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Teddy Blueger

PENGUINS PROSPECTS HIT THE ICE IN BUFFALO THIS WEEKEND

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Jeff Taylor will be among the players who suited up for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins participating in the 2017 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo

Daniel Sprong and Zach Aston-Reese headline the 24-man roster (full roster and player bios) that the Pittsburgh Penguins will send to participate in the 2017 Prospects Challenge held at the HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York from September 8-11.

This year, the Penguins will compete against rookies from the host Buffalo Sabres, the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins. This is Pittsburgh’s first year competing in Buffalo after several years participating in a rookie tournament in London, Ontario.

Pittsburgh will play in the opening game of the Prospects Challenge on Friday, September 8 at 3:30 PM. The Penguins will also play on Saturday, September 9 at 3:30 PM against New Jersey, before concluding with a night contest against the Sabres on Monday, September 11 at 7:00 PM.

All three games will be broadcast live on penguins.nhl.com with Josh Getzoff handling play-by-play duties. Michelle Crechiolo and the Pens’ social media team will be on hand to provide coverage all weekend.

Prior to departing for Buffalo, the Penguins prospects will practice on Thursday, September 7 at 10:30 AM at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. Players, coaches and members of the development staff will be available to the media immediately following practice.

During the Prospects Challenge, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Clark Donatelli will be behind the bench for the Penguins, alongside his assistants, J.D. Forrest and Tim Army.

Sprong, 20, who skated in 18 NHL regular-season games for the Penguins as an 18 year old in 2015-16, has been a member of Pittsburgh’s ‘Black Aces’ taxi squad during the back-to-back Stanley Cup runs. Back in 2015, Sprong used a strong rookie tournament in London, Ontario to eventually make the NHL roster out of training camp, before returning to his junior club in Charlottetown of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Last year, Sprong’s season was delayed by offseason shoulder surgery, but when he returned to the ice, he was one of the most dominant skaters in the QMJHL. In just 31 games with Charlottetown, he produced 32 goals and 59 points, including four hat tricks and a four-goal game.

Aston-Reese, 23, joined the Pittsburgh organization as an undrafted free agent from Northeastern after leading the NCAA in goals (31) and points (63) in 2016-17. In a brief late-season cameo with WBS, Aston-Reese scored three goals and eight points in 10 games.

Here are some tidbits on the remainder of Pittsburgh’s Prospects Challenge roster:

*Five more players in addition to Sprong and Aston-Reese – defensemen Lukas Bengtsson, Ethan Prow and Jeff Taylor; and forwards Teddy Blueger and Thomas Di Pauli – are prospects signed to NHL contracts that have also logged action with WBS.

*Rookie free agent forward Adam Johnson, who inked an entry-level deal with Pittsburgh following a strong showing at the team’s annual prospect development camp in July, will compete in his first game action in a Penguins jersey. Johnson was second on Minnesota-Duluth in goals (18) and points (37) as a sophomore last year.

*Three members of the Penguins’ 2017 draft class will suit up, including top pick Zachary Lauzon. The 18-year-old defenseman was chosen by the Penguins in the second round (51st overall). He will be joined by forward Jan Drozg, a fifth-round (152nd overall) pick, and fellow blueliner Antti Palojarvi, who was selected in the sixth round (186th overall).

*Freddie Tiffels, a 22-year-old 2015 sixth-round (167thoverall) draft pick, will be joining Johnson in seeing his first game action with Pittsburgh following a three-year collegiate career at Western Michigan.

*Of the 24 players attending the Prospects Challenge, 17 attended Pittsburgh’s prospect development camp in July.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2017 Prospects Challenge Schedule

Thursday, September 7

10:30 AM – Practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex

Friday, September 8

9:00 AM – Morning Skate (KeyBank Rink)

3:30 PM – Game vs. Boston (Kaybank Rink)

Saturday, September 9

9:00 AM – Morning Skate (New Wave Energy Rink)

3:30 PM – Game vs. New Jersey (KeyBank Rink)

Monday, September 11

11:00 AM – Morning Skate (New Wave Energy Rink)

7:00 PM – Game vs. Buffalo (KeyBank Rink)

2017-18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

BLUEGER JOINS TEAM LATVIA AFTER EXPECTATION-SHATTERING SEASON

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Teddy Blueger joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins late last season after his college career came to a close. In the 20 games he played, he acclimated himself more than adequately with his responsible two-way game, but posted just one point in that time.

