The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins couldn’t keep their momentum rolling Tuesday night, falling 4-0 to the Utica Comets at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
David Rittich was the difference for Utica, turning aside all 25 shots he faced to record the shutout and snap the Penguins’ three-game winning streak. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton entered the night at 7-5-1-0 and spent plenty of the opening minutes pressing, but the Comets eventually settled in and took control of the game’s key moments.
The Penguins came out with jump and pinned Utica in its own end early, generating a string of chances before the Comets weathered the push. Once Utica found its footing, the pressure shifted the other way, and Joel Blomqvist was forced to handle several dangerous looks as the pace stayed high through the opening period.
Utica struck first at 9:58 when former Penguins forward Stefan Noesen redirected the puck home to make it 1-0. After that, the game tightened considerably. The second period produced little in the way of open ice or clean looks, with both teams locked into a low-event, defensive battle that kept the Comets’ one-goal edge intact.
The Penguins still had a chance to get back into it early in the third, but Utica made the next big play instead. Just three minutes into the final period, Xavier Parent buried a rebound under Blomqvist’s outstretched legs to double the lead.
Down two late, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pulled Blomqvist for an extra attacker with 4:01 remaining, and the gamble backfired quickly. Lenni Hämeenaho scored into the empty net, and Jack Malone added another with 2:59 left to close out the scoring.
Blomqvist was charged with the loss despite a season-high 32 saves.
The Penguins now move into a three-in-three weekend that starts Friday, Nov. 13, against the Hershey Bears at GIANT Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns home Saturday, Nov. 14, for its first-ever meeting with the Hamilton Hammers. That game will also serve as the Penguins’ Veterans Day Celebration presented by Workers For Warriors, with puck drop scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
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WBS Penguins Suddenly Face A Familiar Problem After Streak Ends
Wilkes-Barre/Scrantons three-game winning streak came to an abrupt end at Mohegan Arena, where the Penguins were blanked 4-0 by the Utica Comets. Joel Blomqvist did what he could to keep the game within reach, turning aside a season-high 32 shots, but the Penguins never found a way to solve the Comets goaltending and spent much of the night chasing the game.
For a club that had started to build some momentum, the loss was a reminder of how quickly things can tighten up in the AHL. The Penguins were held off the board entirely, and the kind of offensive push that had fueled the recent run never really arrived, leaving them with a familiar challenge to sort out as they look to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Youth Movement Is Starting A Roster Debate They Can't Ignore
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Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes are among the forwards making the case from the minors, while Harrison Brunicke stands out on the blue line as the most promising defense prospect, even if he is currently sidelined. The broader issue is bigger than any one call-up, though, because a heavier reliance on young players brings obvious growing pains at a time when the draft lottery has changed how teams think about rebuilding. For the Penguins, the debate is no longer whether the youth movement is coming, but how much of it they can absorb at once. [Read more 🡒]