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WBS is 0-4 at Binghamton this season. N.Y. team wins 5 of 8 games in season series.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – It’s tough to put a finger on why the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had yet to win on the road against the Binghamton Senators this season.
Entering Friday’s contest, the Penguins came in 0-3 in Binghamton. They left 0-4.
Behind the play of 19-year-old goaltender Robin Lehner – who stopped all 31 shots he faced – the Penguins fell to the Senators 3-0, the third time they have been shut out this season. The Penguins finish up the season series against Binghamton with a 3-5-0-0 record, including a dismal 0-4 record at the Veterans Memorial Arena.
“Just a tough building,” said winger Chris Collins. “The crowd is right on top of you and it’s a smaller ice surface so things happen quicker. My whole career I always thought it was a tough place to play.”
The loss drops the Penguins to 51-19-0-1 on the season. While the Penguins don’t return to Binghamton again during the regular season, they could come back during the playoffs. With Friday’s win, Binghamton is only three points behind Norfolk for the fourth playoff spot in the East Division.
Still, the prospect of returning to Binghamton isn’t an issue to the Penguins.
“The playoffs are a whole different world. It would be a different story,” Collins said.
The way things started on Friday it seemed as if the Penguins would break their winless road streak. They outshot Binghamton 12-4 and prevented the Senators from getting a shot on John Curry until 15:43 had already ticked away in the period.
But the Penguins failed to take advantage of a huge opportunity when they were given a five-on-three power play for 1:10, but failed to get anything by Lehner. The Senators stayed patient and waited out the first period before going to work in the second.
After both teams hit posts – David Marshall for the Penguins and Jim O’Brien for the Senators – Binghamton got the puck past Curry during a power play when Andre Benoit one-timed a pass inside the far post at 14:18. Minutes later, the work of Binghamton’s Roman Wick put the Senators up 2-0 when he skated into the Penguins zone, stickhandled through the legs of Corey Potter and slid the puck in on Curry, who made the save but left it on the doorstep for O’Brien to put home.
The Senators put the game out of reach early in the third period when a turnover in the neutral zone led to a Binghamton 3-on-0 breakaway. Ryan Keller skated down the slot and slid the puck through Curry’s legs for a 3-0 lead in the period’s first five minutes.
After that, Binghamton was content to focus on defense and let Lehner continue to ride his hot streak as the Penguins outshot them 14-4. But even with Curry pulled for the extra attacker during a power play with just under four minutes remaining, the Penguins still couldn’t get anything past Lehner.
Penguins coach John Hynes said despite the 0-4 record in Binghamton, the building had nothing to do with Friday’s loss.
“It had nothing to do with the rink. We lost the special teams battle, that’s the number one thing,” Hynes said.
NOTES– With Brad Thiessen up in Pittsburgh, the Penguins recalled Patrick Killeen from Wheeling to back up John Curry on Friday … Curry fell to 1-3 against Binghamton this season … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed defenseman Joe Rogalski to an ATO on Friday. Rogalsi, 19, was a sixth-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2010. He recently wrapped up his fourth season with Sarnia in the OHL, posting 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists) in 63 games … The Penguins stay on the road to face Adirondack tonight… The Penguins were 0-for-5 on the power play … Defenseman Steve Wagner was injured during Friday’s game.
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Binghamton
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First Period – Scoring – None. Penalties – BNG, Benoit )closing hand on puck) 5:30; BNG, Keller (hooking) 6:20; WBS, Lerg (hooking) 16:11.
Second Period – Scoring – 1. BNG, Andre Benoit 9 (O’Brien, Smith) power play 14:18. 2. BNG, Jim O’Brien 22 (Wick, Locke) 16:49. Penalties – WBS, Wagner (cross-checking) 1:54; BNG, Dziurzynski (holding) 9:59; WBS, Wagner (closing hand on puck) 12:37.
Third Period – Scoring – 3. BNG, Ryan Keller 30 (O’Brien) 4:29. Penalties – WBS, Collins (hooking) :17; BNG, Dziurzynski (holding the stick) 5:28; WBS, Sterling (roughing) 13:18; BNG, Dziurzynski (slashing) 16:15.
Shots on goal – Penguins – 12-5-14-31Binghamton – 4-12-4-20
Power-play Opportunities – Penguins – 0 of 5Binghamton – 1 of 5
Goaltenders – Penguins – John Curry 19-12-0 (17 saves-20 shots)Binghamton – Robin Lehner 8-7-2 (31-31)
Starters – Penguins – G John Curry, D Brian Strait, D Robert Bortuzzo, LW Chris Collins, C Ben Street, RW Bryan LergBinghamton – G Robin Lehner, D Derek Smith, D Andre Benoit, LW Jim O’Brien, C Corey Locke, RW Roman Wick
Three Stars – 1. BNG, Robin Lehner (31 saves, shutout) 2. BNG, Jim O’Brien (goal, two assists) 3. BNG, Andre Benoit (goal)
Referee – Keith Kaval. Linesmen – John Everett, Judson Ritter