Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — It’s been a while since the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have entered the home stretch of the season on the outside of the playoff bubble, but in his first season with the team, Jimmy Hayes is taking it personally.
The 29-year-old forward, who is in his 10th pro season, only has two games of postseason experience under his belt — 2012 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Needless to say, Hayes is itching add some playoff games to his resume.
“My first full year as a pro we made the playoffs, other than that those are the only two games,” said Hayes, who was on other teams that made the postseason but he was scratched.
“It’s something you fight for.”
But it’s no time to panic.
Hayes acknowledged that playoff hockey has become the norm for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as the team made the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. There is a real concern that the streak could be broken, but Hayes said rather than worry about it the Penguins need to stay focused on details like scoring timely goals and preventing them. That was an issue in the 403 shootout loss to Hershey on Wednesday. The Penguins relinquished a one-goal lead twice during the third period to allow the Bears to eventually gain the extra point.
Had the Penguins maintained the lead and won in regulation, they would be trailing both Hershey and Lehigh Valley by two points, instead of three, for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
“We have to continue to push and we have to figure out ways to win games,” Hayes said.
To do that, Penguins coach Clark Donatelli is counting on players like Hayes and the other veterans on the roster. Those experienced players are doing a good job guiding the team down the stretch, Donatelli said.
“We’re counting on these guys,” he said. “Every point matters. We have to get into playoff mode.”
That’s why Hayes said it’s critical that everyone is aware of just how much is on the line.
“The AHL is a younger league and a lot of the kids don’t understand how hard it is,” he said. “I’m more than nine years pro and I have two playoff games. It’s not given to you. You have to earn it.”
NOTES
• Donatelli said goalie Tristan Jarry will start on Saturday against Utica. He added that the team will likely carry three goaltenders — Jarry, John Muse and Anthony Peters — for the foreseeable future.
“It’s good for practice and the guys are fresh,” he said, adding that Jarry will play in two-thirds of the games. “Right now we’re happy keeping three.”