When he returned from a training camp injury to start his first full professional season, more of the same was expected from Blueger: stout defensive play, reliable penalty killing, modest offensive output.

He lived up to the first two of those expectations.

He absolutely crushed the third one.

Blueger concluded the 2016-17 season with 31 points (7G-24A) and added another tally in the playoffs.

“I was hoping to be a little more productive than last year,” Blueger said. “I don’t really think numbers always tell the whole story, so I don’t base my game on that. But it was nice to be able to contribute that way.”

His increased offense surely kept the higher-ups in the Penguins organization smiling, but it clearly turned heads back in his home country, too.

Not long after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season came to a close, the Latvian national team came calling. Blueger will spend the first few weeks of his offseason representing his home country at the IIHF World Championships.

He’s worn sweaters adorning the Latvian coat of arms multiple times before at lower level events, but this is the first time the honor comes on such a large stage.

Blueger (who will be playing under his given name, Teodors Bļugers,) hopes to use the forward steps he took this season in the AHL and apply them to his upcoming international hockey experience.

“I learned a lot this year,” Blueger said. “I enjoyed being given the chance to play in all situations. Even strength, P.K., power play, all that stuff. It was a great experience for me.”

Blueger’s bench boss with the Penguins, Clark Donatelli, reinforced those beliefs that the rookie centerman made the most of any new opportunities presented to him.

“I think he exceeded all expectations, of all of us, in terms of how he was going to do,” Donatelli said. “Teddy put the work in and got the results. Then the more we gave him, the more he took. When he was handed more responsibilities, he ate it up. He had a great year.”

Latvia’s tournament begins on Saturday, May 6 when it takes on Denmark in its first game of the preliminary round. Blueger and his fellow countrymen will face even tougher competition after that, being as Latvia occupies the same group as hockey powerhouses Sweden, Russia and the United States. Blueger’s first country will take on his adopted home on Saturday, May 13.

Regardless of how far the 12th-seeded Latvia goes in the tournament, Blueger won’t be off the ice for long afterwards. Always one of the last players to leave practice during the season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Latvian rink rat wants to focus on refining his skills even more before next year.

“The biggest thing for me is my speed and explosiveness,” Blueger said. “If I could get a little bit quicker, I think that would go a long way for me in today’s game.”

Season ticket packages for the 2017-18 season are on sale now, and available by calling the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 570-208-7367.

To have a Penguins representative contact you with more information, please fill out the form below.

2017-18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Season Ticket Information

PENGUINS FALL IN GAME FOUR TO BRUINS, 4-2

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BOXSCORE

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Providence Bruins defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-2, in Game Four of the Atlantic Division Semifinal on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.  The win allowed the Bruins to remain alive in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, and forced a decisive Game Five on Sunday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre.

The Bruins jumped out to a 4-0 lead that the Penguins eventually cut in half with a third period surge, but the comeback bid by the home team fell short against a Providence squad that was facing elimination.

Wayne Simpson buried his first goal of the playoffs just 1:15 into the game, and Colton Hargrove extended the lead eight minutes later with a power play goal.

Providence tacked on another goal with just 44.4 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Jake DeBrusk uncorked a short-side snipe on a three-on-one rush after taking a feed from Austin Czarnik.

DeBrusk added his second of the game by tipping in a slap shot from Bruins captain Tommy Cross at 14:09 of the second period.

The Penguins got on the board as Dominik Simon picked the pocket of Bruins defenseman Alex Grant and then flipped the puck over to Teddy Blueger, who wired a one-timer to the top corner with under three minutes left before the second intermission.

