Chirps from Center Ice

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This is a classic game to show a new hockey fan to get them hooked on the sport and possibly the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

On the road, at a rival, coming off a gut wrenching overtime loss two nights prior, the Penguins scratch out a 4-3 shootout win against the Hershey Bears Friday night.

They get a late goal from Avery Hayes setup by Rutger McGroarty who factored into every non-shootout goals this evening which tied the game late and then a thill a second overtime saw no scoring and then a shootout round that saw Ville Koivunen score the only goal in the round. Koivunen also scored a goal in regulation.

Sergei Murashov stopped 27 shots. The Penguins also got scoring from Owen Pickering.

Amazing how an edge of your seat game like this makes things feel a bit better for a Penguins team that lacks any serious scoring threat because they are either hurt or playing for another team at the present time. And to do so where they trailed for a large portion of the third period and win in comeback fashion.

Would make a new hockey fan hungry from more, right?

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Joona Koopanen is the latest add to the Penguins infirmary, lower body with no timetable. All others status quo. Tristan Broz has a lower body injury. Zach Urdahl came in for Koppanen.

First Period: Disaster start for the Pens, taking a penalty at :21 and then Ilya Protas scoring at :43 to make it 1-0 Bears.

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But then the Pens clamped down from there and played quite well.

They limited the Bears chances from there.

Gabe Klassen wins a face-off to Phil Kemp, playing in his 300th game, who finds Owen Pickering who scores to tie the game.

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Wilkes-Barre was cycling in their zone for a good bit but then took what I thought was a momentum busting penalty, but they killed that with literal ease and then Rutger McGroarty finds Ville Koivunen for a goal that made it 2-1.

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Second Period: Disaster start for Hershey? They take a penalty :32 into the period.

Nope.

Grant Cruikshank comes flying in like a bat out of hell and beats Murashov shorthanded to tie the game at two.

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The five forwards on the power play experiment quickly ended after that.

Later, Andrew Cristall chops a puck in for a 3-2 Hershey lead. Three Penguins standing stationary puck watching here.

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Bears outshot the Penguins 16-10 in the period and just flattened any chances that the Pens mustered in the period.

Third Period: No disaster starts here and the Penguins were pushing for the first 10+ minutes of the period with no results.

Hershey takes a puck over glass penalty with about 5 minutes left to play but the Penguins never got rooted in the offensive zone for any threats.

But then McGroarty notches his third assist of the game to find Avery Hayes for the Sidney Crosby-esque knee drop goal far post that ties the game at three.

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No further regulation scoring.

Overtime: Thrill a second, but not in a good way for Wilkes-Barre / Scranton. Louie Belpedio misses an empty net. Matt Dumba, who I thought had a decent, quiet defensive game, was shaky in overtime, stumbling while defending and then turning over the puck on the same shift that Sergei Murashov had to bail him out on.

Kirk MacDonald called his timeout to settle his team and it worked, but there was only :56 left on the clock. Gabe Klassen had two great looks but wasn’t able to beat Clay Stevenson.

Shootout: Murashov stops Ivan Miroshnichenko in the top of the first, Ville Koivunen flips one upstairs on Clay Stevenson in the bottom of the first, Ilya Protas, Aaron Huglen can’t score in the second with 9,000 moves combined between the two and then Sergei Murashov shopped Brett Leason in the third to secure the extra point.

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Three Stars: 3) Bogdan Trineyev (two assists) 2) Rutger McGroarty (three assists) 1) Ville Koivunen (goal, assist, shootout goal)

The Good: Great to shower off the stink of the disappointing overtime loss on Wednesday with a gritty come from behind road win at your biggest rival.

The Bad: I thought the Penguins were the better team at five on five and probably deserved to win in regulation but not starting on time, and giving up a shorthanded goal shows that yeah, this is a great team, but they still have shortcomings.

Turning Point: The Hayes goal that tied it late gets it here.

