PENGUINS CARRY FOUR GAME WINNING STREAK INTO THIS WEEK'S ACTION

WEEK IN REVIEW:
Friday, December 26 @ Philadelphia - The Penguins returned from the holiday break with a 4-0 win in Philadelphia.  Jeff Taffe tied a team record with four assists in the game, while Chris Minard posted his sixth multiple-goal game of the year, which included his sixth game-winning goal of the season.  John Curry stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season.

Saturday, December 27 vs. Bridgeport - Taffe and Minard teamed up again against the Sound Tigers, leading the Penguins to a 5-4, come-from-behind win.  Taffe scored twice in the first period to even the score at 2-2 after 20 minutes of play, only to see Bridgeport go ahead with the lone goal of the second period coming at 19:50.  Nick Johnson’s second of the season tied the game at 3-3 just over two minutes into the third period, and Minard followed 23 seconds later with his first of the night.  The Tigers tied the game at 4-4 with a shorthanded goal at 11:23, but Minard struck again six seconds later for the final goal of the game.  Taffe assisted on both of Minard’s goals, including his league-leading seventh game-winner, and ended up with his second consecutive four point night.

Sunday, December 28 vs. Binghamton - The Senators took 2-0 and 3-1 leads, only to see the Penguins reel off five straight goals en route to a 6-3 win.  Mark Letestu was Sunday’s hero, recording four points and tying a team record with three assists in the second period.  Bill Thomas (1+1), Ryan Stone (1+1) and Nick Johnson (0+2) each picked up multiple points as well, and Luca Caput recorded his second game-winner of the season.  Minard scored into an empty net with 28 seconds left to extend his goal streak to six games - a new franchise record.

MISC. NOTES

• The Penguins have now won a season-high four consecutive games dating back to December 20.
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 8-2-0-0 in its last 10 games.
• The Penguins have a 9-2-0-0 record in December.  This is the fourth straight season the club has won nine games in the month.  The team has never won 10 games in December.

UPCOMING GAMES:
Tuesday, December 30 vs. Philadelphia, 7:05pm - The sixth of 10 meetings between the teams this season, the Phantoms hold a 3-2-0-0 advantage through the first five games.

Friday, January 2 @ Albany, 7:00pm - The third of eight meetings between the teams this season.  The Penguins captured the first two games by scores of 7-3 (December 6) and 4-3 (December 20). 

Saturday, January 3 vs. Houston, 7:05pm - The second of two games between the teams this season.  The Penguins captured a 4-3 win in Texas on November 2.  This is the Aeros’ first visit to Wilkes-Barre since February 1, 2003.  The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive one of five different game-used jersey cards, compliments of Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep.

All Penguins games can be heard live on 102.3 the Mountain and on-line at www.wbspenguins.com.  Penguins games can also be viewed on-line at www.ahllive.com, the official video provider of the American Hockey League.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Chris Minard is second in points (39), first in goals (25), first in power play goals (12) and first in game-winning goals (7)

Jeff Taffe is third in points (38), tied for seventh in goals (16), tied for 14th in assists (22), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (4) and tied for 15th in plus-minus (plus-15)

Janne Pesonen is tied for seventh in assists (23), tied for ninth in power play assists (12) and tied for 16th in points (31)

Connor James is first in shorthanded goals (4) and tied for first in shorthanded points (5)

Dustin Jeffrey is first in shorthanded assists (4) and tied for first in shorthanded points (5)

Luca Caputiis tied for 18th in rookie scoring (18)

Ben Lovejoy is tied for 11th among defensemen in points (17) and is first overall in plus-minus (plus-20)

Joey Mormina is tied for ninth in plus-minus (plus-14)

Adam Berkhoel is first in shutouts (4), sixth in goals against average (2.37), tied for eighth in save percentage (.920), and tied for sixth in wins (12)

TAFFE TEARING IT UP:  Jeff Taffe has recorded three four-point games in his past six AHL contests (12/6 vs. Albany, 2+2; 12/26 @ Philadelphia, 0+4; 12/27 vs. Bridgeport, 2+2).

