AHL Playoffs: Wilkes bounced in Game 2 for second year in a row

Another disappointing early ending for the WBS Penguins in the Calder Cup playoffs

The Wilkes-Barre Penguins season is over after a 3-2 loss last night to Lehigh Valley. Tough ending all around, the Phantoms scored the game winning goal with 2:00 left in the third period past rookie goalie Sergei Murashov. Murashov was needed to replace Joel Blomqvist, injured in Game 1. Wilkes’ main goalie this season, Filip Larsson, was also out with an injury of his own.

Here were the lines:

On the other side of the ice, Parker Gahagen, a 31-year old journeyman goalie with more ECHL games than AHL games in the last four seasons largely authored WBS’s early exit by allowing four total goals in the two games and putting up a .937 save%. Playoff hockey at it’s finest.

Wilkes didn’t go down without a fight. Lehigh’s Alex Bump created quite the stir with open trash talking of the Penguins’ players.

Bump did something similar calling out the Boston University defensemen recently. Being as he’s a national champion and has 3G+2A in four total AHL games, it seems to work for him lately.

Naturally, the Penguins elevated their physicality to give Bump what he was asking for in Game 2. Talk shit, get hit; the most true of proverbs.

However, Bump’s words can’t be dismissed completely. It’s long been said that Kyle Dubas has a type of defender he tends to collect. Think back to Toronto and the typical profile of blueliners they had: Morgan Rielly, young versions of Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Conor Timmins and Travis Dermott. Dubas may not have drafted all of these players and occasionally went off-type to compliment them with physical players like Zach Bogosian or Luke Schenn but a large portion of Dubas’ defense fit in a similar type of passive, non-physical defender that young Alex Bump references.

Wilkes is officially under the eye of Jason Spezza as the franchise’s AHL GM. Spezza is a Dubas disciple and look at the defensemen brought into Wilkes: Sebastian Aho, Filip Kral and Mac Hollowell. All fit the mold of not exactly being impressive physical players, and Aho in particular drew the ire of many a fan on social media for his performance in the short playoff series.

While they’re aren’t Brooks Orpik or Scott Stevens types growing on trees, especially these days, WBS probably could have stood to have a little more jam, grit, whatever you want to call it in their overall makeup. It’ll be interesting to see if this elimination serves as a turning point for how Spezza/Dubas might see minor league roster construction and the profile of players they decide to bring on next season.

The quick elimination might cause lots of soul searching within the organization but there were some individual bright spots.

Murashov stopped 28 of 31 shots and had to be flexible since the plan was for him to play in the ECHL playoffs prior to Blomqvist’s injury. Future still looks as big as the sky for young Murashov and everyone in the organization is super excited for it, as they should be.

Tristan Broz scored a goal in Game 2. Broz was a hero for the University of Denver last spring and elevated his game when it meant the most in the AHL playoffs. Broz’s production doesn’t pop off the page, but he’s repeatedly shown that special quality or that “it” factor to be at his best on the biggest stage. Not every player has that trait or tendency, but you know “it” when you see it. Max Talbot had it, Bryan Rust had it. Broz may or may not have some NHL Game 7 big goals in his future, but if Broz does it wouldn’t be out of left field.

Harrison Brunicke scored his first AHL goal. Not bad for an 18-year old getting his first taste of pro hockey. His skating and hockey IQ to jump up in the play and the skill to finish the shot is a great taste of the future. The progress of this guy to go from being seen a potential fifth round pick just before his draft year to being a second round pick and now flirting with the NHL is unbelievable. It’s been a rocket ship of progression, improvement and development for him in the last 14-18 months.

Despite the couple of bright spots, WBS goes home early. Again. It’s a tough playoff format in a league where lots of teams make the playoffs that hasn’t done the Pens any favors recently.

The good news is that with the young talent increasing and the Pittsburgh ownership having no qualms about opening up the pocketbooks to sign several high-priced veteran players to fill out the roster should create a formula where Wilkes ought to have a bright future in the years to come.