Game Story: Utica - 3 at W-B/Scranton - 0 (3/23/24)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were shutout 3-0 Saturday night on home ice by the Utica Comets in a game where the Penguins certainly created enough scoring chances to win a hockey game, but were simply unable to capitalize on any of their opportunities.

Comets' goalie Akira Schmid stopped all 39 shots he faced in what was a big two points for a Utica team that entered the night five points behind the final playoff spot in the North Division.

Utica was opportunistic Saturday, getting goals from Graeme Clarke, Samuel Laberge and Brian Halonen in a bend-but-don't-break kind of game for the Comets.

Penguins goaltender Ludovic Waeber made his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut, albeit in a losing effort.

Both teams were in the middle game of a three-in-three weekend. The Penguins will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season Sunday in Allentown against a pesky Phantoms team that entered Saturday's games on a three-game unbeaten streak.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach JD Forrest

On creating enough offensively, but not being able to finish tonight.

"Yeah, I mean, they capitalized on a couple opportunities - the one right off the bat there, a puck underneath one of our sticks, the three on five - So they were able to make the most of their chances. And, it wasn't for lack of effort, we just couldn't get climb back from that."

On needing to dig deep in 3rd game of 3-in-3 after losing the first two games on the weekend.

"You can look at it as a problem or a challenge, and I think we're gonna look at as a unique challenge that to try to climb not a problem that we have. So that's the way we're going to approach it tomorrow."

GAME STORY

On Saturday night, it was the Comets jumping out to an early 1-0 lead after a failed pinch in by the Penguins at the right point opened things up for an odd-man rush the other way.

Timur Ibragimov shoveled a puck cross-ice from the left-wing wall to an open Clarke, who entered the offensive zone with speed on a 2-on-1 with Ryan Schmelzer before snapping a quick shot past Waeber 2:08 into the 1st period to give Utica the early advantage.

The Penguins started to generate consistent offensive pressure as the period progressed, out-shooting the Comets 7-3 near the midway mark of the period.

In fact, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton carried large portions of play in the opening 20 minutes. They just weren't able to get anything past Schmid as the Comets' goaltender stopped all 14 shots he faced in the first frame to preserve Utica's one-goal lead to the middle frame.

The Penguins continued to out-shoot and out-chance Utica in the middle frame - at one point out-shooting the Comets by a 24-11 margin - but once again the Comets' were able tack on goals as a result of being a bit opportunistic, taking advantage of some bounces that went their way.

One such bounce was after a Penguins offensive zone face-off win came back to the right point and hit a rut in the ice - causing the puck to hop over Ryan Shea's stick and spring Laberge on a mini-breakaway the other way that he would convert on with a nice forehand to backhand move at the net.

Laberge's fifth of the season extended Utica's lead to 2-0 with 13:14 left in the middle frame.

The Penguins had a chance to make it a one-goal game after Clarke was whistled for hooking with 7:55 left in the period, but were unable to convert on the ensuing power play.

Instead, the Penguins got themselves into penalty trouble - taking a pair of penalties 1:01 apart to set up Utica with an extended two-man advantage.

Unlike the Penguins, the Comets were able to cash in on the power play - with a snapshot from Halonen in the slot just able to dribble across the goal line after Waeber got most, but not all of it.

Halonen's 15th of the season stretched Utica's lead to 3-0 with 3:15 left before the second intermission, and the lopsided score was a bit of a head scratcher given how the Penguins seemingly controlled large portions of play in the opening 40 minutes.

The Penguins had their opportunities early in the third to get back into the game, beginning the final frame with a power play and also getting a man advantage 5:14 into the period after Michael Vukojevic was whistled for tripping, but were unable to convert.

Schmid continued to make all the necessary saves, shutting out the Penguins with a 39-save effort to preserve the Comets' 3-0 lead to two big points in the North Division standings, where they entered the night trailing the final playoff spot by five points.

Utica Comets Lineup Notes

Akira Schmid got the start in net for Utica Saturday in Wilkes-Barre. served as the backup goaltender.

Comets Scratches: Austin Osmanski, Justin Dowling, Andre Ghantous, Shane Bowers, Ryan Fitzgerald, Erik Middendorf and Daniil Misyul

Lines/Pairings

Joe Gambardella - Kyle Criscuolo - Brian Halonen Timur Ibragimov - Ryan Schmelzer - Graeme Clarke Xavier Parent - Nolan Stevens - Chase Stillman Samuel Laberge - Filip Engaras - Nathan Legare

Topias Vilen - Robbie Russo Will MacKinnon - Colin Felix Jackson van de Leest - Michael Vukojevic

Akira Schmid (Backup: Erik Kallgren)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Ludovic Waeber made his Penguins debut in net. Joel Blomqvist, who played last night in Syracuse, served as the team's backup Saturday night.

Two lineup changes from Friday night's game in Syracuse as forward Vasily Ponomarev and defenseman Taylor Fedun were scratched, while Lukas Svejkovsky and Owen Headrick returned to the lineup.

Ponomarev appeared to skate off the ice with 6:47 left in the 3rd period Friday in Syracuse, not returning to game action as the WBS bench was short one player for the final minutes of Friday night's loss.

Penguins broadcaster Nick Hart relayed in his pre-game show leading into Saturday night's game that, "it's our understanding that it is not an injury that ails Ponomarev, but he is not in for the Penguins tonight."

Penguins Scratches: Taylor Fedun, Marc Johnstone, Vasily Ponomarev, Jagger Joshua, Peter Abbandonato, Sam Houde, Scooter Brickley,

Lines/Pairings

Vinnie Hinostroza - Radim Zohorna - Austin Rueschhoff Jonathan Gruden - Sam Poulin - Corey Andonovski Matt Filipe - Joona Koppanen - Lukas Svejkovsky Justin Addamo - Raivis Ansons - Avery Hayes

Ty Smith - Ryan Shea Xavier Ouellet - Dmitri Samorukov Jack Rathbone - Owen Headrick

Ludovic Waeber (Backup: Joel Blomqvist)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

2:08: UTC - Clarke (23) - Ibragimov, Vukojevic

2nd Period

6:46: UTC - Laberge (5) - unassisted 12:05: UTC - (PP) Clarke, minor (hooking) 15:18: WBS - (PP) Hayes, minor (tripping) 16:19: WBS - (PP) Shea, minor (tripping) 16:45: UTC - PPG Halonen (15) - Parent, Vilen 20:00: UTC - (PP) Felix, minor (slashing)

3rd Period

5:14: UTC - (PP) Vukojevic, minor (tripping) 17:29: UTC - (PP) Halonen, minor (unsportsmanlike) 17:29: UTC - Halonen, major (fighting) 17:29: UTC - Parent, double-minor (roughing) 17:29: WBS - Gruden, major (fighting) 17:29: WBS - Smith, double-minor (roughing)

BOXSCORE

Utica Comets   1 - 2 - 0 = 3 W-B/Scranton  0 - 0 - 0 = 0

Shots

Utica Comets   6 - 10 - 6 = 22 W-B/Scranton  14 - 10 - 15 = 39

Goalies

UTC: Akira Schmid (39 saves - 39 shots) WBS: Ludovic Waeber (19 saves - 22 shots)

Power Play

UTC: 1-for-2 WBS: 0-for-4

Penalty Kill

UTC: 4-for-4 WBS: 1-for-2