Weekly Wrap-Up - Atlantic Division (Week 21)
Editor's Note: The race for the Atlantic Division crown is in full swing heading down the stretch as it appears to be a three-team race with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of second place rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by eight points, but with four more games played. The Providence Bruins are also eight points back of first place Lehigh Valley, but with only two games in hand on the Phantoms heading into this week's action after Monday's NHL trade deadline
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Record Last Week: 2-1-0
Phil Varone scored a hattrick Wednesday night in Utica as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms downed the Comets 6-4. Varone opened the scoring early in the first period, but Utica tied the game by the end of the period. Varone then put the Phantoms back on top with his second goal of the game in the second, but a pair of Utica goals had the Comets on top heading into the second intermission. In the third, goals from Greg Carey, T.J. Brennan, Varone, and Cole Bardreau sealed the victory for Lehigh Valley. John Muse made 36 saves on 40 shots. The Phantoms scored on their lone powerplay of the evening and successfully killed Utica’s only opportunity.
But the Phantoms were unable to keep the good times rolling as they were dealt a 2-1 loss by the Crunch in Syracuse. After two scoreless periods, the Crunch finally got on the board near the midway point of the final period, but a Matt Read shorthanded goal tied the game just minutes later. But the Crunch swung momentum back in their favor with a late-game tally. Dustin Tokarski made 29 saves on 31 shots. The Phantoms were a frosty 0-for-4 on the PP, but went 3-for-3 on the PK.
On Saturday, the Phantoms traveled to Binghamton where they came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory over the Devils. After a first period goal by the Devils, Carey scored his 23rd goal of the season. Varone, who got the primary assist, now sits at 39 assists on the season. In the third, Chris Conner broke the tie just 1:55 into the period and John Muse clamped down on the Devils as they threw 11 pucks his way in the final period. He ended the evening with 26 saves on 27 shots. Lehigh Valley still was unable to get their power play going; they were 0-for-2, but once again, the PK was perfect going 4-for-4.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Record Last Week: 2-1-0
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins welcomed the Rockford IceHogs to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza and dealt the Central Division team a 6-3 loss. Joseph Cramarossa, Daniel Sprong, and Gage Quinney each scored in the first period for WBS. Garrett Wilson added a second period tally, and Adam Johnson and Reid Gardiner, who recorded his first goal of the season, rounded out the scoring for the Penguins. Casey DeSmith made 24 saves on 27 shots for the victory. The Penguins scored on their lone powerplay of the contest and the PK unit was 3-for-4.
But the Penguins didn’t fare as well Saturday against the Crunch when they traveled to Syracuse, falling 3-1. Freddie Tiffels gave the Penguins the lead in the first, but the Crunch responded with a goal in the second and a pair of goals in the third to keep pace with Toronto in their North Division race. Anthony Peters stopped 33 of 36 shots. The Penguins struggled on the powerplay, going 0-for-4. They were 4-for-5 on the PK.
Sunday night, the Penguins had to come from behind to secure a home ice victory over the Hershey Bears. Adam Johnson’s second goal of the game midway through the third period proved to be the game winner. Tom Kostopoulos, who scored in the first period, tied the game after the Bears took the early lead. DeSmith made 22 saves on 24 shots. The Penguins were 1-for-2 on the PP and 2-for-2 on the PK.
Providence Bruins
Record Last Week: 2-1-0
The Providence Bruins opened the week with a 5-3 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Matt Beleskey, Jordan Szwarz, Colton Hargrove, Emil Johansson, and Josh Hennessey all recorded goals for the Bruins. Zane McIntyre earned the victory between the pipes with a 35--save performance. The Bruins were 1-for-3 on the PP and a perfect 3-for-3 on the PK.
But their celebrations were short-lived as they fell 2-1 to the Wolf Pack Saturday night in Hartford. The Pack scored a pair of second period goals and then held on down the stretch despite a Peter Cehlarik goal that brought Providence to within a goal in the third. Jordan Binnington made 22 saves on 24 shots. The Bruins were 0-for-4 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the PK.
They finished the week on a high note though with a 2-0 shutout of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Colton Hargrove and Austin Czarnik both notched first period goals for the Bruins in a penalty-filled contest. McIntyre stopped all 24 shots he faced for his sixth shutout of the season. Providence went 0-for-6 on the powerplay. The Bruins were 4-for-4 on the PK.