Around the Division: Hartford beats Bridgeport 3-2….Charlotte scores eight, but gives up five against Lehigh Valley but still win….Providence beats Belleville 2-1 in overtime and Springfield beats Toronto 4-3 in overtime.

Standings: Penguins 58 – Providence 57 – Charlotte 49 – Hershey and Lehigh Valley 42 – Bridgeport and Hartford 37 – Springfield 34

Wheeling Update: Nailers win 3-1 at home against Reading. Matty De St. Phaille had a goal and Taylor Gauthier stopped 31.

Video Highlights: AHL VideoCenter is the call here.

Charlotte is in for a 6:05 Saturday start. Don’t be late and bring a friend.

Let’s Go Pens!

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The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins have a legitimate chance to get a First Round bye and make a deep 2026 Calder Cup Playoff run.

There’s one player holding them back.

Matt Dumba.

On the ice for all three Belleville goals scored on a lazy Wednesday night game in Wilkes-Barre, the sub .500 Belleville Senators team steals one winning 3-2 in overtime.

Since Dumba’s arrival about a month ago after clearing waivers, he’s been an abject disaster.

• I have random, casual, sometimes readers of this blog come up to me and tell me that he looks like he just doesn’t care.
• Team worst -5 in 13 games.
• Every time something bad happens to the Penguins, it’s usually directly or indirectly caused by #24.

Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe he’s content at, at 32, to live out his playing days on buses playing in the minor leagues collecting $2,600,000 for the remainder of the season.

But, where is the accountability? Where is it? If Finn Harding was making these same mistakes and putting forth a, “LOL I just don’t give a crap anymore” attitude on skates, he would be buried in Wheeling. Kirk MacDonald doesn’t get a pass here. Unless he is under strict orders from Pittsburgh to write Dumba’s name in with indelible ink every Penguins game day, he bears some of the blame too.

It’s just mind numbing watching him play.

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Four on four, puck played to him at the point, like it would in 3,000 other simulations and he’s not ready for it. Then, at center ice, he stops skating for a split second leaving his man to get by him for a breakaway and a goal.

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Motioning to his defense partner Chase Pietila to cover his space while he goes to the side of the net to watch a guy dish to the goal scorer. This tied the game late.

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In overtime he’s in the corner with Aidan McDonough for some reason, they lose out on the puck. McDonough busts his ass to try to get back, Dumba gets tangled up with a trailing Senator then coasts in at the last second when Belleville is celebrating.

Mind. Numbing.

Wilkes-Barre dominated the game in all facets, outshooting the Senators 26-9 after two periods but Leevi Meriläinen stood on his head and kept it tied at one a side. Then Belleville comes out and makes a push, as any team that is being badly outshot does, but a turnover by Meriläinen to Joona Koppanen sets up an Atley Calvert goal that puts the Penguins ahead 2-1.

Oh, while we are still burying Dumba, it was his useless interference call in the third period that put Belleville on a power play. I think he removed a stick from an opposing player, which, going into the rulebook on a Wednesday work night, you are not allowed to do. On said penalty kill, Koppanen blocked a shot and went straight to the locker room and wasn’t seen the remainder of the period.

Directly, indirectly, it doesn’t matter. As long as that check clears, baby!

No other divisional action to speak of, so there’s that. The Penguins have 56 points in first now, and Providence has 55 in second but have five games in hand.

Here’s how Wilkes-Barre lined up, Joona Koppanen for the traded Valtteri Puustinen was the only lineup change.

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Tristan Broz was listed on the ever detailed injury report with what I thought I heard Nick Hart in postgame call and upper body injury.

Perhaps change comes in the form of leaving Dumba out of the lineup when they travel to Hershey Friday. Perhaps another trade is in the works and Dumba is dealt for a 2036 7th round draft pick. Change is needed, and accountability is paramount towards the cause.

I wouldn’t bet on it though.

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Full disclosure. I have been sitting on this headline for a while with the play of Gabe Klassen of recent.

