer to becoming a reality.

Forwards Nick Drazenovic and Pierre-Luc Leblond did not skate today, leaving the AHL Penguins with only 12 healthy forwards on the ice this morning after Andrew Ebbett and Zach Sill were called up to Pittsburgh yesterday.

The Pens have already tapped into Wheeling's forward depth by adding Denver Manderson and Cody Sylvester last week, but Carter Rowney seems to be the consensus pick from those in Wheeling as the best call-up option.

The other concern is lack of depth at the center position. All four centers from the opening night roster (Drazenovic, Ebbett, Sill and Brian Gibbons) are not active with the AHL Penguins. The AHL Pens have moved Jayson Megna to center the top line, and Mike Carman has played center lately, but from there its a mystery as to who will fill the other two center positions. Manderson and Sylvester can both play center and have in Wheeling. Adam Payerl and Dominik Uher are two other guys that have experience playing in the middle.

Oddly enough, there were no formal line rushes at practice today. There was an emphasis on four-on-four play working on both offense and defense. If both Drazenovic and Leblond aren't ready for Wednesday's game, you would have to assume the Pens will call up a 13th forward to take on the road with them for insurance purposes.

It will be interesting to see at tomorrow's practice what the new line combinations will be and to see who the four centers are heading into Wednesday night's contest with the Adirondack Phantoms. I'll be live from the Toyota Sportsplex with all the latest from tomorrow's AHL Penguins practice.

#Pens Recall Forwards Andrew Ebbett and Zach Sill

Sunday, November 24, 2013
Andrew Ebbett (left) has earned his first NHL call up with the Penguins. He'll join teammate Brian Gibbons (right) in Pittsburgh.
It seems the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to gauge the forward depth of the organization as Andrew Ebbett and Zach Sill are called up to Pittsburgh today and not Jayson Megna like most expected. Still well-deserved recalls for both Ebbett and Sill, however.

Ebbett is in the first year of the two year deal he signed with the Penguins this past summer. In his 8th year of professional hockey, Ebbett has 191 games of NHL experience coming into this season. His best season in the NHL came back in 2008-09 with the Anaheim Ducks, where he tallied 32 points (8G-24A) in 48 games played after making the jump to the NHL mid-season.

Today was Ebbett's first call up to Pittsburgh this season. He's one of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' alternate captains and has consistently been one of the best forwards on the WBS Penguins night in and night out.

On the season, Ebbett ranks third on the team in scoring with 15 points (6G-9A) in 18 games played. He's been in the top-six forward group most if not all year, and has been a regular on the power play and penalty kill. He's not the biggest, most physical forward in the Penguins system, but his skating, puck management and vision on the ice is as good as advertised.

Sill, who was recently re-assigned to the AHL on Friday night, appeared in one game with the NHL Penguins earlier this season and is looking to get in some games in his second NHL stint.The 5th year pro played in 276 AHL games before getting his first NHL nod didn't have to wait more than 48 hours for his second chance.

Sill is your prototypical 4th line muck and grind type forward, who plays a hard-nosed but smart game. Sill scored a goal in his return to the AHL Penguins last night, but isn't known for his offensive game. Sill has been a staple on the AHL Pens penalty kill this season and was a big reason the PK was so effective last season as well.

It will be interesting to see if there is any more player movement in the organization as the AHL Penguins are down to 12 healthy forwards if both Nick Drazenovic and Pierre-Luc Leblond are still not ready for Wednesday's game against the Adirondack Phantoms.

The AHL Penguins have already tapped into their ECHL affiliate's forward depth as the AHL Pens recalled forwards Denver Manderson and Cody Sylvester from the Wheeling Nailers earlier this week. If another forward from the Nailers gets the call, the best options seem to be Carter Rowney and Anton Zlobin.

I plan on attending tomorrow's scheduled WBS Penguins practice at The Ice Rink at Coal Street. Follow Highland Park Hockey on Twitter (@H_P_Hockey) for all the latest news from practice. I'll post an update on the roster tomorrow afternoon.

Third Period Penguins Tally Five, Hartzell Wins AHL Debut

Saturday, November 23, 2013
Photo courtesy of @ItsJacki

Through two periods of play tonight, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were out shot 26-9 and for the most part, outplayed by the St. John's IceCaps. Luckily for them, Eric Hartzell brought his A+ game in his AHL debut and gave his team a chance entering the third period trailing 1-0.

