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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Playing their sixth game in nine days, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins didn’t show signs of fatigue on the ice against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday.
Perhaps that’s because they got plenty of time to rest up in the penalty box.
The Penguins put the Sound Tigers on the power play 11 times — including a stretch of three straight calls in the third period — to lose 6-3.
Despite playing two overtime games coming into Sunday to wrap up a three-game weekend, not to mention 12 games so far this month, head coach Clark Donatelli wasn’t using the grueling schedule as an excuse for the loss.
He put the blame squarely on the penalties, which he said were the result of a lack of discipline.
“We can’t take the offensive zone sticking penalties. I don’t agree with all (of the calls), but some of them were lazy penalties,” Donatelli said. “We’re taking way too many penalties.”
Things started well for the Penguins, who fired four shots on net in the opening minutes until penalties began to mount. The Sound Tigers scored twice in the period — including once on the power play to gain a 2-0 lead.
In the first half of the second period, the Penguins continued to go to the box and Bridgeport scored another even strength tally followed by a power play goal.
“The players have to get a feel for how the game is being called. We didn’t do a good job in that department,” Donatelli said.
Down 4-0, Tom Sestito and Garrett Wilson tried to spark the team by dropping the gloves on separate shifts six seconds apart, but any hope for a momentum swing was stopped by yet another Penguin penalty.
The teams did exchange goals late in the period with Chris Summers getting his first of the season to make it 5-1.
Still, the Penguins knew they were up against a desperate Bridgeport team battling to make the playoffs.
“I’ve been in that locker room with them. Their coach preaches hard work and they worked hard all night,” said Kevin Czuczman, who spent two seasons with the Sound Tigers. “We have to be able to match that.”
It wasn’t until the third period when the Penguins put its league-worst power play to the test after a pair of Bridgeport penalties in the first three minutes. The span included 52 seconds of a two-man advantage and Jean-Sebastien Dea struck from the slot to make it 5-2. During the remainder of the power play, Andrey Pedan scored to make it 5-3 and the Penguins were back in it.
The tallies were a welcome sign for a Penguins power play that ranks last in the American Hockey League.
“Getting those goals, you have that confidence again,” Czuczman said. “Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
Any signs of hope faded after that, however, as the Penguins went to the box on three consecutive penalties in the next 10 minutes, killing any chance for momentum.
They even spent the last minute of the game on the penalty kill as Teddy Blueger was called for tripping with 1:12 to play. Bridgeport scored on the power play after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pulled Tristan Jarry to seal the 6-3 win.
With four more games before the end of the month, the Penguins will have plenty of time to regroup and perhaps build on the power play success.
Aside from staying disciplined, correcting the power play before the postseason arrives is critical, according to Donatelli.
“We have to stay positive and get it clicking for the playoffs. We’re shooting the puck a lot more and it’s trending in the right direction,” he said.
NOTES
– Thomas Di Pauli was scratched for the second night after suffering an upper body injury on Friday in Utica. He is listed as week-to-week. Sam Lafferty was a healthy scratch as was goaltender Michael Leighton, who played the night before in Binghamton.