Another goal, this time at a big moment of the third period where it puts Wilkes-Barre / Scranton ahead for good is Klassen’s 10th goal of the season. Penguins win 3-2 in Springfield on Monday afternoon.

Sergei Murashov stopped 25. A goal and an assist for Valtteri Puustinen and Chase Pietila scored his first AHL goal.

Here’s how they lined up:

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Lineup Notes: Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty were back into the lineup. Hayes returned from injury and McGroarty was sent back yesterday. Joona Koppanen went back up to Pittsburgh. Zach Urdahl came out for Zach Gallant. Avery Hayes had a bubble on during the game confirming my speculation that he broke his something in his face.

Tristan Broz was conspicuous by his absence and Nick Hart didn’t even mention him in the benign waste of space “injury report” so I have no idea what’s going on with him. Suspension, sickness, personal matter, your guess is as good as mine.

No changes on the defense pairings.

First Period: Tons of early pressure by the Penguins, shots were 7-1 for the Penguins before Springfield recorded their first shot of the game at 4:48.

But, Wilkes-Barre got lax in its defensive zone when the Thunderbirds finally did establish some offensive zone time, and Simon Robertsson was left unmarked at the top of the crease and after some cycling down low, they found him for a goal at 12:09.

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Not for a lack of effort for the Penguins, Finn Harding hit a post and then Aidan McDonough couldn’t finish a three on one rush.

Second Period: They kept to the game plan, and the breaks went their way.

Four power plays awarded to them helped, by Springfield’s penalty. kill is good and stingy. This helped swing momentum to the Penguins, where Valtteri Puustinen tied the game at one.

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Aidan McDonough’s shot blocked by Calle Rosen and the puck goes straight to Puustinen who scores.

Puustinen would continue to aid the offense, dropping a pass to Chase Pietila who scored his first AHL goal with this one here tht made it 2-1.

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Shots were 18-8 in the period, largely aided by the four power plays awarded to the Penguins in the period.

Third Period: Springfield didn’t have a power play all game and it wasn’t a “lets call one on the Penguins” situation for Austin O’Rourke or Johnny Daniels, this was a legit high sticking penalty on Ville Koivunen which drew blood.

Matthew Peca would cash in the goal when a high shot from the point looked to be gloved by Murashov but deflected and struck Murashov and went right to McGing for the goal that tied it at two.

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But this was a lesson of, “a hockey game is 60 minutes and not moments” so the Penguins, methodically as they were, hem in the Thunderbirds for a good minute and then Rutger McGroarty connects with Gabe Klassen for the go ahead goal.

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What a find and what a revelation Gabe Klassen has been for this team.

The question was would Springfield net another. With a late power plat and with their goaltender Vadim Zherenko pulled after an unsuccessful power play, they would not find the equalizing goal.

Three Stars: 3) Vadim Zherenko (45 saves) 2) Gabe Klassen (goal) 1) Valtteri Puustinen (goal, assist)

The Good: This was a gritty road win.

The Bad: It shouldn’t have been. Springfield just fired their coach and isn’t really contending. Maybe the change at head coach kick starts them in the right direction and this is a game they can build on, but thePenguins should have won this game going away.

Turning Point: The Klassen goal that put them ahead is the obvious choice here.

Around the Division: Break up the Bridgeport Islanders, who have won five in a row, clipping an all of a sudden slumping Lehigh Valley Phantoms team who have lost four in a row. Islanders win 6-2.

Standings: Penguins and Providence 55 – Charlotte 47 – Lehigh valley 42 – Hershey 40 – Bridgeport 37 – Hartford 33 – Springfield 32

Wheeling Update: The Nailers were off.

Video Highlights: Likely on your own for these, AHL VideoCenter is your best bet at some point.

Back at it Wednesday when Belleville stops in for their only visit of the season. Weekend Preview will be up around lunch time.

Let’s Go Pens!