Game Story: Charlotte - 6 at W-B/Scranton - 2 (12/30/23)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins concluded the 2023 calendar year on a sour note, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Charlotte Checkers Saturday night.

While the Penguins were able to jump out to a 3-0 lead on Charlotte Friday night, it was a role reversal Saturday night as the Checkers turned a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 lead after a pair of goals 53 seconds apart in the middle frame ended up being the difference maker.

Checkers captain Zac Dalpe and forward Patrick Giles led the way with two goals each, while Brendan Perlini and Matt Kiersted also scored for Charlotte in the win. Ludovic Waeber stopped 26 of 28 to pick up the win.

For the Penguins, third period goals from Dmitri Samorukov and Jack St. Ivany was all the offense they could muster but it was too little too late. Taylor Gauthier surrendered six goals on 39 shots and was under siege most of the night.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear

On the bounce back win tonight

"Our first game off the break was last game. We have a very young lineup, so we made a lot of mistakes in that game but the effort was there. We added some more experienced guys tonight that have been with the team, and they kind of settled us down a little bit and we played much better tonight."

On the emphasis put into middle game of three-in-three weekend after loss in the first game.

"We try to focus on being in the moment - win the moment. We lost yesterday's game, we wanted to learn from it. We're just going to respect the process moving forward. We want to be good within our systems and then the end result will take care of itself. So yeah, big win but we have to put that one to bed and move forward."

Checkers captain Zac Dalpe

On the response from the team following last night's 4-1 loss.

"It was a good response for us. Obviously, we wanted to come out of the break a little bit better than what we did last night. But, you know, it happens and it's all about how we responded."

On the emphasis put into the middle game of three-in-three.

"Yeah, you can treat it as like a mini playoff series, especially in this league. You have those three game series to start the playoffs so gotta [learn how to] bounce back."

GAME STORY

It was a rather quiet first period for both teams, with a scoreless first frame dragging along until the Penguins took the game's first penalty with just over five minutes remaining before the first intermission.

Charlotte, despite being out-shot by as much as 11-3 at one point in the period, cashed in on the ensuing man advantage as Uvis Balinskis sent a cross ice pass for Rasmus Asplund, who made a smart decision to nudge the puck between the circles for a quick snap shot from Dalpe that eluded traffic on its way past Gauthier with 4:16 left in the opening peropd.

The Penguins took a too many men penalty late in the period, and while they were able to kill off the ensuing Checkers' power play that carried over into the middle frame they weren't able to get on the attack.

Even after drawing themselves their first power play of the game, the Penguins were having trouble getting things set up to create scoring chances. More times than not, some poor puck decisions and unforced turnovers prevented the Penguins from generating much of anything.

Instead, the Checkers killed off the Penguins' power play and proceeded to tally two goals in a span of 53 seconds to break the game wide open to the tune of a 3-0 score.

First, a relatively harmless looking zone entry from Balinskis proved deadly as he dropped the puck back to Perlini in stride who was able to collect the pass and rip a shot off the cross-bar and in past Gauthier.

On the next shift, after another Penguins turnover in the neutral zone, Mackie Samoskevich entered the Penguins' defensive zone with speed and - with the help of linemate Wilmer Skoog - got set up and spotted an open defenseman at the center point.

Skoog got the puck to Kiersted for a shot through traffic that got past everyone and just like that a one-goal hockey game turned into a one-sided affair and 3-0 Charlotte lead.

Things went from bad to worse for the Penguins in the final minute of the period, as Charlotte scored off of a face-off to extend their lead to 4-0 heading to the final frame.

And just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse for the Penguins, it did.

Beginning the final frame with some carryover power play time, the Penguins entered the period looking to get back into the game. Instead, Charlotte scored shorthanded 23 seconds into the period to make it 5-0 and erase any thoughts of a Penguins comeback.

The Penguins were able to break Ludovic's shutout bid with 14:49 left in regulation on a shot from the point by Samorukov, and they added another tally from St. Ivany to pull within 5-2 with 7:45 left in regulation but that's as close as they would get.

Dalpe re-directed a puck past Gauthier with 1:39 left in the game for his second goal of the contest to push Charlotte to the 6-2 final score.

Charlotte Checkers Lineup Notes

Ludovic Waeber got the start in net for Charlotte Saturday, while Spencer Knight served as the team's backup goalie.

Checkers Scratches: Mack Guzda, Will Reilly, Alexander True, Dennis Cesana, Ryan McAllister, Santtu Kinnunen, Jake Wise and Cameron Morrison

Lines/Pairings

Brendan Perlini - Patrick Khodorenko - Gerry Mayhew Patrick Giles - Rasmus Asplund - Zac Dalpe Wilmer Skoog - Justin Sourdif - Mackie Samoskevich Mark Senden - Skyler Brind'Amour - Riley Bezeau

Matt Kiersted - Casey Fitzgerald Lucas Carlsson - Michael Benning Calle Sjalin - Uvis Balinskis

Ludovic Waeber (Backup: Spencer Knight)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Taylor Gauthier got the start in net for the Penguins in Saturday's rematch against Charlotte. Joel Blomqvist served as the team's backup goaltender.

Forward Dillon Hamaliuk, also called up from ECHL-Wheeling Friday, took the warmup skate but was the team's final healthy scratch for the second straight night.

Penguins Scratches: Sam Houde (lower body), Dillon Hamaliuk, Owen Headrick, Raivis Ansons (lower body) and Avery Hayes

Lines/Pairings:

Peter Abbandonato - Colin White - Alex Nylander Rem Pitlick - Sam Poulin - Austin Rueschhoff Matt Filipe - Joona Koppanen - Corey Andonovski Jagger Joshua - Jonathan Gruden - Marc Johnstone

Dmitri Samorukov - Jack St. Ivany Jack Rathbone - Taylor Fedun Xavier Ouellet - Wil Butcher

Taylor Gauthier (Backup: Joel Blomqvist)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

14:37: WBS - (PP) Rathbone, minor (slashing) 15:44: CHA - PPG Dalpe (6) - Asplund, Balinskis 18:39: WBS - (PP) bench minor, too many men (served by Nylander)

2nd Period

6:31: CHA - (PP) Sourdif, minor (hooking) 9:15: CHA - Perlini (7) - Balinskis, Benning 10:08: CHA - Kiersted (2) - Skoog, Samoskevich 12:46: CHA - Fitzgerald, major (fighting) 12:46: WBS - Joshua, major (fighting) 19:04: CHA - Giles (5) - Fitzgerald 19:35: CHA - (PP) Asplund, minor (slashing)

3rd Period

0:23: CHA - SHG Giles (3) - Brind'Amour 5:11: WBS - Samorukov (3) - Rueschhoff, St. Ivany 7:05: WBS - (PP) Fedun, minor (tripping) 8:59: CHA - (PP) Carlsson, minor (holding) 12:15: WBS - St. Ivany (1) - Joshua, Johnstone 17:37: WBS - (PP) Poulin, minor (tripping) 18:21: CHA - PPG Dalpe (7) - Carlsson, Asplund

BOXSCORE

Charlotte    1 - 3 - 2 = 6 W-B/Scranton  0 - 0 - 2 = 2

Shots

Charlotte    9 - 12 - 18 = 39 W-B/Scranton  11 - 8 - 9 = 28

Goalies

CHA: Ludovic Waeber (26 saves - 28 shots) WBS: Taylor Gauthier (33 saves - 39 shots)

Power Play

CHA: 2-for-4 WBS: 0-for-3

Penalty Kill

CHA: 3-for-3 WBS: 2-for-4