Wilkes-Barre/Scranton begins five-game homestand this week
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Penguins (23-23-3-4) will host their annual Star Wars Night on Saturday vs. Laval
Penguins Weekly Rewind
Friday, Mar. 4 – PENGUINS 4 at Bridgeport 5
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton put 42 shots on Cory Schneider, Félix Robert delivered a pair of goals and Michael Chaput posted three assists, but the Penguins’ comeback fell short at Bridgeport.
Saturday, Mar. 5 – PENGUINS 2 at Bridgeport 4
Drew O’Connor opened the scoring to establish a new career-best five-game point streak, but a pair of third-period goals by the Islanders gave them the edge. Jonathan Gruden notched the Penguins’ other goal, arriving 1:55 into the third.
Sunday, Mar. 6 – PENGUINS 4 at Providence 5 (OT)
Valtteri Puustinen lit the lamp with 3.3 seconds left in regulation for the Penguins to force overtime in a wild game. The two teams combined for six goals in the second period, but after the dust settled, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton still trailed by one. Puustinen tied things late, but the Bruins squeezed out the victory by scoring 24 seconds into OT.
The Week Ahead
Wednesday, Mar. 9 – PENGUINS vs. Cleveland
The Penguins play the Monsters for the fourth and final time this season. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 3-0-0-0 vs. Cleveland this season and undefeated all-time at home against the Monsters franchise (5-0-0-0).
Saturday, Mar. 12 – PENGUINS vs. Laval
The Laval Rocket make their first and only visit to NEPA, and they’ll be welcomed by a rowdy crowd on Star Wars Night. The Pens will wear special sweaters custom-designed by Lucasfilm executive producer and writer, Dave Filoni.
Sunday, Mar. 13 – PENGUINS vs. Hartford
Knoebels presents Kids Free Sunday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s only division game of the week. The Pens and Wolf Pack haven’t faced off since Nov. 6.
Ice Chips
– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had one five-game homestand earlier this season in January. The team went 4-1-0-0 in those games.
– Mitch Reinke has nine points (1G-8A) in his last 10 games.
– With a goal and an assist on Sunday, Michael Chaput reached 300 points in his professional career.
– The Penguins went 11-for-11 on the penalty kill over the weekend. Their road penalty kill is now 84.5 percent overall, which ranks third in the league.
– The Pens have scored nine extra-attacker goals this season.
DIVISION STANDINGS
TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%
1. Providence 47 27 14 3 3 60 .638
2. Springfield 53 30 16 5 2 67 .632
3. Hartford 50 27 16 5 2 61 .610
4. Charlotte 53 29 21 3 0 61 .575
5. Hershey 54 26 21 4 3 59 .546
6. PENGUINS 53 23 23 3 4 53 .500
7. Bridgeport 54 21 24 5 4 51 .472
8. Lehigh Valley 51 18 23 7 3 46 .451
TEAM LEADERS
SKATERS GP G A PTS
Valtteri Puustinen 52 17 17 34
Alex Nylander 47 16 12 28
Pierre-Olivier Joseph^ 40 8 20 28
Félix Robert 46 12 12 24
Sam Poulin 49 7 16 23
Jordy Bellerive 51 7 16 23
GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Louis Domingue 10 3-4-2 2.69 .918 0
Filip Lindberg* 7 4-2-0 2.76 .915 0
Alex D’Orio 20 7-9-3 2.91 .894 1
Tommy Nappier* 17 8-7-2 3.05 .891 0
* = rookie
^ = currently with Pittsburgh
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Wed, Mar. 9 Cleveland Mohegan Sun Arena 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Mar. 12 Laval Mohegan Sun Arena 6:05 p.m.
Sun, Mar. 13 Hartford Mohegan Sun Arena 3:05 p.m.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Wed, Mar. 2 (D) Chris Ortiz Recalled from WHL
Mon, Mar. 7 (G) Louis Domingue Reassigned from PIT
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Individual game tickets as well as season-ticket packages for the 2022-23 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.