Simon earned another assist by helping to set up an Ethan Prow goal, making it 4-2 at 9:10 of the third period.

Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith posted 38 saves on the night, including a whopping 20 stops in the second period. Those 20 saves tied Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s franchise playoff record for saves in one period, set five years ago by Brad Thiessen against the St. John’s IceCaps.

Zane McIntyre halted 27 shots for his second win of this postseason.

The final game in the best-of-five series is Sunday, Apr. 30, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Puck drop for Game Five of the Atlantic Division Semifinal is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Individual tickets for Sunday afternoon’s game are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 570-208-7367.

Penguins postseason ticket packages, which include tickets to every home contest during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, are on sale now.  With the purchase of a postseason ticket package, fans will receive a $6 food/merchandise voucher for every home game in the playoffs, as well as their same seat guaranteed. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans can secure their seats for every home game on the Cup run by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

JARRY, PENGUINS SHUT-OUT PHANTOMS, 4-0

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BOXSCORE

 

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins extended their lead atop the Atlantic Division and inched closer to a playoff berth by defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-0 at PPL Center on Saturday night.

The Penguins (45-18-3-0) rode the coat tails of Tristan Jarry and their league-best penalty kill to victory. Jarry stopped all 35 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season, while the P.K. went a perfect nine-for-nine on the night.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the scoring at 12:58 of the first period. Video review confirmed Teddy Blueger snuck a puck past Lehigh Valley goalie Alex Lyon’s short-side, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Penguins’ fourth-line provided the team with a pair of goals in the middle frame. Adam Krause deflected in a shot from the point for his first goal of the season 5:07 into the second period. Jarrett Burton put his stick on a pass from Troy Josephs that beat Lyon through the legs, extending the Penguins lead to 3-0 at 12:18 of the middle frame.

The penalty killing clinic by the Penguins took over from there, neutralizing five-straight man advantages for the Phantoms before Tom Kostopoulos netted a power play goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a mere 1:14 remaining in regulation.

Kostopoulos’ two point night (1G-1A) allowed him reach the 50-point plateau for the seventh time in his career. Zach Aston-Reese notched two assists to extend his career-opening point streak to three games.

Lyon turned aside 26 shots in the loss for the Phantoms.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 26, when it takes on the Utica Comets at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in a Sunday matinée. Puck drop between the Penguins and Comets is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday’s game is also one of three Kids Get In Free games this season.

Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Penguins ticket packages, including 10-voucher flex packs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS WIN FIRST GAME OF BACK-TO-BACK WITH PHANTOMS

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BOXSCORE

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took the first game of a weekend home and home set with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a 4-1 win on Friday night at PPL Center.

The Penguins (42-17-3-0) scored four unanswered goals, including two during a dominant second period in which they outshot the Phantoms, 15-8.

Lehigh Valley struck first, scoring their only goal of the game with a power play goal 6:11 into the first period. Maxim Lamarche one-timed a cross-ice feed past Tristan Jarry on the first man advantage of the game.

Josh Archibald turned the tables on the Phantoms during the second power play of the night, notching his fourth shorthanded goal of the season to tie the game, 1-1. Goalie Alex Lyon’s pass intended for a teammate bounced to Teddy Blueger who found Archibald for a devastating slap shot that found the back of the net at 8:34 of the second period.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton jumped ahead when Ryan Haggerty corralled a puck that ricocheted off the boards behind the net right to his stick and his shot banked off of Lyon, giving the Penguins a 2-1 lead six minutes after Archibald tied things up.

The Penguins extended their lead to 3-1 after Kevin Porter won a face-off directly to Tom Kostopoulos who blasted it over the glove of Lyon with just under ten minutes to play in the third period.

Dominik Simon put the game away with an empty net goal with 1:12 left in regulation.

