PENGUINS WEEKLY – 3/21/23

Penguins look to stay hot through STAR WARS Night, Kids Free Sunday

WEEKLY – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (25-26-5-5) took five out of six possible points from its last weekend

Penguins Weekly Rewind

Friday, Mar. 17 – PENGUINS 5 vs. Rochester 4 (SO)
Down 3-0 in the first period, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rallied for four-straight goals and then emerged victorious in a shootout. Peter DiLiberatore and Justin Addamo scored 19 seconds apart in the third period to give the Pens their first lead of the night.

Saturday, Mar. 18 – PENGUINS 3 at Syracuse 4 (OT)
A fiery, back-and-forth game between the Penguins and the Crunch featured 30 combined penalty minutes in the second period alone. Filip Hållander notched the game-tying goal in his return from injury. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s penalty kill clamped down with a perfect six-for-six showing,  but Syracuse won with 28.5 seconds remaining in overtime.

Sunday, Mar. 19 – PENGUINS 5 at Lehigh Valley 2
Down three defensemen from the start of the weekend, the Penguins strapped on their work boots and delivered a clutch victory over a well-rested Phantoms side. Drake Caggiula (2G-1A) and Jonathan Gruden (1G-2A) led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s offense, while Dustin Tokarski dazzled with 36 saves. Addamo also found the net for the third-straight game, while Tyler Sikura established a season-high four-game point streak.

The Weekly Ahead

Saturday, Mar. 25 – PENGUINS vs. Lehigh Valley
The Turnpike Rivalry switches north as the Penguins host the Phantoms for STAR WARS Night. There has been balance in the Force during the season series, with both the Pens and Phantoms picking up five wins in their previous 10 meetings.

Sunday, Mar. 26 – PENGUINS vs. Hartford
The Penguins wrap up the weekend with a Kids Free Sunday presented by Knoebels. Kids age 14 and under get into the game free of charge with a paid adult ticket. Kids will also receive a $5 ride book to Knoebels.

Ice Chips

– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton went 5-0-1-0 during its three-in-threes this season, picking up 11 out of 12 possible points.

– The Penguins’ home penalty kill ranks first in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall at 85.2%.

– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has successfully staved off 23-straight penalty kills, going back to Mar. 5.

– Justin Addamo scored in each of the Penguins’ games over its three-in-three weekend. The last Penguins player to tally in each game of a three-in-three was Daniel Sprong (Oct. 13-15, 2017.)

– Tyler Sikura established a new career-high with 22 assists.

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM LEADERS

* = rookie
x = currently with Pittsburgh