Playoff-bound Penguins wrap up regular season this weekend
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (35-31-4-4) aims to end 2021-22 season on high note
Penguins Weekly Rewind
Tuesday, Apr. 19 – PENGUINS 3 vs. Hershey 0
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took it to their in-state rival, and Tommy Nappier hung on to record his first pro shutout. The game was tied 0-0 for almost 39 minutes, until Michael Chaput broke the deadlock with a shorthanded goal.
Friday, Apr. 22 – PENGUINS 4 at Providence 1
The Penguins clinched a playoff spot on Friday after knocking off the then-top-ranked team in the Atlantic Division. Radim Zohorna notched not one, but two power-play goals, while former Bruin Matt Bartkowski blasted home the game-winner.
Saturday, Apr. 16 – PENGUINS 1 at Springfield 3
Zohorna opened the scoring with another power-play goal, but the Thunderbirds equalized 32 seconds later. Springfield tallied with four seconds left in the first period, and then neither team scored again until an empty netter put things to bed.
Sunday, Apr. 16 – PENGUINS 3 at Hartford 6
Filip Hållander (2G) and Alex Nylander (1G-1A) led the Pens’ offense, but four unanswered goals against proved to be their undoing. Despite the loss, the Penguins clinched home ice for their first-round playoff matchup with the Hershey Bears.
The Week Ahead
Friday, Apr. 29 – PENGUINS at Syracuse
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opens its final weekend of the regular season with a return to Syracuse. In their only visit to Upstate Medical University Arena this season, the Penguins were shut-out, 1-0. In fact, the Pens have suffered two consecutive 1-0 losses to Max Lagacé and the Crunch.
Saturday, Apr. 30 – PENGUINS at Lehigh Valley
The final game of the 2021-22 regular season will be against the Penguins’ PA Turnpike Rival. In the past, Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton is 10-8-1-1-1 in season finales (W-L-T-OTL-SOL).
Ice Chips
– Regardless of the results in their last two games, the Penguins will finish as the Atlantic Division’s fourth seed and have home-ice advantage in the first round of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
– Tommy Nappier’s victory on Friday established a career-best four-game winning streak.
– Michael Chaput is on a five-game point streak, producing two goals and four assists in that time.
– Chaput’s five-game point streak ties Pierre-Olivier Joseph for the longest point streak by a Penguin this season
– Friday night in Providence was Mitch Reinke’s 200th AHL game.
DIVISION STANDINGS
TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%
1. y-Charlotte 72 42 24 5 1 90 .625
2. x-Springfield 74 41 24 6 3 91 .615
3. x-Providence 69 36 23 4 6 82 .594
4. x-PENGUINS 74 35 31 4 4 78 .527
5. x-Hershey 76 34 32 6 4 78 .513
6. x-Bridgeport 72 31 30 7 4 73 .507
7. Hartford 72 32 32 6 2 72 .500
8. Lehigh Valley 73 28 30 10 5 71 .486
x = clinched playoff spot
y = clinched division
TEAM LEADERS
SKATERS GP G A PTS
Alex Nylander 66 22 20 42
Valtteri Puustinen 72 20 22 42
Sam Poulin* 70 16 21 37
Juuso Riikola 52 1 34 35
Félix Robert 61 16 18 34
GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Louis Domingue^ 21 10-9-2 2.41 .924 0
Alex D’Orio 21 7-9-4 2.91 .894 1
Tommy Nappier* 24 13-9-2 2.86 .895 1
* = rookie
^ = currently with Pittsburgh
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Fri, Apr. 29 Syracuse Upstate Medical Arena 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Apr. 30 Lehigh Valley PPL Center 7:05 p.m.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
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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.
