Inconsistency spells end to Penguins' win streak
Mar. 4—WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Defenseman Jon Lizotte said the Penguins' three-game win streak entering Wednesday was the result of playing a "hard 60" minutes every night.
They got away from that against Syracuse, though, and it cost them.
While Wilkes-Barre/Scranton did have promising spurts, it let the Crunch hang around long enough to eventually sneak away from Mohegan Sun Arena with a 2-1 shootout victory. Syracuse had only 14 shots in regulation, but Cole Schwindt scored on a rare odd-man rush early in the third period to send the game past regulation.
Once in the shootout, Taylor Raddysh and Otto Somppi beat Max Lagace for the extra standings point.
"They're always difficult to play against," Penguins coach J.D. Forrest said. "Their goalie played well. I don't think it was one thing in particular preventing us from scoring goals. Sometimes, that happens. It's not easy to score goals in this league."
The Penguins outshot Syracuse, 31-19, and had numerous chances against netminder Spencer Martin. However, their lone goal came from Lizotte 1:08 into the second period when his pass redirected off a Syracuse skate.
With multiple key players called up to the NHL or injured, the Crunch lacked the same firepower they had on Feb. 13 — when they and the Penguins played to a wild 5-4 track meet. So on Wednesday, they muddied up the rematch as much as possible for a low-scoring affair. It worked.
Syracuse held the Penguins to only seven shots on goal in the first period despite surrendering two power plays, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players frequently had trouble digging the puck out of traffic and establishing breakouts.
Even after they clearly got a push with Lizotte's goal, the Penguins' best chances often came on broken plays. Jon Gruden had a rare breakaway shorthanded that Martin snagged with his glove and another chance he tipped just wide of the goal.
"We were scattered through each period," Lizotte said. "We would play a hard 10 (minutes), and then kind of lay off. That's when those shots start not going through and stuff doesn't go your way."
The last significant scoring chance came off the opening faceoff of overtime, when Syracuse's Boris Katchouk got tangled up with the linesman dropping the puck. Cam Lee got a side-angle shot on the resulting 3-on-1, but Martin tossed it aside.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's defense was solid again, as it killed off a full power play in overtime to get the game to the shootout. The 14 shots allowed in regulation were a season-best.
"A lot of young guys, so sometimes it takes time to kind of gel," Lizotte said. "I think we're all buying into what we've got to do, and I think that shows. Each night we come out, we're usually proud of how we play as a unit. Hopefully, it continues that way."
Syracuse 0 0 1 0 1 — 2
Penguins 0 1 0 0 0 — 1
First period: Scoring — None. Penalties — Syr, Somppi, holding 12:45; Syr, Say, cross-checking 16:03.
Second period: Scoring — 1, WBS, Lizotte (Robert, Zohorna), 1:08. Penalties — WBS, Miletic, slashing 2:21; Syr, Stephens, holding 5:00; WBS, MacPherson, high-sticking 17:55.
Third period: Scoring — 2, Syr, Schwindt (McDonnell, Fortier), 2:05. Penalties — Syr, Wilson, roughing 6:23.
Overtime: Scoring — None. Penalties — WBS, Lizotte, boarding 1:01; Syr, Martin (served by Day), tripping 4:30.
Shootout: Syr, Raddysh goal, Somppi goal. WBS, Zohorna goal, Lee no, Gaudreau no.
Shots on goal: Syr 2 8 4 4 — 19; WBS 7 8 10 6 — 31.
Goaltenders: Syr, Martin (30 saves on 31 shots; 2 of 3 stops in SO); WBS, Lagace (17 saves on 18 shots; 0 of 2 stops in SO).
Power-play opportunities: Syr 0 for 3; WBS 0 for 5.
Referees: Jordan Deckard and Rob Hennessey.
Linesmen: Bill Lyons and J.P. Waleski.
Three stars
1. Syr G Spencer Martin, 30 saves
2. Syr F Cole Schwindt, tying goal
3. WBS D Jon Lizotte, goal
Penguins lineup
Forwards: Tim Schaller-Frederick Gaudreau-Nick Schilkey
Felix Robert-Radim Zohorna-Jan Drozg
Sam Miletic-Jordy Bellerive-Kyle Olson
Jon Gruden-Chase Berger-Zach Nastasiuk
Defensemen: Jon Lizotte-Billy Swezey
Cam Lee-Dylan MacPeherson
Kevin Czuczman-Will Reilly
Goaltenders: Max Lagace-Shane Starrett
Pens notes
— Forward Luke Stevens has been added to the injury list and is considered day-to-day with an upper-boy ailment.
Up next
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday for a 7 p.m. puck drop against the temporarily-relocated Binghamton Devils.
Contact the writer: tpiccotti@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2089; @CVPiccotti on Twitter
