Power play arrives in time to help Penguins win home opener
Oct. 22—WILKES-BARRE TWP. — There couldn't have been a better time for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to get their first power-play goal of the season.
Ram Pitlick scored with the man-advantage midway through the third period to break a tie and help give the Penguins a 3-1 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds in their home opener Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Vinnie Hinostroza and Jansen Harkins also scored and goalie Joel Blomqvist stopped 31 of 32 shots for the Penguins (2-2-0-0), who stopped a two-game losing streak.
"It was nice to be in our home building," Penguins coach J.D. Forrest said. "When you start with three on the road, we felt we could be a little better than where we were at. So when you hold home court, that always helps you out."
Through their first three games, the Penguins were 0 for 13 on the power play; 0 for 9 in two games at Charlotte and 0 for 4 at Hartford on Friday night. Then, they failed on three power-play chances in the first period Saturday.
"The first game I thought we had good looks," Forrest said. "I think we've just been overdoing it a little bit. We've got some highly skilled guys there right now and sometimes the shot they have isn't the one they want. I think that's been a bit of an issue, trying to force some nice plays instead of taking what's there.
"Penalty kill and power play early in the season, sometimes it's tough to get going. It's like trying to train cats. Not the easiest thing."
It clicked in the third period.
With Springfield's Drew Callin in the box for high-sticking, Sam Houde passed the puck to Marc Johnstone at the left post. Johnstone backhanded a pass cross-crease to Pitlick at the right post. Springfield goalie Vadim Zherenko made the initial save, but Pitlick was able to get just enough on his rebound attempt to put it over the sprawled Zherenko to make it 2-1 at 9:03.
"The power play's been a weird one," Pitlick said. "To finally get one is a big thing for our team. It was nice to get that win at home."
Added Forrest: "When the power play steps up when you need it, it's a big deal. Hopefully we can get a snowball effect going here and we can build off that big goal."
Springfield (1-3-0-0), top affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, pressed the rest of the way for the tying goal. The Thunderbirds had a great chance with 3:01 remaining when the Penguins were whistled for too many men on the ice. They pulled Zherenko for a sixth attacker, but Blomqvist and the Penguins killed off the penalty.
Harkins scored an empty-net goal with 40.9 seconds remaining to seal it.
"He was great," Hinostroza said of Blomqvist. "In the second when we weren't doing our best and not playing our game to our identity, he stood on his head and kept us in the game. That's not always going to happen, so we've got to make sure to fix our little mistakes."
The Penguins jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Pitlick intercepted the puck in the neutral zone and sprung Hinostroza on a breakaway. Hinostroza slipped a backhander between the pads of Zherenko for his first goal of the season at 1:35.
"I saw they had a little mishap and Rem got the puck," Hinostroza said. "I just tried to skate as fast as I could because I knew Rem was going to get it to me. I was moving pretty fast, so I just tried to fake-shoot it, open up his five-hole and shoot it in."
It was a short-lived lead, however, thanks to an unfortunate bounce for the Penguins.
Xavier Ouellet attempted to clear the puck from the left side boards behind his net. But the puck took a funky bounce off the back boards and in front of the Penguins goal. Blomqvist stopped the initial shot by Nathan Walker, but Adam Gaudette was able to poke home the rebound off a scramble in front for his fourth goal of the season, tying it at 1 at 3:18.
Both teams had opportunities to break the tie the rest of the period, but Blomqvist and Zherenko stood their ground.
Perhaps the best chance for the Penguins came at the 8:31 mark when Jansen Harkins found himself alone behind the Springfield defense. But Zherenko stopped him on the breakaway.
Springfield had the better of the play over the final five minutes, outshooting the Penguins, 7-1, in that stretch. But the Thunderbirds could not break the tie.
"In the second, we got away from our game a little bit," Hinostroza said. "We were taking long shifts and kind of playing selfishly a little bit. But we got back to our game in the third and that's how we were able to come out on top."
Despite the Penguins outshooting Springfield, 14-6, and having three power plays, the game was scoreless after one period.
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