The Penguins had nine different players record points, including six with multi-point games, in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 6-3 win over the Devils on Wednesday night.
Two players -- Anthony Angello and captain Josh Currie -- had three-point nights, each picking up two goals and an assist in the win.
"It's always nice to score a few goals and have them come from a few different players," head coach J.D. Forrest said. "A lot of them weren't really pretty. It was just a grind from the start to the finish there. When you can capitalize on opportunities or get a lucky bounce here and there, it certainly helps secure a win there."
Like has been the case so many times this season, Wilkes-Barre allowed the game's first goal. Binghamton's Brett Seney set up Fabian Zetterlund from below the goal line, and Seney opened the score with the quick tap-in.
"I thought our start -- and Taylor will appreciate this -- our start was just really not in it from the get-go," Forrest said, joking about the many times I've asked about the team's start this season, though it wasn't my question on this night.
Wilkes-Barre's penalty kill came up big in the first period, killing a Cam Lee minor for delay of game in the opening minute and an Angello minor for interference later in the period.
Jordy Bellerive quickly responded to the Devils' opening goal after 42 seconds, and those 42 seconds would be the only time Binghamton led in the game all night.
When Angello was in the box later in the period, it gave the Devils a good opportunity to regain the lead. But it was the Penguins who took the lead, with Currie scoring his eighth goal and first shorthanded goal of the season when he was sprung on a breakaway:
"I had a pretty good view of it from the box, unfortunately," Angello said of Currie's goal. "I thought it was a good play, a really strong kill. Currie made a nice play, the defenseman on the other team turned it over, (Drew O'Connor) made a nice play up the middle. Currie used his speed and was able to get a breakaway and beat the goalie with a nice shot glove-side. I think our penalty kill, that's the goal to kill it off but it's an added bonus when you can get a goal out of it."
"We had a couple of good kills and that really got us going," Forrest said. "It was a big goal for one, but it also really changed the tone of our bench and of our team moving forward. It certainly helped us for the rest of the whole game."
Angello extended the lead early in the second period with a cannon of a shot:
"It was just kind of our offensive zone progression there," Angello said of his goal. "We get the puck in the corner, go low to high, P.O (Joseph) walked, turned around and gave it right back, and it was just in my wheelhouse so I decided to let one go. I got all of it, and I was happy to see it go in."
"He got it off quick and surprised the goalie a little bit," Forrest said. "I'm not so sure that it didn't hit the shin pad of the guy that was coming out to block it. But he's got such a quick release and can place it really well with that release. I think he just caught the goalie off-guard there, it was a really nice goal."
The Devils got one back 15 seconds later on the power play, but Currie's redirect of a Lee shot from the point regained the two-goal lead:
Tim Schaller, the Penguins' net-front guy on the top power play, got a redirect goal on the man advantage in the third period to extend the lead:
Binghamton's Tyce Thompson got a power play goal midway through the third, then Angello scored an empty-net goal to seal the win, giving him a three-point night and Currie a three-point night with the assist.
It was a chippy, physical game, with Angello making his mark in that regard as well, especially in the battles for pucks along the walls.
"That's got to be a fixture in his game night in and night out," Forrest said. "He's got to be strong all over the ice. We're not looking for him to be anything that he's not. He's a power forward, he can skate, he's got a great shot when he's moving his feet. So we just want to see that on a consistent basis. The battle element, being strong down low, grinding teams, that's a big part of his game and a big part of why he's spent time in Pittsburgh over the last couple of seasons. We're just looking to make sure that he continues that and gets even better at it while he's here."
With the Penguins and Devils playing again on Saturday, the physicality is something that could carry over into next game, something Angello thinks could benefit the Penguins.
"Oh, for sure," Angello said when I asked if he expects any carryover. "I think physicality is definitely a big part of my game. Well, I don't think, I know physicality is a big part of my game. It's always fun when the whole team buys into it as well. It was great to see physicality from top to bottom, and I definitely think that's something that helps our team play well. When we're physical, it definitely asserts our dominance and helps us get two points on a night in, night out basis. Definitely looking forward to having that carry over to Saturday."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Kasper Bjorkqvist played his first game of the season, debuting on the third line, and was scoreless. There was a brief scare when he went to the locker room in the third period after being kneed -- especially concerning given last season's ACL tear -- but he later returned to the game.
"Yeah, he's OK," Forrest said. "It wasn't a pretty hit there, at all. But he's a tough kid, a strong kid. I liked what I saw for the first game in a little while from him. I thought he was really solid. You could see his strength and his smarts out there and his commitment to different areas of the ice. A lot of detailed play by him, it's good to have him in the lineup."
"He's got exceptional speed," Angello said of what he's seen from Bjorkqvist so far. "He's definitely strong in the corners and on the puck. It's nice for him to be back. It's unfortunate with what happened to him with his injury last year. But we're definitely excited to have him back in the lineup and have him compete for us."
• Alex D'Orio got the win with 21 saves on 24 shots.
"He's looked phenomenal," Angello said. "He's won our player of the game after the game when we pass from player to player pretty often. I think he's playing extremely well. He's playing confident, he's moving well, he's making some big saves, and he's coming up big for us to get us some of these wins. It's definitely a momentum-creator. He boosts our confidence in the defensive zone, and he's a big part of us winning games."
• Billy Sweezey and Ben Thompson dropped the gloves in a rematch two months in the making:
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Video highlights
• AHL scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
THE THREE STARS
As selected at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza:
1. Josh Currie, Penguins
2. Anthony Angello, Penguins
3. Jordy Bellerive, Penguins
THE INJURIES
• Defenseman Jesper Lindgren left the first preseason game after sliding into the boards and underwent successful shoulder surgery. He's out for the rest of the season.
• Defenseman Zach Trotman is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
• Forward Kyle Olson is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
THE LINEUPS
Forrest’s lines and pairings:
Drew O'Connor-Josh Currie-Anthony Angello
Tim Schaller-Jonathan Gruden-Sam Miletic
Kasper Bjorkqvist-Jordy Bellerive-Nick Schilkey
Felix Robert-Zach Nastasiuk-Jan Drozg
P.O Joseph-Jon Lizotte
Cam Lee-Billy Sweezey
Kevin Czuczman-Will Reilly
And for Mark Dennehy's Devils
Mason Jobst-Tyce Thompson-Alexander Holtz
A.J. Greer-Travis St. Denis-Graeme Clarke
Brett Seney-Ryan Schmelzer-Fabian Zetterlund
Ben Thomson-Aarne Talvitie-Nate Schnarr/Tyler Irvine
Nikita Okhotiuk-Colton White
Michael Vukojevic-Jeremy Groleau
Reilly Walsh
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will host the Binghamton Devils on Saturday. There are four games remaining in the season, and then that's the end of it all. No playoffs in the AHL this year.
THE CONTENT
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