Jarry turned away 29 shots in a victory for the Penguins. Lyon recorded 28 saves in the loss for the Phantoms.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 18, at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Once again, its opponent will be the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Saturday night is also the Penguins’ annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, for which the team will wear special, one-night-only green sweaters. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Penguins ticket packages, including 10-voucher flex packs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS SHUT-OUT BY DEVILS, 4-0

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BOXSCORE

 

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ three-game win streak came to an end in a 4-0 loss to the Albany Devils at Times Union Center on Friday night.

The Penguins (37-12-3-0) were held scoreless for the fifth time this season while Devils rookie goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all 24 shots he faced to earn the first shutout of his career.

Fifty-eight seconds into the game, the Albany Devils got on the board. A miscue behind the Penguins’ net led to a turnover, allowing Blake Coleman to score and put the Devils up, 1-0.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the rest of the first period or at all in the second. Midway through the middle frame, the Devils’ Ben Sexton appeared to have their second goal of the game after collecting his own rebound after striking the post, but Tristan Jarry thrust his blocker out to the side and made a lunging save.

The Penguins thought they tied the game early in the third period, but Teddy Blueger saw his tally wiped away by the official, who ruled that the rookie kicked the puck across the goal line. Video review confirmed the call, and the score stayed at 1-0.

Sexton doubled the Devils lead after firing a shot past Jarry 11:27 into the final frame. Max Novak made it 3-0 on a three-on-one odd-man rush with just under four minutes to play in regulation.

With just 40 seconds remaining in the third period, Nick Lappin scored an empty-netter, closing out the Devils’ 4-0 victory.

Jarry posted 30 saves in the loss for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins’ penalty kill was a perfect three-for-three in the contest, improving to over 16-for-16 its last three games.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 18, when they take on the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drop between the Penguins and T-Birds is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game isn’t until Wednesday, Mar. 8, and its opponent will be the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Individual game tickets for Mar. 8’s game and all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Penguins ticket packages, including 12-game and 10-voucher flex packs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.

PENGUINS WEEKLY – 2/15/17

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Penguins look ahead to busy weekend still holding first place

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-11-3-0) end of season-long six-game homestand and hit the road

 

Weekly Rewind

Wednesday, Feb. 8 – PENGUINS 0 vs. St. John’s 4
The IceCaps used a four-goal second period to shut-out the Pens and earn the win in their final visit to Mohegan Sun Arena.

Friday, Feb. 10 – PENGUINS 4 vs. Hershey 3 (OT)
The Penguins and Bears delivered another thrilling contest, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made it a perfect four-for-four in overtime this season against their rival. Kevin Porter had a four-point night (1G-4A), including the OT game-winner.

Saturday, Feb. 11 – PENGUINS 4 vs. Binghamton 2
Sahir Gill earned the first two-goal game of his AHL career as the Penguins held off the Senators to win the season series, 5-1-0-0. Jarrett Burton posted his first AHL assist, too.

Tuesday, Feb. 14 – PENGUINS 5 vs. Lehigh Valley 1
The Penguins earned another big win over their division rival, evening the season series at 2-2-0-0. Oskar Sundqvist scored twice while Dominik Simon, J.S. Dea, Teddy Blueger and Gill also put forth two-point performances.

 

The Week Ahead

Friday, Feb. 17 – PENGUINS at Albany
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton travels to upstate New York to take on Albany for first and only time at Times Union Center. The Pens won the two clubs’ first meeting in October, 3-1.

Saturday, Feb. 18 – PENGUINS at Springfield
The Thunderbirds have sunk to sixth place in the Atlantic, but has split the season series with the Pens. Both teams have won twice in four head-to-head clashes in 2016-17.

Sunday, Feb. 19 – PENGUINS at Providence
The Penguins and P-Bruins drop the puck for the fourth of six meetings. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 2-1-0-0 against Providence.

 

Ice Chips

– The Penguins are 11-2-1-0 when coming off of a loss this season.

– The Penguins are 16-1-1-0 in the second game of back-to-backs.

– Team captain Tom Kostopoulos earned his 200th AHL goal with the tying tally in Friday’s contest with Hershey.