What the Pens did in the third period was more than completely unexpected. Five goals on ten shots later, they skate away with a 5-2 victory.  The Pens have been the AHL's best third period team all season, now outscoring opponents 31-10 in the final frame, but the real story tonight is the play in net from the Pens rookie goaltender.

Hartzell was tested early and often, stopping all 12 first period shots he faced and 25 of 26 through the first two periods. It's not like the IceCaps were padding Hartzell's stats either. The Pens put themselves in penalty trouble seven times in the first two periods, including a Nick D'Agostino double minor.

It wasn't until the seventh power play of the night that the IceCaps took a 1-0 lead. Eric O'Dell tapped home the rebound of Brenden Kitchon shot 10:08 into the second period.

In the third period, the Pens started to show signs of life. They went on the power play about five minutes into the final frame and tied the game at 1-1 when Tom Kostopoulos found a loose puck from a Dominik Uher shot. Kostopoulos' 7th of the season was scored where most of his goals have come - in front of the net.

On the next shift, Bobby Farnham crashes the net and follows up a D'Agostino shot with a leaping swat at the puck that squeaks past Eddie Pasquale. Two goals in 29 seconds and all of a sudden, a grim 1-0 deficit turns into a 2-1 lead for the home team.

The IceCaps weren't going to pack it in from there, tying the game at 2-2 on O'Dell's second power play goal of the night with 6:03 left in regulation. 


About two and a half minutes later, it was the Penguins turn on the power play. Andrew Ebbett made a great play-fake, acting as if he was going to send a cross-ice pass down low to Kostopoulos. Instead, he sneaks a well-placed wrist shot between the legs of Pasquale to re-gain the Penguins lead at 3-2.

A tough third period for Pasquale, who only faced nine shots in the first 40 minutes of play. After Ebbett's goal, Pasquale broke his stick in half out of obvious frustration. With Pasquale frustrated, the Penguins wasted no time, pushing forward on the next shift with the 4th line on the ice.

Zach Sill, in his first game back with the AHL Penguins, threw a puck on net from a bad angle in the corner and caught a nice bounce. The puck deflected off an IceCaps defenseman and trickled past Pasquale just 17 seconds after Ebbett made it 3-2.

The Penguins added an empty net goal to cap the scoring (no pun intended) at 5-2 after Farnham hustled down the ice to a loose puck. Farnham's diving poke check of the puck hit the post, but Jayson Megna was right there at the top of the crease to tap the puck home. With the goal, Megna extends his point streak to five games (4G-1A) as he has recorded a point in every game since his return from the NHL. So much for that NHL hangover.

The Penguins next game is Wednesday night on Thanksgiving Eve up in Glens Falls against the Adirondack Phantoms. The Pens are scheduled to practice Monday and Tuesday, so I'll have an update from practice before they take to the road for upstate New York.

ROSTER NOTES

Eric Hartzell made his first career AHL start and was nothing short of spectacular, stopping 29 of 31 shots in his debut, picking up his first AHL win.

Zach Sill, Bobby Farnham and Nick D'Agostino returned to the WBS lineup, replacing Denver Manderson, Cody Sylvester and Dustin Stevenson, respectively.

Forwards Nick Drazenovic and Pierre Luc Leblond are still out of the lineup and are in that "day-to-day" status.

Defensemen Reid McNeill and Peter Merth are also 
Lines

Zolnierczyk - Megna - Conner
Kuhnhackl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Uher - Carman - Thompson
Farnham - Sill - Payerl

Despres - Samuelsson
Harrington - Dumoulin
D'Agostino - Mikkelson

#AHL Game Preview: #WBSPens Host #IceCaps

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins look to avenge last night's loss tonight when they rematch the St. John's IceCaps at 7:05 p.m. EDT in the second of four meetings between the teams. Goaltender Eric Hartzell is scheduled to make his AHL debut tonight in net for the Penguins.

