Penguins making preparations for three-in-three, rivalry weekend
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (9-14-1-3) to play first home games since Dec. 27
Penguins Weekly Rewind
Friday, Jan. 7 – PENGUINS 5 at Utica 6 (SO)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pushed the top team in the AHL to the limit, but the thriller ended in a shootout loss. Alex Nylander tallied two assists in his Pens debut, and Valtteri Puustinen had the first three-point game of his AHL career (2G-1A).
Saturday, Jan. 8 – PENGUINS 0 at Hershey 3
The Penguins went from Upstate New York to Chocolatetown, PA, but fell victim to their I-81 Rival. Hershey goalie Hunter Shepard blanked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a 20-save shutout.
Sunday, Jan. 9 – PENGUINS 2 at Hershey 3
A tenacious, pugilistic performance by the Penguins saw them control the pace of play, but it still wasn’t enough to down the Bears in their rematch from a night before. Mitch Reinke scored his first goal as a Penguin early in the third period, and Radim Zohorna tallied an extra-attacker goal late, as well.
The Week Ahead
Friday, Jan. 14 – PENGUINS vs. Lehigh Valley
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns to home ice for a clash against its other in-state rival. The Penguins are 3-1-0-0 against the Phantoms this season, but haven’t met since Nov. 3.
Saturday, Jan. 15 – PENGUINS at Lehigh Valley
Tables turn as the Penguins head down to PPL Center for the second game of a home-and-home with the Phantoms. Lehigh Valley enters the weekend on an eight-game point streak (6-0-1-1).
Sunday, Jan. 16 – PENGUINS vs. Hershey
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squares off against Hershey for the seventh time this season, and the seventh time in 12 games. The game is also a Kids Free Sunday, where kids ages 14 and under can attend free of charge with a paid adult ticket.
Ice Chips
– Pierre-Olivier Joseph has seven points (2G-5A) in his last seven games.
– Alex Nylander’s second assist on Friday was his 100th AHL point.
– Nylander has three points (3A) in his three games since joining the Penguins.
– The last time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a three-in-three weekend played exclusively against in-state opponents was Apr. 8, 9, 10 of the 2015-16 season. The Penguins went 1-2-0-0 in those games. Dominik Simon led the team with three goals, while Dustin Jeffrey and Will O’Neill both recorded three assists.
DIVISION STANDINGS
TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%
1. Springfield 30 18 9 2 1 39 .650
2. Hershey 31 18 10 2 1 39 .629
3. Hartford 28 15 9 2 2 34 .607
4. Providence 26 13 9 3 1 30 .577
5. Charlotte 29 15 12 2 0 32 .552
6. Lehigh Valley 27 9 11 5 2 25 .463
7. Bridgeport 35 12 16 3 4 31 .443
8. PENGUINS 27 9 14 1 3 22 .407
TEAM LEADERS
SKATERS GP G A PTS
Valtteri Puustinen 27 7 9 16
Alex Nylander 26 8 7 15
Jordy Bellerive 25 4 9 13
Pierre-Olivier Joseph 19 3 10 13
Félix Robert 23 6 5 11
GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Matt Jurusik*x 2 1-1-0 2.00 .926 1
Louis Domingue^ 9 3-3-2 2.54 .922 0
Filip Lindberg* 7 4-2-0 2.76 .915 0
* = rookie
^ = currently with Pittsburgh X = no longer in the organization
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Fri, Jan. 14 Lehigh Valley Mohegan Sun Arena 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Jan. 15 Hershey PPL Center 7:05 p.m.
Sun, Jan. 16 Hershey Mohegan Sun Arena 3:05 p.m.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Fri, Jan. 7 (C) Radim Zohorna Reassigned from PIT
Mon, Jan. 10 (C) Radim Zohorna Recalled to PIT
Mon, Jan. 10 (RW) Anthony Angello Recalled to PIT
Mon, Jan. 10 (LW) Drew O’Connor Reassigned from PIT
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Individual game tickets and season-ticket packages for the 2021-22 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
