After Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was unable to recover from slow starts in each of its two games, I asked forward Tim Schaller if he could pinpoint any reason for those starts, and what can be done to ensure that problem doesn't put them in another hole next game.
"We have to kick each other in the butt here and get going faster," he said.
I can't say for certain if any pre-game butt-kicking occurred before Saturday's game against the Crunch in Syracuse, but the Penguins had their best start and complete effort of the season and earned a 5-4 win, their first win of the season.
Jan Drozg's goal just 46 seconds into the game was his first of the season, and the quickest Wilkes-Barre has got on the board so far in its three games:
The Crunch tied the game late in the first period. After being outshot 12-6 in each of its first two games, Wilkes-Barre headed to the locker room at first intermission trailing just 10-11 in shots.
"Our start was fantastic," head coach J.D. Forrest said after the win. "We didn't hold it for the full 20 minutes in the first period, we had a five-minute kind of fall where we took our foot off the gas. But we got back to it, and I thought we carried the play in the second period for sure."
A round of firsts gave Wilkes-Barre the lead in the second period.
Former Penn State forward Chase Berger scored his first goal of the season, with forward Jonathan Gruden -- the prospect acquired in the Matt Murray trade -- and free agent signing Kyle Olson picking up their first professional points with the assists:
In the final minute of the period, Olson scored his first professional goal, with defenseman Will Reilly picking up his first professional point on the primary assist:
Syracuse tied the game with two goals in 1:45 in the third period. Reilly scored his first professional goal and second point of the night 16 seconds later to regain the lead:
The lead wouldn't last long, with the Crunch tying it right back up after 29 seconds.
Just over a minute later, Wilkes-Barre went on the power play. Jordy Bellerive scored off of a feed from Felix Robert -- another rookie earning his first professional point -- and that lead would hold for the remainder of the game:
"The third period was just a battle," Forrest said. "It was a hard-fought road win."
The game brought another big first milestone: Forrest's first professional win as a head coach.
"It feels great," Forrest said of the personal accomplishment. "That's a good team over there. They played hard, they didn't give up. But I'm really proud of the way our guys kept battling back. It's not easy when you give up a lead to have the resiliency to bounce back and take it once and then again after another tying goal. I was really happy with the effort that was put in."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Before the game, Wilkes-Barre announced that forward Jordan Nolan was taking an indefinite leave from the team for family reasons.
• Emil Larmi made 29 saves on 33 shots.
• Tim Schaller wore an "A" on his sweater in Nolan's absence. He led the team with seven shots on goal. No other Penguins had more than two.
• Justin Almeida and Josh Maniscalco were scratched. I asked Forrest after the game and he confirmed that they were healthy scratches.
"We have some good depth players, we wanted to see what they could do as far as playing a certain style that we were looking for to close some holes that we thought we might have" Forrest said. "Justin and Josh, they'll find their way back into the lineup. This is a competitive from the inside-out team. No one can get comfortable with their spot. It's just an example of when guys do get chances, then they step up. It's an opportunity there. Justin and Josh are both really good players."
• Robert took Almeida's spot on the second line, his first AHL game of the season. And for a guy who is 5 feet 8 and 165 pounds, he plays a lot more physical of a game than you'd think. He's a little pest out there.
"That's what we like about him," Forrest said when I asked about Robert's physicality. "He's small in stature, but he just does not give up. He goes at you two, three, four times. He might lose the first battle, the second battle, but he's ready for the third and fourth. I really like his determination out there, his tenacity. He has some skill too. He can contribute on that side when he does get space. But I like how his mental makeup is as far as he just doesn't quit. That's what we're looking for up and down the lineup, he certainly brings that to the table."
• Wilkes-Barre went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. The penalty kill is now 11-for-13 through three games.
• Cam Lee left in the third period after blocking a shot:
Lee had a couple of big shot blocks in the game, something that impressed Forrest given that Lee's biggest contributions are typically with his offensive game, after putting up three points in the first two games.
"We're used to seeing what he can do with the puck on offense, and on the power play," Forrest said. "He'd probably be the first to tell you that it wasn't the greatest night for him as far as that goes. But when those things aren't clicking, and you can do things like that with a few blocked shots, you're really contributing to the win. I just like how he found a different way to contribute than what we're used to seeing."
• Per the broadcast, Drozg's nickname in the locker room is "Janny Hockey," which is one of the better ones I've heard.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial
1. Kyle Olson, Penguins
2. Alex Barre-Boulet, Crunch
3. Grigori Denisenko, Crunch
THE INJURIES
• Forward Sam Miletic is day-to-day with what Forrest simply called a "medical issue." He participated in Pittsburgh's camp but was absent for the final three days.
• Defenseman Zach Trotman underwent right knee surgery Jan. 14 to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. He's still technically on Pittsburgh's injured reserve, but physically in Wilkes-Barre, so he figures to start the season in the AHL when he's healthy.
• Defenseman Jesper Lindgren left the first preseason game after sliding into the boards and underwent successful shoulder surgery this week. He's out indefinitely for the rest of the season.
• Defenseman Cam Lee left in the third period of Saturday's game and is still being evaluated.
THE LINEUPS
Forrest’s lines and pairings:
Tim Schaller-Josh Currie-Nick Schilkey
Felix Robert-Radim Zohorna-Jan Drozg
Jonathan Gruden-Jordy Bellerive-Kyle Olson
Luke Stevens-Chase Berger-Zach Nastasiuk
Jon Lizotte-Billy Sweezey
Cam Lee-Dylan MacPherson
Matt Miller-Will Reilly
And for Benoit Groulx's Crunch:
Jimmy Huntington-Ross Colton-Alex Barre-Boulet
Boris Katchouk-Aleksi Heponiemi-Taylor Raddysh
Gabe Fortier-Otto Somppi-Grigori Denisenko
Daniel Walcott-Peter Abbandonato-Ryan Lohin
Riley Stillman-Luke Witkowski
John Ludvig-Chase Priskie
Sean Day-Ben Thomas
THE SCHEDULE
Wilkes-Barre won't play again until next Saturday when they play the Bears in Hershey.
THE CONTENT
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