The Penguins (11-4-0-2) headed into this weekend winners of three straight before last night's 2-1 loss to the IceCaps. Jayson Megna's three game goal scoring streak was snapped, but Megna did assist on the Pens' lone goal in the first period last night. Harry Zolnierczyk scored the goal, giving him a team-leading eight goals on the season.

The IceCaps (8-7-1-2) were coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of the Worcester Sharks last weekend. They are lead offensively by forwards Eric O'Dell and Jason Jaffray. After an up and down season last year, the IceCaps look to get things back on track in 2013-14.

Expected Starting Goaltenders

WBS - Eric Hartzell: First AHL Start
STJ - Jussi Olkinuora: 0-2-1, 3.95 GAA, .876 SV%, 0 SO

Expected Penguins Lineup

Zolnierczyk - Megna - Conner
Kuhnhackl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Uher - Carman - Thompson
Manderson/Farnham - Sill - Payerl/Manderson

Samuelsson - Despres
Harrington - Dumoulin
D'Agostino/Stevenson - Mikkelson

IceCaps Freeze Penguins 2-1

Friday, November 22, 2013
Tonight's game can be summed up rather easily. In a low-scoring tight game, you need to capitalize on any chances your team is given if you hope to win. Going 0-for-6 on the power play, including passing up a 5-on-3 power play late in the third period, is not a recipe for success.

Give credit to St. John's IceCaps' goalie Eddie Pasquale, who made 31saves on 32 shots and played a heck of a game, but the lack of finish from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins is what did them in tonight.

The Penguins were off and running again tonight in the first period, dominating play and spending much of the period in the offensive zone. The goals weren't coming, but that changed 13:23 into the first when Jayson Megna and Harry Zolnierczyk broke into the zone on a 2-on-1 after a nice play from Chris Conner.

Megna carried the puck down the wing, and at the last possible second, flipped a pass across the top of the crease for an easy tap-in goal from Zolnierczyk. Megna's three game goal scoring streak was snapped tonight, but a four game point streak since returning to Pittsburgh is still going strong.

The IceCaps seemed to have the extra step after the Pens' goal and tied the game at 1-1 about three minutes later on a nice shot from IceCaps defenseman Travis Ehrhardt. From there it was much of the same. The Penguins pressuring the IceCaps, but either failing to convert on their chances or being stopped by Pasquale.

The IceCaps took a 2-1 lead late in the second period after a wave of pressure caught the Penguins off-guard.

That would cap the scoring for the night. Add in some more missed chances by the Penguins, most notably a Tom Kostopoulos shot that hit the crossbar and went straight down. The light never came on and the referee waived no goal, but they reviewed it just to be sure.

Not a bad showing defensively from the Penguins, who've allowed just four goals in the last three games, but they'll certainly be looking to finish off the play when these two teams rematch at the Mohegan Sun Arena again tomorrow night.

Megna, Sylvester Lead #WBSPens Past Rochester

Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came into Rochester looking to play a sound defensive hockey game, a typical road game style. They nailed it to a tee tonight in a 3-1 victory over the Rochester Americans.

The Penguins came out ready to play and had several point blank chances on Amerks goaltender Matt Hackett, but the Rochester goalie managed to keep the puck out of his net until a late first period penalty to Colton Gillies gave the Pens a chance on the power play.

The Pens didn't score on the power play, but found the back of the net shortly after Gillies left the penalty box. Tom Kostopoulos tipped home the point shot of Scott Harrington to give WBS a 1-0 lead with 3.9 seconds left in the opening frame.

BREAKING: #WBSPens Recall Four From #Nailers

Monday, November 18, 2013
With forwards Brian Gibbons and Zach Sill called up to Pittsburgh, and Nick Drazenovic and Pierre Luc Leblond inactive at WBS Penguins practice today, the AHL Penguins needed to call up a forward from Wheeling for Wednesday night's game up in Rochester. Instead, the Penguins call in for re-inforcements.

Forwards Denver Manderson and Cody Sylvester, defenseman Dustin Stevenson and goaltender Eric Hartzell have been re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL). In addition, the Penguins loaned goaltender Peter Mannino to Wheeling (ECHL).

Manderson (2G-7A) and Sylvester (5G-1A) have been two of Wheeling's best up front through 12 games. Stevenson tallied five assists and a plus nine rating in nine games with the Nailers after returning from a lower body injury. Hartzell had been playing well too, posting a shutout in his first career win at the pro level.