– Kevin Porter’s four-point game on Friday was his first since Oct. 9, 2009 when he was a member of the San Antonio Rampage.

– Friday’s game was Garrett Wilson’s 400th professional game.

– Porter has 12 points (2G-10A) in his last nine games.

– Rookie Teddy Blueger has 13 points (2G-11A) in his last 12 games.

– David Warsofsky leads the entire AHL with a plus-32 rating.

– Tristan Jarry leads the league with 22 wins.

 

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pt%
1. PENGUINS 51 37 11 3 0 77 .755
2. Lehigh Valley 49 32 15 2 0 66 .673
3. Providence 50 28 13 5 4 65 .650
4. Bridgeport 48 30 16 1 1 62 .646
5. Hershey 50 25 14 8 3 61 .610
6. Springfield 49 17 23 7 2 43 .439
7. Hartford 49 18 26 3 2 41 .418

 

TEAM LEADERS

SKATERS GP G A PTS
Jake Guentzel*^ 33 21 21 42
Tom Kostopoulos 51 18 22 40
David Warsofsky 36 11 25 36
Oskar Sundqvist 45 16 19 35
Kevin Porter 47 8 25 33

 

GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Tristan Jarry 31 22-8-1 2.21 .921 1
Casey DeSmith* 19 14-3-2 2.34 .911 0

* = rookie
^ = currently with Pittsburgh

 

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE                 OPPONENT     LOCATION                         TIME      

Fri, Feb. 17         Albany              Times Union Center          7:00 p.m.

Sat, Feb. 18      Springfield       MassMutual Center           7:05 p.m.

Sun, Feb. 19     Providence     Dunkin’ Donuts Center     3:05 p.m.

 

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Sat, Feb. 11      (C)      Jarrett Burton                Recalled from WHL

Fri, Feb. 10      (RW)  Josh Archibald                       Recalled by PIT

PENGUINS WEEKLY – 2/7/17

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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton splits first weekend out of All-Star break

Penguins (34-10-3-0) coming off of impressive 7-1 victory over division rival

 

Weekly Rewind

Friday, Feb. 3 – PENGUINS 2 vs. St. John’s 5
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got offensive contributions from two defensemen, but it wasn’t enough to beat the visiting St. John’s IceCaps. Ethan Prow scored his first pro goal, and Derrick Pouliot cashed in on the power play for the Penguins.

 

Saturday, Feb. 4 – PENGUINS 7 vs. Lehigh Valley 1
In the Phantoms’ first trip to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza this season, the Penguins shut them down with a convincing 7-1 victory. Eleven different Penguins recorded a point, while Sahir Gill, Tom Kostopoulos, Kevin Porter, Garrett Wilson and Josh Archibald all had multi-point performances. Archibald tied a career-high with three points (2G-1A), and posted his team-leading third shorthanded goal.

 

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, Feb. 8 – PENGUINS vs. St. John’s
The IceCaps return to face the Penguins for the fourth time this season and final regular season meeting in franchise history. St. John’s leads the season series, 2-1-0-0, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 17-5-1-0 all-time against the IceCaps.

 

Friday, Feb. 10 – PENGUINS vs. Hershey
The resurgent Hershey Bears come to Northeast PA to take on the Penguins. After starting the New Year 2-6-2-1, the Bears have now won four-straight. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton holds a big advantage in the season series, winning seven of nine meetings so far.

 

Saturday, Feb. 11 – PENGUINS vs. Binghamton
The Penguins have gone 4-1-0-0 against the Senators this season as the two teams prepare for their sixth and final meeting of the year. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won the last head-to-head, 6-2 at Binghamton. Saturday’s game is also the Penguins’ Military Appreciation Night.

 

Ice Chips

– The Penguins are 10-2-1-0 when coming off of a loss this season.

– The Penguins are 15-1-1-0 in the second game of back-to-backs.

– Team captain Tom Kostopoulos played in his 600th game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, becoming the 14th person in league history to appear in 600+ contests with one club.