Charlotte Checkers
Record Last Week: 1-2-0
It was not a good start to the week for the Charlotte Checkers who were blanked, 4-0 by the Springfield Thunderbirds. Not much went right for Charlotte as they were also shutout on the powerplay in their four chances. Their PK did shut down all four of Springfield’s chances though. Alex Nedeljkovic made 17 saves on just 20 shots.
In the first of a pair of games in Bridgeport, the Charlotte Checkers emerged with a 2-1 victory over the Sound Tigers Saturday night. Julien Gauthier scored both of Charlotte’s goals. Nedeljkovic stopped 21 of 22 pucks between the pipes for Charlotte. Neither team connected on the powerplay. Charlotte was 0-for-3, while the Checkers killed off all four of Bridgeport’s chances.
But in the rematch on Sunday night, the Checkers were unable to score and fell to the Sound Tigers 1-0. Jeremy Smith recorded 22 saves on 23 shots. Charlotte once again was unable to score on the powerplay, going 0-for-5 on the night. Their PK unit went 4-for-4.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Record Last Week: 1-2-0
Bridgeport started off the week in Providence were they came out on the wrong end of a 5-3 contest. Connor Jones opened the scoring, but the Bruins rattled off four unanswered goals through the midway point of the second. Chase Bailey scored before the end of the second period and Kane Lafranchise recorded his first goal of the season, but Providence added an empty-netter late in the game. Kristers Gudlevskis was lifted after allowing four goals on 20 shots. Eamon McAdam stopped all 15 shots he faced the remainder of the way. Bridgeport was 0-for-3 on the PP and 2-for-3 on the PK.
On Saturday night, the Sound Tigers once again came up on the wrong end of the scoreboard as they lost to the visiting Charlotte Checkers 2-1. Kyle Burroughs scored an unassisted goal early in the first period to put the home team on top, but the Checkers got goals later in the first and early in the second. McAdam was called upon 21 times, making 19 saves. The Sound Tigers were once again shut out on the powerplay, going 0-for-4. Their PK unit went 3-for-3.
In Sunday’s rematch, the Sound Tigers secured their first victory of the week with a 1-0 shutout of the Charlotte Checkers. Kellen Jones scored the game’s lone goal in the second period. Gudlevskis stopped all 39 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. Bridgeport’s PP was shutout on the week though as they went 0-for-4 in the game. Once again, their PK unit posted a strong outing, denying the Checkers in their five attempts.
Hartford Wolf Pack
Record Last Week: 1-2-0
Hartford’s week got off to a rocky start as the Hershey Bears came to town Friday night and emerged with a 4-2 victory over the Wolf Pack. Cole Schneider scored late in the second period to tie the game. In the third, Scott Kosmachuk made it even once again after the Bears broke the tie late in the game. But two more Hershey goals in the final 90 seconds lifted the Bears to victory. Chris Nell allowed three goals on 28 shots. Hartford was 0-for-4 on the powerplay and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
But the Pack rebounded nicely with a 2-1 victory over the Providence Bruins the following night in Hartford. Lias Andersson and Cristoval Nieves both notched their fourth goals of the season in the second period and Hartford then withstood a third period Providence rally. Chris Nell allowed just one goal on 22 shots. Hartford went 1-for-2 on the powerplay; the Pack PK was perfect, going 4-for-4.
However, the Bruins got revenge on Sunday with a 2-0 shutout of the Pack in Providence. The Bruins tallied a pair of first period goals, but Brandon Halverson was solid the remainder of the way with 36 saves on 38 shots. Hartford was 0-for-4 on the man-advantage. They were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Hershey Bears
Record Last Week: 2-1-1
Oh, Canada! Hershey finished their trip north of the border with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, but a huge three-goal period for Hershey in the second was good enough to secure the victory. Tyler Graovac tied the game early in the second. Then Jeremy Langlois put Hershey on top shortly afterwards. Nathan Walker’s power play goal just past the midway point would become the game-winner. Toronto pulled to within a goal early in the third, but a pair of Liam O’Brien goals provided the insurance the Bears needed for their fourth straight win. Pheonix Copley made 27 saves on 29 shots. Hershey’s PP went 1-for-3 while the PK went 3-for-4.