The moves come two days before the Penguins take to the road for a Wednesday night game against Rochester.


Penalty Parade: #WBSPens Defeat Hershey Bears 3-1

Saturday, November 16, 2013
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Hershey Bears for the fourth time this season, winning 3-1 and thwarting the Bears offensive attack after allowing an early first period goal. Jeff Deslauriers picked up his 9th win of the season, stopping 21 of 22 shots.

The Bears got off to a good start in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead 1:55 into the game when Derek Whitmore finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play past Jeff Deslauriers to put the Bears in front on the first shot of the hockey game.

From there, referees Darcy Burchell and Pierre Lambert became very active, whistling seven minor penalties in less than a 13 minute span.

Brian Gibbons stole a puck while shorthanded and on his breakaway went top shelf on David Leggio to tie the game at 1-1. Gibbons then took a penalty on the next shift, but Deslauriers and the Pens' penalty killers were able to get the job done.

After five-on-three power plays for each team went by the wayside, Chris Conner fed Nick Drazenovic and Drazenovic made no mistake, deking Leggio out of his way and giving the Penguins a 2-1 lead late in the first period.

PREVIEW: AHL Penguins Host Hershey Tonight at 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) host the Hershey Bears (HER) tonight at 7:05 p.m. EDT in what is the fourth of 12 meetings between the two rival teams this season. The Pens are a perfect 3-0 against the Bears so far this season, and look to make it four in a row with a home win tonight.

The Penguins are coming off a 5-3 win over East Divison foe Syracuse. Hershey, meanwhile, is coming off a successful weekend in Charlotte, where they beat the Checkers 8-1 Thursday night in their most recent game.

Nick Drazenovic leads the Penguins in scoring against the Bears this season with four assists. Chris Conner has two goals against Hershey as well. For the Bears, forwards Jeff Taffe and Dane Byers have a goal and an assist each against the Penguins this season. Penguins goaltender Jeff Deslauriers is 3-0-0 against Hershey this season with a 1.63 GAA and .925 SV%. Bears netminder Philip Grubauer is 2-0-1 in his last three starts.

Crunched: #WBSPens Defeat Syracuse 5-3

Friday, November 15, 2013
In Syracuse, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) get back on track with a 5-3 win tonight over the Syracuse Crunch, aided by a fast start in a three-goal first period. The Penguins return home for a Saturday night matchup with the Hershey Bears. The Crunch look to bounce back tomorrow night when they host Albany.

The Pens were off and running in the first period, scoring three goals on seven shots. First it was Simon Despres blasting a shot from the point past Crunch goaltender Riku Helenius 2:26 into the contest. Brendan Mikkelson picked up the lone assist.

During some four-on-four hockey midway through the first period, Despres was at it again, setting up Jayson Megna for his 4th goal of the season in his first game back with the AHL Penguins. No signs of an NHL hangover for Megna.

The Crunch tried to get back into the game with physical play, but Reid McNeill answered the challenge from Crunch captain Mike Angelidis and went to town on the opposing forward. Just 38 seconds later, Joey Mormina came flying into the WBS crease and jumped Brendan Mikkelson in a one-sided affair.

From there, the Penguins continued to control play. They got a late power play and made the Crunch pay, with a point shot from Despres bouncing off Chris Conner's skate and into the net giving WBS a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. A big period from Despres, who tallied a goal and two assists.

Pens Prospect Wilson Leads UMass Lowell Past Penn State



I got a chance to watch UMass Lowell (UML) and the Penguins' 7th round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Scott Wilson, take on Penn State at the newly built Pegula Ice Arena. Wilson, in his third season at UML, did not disappoint.

Adam Chapie opened the scoring 1:50 into the contest for UML after Wilson made a play at the blue line to get the puck down low to a teammate which created the scoring chance. Wilson's vision and poise with the puck was unmatched all night. He simply looked like a man among boys out there.

Wilson scored a goal of his own in the second period to make it 2-0 UML, before leading scorer and freshman Derek Arnold tallied back-to-back goals for UML to close out their 4-0 win tonight. The two teams rematch Friday night.