– Friday’s game was Steve Oleksy’s 500th professional game. Oleksy has played in four different leagues over the course of his career (NHL, AHL, ECHL, IHL).

– Rookie Teddy Blueger has nine points (2G-7A) in his last  eight games.

– Josh Archibald is the first Penguin to have three shorthanded goals in a season since 2013-14 (Brian Gibbons, Dominik Uher).

– David Warsofsky leads the entire AHL with a plus-31 rating.

 

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pt%
1. PENGUINS 47 34 10 3 0 71 .755
2. Lehigh Valley 45 30 13 2 0 62 .689
3. Providence 46 26 12 5 3 60 .652
4. Hershey 47 24 13 7 3 58 .617
5. Bridgeport 44 26 16 1 1 54 .614
6. Springfield 45 17 20 6 2 42 .467
7. Hartford 47 17 25 3 2 39 .415

 

TEAM LEADERS

SKATERS GP G A PTS
Jake Guentzel*^ 33 21 21 42
Tom Kostopoulos 47 17 19 36
Oskar Sundqvist 41 14 19 33
David Warsofsky 32 9 24 33
Garrett Wilson 47 11 17 28

 

GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Tristan Jarry 29 20-8-1 2.24 .920 1
Casey DeSmith* 17 13-2-2 2.26 .913 0

* = rookie

^ = currently with Pittsburgh

 

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE                 OPPONENT     LOCATION                         TIME      

Wed, Feb. 8      St. John’s           Mohegan Sun Arena         7:05 p.m.

Fri, Feb. 10        Hershey            Mohegan Sun Arena          7:05 p.m.

Sat, Feb. 11        Binghamton     Mohegan Sun Arena         7:05 p.m.

 

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Mon, Jan. 30   (C)      Carter Rowney                      Recalled by PIT

Thu, Feb. 2      (D)      Brett Stern                     Released from PTO

PENGUINS WEEKLY – 1/31/17

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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has dominant January, cruises into All-Star break

Penguins (33-9-3-0) get set for a six-game home stand out of the break

 

Weekly Rewind

Wednesday, Jan. 25 – PENGUINS 3 vs. Syracuse 2

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prevailed in a tight game thanks to David Warsofsky’s heroic overtime effort. The game-winning goal came with just 1.2 seconds left in the extra frame.

 

Friday, Jan. 27 – PENGUINS 3 at Utica 2

In their first meeting of the season, the Penguins downed the Comets, 3-2. Kevin Porter, Tom Sestito and Cameron Gaunce each recorded two assists in the contest, but Casey DeSmith stole the show with his 27 save effort in the win.

 

Saturday, Jan. 28 – PENGUINS 6 at Binghamton 2

Teddy Blueger and Dominik Simon both had three-point nights as the Penguins rolled into the All-Star break. Three points for Blueger established a new career high. Kostopoulos scored to reach his 500th AHL point.

 

Monday, Jan. 30 – AHL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE

Clark Donatelli’s Atlantic Division All-Stars surrendered only two goals in regulation over the four-game three-on-three tournament, but fell 1-0 (shootout) in the championship game to the Central Division.

 

The Week Ahead

Friday, Feb. 3 – PENGUINS vs. St. John’s

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s first game after the break sees the IceCaps come to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for the first time this season. The two teams split two contests on The Rock back in December.

 

Saturday, Feb. 4 – PENGUINS vs. Lehigh Valley

Lehigh Valley was victorious in the teams’ last game on  Jan. 20 and is 2-0-0-0 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. These two beasts of the East are meeting for just the third time this season with eight more matchups to come.

 

Ice Chips

– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ended the month of January with a 12-2-0-0 record. It was the best the Pens have ever done in Jan. and tied the club record for wins in one month (March, 2008).

– Team captain Tom Kostopoulos became the 91st player in AHL history to achieve 500 career AHL points.

– David Warsofsky’s goal on Wednesday with 1.2 seconds      left in overtime is the latest OT game-winner scored in         Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history

– Warsofsky finished fourth in the CCM Hardest Shot event at the AHL All-Star Skills Competition, unleashing a 98.4 mph slap shot.

