Sports

CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS

By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
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JENKINS TWP. – It’s a daunting task for a goaltender – playing three games in three days – and it’s one that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netminder John Curry may have to do twice in the first round against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

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The first three games of the series will be played today, Saturday and Sunday. If the series goes the full seven games, the last three contests will be played on April 24, 25 and 26.

The means Curry could log a lot of minutes without much time to breath.

Is he ready?

“Absolutely. I haven’t thought twice about it,” Curry said after Thursday’s practice at the Ice Box.

It’s unusual for a goaltender to start back-to-back games and even more rare to play three in three days. Still, it’s something Curry has already done this season. From March 6-8, Curry made three consecutive starts facing Syracuse, Binghamton and Norfolk.

During that span he posted a 1-2-0 record, stopping 77 of 83 shots and coming within one second of posting a shutout in the third game.

“John responded very well with our three-in-three and this isn’t uncharted territory for him,” coach Todd Reirden said. “He trains hard and takes care of himself, so these situations won’t be a concern for us.”

Still, it will be a challenge.

While the rest of Curry’s teammates will also have to deal with playing three games in as many days, there is a difference between those who skate up and the player who stays in net. While the skaters play a maximum of 25 to 30 minutes each game, the goaltender is out there for the entire 60 minutes every night. That equates to three hours of hockey in three days for Curry.

“You’re out there focused all the time, and it’s more mentally draining than physical,” Curry said. “That’s not to say you can’t do it, but you don’t want to do it throughout the year.”

But it’s an entirely different story in the playoffs.

“That’s when you rely on your adrenaline and your desperation to get through it,” Curry said. “It’s not the end of the world to do it in the playoffs.”

There are things that Curry’s teammates can do to help make the back-to-back-to-back games a little easier to endure. Reirden said the main thing involves getting the puck out of the defensive zone quickly to limit the number of scoring chances and shots that Curry will have to face.

“Move the puck up sooner. If anything, there will be more talk about getting pucks in the right areas where we are more successful,” Reirden said.

A lot of that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the Penguins defensemen.

Alex Goligoski said he is fine with doing what he can to lessen Curry’s workload because it’s the same approach the blueliners take into every game, no matter the circumstances.

“We always try to make it easy for him,” Goligoski said. “We’ll do our best to keep guys away from him and limit shots. I think John will handle it fine. He’s played so much this year and that will help.”

Scouting Reports

FORWARDS: The Penguins outscored Bridgeport in the regular season, 274-241, and they definitely have a better penchant for finding the back of the net. The Penguins have four players who scored more than 20 goals, led by Chris Minard (34) and Janne Pesonen (32). They also have two players who topped the 70-point plateau (Pesonen, 82, and Jeff Taffe, 75).

On the downside is the uncertainty surrounding Connor James, who is battling a lower body injury. James has skated lightly in practicem, but as of Thursday, Reirden didn’t know if he would play when the series begins. The loss of James would be a blow to the Penguins in the scoring department – he had 19 goals and 49 points, and would mean they would be without one of their top penalty killers.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the Penguins’ front lines is the depth. When the top two lines struggled a bit late in the season, the third and fourth lines were there to pick up the slack, led by Paul Bissonnette, J-M Daoust, Nick Johnson, Joe Vitale and Luca Caputi.

The Sound Tigers also have four players with 20 goals or more, led by Trevor Smith (30) and Mike Iggulden (25). But, on the downside, the Sound Tigers will be without top forward, former Penguin Kurtis McLean (15 goals, 37 assists), who was injured late in the regular season.

The loss of McLean will be eased by the addition of Kyle Okposo, who was reassigned to Bridgeport by the New York Islanders last week. Okposo, a former top-10 overall pick, had 18 goals in the NHL this season and is considered a top scoring threat at the AHL level.

In addition, Bridgeport will have veteran Jon Sim and his 23 points in 18 AHL games for the playoffs. Sim is a veteran of 358 NHL games and has averaged nearly a point per game when he played in the AHL over the years.

Advantage: Penguins, but only slightly due to the addition of Okposo.

DEFENSE: AHL all-star Ben Lovejoy and his league leading plus-42 rating leads the Penguins blueliners. Lovejoy has been solid all season, as has his partner, Joey Mormina (plus-37). Together, Lovejoy and Mormina are capable of shutting down top lines all night, and they don’t hesitate to set up rushes into the offensive end.

The pairing of Goligoski and Deryk Engelland is also strong. Goligoski provides speed and a knack for offense while Engelland is content to keep things clear in front of Curry and deliver punishing hits along the boards. Goligoski set the AHL postseason scoring record for a defenseman last year with 28 points.

The third pairing of Jon D’Aversa (plus-2) and Andy Wozniewski (minus-9) have been unstable at times, but D’Aversa does provide some offensive upside.

Bridgeport’s defensemen show up regularly on the scoresheet. Andrew MacDonald leads Sound Tiger defensemen with 33 points, followed by Chris Lee (30), Jamie Fraser (21) and Mark Wotton (21).

They are also solid in their own end giving up 212 goals against – the lowest total in the Eastern Conference (coincidentally, the Penguins have also allowed just 212 goals).

Advantage: Tie. The Penguins have the stronger top four with Lovejoy, Mormina, Goligoski and Engelland, but Bridgeport has the depth.

GOALTENDING: John Curry has been money for the Penguins all season, setting the team record for wins (33 in 50 games) while posting a 2.38 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. He doesn’t get rattled and has no problem playing on consecutive nights or facing any number of shots.

Bridgeport’s Nathan Lawson has been equally impressive, posting a 19-9-2 record in 31 games, along with a minuscule 2.16 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

In two games against the Penguins this season, Lawson won both times and recorded a 1.99 GAA.

Advantage: Tie. This series could easily become a goaltender’s battle.

Prediction: Based on numbers alone, the Penguins would be the slight favorite. But there is something about Bridgeport that makes it seem like they will be a deadly playoff team. If the Penguins get James back into the lineup and the top two lines produce like they can, they will be the favorites to win the series. Penguins in 7.

UP NEXT

CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS

East Division Semifinals

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Bridgeport Sound Tigers

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today at Uniondale, N.Y.

WHERE: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y.

SERIES: 0-0. Regular season series for Penguins against Bridgeport: 2-2-1-1.