The thing I noticed about Wilson that I was unaware of is his physical play. He took two minor penalties, one a goal-saving hooking minor and the other a big hit along the benches, but his tenacity on the forecheck and ability to get his opponents rattled and off their game was what impressed me the most. Wilson, an alternate captain on UML, now has eight points (2G-6A) in 11 games this season.

Megna Re-Assigned, Ruopp Loaned to Wheeling & A Look At #WBSPens Heading Into Weekend

Thursday, November 14, 2013

BREAKING: Check back either later tonight or tomorrow morning for a look at the Penguins 7th round draft pick from 2011, forward Scott Wilson. Wilson is currently playing for UMass Lowell (Hockey East) and I will be live from the Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pa, tonight as UMass Lowell takes on the Penn State Nittany Lions at 7:00 p.m. EDT. I'll have in-game updates on Twitter and some photos of the rink on our Instagram page.

Lots of things going on in the Penguins organization today.

Forward Jayson Megna has been re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

I mentioned the possibility of Megna returning yesterday in my practice post, but I wasn't expecting he would be in the AHL Penguins lineup tomorrow night when the Pens take on the Syracuse Crunch. Guys in Pittsburgh were getting healthy and with Megna being the only waiver-exempt forward, it comes as no surprise that he's the odd man out.

Three points (2G-1A) in six NHL games for Megna, who comes back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) during a completely different streak. When Megna left for Pittsburgh, the AHL Pens were a perfect 6-0-0-0 and off to a hot start. Since Megna's departure, they have won two of their last seven games.

The logjam at forward might have been relieved at the NHL level but at the AHL level, the Penguins have decisions to make up front heading into this weekend. The only injured forward on the roster currently is Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond, leaving WBS with 15 healthy forwards.

Judging by the lines in practice yesterday, I would expect the three healthy scratches to come from this list of guys fighting for a spot in the lineup: Anton Zlobin, Mike Carman, Paul Thompson, Adam Payerl and Bobby Farnham

Megna played primarily with Gibbons, Zolnierczyk and Conner while in the AHL, so I would pencil him in on the top line right wing and bump Conner to the third line with Drazenovic. Kuhnhackl and Ebbett have been often paired together this season and Kostopoulos has been in the top six most of the season, so I wouldn't expect that line to change. Here's my best crack at the potential WBS lineup heading into the weekend:

Zolnierczyk - Gibbons - Megna
Kuhnhackl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Uher - Drazenovic - Conner
Farnham/Carman - Sill - Thompson/Payerl

The WBS Penguins also made a roster move today, sending defenseman Harrison Ruopp to their ECHL affiliate in Wheeling. Ruopp to the Nailers makes sense as WBS is already carrying eight defenseman.

On the WBS blue line, Peter Merth is the only injured body and he has resumed skating this week so his status should be more like the usual "day-to-day" status Hynes gives most guys who are banged up, like Leblond for example.

From looking at the new defense pairings, I think it's safe to say that Reid McNeill is going to get in some more games this weekend:

Despres - Samuelsson
Dumoulin - Harrington
Mikkelson - McNeill
D'Agostino

Nick D'Agostino had a tough game last Friday against Albany and McNeill stepped into his place Sunday in Springfield. During Sunday's game, the pairing of Dumoulin-Harrington looked solid and might be just what the doctor ordered for Dumoulin, who has been off to a slow start coming off an injury in the preseason.

Between the pipes, Jeff Deslauriers (7-2-2) has started 10 of the team's first 13 games and is the clear number one goaltender for WBS right now. Peter Mannino is the backup, but after allowing five goals Friday night, the Penguins will probably roll with Deslauriers at least on Friday if not both games this weekend if his play merits it. 

Wednesday's #WBSPens Practice Update

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Andrew Ebbett (left) and Brian Gibbons (right) look on during this morning's practice at The Ice Rink at Coal Street.
Almost a full boat at The Ice Rink at Coal Street this morning as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins prepare for this weekend's games against the Syracuse Crunch (Friday night) and Hershey Bears (Saturday night).

Only forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond (lower body) was missing from practice today. He's listed as day-to-day. Defenseman Peter Merth resumed skating and came out before the main practice to shoot around, but left once the main practice began. Merth is still about a week or so away. Everyone else, including defenseman Harrison Ruopp, skated in full today.

