WBS Road Magic: Pens Win 3-2

A career night for Paul Thompson tonight.

Penguins hold on to win 3-2 tonight after jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period, thanks to two quick goals 16 seconds apart by Paul Thompson. Thompson has been playing well lately and it was good to see his hard work pay off tonight.

Full recap after the jump.

Brad Thiessen vs. Dustin Tokarski in net tonight. With Eric Tangradi and Simon Despres called up to Pittsburgh, Cody Chupp was called up to the AHL and Peter Merth filled in on the blue line. Ryan Schnell got back in the lineup, while Nick Petersen was a healthy scratch. Here's what tonight's lines looked like:

Geoff Walker - Bryan Lerg - Jason Williams
Brian Gibbons - Ben Street - Paul Thompson
Brandon DeFazio - Zach Sill - Ryan Craig
Ryan Schnell - Matt Rust - Cody Chupp

Robert Bortuzzo - Brian Strait
Cody Wild - Alex Grant
Peter Merth - Philip Samuelsson

Brad Thiessen

The first period was thrill a minute hockey. Geoff Walker and Mike Angelidis dropped the mitts just 37 seconds into the contest and Walker earned a quick take down.  It was all WBS early, with the Penguins outshooting the Admirals 9-1 at one point in the first period.

Paul Thompson scored two quick goals just 16 seconds apart, with a heavyweight fight squeezed in between.

Thompson's first goal was a snipe to the top corner of the net past Tokarski after great work by Brandon DeFazio and Ben Street to get a loose puck to Thompson in front. Ben Street got the lone assist.

On the ensuing face off, Ryan Schnell and Eric Nielson dropped the gloves. Then, Thompson got his second goal 15 seconds after the second fight of the night, smacking home a puck with the assists going to Matt Rust and Cody Chupp. It was 2-0 WBS just 5:25 in.

Ben Street made it 3-0 with a power play goal at the 16:34 mark of the first frame. Alex Grant with another great keep-in on the point and Geoff Walker fed Street with a nice pass.

Former WBS Penguin forward Michel Ouellet made it a 3-1 game 53 seconds into the middle frame, but would get cut after a big punch thrown from Grant in a fight. Ouellet was sticking up for a teammate but probably wishes he didn't, or that Grant wouldn't have clocked him with a right. That fight has given me a reason to give Alex Grant a nickname that I hope will stick: Rocky.

It was Grant's third fight of the season, not that he is a fighter by any means but the nickname is supposed to be funny right?

Robert Bortuzzo would also drop the gloves in the second period, also sticking up for a teammate.  Brian Strait took a high hit from Eric Nielson and Bortuzzo jumped in.

The Admirals would make it interesting in the third period, with Radko Gudas deflecting in a Mark Barbiero shot to make it a 3-2 game. But that would be as close as the Admirals would get to tying this game. Penguins win 3-2.