Smashed! Blocked!

So with newfound respect for Ryan Stone, with a slightly dizzy feeling from rushing to make deadline, with lots of (pick a BPT number) bkd (pick a WBS number) in my game notes, and with a bit more confidence in at least the length being right on my prediction…

Bridgeport was happy with the chances it got, just wished it could have done more with them. Granted, change one bad-hop goal, and get one of your own, and there’s no worries at all. The Penguins blocked a ton of shots. The Sound Tigers seemed to shoot some times they could have passed, passed a lot more times they could have shot… Aw well. In a series like this, so much is going to come down to a bounce. Justin Papineau seemed to kind of resent my flip-a-coin analogy, but when both teams are playing this close… Heads, Maxime Talbot centers, and it skitters through the crease harmlessly, and the Sound Tigers counterattack. Tails, the puck hits Jeff Tambellini and caroms up and in on the short side, denying us the fun and deadline-scurry of a sixth consecutive playoff overtime game in this barn.

So if I don’t see you Wednesday, see you Friday.

LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Bergenheim-Colliton-Nilsson
Tambellini-Collins (A)-Comeau
Marjamaki-Koalska-Masse
Papineau (A)-Regier-Thompson
D: Jarrett (A)-Gervais
Pettinen (A)-Caldwell
Grebeshkov-Pratt

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON
F: Stone-Talbot-Filewich
Hussey (A)-Christensen-Corupe
Dixon-Endicott-Kolanos
Carcillo-McLean-Bonvie (A)
D: Lannon-Whitney
Welch-Kelleher (A)
Bissonnette-Fata

Yep, four not-scarlet letters. Impressive, isn’t it? (By the gamesheet, Papineau’s was phantom, a relic of an earlier era. Or at least of April 1, when he last wore that sweater.)

Allan Rourke didn’t make the trip to Wilkes-Barre.

Dubielewicz: Great again.

*-“Please! I’m losing my mind!”**
**-I should bring me some British Invasion CDs on the trip.

Michael Fornabaio