Nick Drazenovic, who has missed the team's last three games, practiced again today and was the center on the third line. Drazenovic should be ready to go this weekend. 

Here's an interesting stat to think about today, although I don't think it's the reason why the Penguins have cooled off after a fast start:
The WBS Penguins are a perfect 6-0-0-0 with Jayson Megna in the lineup. Since his departure to Pittsburgh, the AHL Penguins are just 2-3-0-2.
Megna has been playing well so far this season, his second year of professional hockey. Megna has five points (3G-2A) in six games at the AHL level and three points (2G-1A), including his first NHL goal, in six games with the NHL Penguins. With injured forwards on their way back in Pittsburgh, Megna could find himself back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) by the end of November.

The Penguins practice again tomorrow before traveling to Syracuse for Friday night's game up in New York. They will then travel home to host the Hershey Bears on Saturday night.

Lines:

Zolnierczyk - Gibbons - Conner
Kuhnhackl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Carman/Zlobin - Drazenovic - Thompson
Uher - Sill - Farnham/Payerl

Despres - Samuelsson
Harrington - Dumoulin
Mikkelson - McNeill
D'Agostino - Ruopp

Deslauriers - Mannino


Battle of the Birds: Former WBS Captain Ryan Craig Haunts Penguins

Sunday, November 10, 2013
Former WBS captain and current Springfield Falcons captain Ryan Craig scored the game winner against his former team this afternoon.
In a penalty-filled Sunday matinee, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lose their third game this week, falling 4-3 to the Springfield Falcons in regulation. Former WBS Pens captain Ryan Craig scored the game winning goal for the Falcons with 2:43 left in the third period this evening, moments after Simon Despres' 2nd goal of the afternoon had tied things up at 3-3.

The Penguins got off to a slow start in the first period, going shorthanded four times in the opening period and trailing 2-0 after two power play goals by the Falcons put them in front.

Coming into today's game, the Falcons were just 4-for-51 on the man advantage, including 24 straight missed opportunities on the power play. Today, they scored on back-to-back WBS penalties and took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission on goals by Tim Erixon and Spencer Machacek.

The penalties continued to pile on in the second period, as the game got very physical in the middle frame. The Falcons seemed to be targeting the smaller Penguins forwards, Brian Gibbons and Chris Conner, and Harry Zolnierczyk and Dominik Uher both stuck up for their linemates with second period fights.

The teams traded goals in the first half of the period, as Simon Despres finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Tom Kostopoulos for his first of the season, bringing the Pens within one at 2-1. Cody Bass deflected a point shot past Deslauriers midway through the period to restore the Falcons two goal lead at 3-1.

The Penguins surrendered eight power plays to the Falcons through the first 34:38 but got a pair of 5-on-3 power plays of their own late in the 2nd period. Brian Dumoulin picked a corner with 35 seconds left in the middle frame to pull the Pens within a goal at 3-2. Kostopoulos picked up his second assist of the afternoon and Scott Harrington added an assist as well on a big goal late in the period for the Penguins.

After a delay of game call in the final seconds of the 2nd period, the Penguins started the third period with a two-man advantage for 1:01. They were unable to cash in on the two-man advantage to start the third period and let a second 5-on-3 power play go by the wayside midway through the third period.

Despres tied the game at 3-3 shortly after the penalties expired in the middle of the third, but it was the missed opportunities that ultimately cost the Penguins today. After starting the season with a perfect 6-0-0-0 record, the Pens have come back to Earth in their last seven games (2-3-0-2).

ROSTER NOTES
  • Nick Drazenovic missed his third straight game and remains "day-to-day" per head coach John Hynes.
  • Pierre-Luc Leblond missed his first game of the 2013-14 season today after sustaining a lower body injury in Friday night's 6-5 loss to Albany. He's also listed as day-to-day.
  • Peter Merth is still on the injured list and is still at least a week away.
  • Anton Zlobin made his pro debut this afternoon
  • Paul Thompson made his first appearance since October 26th.

