Game Preview: Monsters VS. Penguins 3/4
Mar 4, 2023In the third of four meetings between the two teams this season, the Cleveland Monsters, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, drop the puck vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, on Saturday with full coverage, live from FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, underway at 1:00 pm on Bally Sports Great Lakes, FOX Sports 1350 “The Gambler”, AHLTV, and the Monsters Hockey Network.
MONSTERS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 5-6 road loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, the Cleveland Monsters enter today’s game at 22-24-4-2 on the season. With 50 standings points, the Monsters currently rank seventh in the North Division standings and 15th in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is currently led in scoring by RW Trey Fix-Wolansky (23-33-56), RW Emil Bemstrom (14-17-31), and C Justin Richards (9-22-31).
PENGUINS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 3-5 road loss to the Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins enter tonight’s game at 22-23-3-5 on the season. With 52 standings points, the Penguins currently rank eighth in the Atlantic Division standings and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is currently led in scoring by RW Alexander Nylander (24-24-48), RW Valtteri Puustinen (21-24-45), and LW Drake Caggiula (9-22-31).
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES: Saturday marks the third of four meetings between the Monsters and Penguins this season (0-2-0-0, -11 goal differential [2/13]) and the first of two games between the two clubs in Cleveland this year.
In the third of four meetings between the two teams this season, the Cleveland Monsters, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, drop the puck vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, on Saturday with full coverage, live from FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, underway at 1:00 pm on Bally Sports Great Lakes, FOX Sports 1350 “The Gambler”, AHLTV, and the Monsters Hockey Network.
MONSTERS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 5-6 road loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, the Cleveland Monsters enter today’s game at 22-24-4-2 on the season. With 50 standings points, the Monsters currently rank seventh in the North Division standings and 15th in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is currently led in scoring by RW Trey Fix-Wolansky (23-33-56), RW Emil Bemstrom (14-17-31), and C Justin Richards (9-22-31).
PENGUINS PRE-SCOUT: Following a 3-5 road loss to the Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins enter tonight’s game at 22-23-3-5 on the season. With 52 standings points, the Penguins currently rank eighth in the Atlantic Division standings and 13th in the Eastern Conference. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is currently led in scoring by RW Alexander Nylander (24-24-48), RW Valtteri Puustinen (21-24-45), and LW Drake Caggiula (9-22-31).
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES: Saturday marks the third of four meetings between the Monsters and Penguins this season (0-2-0-0, -11 goal differential [2/13]) and the first of two games between the two clubs in Cleveland this year.
MONSTERS GOALTENDERS:
| 30 Pavel Cajan | OVERALL |
19 GP, (7-8-2), 0 SO, 3.55 GAA, .873 S% |
| LAST APP | (14/18) in first 35:35 of 2-6 L at GR 2/25/23 | |
| HEAD TO HEAD | -- | |
| AT HOME | 9 GP, (5-3-1), 0 SO, 3.24 GAA, .886 S% | |
| 32 Jon Gillies | TUC (AHL) |
15 GP, (5-8-2), 0 SO, 3.70 GAA, .878 S% |
| LAST APP: |
(36/41) in 2-5 L at CV 1/16/23 |
|
| 40 Daniil Tarasov | OVERALL | 7 GP, (3-4-0), 0 SO, 4.40 GAA, .862 S% |
| LAST APP | (24/29) in 5-6 L at SYR 3/1/23 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (0-1-0), 0 SO, 9.56 GAA, .706 S% | |
| AT HOME | 1 GP, (1-0-0), 0 SO, 2.00 GAA, .938 S% | |
| 73 Jet Greaves | OVERALL | 29 GP, (11-11-4), 0 SO, 3.42 GAA, .891 S% |
| LAST APP | (11/12) in 20:58 of relief in 2-6 L at GR 2/25/23 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 2 GP, (0-1-0), 0 SO, 5.45 GAA, .822 S% | |
| AT HOME | 16 GP, (8-6-2), 0 SO, 3.10 GAA, .903 S% |
PENGUINS GOALTENDERS:
| 31 Filip Lindberg |
OVERALL |
19 GP, (6-11-1), 0 SO, 3.13 GAA, .896 S% |
| LAST APP. | (33/35) in 1-3 L vs PRO 2/11/23 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (1-0-0), 0 SO, 1.01 GAA, .973 S% | |
| ON THE ROAD | 13 GP, (5-7-0), 0 SO, 3.37 GAA, .883 S% | |
| 33 Taylor Gauthier | OVERALL | 14 GP, (6-2-3), 0 SO, 2.42 GAA, .918 S% |
| LAST APP. | (20/22) in 1-2 OTL vs BEL 2/25/23 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | -- | |
| ON THE ROAD | 8 GP, (2-1-2), 0 SO, 2.34 GAA, .957 S% | |
| 40 Dustin Tokarski | OVERALL | 24 GP, (10-9-4), 1 SO, 2.45 GAA, .918 S% |
| LAST APP. | (30/34) in 3-5 L at HER 3/1/23 | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | 1 GP, (1-0-0), 0 SO, 1.00 GAA, .970 S% | |
| ON THE ROAD | 11 GP, (4-4-2), 0 SO, 2.85 GAA, .910 S% |
KEYS TO SUCCESS:
- TAKING IT OUTSIDE: Saturday marks the second outdoor game in Monsters franchise history, following 2013’s “Frozen Frontier” game in Rochester, NY in which the Monsters were defeated in a shootout by the Rochester Americans. Saturday’s crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium is expected to be the largest in Monsters franchise history (prev. record 18,665) and the largest crowd in Ohio history for a professional hockey game.
- CARSON’S CRUISING: Despite it spanning both ends of a months-long NHL recall and subsequent injury absence, Monsters RW Carson Meyer’s active AHL point streak continues, currently resting at six games in duration (3-8-11). Meyer is also riding a five-game AHL assist streak (8). Saturday marks Meyer’s 100th career AHL appearance.
- MONSTER MILESTONE: Monsters LW Brett Gallant, the team’s longest-tenured skater currently competing in his eighth season with Cleveland, marks his 300th appearance with the Monsters on Saturday, becoming only the second player in Monsters franchise history to hit 300 games played with the organization (Justin Scott, 336 games played from 2016-22).