Pittsburgh Penguins Minor League Report
By Matt Shetler
With the newest proposal coming from the NHL, outlined by my colleague Matt Gajtka, the potential is there for an NHL season after all. But current situation is still status quo and fans are stuck with no NHL hockey.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no hockey at all as both Penguins’ minor league affiliates kicked off action this week.
With that being said, here’s a quick look at how the boys at Wilkes-Barre and Wheeling are doing.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins
The Baby Pens dropped their opener on Saturday 2-1 to Binghamton. The Baby Pens took a 1-0 lead in the second period on an unassisted goal from center Trevor Smith, but that’s all they would get on the night. Binghamton got two past Baby Pens’ goaltender Jeff Zatkoff in the third to get the win.
Wilkes-Barre plays again on Friday against Springfield, the first of three games in three days. They play their first home game Saturday against Bridgeport before wrapping up the weekend at home against Syracuse.
Wheeling Nailers
The Nailers also dropped their season opener, but battled back from a 2-0 second period deficit to earn a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to Cincinnati. Paul Crowder and Chris Barton scored goals for Wheeling. Goaltender Patrick Killeen was the tough luck loser for the Nailers, despite stopping 28 of the 30 shots during regulation and overtime.
Barton and Crowder also each added an assist while Peter Merth and Cody Wild also added helpers.
Wheeling also plays three games in three days beginning on Friday with a pair at Elmira before traveling to Reading on Sunday. The Nailers don’t play their first home game until September 26 when they host Reading on back-to-back nights.