Scratches: Merth, Drazenovic, Kuhnhackl, D'Agostino, Ruopp and Leblond

Lines:

Zolnierczyk - Gibbons - Conner
Thompson - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Uher - Carman - Zlobin
Farnham - Sill - Payerl

Despres - Samuelsson
Harrington - Mikkelson
Dumoulin - McNeill


Devils Edge Penguins 6-5

Saturday, November 9, 2013
The Penguins fell behind early and spent much of the night trying to claw their way back into the game. They tied the score at 5-5 early in the third period, but an unfortunate bounce off Brendan Mikkelson ended up in the back of the Penguins net, and the Devils 6-5 lead was enough for the win tonight.

After starting the season with six straight wins, the Penguins are just 2-2-0-2 in their last six games. Tonight wasn't just one or two guys playing bad. The team as a whole played sloppy, as evidenced by the 11-goal game. Turnovers and not capitalizing on two extended 5-on-3 power plays did the Penguins in tonight.

Peter Mannino got the start in net and got off to a rough start, allowing two goals on the first five shots he faced and three on his first nine. In all, Mannino allowed five goals on 19 shots and didn't lead the team onto the ice for the third period. He was replaced by Jeff Deslauriers.

Chris Conner, Tom Kostopoulos and Harry Zolnierczyk each finished with a goal and an assist in the loss, which was also Deslauriers' first regulation loss of the season (7-1-2). The team has a rare Saturday off, before taking to the road for a Sunday afternoon tilt with the Springfield Falcons.

ROSTER NOTES

Nick Drazenovic missed his second straight game after first being held out of Tuesday's practice. Head coach John Hynes said earlier this week that Drazenovic is "day-to-day".

Other than that, the same lineup for the WBS Penguins with a little different look up front:

Zolnierczyk - Gibbons - Conner
Payerl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Kuhnhackl - Carman - Uher
Leblond - Sill - Farnham

Despres - Samuelsson
Harrington - Mikkelson
Dumoulin - D'Agostino

UPDATE: Tuesday's #WBSPens Practice

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

As the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins prepared for their first weeknight game of the season at The Ice Rink at Coal Street today, forward Nick Drazenovic wasn't on the ice. With Chris Kunitz's second straight absence from practice and Beau Bennett and James Neal not ready to return to the lineup, is it possible Drazenovic is on his way to Pittsburgh?

Drazenovic had his best performances of the season to date this past weekend, tallying four assists in two games and bringing his point total to nine points (1G, 8A) through his first ten games. I didn't see anything this weekend that would make sense as to why he wasn't on the ice the day before the AHL Penguins' next game, tomorrow night at home against Syracuse, though a personal day or maintenance day could be the explanation as well.

Also missing from practice today was defenseman Reid McNeill, who replaced Brendan Mikkelson on the blue line Saturday night in Hershey after Mikkelson took the warmup skate, was seen talking to WBS trainer Kyle Moore multiple times throughout the skate and was later a late scratch. Mikkelson practiced today and looks ready to return to the lineup tomorrow night.

Anton Zlobin practiced in full with the team today and is looking to make his pro debut after missing the entire preseason and season to date after having off-season shoulder surgery. Zlobin looked good in practice today, and his right handed shot is something the Penguins are lacking. Only three other players on the entire roster (Paul Thompson, Tom Kostopoulos and Adam Payerl) are right handed shots, so that's something to keep an eye on this week as well.

Here's the lines I jotted down at practice today:

Kuhnhackl - Gibbons - Conner
Payerl - Ebbett - Kostopoulos
Uher - Carman - Zolnierczyk
Leblond - Sill - Farnham/Thompson
Zlobin

Despres - Samuelsson
Harrington -Mikkelson
Dumoulin - D'Agostino

Deslauriers - Mannino


Jekyll and Hyde - #WBSPens Score Four Unanswered Goals in 4-2 Win

Saturday, November 2, 2013
Coming into tonight's game, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have been a come-from-behind kind of team with strong third periods. Tonight, they score four unanswered goals, three of which came in the 2nd period, to overcome a 2-0 deficit and sweep the weekend home-and-home series with the Hershey Bears. The Pens improve to 8-1-0-1 on the season.
 
The Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period. David Kolomatis' shot deflected in off a Penguins' defender and Jeff Taffe jumped on a loose puck and beat Deslauriers 1:59 later. Not the start the Penguins were looking for, but they came ready to play in the second period.