– Tristan Jarry allowed only one goal on seven shots faced during the AHL All-Star Challenge. He had the best goals against average of the eight goalies in the tournament (0.33).

 

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pt%
1. PENGUINS 45 33 9 3 0 69 .767
2. Lehigh Valley 43 29 12 2 0 60 .698
3. Providence 45 25 12 5 3 58 .644
4. Bridgeport 42 25 15 1 1 52 .619
5. Hershey 44 21 13 7 3 52 .591
6. Springfield 43 16 19 6 2 40 .465
7. Hartford 45 16 24 3 2 37 .411

 

TEAM LEADERS

SKATERS GP G A PTS
Jake Guentzel*^ 33 21 21 42
Tom Kostopoulos 45 15 18 33
Oskar Sundqvist 39 14 19 33
David Warsofsky 30 9 24 33
two players tied 26

 

GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Tristan Jarry 27 19-7-1 2.21 .921 1
Casey DeSmith* 17 13-2-2 2.26 .913 0

* = rookie

^ = currently with Pittsburgh

 

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE                 OPPONENT     LOCATION                         TIME      

Fri, Feb. 3          St. John’s          Mohegan Sun Arena        7:05 p.m.

Sat, Feb. 4        Lehigh Valley  Mohegan Sun Arena           7:05 p.m.

Wed, Feb. 8      St. John’s          Mohegan Sun Arena         7:05 p.m.

 

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Thu, Jan. 26     (C)      Carter Rowney                      Recalled by PIT

Thu, Jan. 26     (D)      Steve Oleksy                   Reassigned to WBS

Fri, Jan. 27       (C)      Carter Rowney               Reassigned to WBS

Man, Jan. 30    (C)      Carter Rowney                      Recalled by PIT

KOSTOPOULOS EARNS 500TH AHL POINT IN PENGUINS’ 6-2 WIN

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BOXSCORE

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ended their schedule before the All-Star break on a high note by setting a franchise record, seeing their captain hit an historic milestone, and beating the Binghamton Senators, 6-2, on Saturday night at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Penguins (33-9-3-0) set a club record with their 12th win in the month of January, and Tom Kostopoulos became the 91st player in American Hockey League history to earn 500 points in his AHL career.

The Penguins struck first in the contest when Ryan Haggerty unloaded a fireball at the Senators net that burned past Chris Driedger at 10:52 of the opening frame.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton extended its lead when Teddy Blueger used his soccer skills to kick the puck over to a wide open Dominik Simon who wasted no time burying it. Simon’s tally was his sixth of the season and came at 15:32.

The Senators got on the board thanks to Nick Paul knocking in a rebound with 2:57 left in the first period. However, the Penguins quick reestablished their two-goal lead 1:05 later with a pinpoint pass from Blueger to Jean-Sébastien Dea. Twenty-one seconds after that, Blueger scored a goal of his own, making it 4-1 for the Penguins.

Chad Nehring tipped in a point shot and brought the Senators within two 6:04 into the second period. But once again, the Penguins responded. Derrick Pouliot danced his way through the neutral zone and fed Danny Kristo who brought the score to 5-2.

Kostopoulos achieved his 500th AHL point on a goal at 11:54 of the third period and put a bow on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s league-leading 33rd victory of 2016-17.

All-Star Tristan Jarry made 32 saves for his 19th win of the season, which is tied for most in the AHL. Driedger posted 10 stops on 14 shots before being replaced by Matt O’Connor at the start of the second period. O’Connor made 9 saves on 11 shots faced.

On deck for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is the All-Star break, during which the Penguins’ David Warsofsky and Tristan Jarry will participate in the AHL All-Star Classic at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Feb. 3 for the first visit in 2016-17 by the St. John’s IceCaps to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Individual game tickets for Feb. 3’s game and all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Penguins ticket packages, including 22-game, 12-game, and 10-voucher flex packs, are available directly through the Penguins offices by calling (570) 208-7367.