Make it five in a row for the Bears. Hershey got revenge for an earlier loss to the Wolf Pack with a 4-2 victory in Hartford. After a scoreless first period, Nathan Walker got Hershey on the board first, but Hartford scored to tie the game heading into the second intermission. In the third, former Wolf Pack forward Joe Whitney put Hershey back on top, but the Pack tied it once again just 26 seconds later, but a second Nathan Walker tally broke the tie nine seconds later. The wild third period came to a close Jeremy Langlois added a powerplay, empty net goal for Hershey. Copley once again got the nod and recorded 21 saves on 23 shots. Hershey’s PP was 1-for-3 while the PK was 4-for-4.
But the Bears were unable to make it six in a row as the visiting Rockford IceHogs were victorious in their first ever trip to Giant Center, 4-3. Rockford took the lead three times in regulation, but the Bears battled back each time. First O’Brien tied the game in the second. Then Travis Boyd and Riley Barber each got game-tying powerplay goals in the third with Barber’s coming with just over five minutes to play. In OT, Rockford got their fourth puck past Vitek Vanecek who faced 40 shots on the evening. Hershey managed just two goals on eight powerplay attempts. The PK went 4-for-5.
On Sunday afternoon, the Bears traveled up I-81 to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but they fell in another heart-breaking one-goal contest, 3-2. Barber scored his 19th goal of the season to give the Bears an early lead. After a pair of goals from the Penguins Graovac tied the game near the end of the second. But the Penguins got a third puck past Copley in the middle of the third for the victory. Copley finished with 22 saves. Hershey was 0-for-2 on the powerplay and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Springfield Thunderbirds
Record Last Week: 2-0-0
The Thunderbirds opened the week with a 4-0 whitewashing of the fourth place Charlotte Checkers in Springfield Friday night. Anthony Greco scored a pair of goals and Alexandre Grenier and Curtis Valk also lit the lamp for the Thunderbirds. Harri Sateri recorded his first shutout of the season with a 33-save performance. About the only thing that did not go Springfield’s way was the powerplay where Springfield was held scoreless in four attempts; however, their PK was a perfect 4-for-4.
On Saturday, the Thunderbirds made it 2-for-2 with a 3-2 victory over the Utica Comets. Greg Chase, Thomas Schemitsch, and Anthony Greco all scored goals for Springfield. Sateri made 31 saves on 33 shots for the Thunderbirds. Springfield gave the Comets five chances on the man-advantage, but the Thunderbirds were able to kill off all five. Meanwhile, they were 0-for-3 on the powerplay themselves.
Trades in the Atlantic Division
Matt Beleskey from Boston (Providence) to NY Rangers (Hartford) Vincent Dunn from Ottawa (Belleville) to Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) Tobias Lindberg from Las Vegas (Chicago) to Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) Greg McKegg from Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) to Carolina (Charlotte) Josh Jooris from Carolina (Charlotte) to Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) Ryan Graves from NY Rangers (Hartford) to Colorado (San Antonio) Chris Bigras from Colorado (San Antonio) to NY Rangers (Hartford)
Atlantic Division Standings as of February 27, 2018:
Lehigh Valley: 57 GP, 35-15-3-4, 77 points, .675 pct W-B/Scranton: 53 GP, 32-16-4-1, 69 points, .651 pct Providence: 55 GP, 32-18-3-2, 69 points, .627 pct Charlotte: 57 GP, 31-23-0-3, 65 points, .570 pct Bridgeport: 55 GP, 25-22-5-3, 58 points, .527 pct Hartford: 58 GP, 26-25-4-3, 59 points, .509 pct Hershey: 57 GP, 23-26-4-4, 54 points, .474 pct Springfield: 56 GP, 25-28-2-1, 53 points, .473 pct
This Week’s Atlantic Division Schedule:
Wednesday, February 28
Bridgeport at Rochester - 7:00 PM
Friday, March 2
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Grand Rapids - 7:00 PM Charlotte at Providence - 7:05 PM Hershey at Lehigh Valley - 7:05 PM Hartford at Springfield - 7:05 PM Bridgeport at Laval - 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 3
Providence at Hartford - 3:00 PM Bridgeport at Belleville - 7:00 PM Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Belleville - 7:00 EST Utica at Hershey - 7:00 PM Charlotte at Springfield - 7:05 PM Binghamton at Lehigh Valley - 7:05 PM
Sunday, March 4
Charlotte at Hartford - 3:00 PM Springfield at Providence - 3:05 PM Lehigh Valley at Hershey - 5:00 PM Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Milwaukee - 5:00 PM
