Expected Starting Goalies
Robin Lehner (BNG): 17-8-2, 1.87 GAA, .945 SV%, 3 SO
Jeff Zatkoff (WBS): 16-12-0. 1.96 GAA, .920 SV%, 3 SO
Breaking Down the Matchup
Binghamton: 1st Place East Division, 28-13-1-4 = 61 points
PENGUINS: 3rd Place East Division, 25-19-2-1 = 53 points
A regulation win by the Penguins cuts the division lead down to six points, which would set up an even bigger rematch when the two teams play in Binghamton on Saturday. A regulation loss extends the deficit to 10 points.
Leading Scorers
Binghamton: Mike Hoffman (12G, 12A), Hugh Jessiman (9G, 12A), Derek Grant (14G, 6A)
PENGUINS: Chad Kolarik (18G, 21A), Riley Holzapfel (16G, 15A), Trevor Smith (14G, 15A)
Who Are These Guys?
This is a very different Binghamton Senators from the last time the two teams faced back on January 9th. Sure they still have the very talented Robin Lehner between the pipes, but the post lockout AHL has seen numerous guys graduate to the NHL. Currently, four players who played in last month's meeting are up with Ottawa: forwards Jackob Silfverberg and Stephane Da Costa and defensemen Patrick Wiercioch and Andre Benoit.
The BSens signed defenseman Brett Lebda to a PTO last week and defenseman Mark Borowiecki returned from Ottawa to help bolster what was becoming a thin BSens blue line.
The Penguins, meanwhile, have been decimated by callups and trades on the blueline. Guys like Joey Mormina and Alex Grant, who didn't have a regular spot in the lineup, are now basically the top pairing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Pens have six guys that were in the last meeting that are in the NHL now: defensemen Brian Strait, Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres and Dylan Reese and forwards Benn Ferriero and Eric Tangradi.
The Penguins have added quite a few players since the NHL lockout ended. They have brought in forward Adam Payerl and defenseman Cody Wild from Wheeling. The Pens have also signed three former Penguins to PTO's: defenseman Mark Eaton and forwards Tom Kostopoulos and Chris Collins. The new guy to watch from a BSens perspective is forward Chad Kolarik, the Pens leading scorer recently acquired from the Connecticut Whale.
Add in that forwards Steve MacIntyre, Paul Thompson and Phil Dupuis are out of the lineup and that's nine guys who were on the roster and healthy just one month ago that won't play tonight.
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