Trailing 2-0, the Penguins jumped all over the Bears in the middle frame. Brian Gibbons set up Chris Conner for his first goal since returning from Pittsburgh to cut the Bears lead in half. Harry Zolnierczyk tallied his 5th of the season at exactly the midway point of the hockey game. Nick Drazenovic and Dominik Uher added the assists on the game tying goal.

The Penguins weren't done in the second period, as Philip Samuelsson unleashed a blast from the point that deflected in off Tom Kuhnhackl to give the Pens a 3-2 lead in the last minute of the 2nd period. and Simon Despres added an assist in a a 2nd period dominated by the Penguins. The Pens out shot the Bears 22-9 in the middle frame.

The Bears returned the pressure in the third period, but the Penguins killed off three straight third period power plays and added a shorthanded goal by Andrew Ebbett en route to the 4-2 victory.

Jeff Deslauriers picked up the win, stopping 22 of 24 shots like he did against the Bears last night. Deslauriers has yet to lose in regulation, as his record improves to 7-0-1.

Comeback Kids - Penguins Win OT Thriller

Friday, November 1, 2013

A wild one in Wilkes-Barre sees the Penguins overcome a 2-1 third period deficit to the Hershey Bears and win 3-2 with 27.4 seconds left in overtime.

Brendan Mikkelson tallied the winning goal that sent those at Mohegan Sun Arena into a frenzy. It was Mikkelson's 2nd game-winning OT goal of the season. Team captain Tom Kostopoulos and Nick Drazenovic added the assists on the winner and both had a good night on the score sheet. Kostopoulos finished with a goal and two assists. Drazenovic tallied three assists.

The win stops a two-game slide for the Penguins, who had started the season with six straight victories. These two teams will rematch tomorrow night in Hershey.

Kostopoulos tied the game at 2-2 with a James Neal-esque goal off a set play on an offensive zone face-off with 12:56 left in the third period. Before the face-off, Drazenovic motioned to Kostopoulos to move to exactly where he won the offensive zone draw. It's a good thing Kostopoulos obliged. He ripped a shot off the face-off that stunned Bears netminder Philip Grubauer.

Scary play with 5:14 left in regulation as Bears forward Dane Byers took a run at Simon Despres and connected with a big hit up high on the Pens defenseman, sending Despres' helmet flying off his head and starting a brawl on the ice. Byers was assessed a major for fighting, a major for charging and a game misconduct. Despres went to the WBS bench and returned to the ice for the start of overtime. I'm sure the Penguins will be sending the tape to the league for further discipline.

Dominik Uher scored a power play goal late in the first period, his third goal of the season. Uher only managed four goals in his 53-game rookie season last year, so big strides offensively for the fiesty Czech forward so far this season.

Jeff Deslauriers got the start in net tonight and picked up his 6th win of the season, stopping 22 of the 24 shots he faced tonight. It wouldn't surprise me if Peter Mannino took the net tomorrow night against these same Bears.

#AHL GAME PREVIEW: #WBSPens Host Hershey at 7:05 P.M. EDT


The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS) host the Hershey Bears (HER) tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena. This will be the first of a home-and-home series between the two teams this weekend. Puck drop scheduled at 7:05 p.m. EDT.

Follow all of tonight's action on Highland Park Hockey's official Twitter! Follow @H_P_Hockey for in-game updates and breaking news.

You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram!

Expected Starters in Net
WBS - Jeff Deslauriers (5-0-1, 2.47 GAA, .901 SV%, 0 SO)
HER - Philip Grubauer (1-2-0, 2.64 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO)

Expected Lines for WBS 

Chris Conner - Nick Drazenovic - Tom Kostopoulos 
Dominik Uher - Brian Gibbons - Harry Zolnierczyk 
Tom Kuhnhackl - Andrew Ebbett - Adam Payerl
Pierre-Luc Leblond - Zach Sill - Bobby Farnham

Philip Samuelsson - Simon Despres
Brendan Mikkelson - Scott Harrington
Brian Dumoulin - Reid McNeill

WBS Scratches: Peter Merth, Harrison Ruopp, Anton Zlobin, Mike Carman, Nick D'Agostino and Paul Thompson