The Penguins are in town for the back end of a home-and-home weekend. Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s contest:
“I got the pedal to the floor our lives are runnin’ faster
We got our sights set straight ahead but I ain’t sure what we’re after”
-Molly Hatchet
About Last Night
Another close one last night.
Last night on Casey Plaza the Phantoms raced out to a 0-4 deficit in the first period. The Penguins affiliate was able to capitalize on a couple of power plays and then Kolosov in goal had a puck-handling gaffe. Kolosov stayed in goal, though, getting his work early in, as we discussed last week, and the team did not give up. They came back to within 3-4 but fell short with that sore holding up as a final.
This report from the Traveler:
“Phantoms fall 4-3 in Wilkes Barre. The Cliff Notes summary: shaky goaltending and too many penalties. Seems just like last year’s version”
Records:
Overall: 1-1
Home: 1-0
Away: 0-1
White Jerseys: 1-0
Orange Jerseys: 0-1
Black Jerseys: —
Sunday 3/3: —
Player Update
Lines last night in Wilkes:
90 Richard 18 Abols 15 Lycksell
13 Furry 22 Gardner 27 Tuomaala
43 Eklind 16 Avon 91 Desnoyers
17 Wilson 56 Gaucher 74 Wisdom
19 McDonald 7 Belpedio
37 Ginning 5 Samson
3 Grans 12 Attard
35 Kolosov (40 Petersen)
Scratches:
10 Matt Brown 20 Cooper Marody 32 Eetu Makiniemi 36 Sawyer Boulton 55 Xavier Bernard 57 Mason Primeau 72 Alexis Gendron 73 Massimo Rizzo
Injuries:
None have been reported
Impressions: Lines last night were very similar to the first game last weekend. Marody is a notable scratch though, as he’s had some difficulty staying healthy during his Phantoms tenure.
Player Spotlight: #18 F Rodrigo Abols
Born in Latvia in 1996, he was originally a seventh round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2016. He was playing Juniors in North America at the time, but then continued his development post-draft playing in Sweden. In 2019 he signed with the Florida Panthers and was assigned to Springfield in the AHL. He put up 7G/16A/23P in 36 games in the pandemic-shortened season. He returned to play in Sweden since then and represented Latvia in the Olympics. His numbers took a dip last season, but in 2022-23 his put up his best numbers as a pro with 19/22/41 in 51 games. He’s a lefty shot and stands 6’4″. Here’s a scouting report from a few years ago, about the time he signed with Florida: “He’s a big, long centerman that won some big face-offs. He scored some big goals and had a lot of positive impact. He learned and got better every single day and became a key contributor. He put up the points, but away from the puck he found an identity with being harder to play against.”
GAME DAY!
It’s hard to tell a whole lot about our own team–let alone our opponents–from watching pre-season AHL hockey. We got our first real live look at the Penguins affiliate last night on their home ice. The Pittsburgh affiliate had NHL puck tamer Alex Nedeljkovic in net on “conditioning.” Reminds me of how the Yankees always send some MLB pitchers to their minor league affiliates for “rehab” when they really need to win a game. I don’t have a lot of conclusions about either team based on reports of last night. In this young season, though, it seems like the AHL version of the Penguins can score some goals. Their goalie is headed back to the NHL though, so we’ll see someone else tonight.
It’s something of an Oktoberfest celebration at the arena tonight. The first 3,000 fans will get a commemorative stein plastic cup with a handle. Best chance to get one is by using one of the main entrances and don’t be exceedingly late. The giveaway is sponsored by Max and Butters, the new incarnation of Bell Hall. There will also be $4 draft domestics (in the cup?) and $1 pretzels until the end of the first period. Bring your cup to Max and Butters after the game and they’ll fill it with Michelob Ultra for $2.
Kram Komplains About The Arena: A new section where every game I tell you something about the most expensive minor league hockey arena in the world that is bothering me. It’s been 10 years and I’m getting old and Kranky. Last week was their cashless status. It’s true, most major venues have gone in that direction and we’ve covered the reasons why. The arena may be going in that direction but they won’t just announce it and let fans know what to expect. Bring a card. $1 pretzels should be a joy to scan. But today I want to complain about cleanliness. There’s no reason that arena can’t be spotless, yet there’s always trash in the seating areas before the game, and bathrooms in a state of disrepair and it’ been this way pretty much all along. Clean it up PPL Center! It’s a beautiful arena let’s take care of it.
Good seats are still available for this game. There are some good deals to be had out on the main secondary markets–half price for the seats right behind mine! 6:00PM Doors (5:45 Premier STM), 7:05PM Event, 7:18 Hockey. The game will be broadcast on Service Electric and the radio call can be heard over the air or via streaming.
OFFICIALS
Referee Mason Riley (#79)
Referee Jackson Kozari (#27)
Linesperson Michael Magee (#41)
Linesperson John Rey (#16)
MEDIA KIT
What To Watch
- Peterson. I mean, it’s his birthday and everything. While getting Kolosov plenty of early work has indeed been the strategy, I doubt he goes back-to-back. Also, there’s already rumors from Philadelphia about how unhappy they are with their goalies in general and Fedotov in particular. They might come looking for a netminder sooner rather than later. I would also expect Makiniemi to get a hat as the backup tonight.
- Penalties. Last Saturday’s game was kind of a cluster as far as how the officials called the game. But last night the Phantoms committed almost twice as many infractions as did the black and yellow team. Let’s see if the team can clean things up a bit.
- Lines. I would expect some shuffling to get guys on their skates who have been sitting. Will they be rusty?
- Special Teams. The power play looked good in the first game. They gave up a couple early goals on the PK last night. Watch to see how that plays out in the rematch.
Up Next:
Next weekend the Phantoms get their first 3/3 of the season. They’ll head to Hartford for a Friday Night affair (Are they remodeling their arena?) before returning for two Halloween weekend games at 7th and Hamilton. It will be our first time ever welcoming the Grand Rapid Griffins to downtown Allentown; they’ll stay for both games. They are the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Their ECHL affiliate is the Toledo Walleye.
See you at the arena,
@Kram207
Featured Image by Jack Mitroka
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