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Since the start of the new year, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have only played one stretch of three games in three nights.
That’s about to change this weekend.
Tonight, the Penguins open a three-in-three when they travel to Syracuse and then head back home to face Binghamton on Saturday before visiting Lehigh Valley on Sunday.
After this weekend, the next time the Penguins play a three-in-three will mark the last three games of the regular season from April 17-19.
Considering the Penguins played seven three-in-threes prior to Jan. 1, they should be used to the grind even this late in the season.
“We’re conditioned for it now,” Penguins coach John Hynes said. “The three-in-threes now are good from the sense we have good practice weeks and they’re not really tough travel.
“We’ve been through it enough and we’re ready for it.”
Winger Conor Sheary said three-in-threes late in the season are different than earlier in the year when the conditioning is still developing. Sheary doesn’t look at it as a disadvantage.
“It’s no time to pace yourself and other teams deal with the same thing,” he said. “You have to play hard every night regardless of the circumstances.”
When the Penguins wrap up the weekend against Lehigh Valley, it will mark the first of five meetings against the Phantoms before the end of the regular season.
The Penguins haven’t faced the Phantoms since Feb. 14, and they’re looking forward to renewing the rivalry. In seven games against the Phantoms, the Penguins are 3-2-0-2 and allowed 11 goals in the last two contests.
“In the long run it’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Hynes said. “They played real well against us and kind of had our number the first half of the year. We have to make sure we’re ready for this games, but our focus right now is on Friday (against Syracuse).”
Sheary agreed, and considering the Penguins have only won once in three meetings against the Crunch, they have a lot to focus on.
“We’re going to face Binghamton and Lehigh Valley, but that’s later in the weekend,” he said. “We have to focus on one game at a time and that starts Friday.”