Taffe has appeared in 28 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, recording 38 points (16+22) in those contests.  In parts of two seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Taffe has recorded 59 points (27+32) in just 55 games.  That’s an average of 1.07 points per game with the team, third all-time on the team among players who have played at least 10 games:

TOP POINTS PER GAME
1.             John Slaney                    1.24 (110 points/89 games)
2.             Billy Tibbetts                   1.10 (68 points/62 games)
3.             JEFF TAFFE                    1.07 (59 points/55 games)
4.             Robert Nilsson                 1.05 (20 points/19 games)
5.             Milan Kraft                      1.01 (89 points.88 games)
6.             Krystofer Kolanos            1.00 (18 points/18 games)
7.             CHRIS MINARD               .976 (81 points/83 games)
8.             Alexander Daigle            .95 (38 points/40 games)
9.             Marc-Antoine Pouliot      .939 (31 points/33 games)
10.          Jean-Francois Jacques     .931 (27 points/29 games)

Taffe tied the Penguins record by picking up four assists in the team’s 4-0 win at Philadelphia on December 26, becoming the sixth player in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history to accomplish the feat:

PENGUINS FOUR ASSIST GAMES
John Slaney         1/21/00  vs. Philadelphia
Ryan Whitney       10/5/05  vs. Bridgeport
Kurtis McLean      1/18/06  vs. Syracuse
Tim Brent             11/24/07vs. Binghamton
Alex Goligoski      12/31/07 vs. Norfolk
Jeff Taffe             12/26/08 @ Philadelphia

Taffe recorded his 100th AHL goal on December 27 vs. Bridgeport.

MINARD POWERING THE OFFENSE:  Chris Minard carries a six-game goal streak into this week’s action.  His empty net goal against Binghamton on Sunday set a new team record for consecutive games with a goal:

PENGUINS LONGEST GOAL SCORING STREAKS:
Chris Minard      Dec. 3-28, 2008                 Six Games            9 goals
Erik Christensen Oct. 21-29, 2005                Five Games          5 goals
Daniel Carcillo  Nov. 29-Dec. 9, 2006          Five Games          5 goals

Minard’s 12 power play goals this season are the second-highest single season total in team history.  The club record is 13, set by Greg Crozier in 2000-01 and equaled by Minard last year.  His 25 career power play goals with the Penguins are fourth in team history.  The club record is 31, set by Tom Kostopoulos.

Minard has recorded seven game-wining goals in his first 27 games this season.  The team mark for most game-winners in a season is eight, set by Kurtis McLean last season.

Minard’s 50 goals with the Penguins are tied for 11th on the team’s all-time list with Erik Christensen.  The team’s top 15 all-time goal scorers are:

1.        Tom Kostopoulos         97
2.        Tomas Surovy              89
3.        Shane Endicott            73
4.        Toby Petersen              72
5.        Michel Ouellet             71
6.        Jonathan Filewich        64
7.        Eric Meloche                61
8.        Martin Sonnenber        54
9.        Kris Beech                    53
10.      Matt Hussey                  51
11.      Erik Christensen            50
           CHRIS MINARD            50
13.      Matt Murley                  48
14.      Colby Armstrong           47
15.      Greg Crozier                 46

Minard has back-to-back 20 goal seasons, becoming just the fifth player in team history to accomplish the feat (Greg Crozier, 1999-00 and 2000-01; Tom Kostopoulos 2001-02 and 2002-03; Michel Ouellet 2003-04 and 2004-05; Jonathan Filewich 2005-06 and 2006-07).

FIRST TO 25:  Minard’s empty net goal on December 28 was his league-leading 25th of the season, and came in just his 27th AHL game this season.

This is the 11th time a Penguins player has hit the 25 goal mark in a season since the team joined the AHL in 1999-2000, and Minard has reached the milestone quicker than any other player in team history:

               
SEASON                PLAYER                 GAME # FOR 25th GOAL                     GOAL TOTAL FOR SEASON
1999-2000            John Slaney                      41st game                                              30
1999-2000            Tom Kostopoulos               71st game                                              26
2000-2001            Toby Petersen                    62nd game                                            26
2001-2002            Tom Kostopoulos               58th game                                             27
2002-2003            Toby Petersen                    68th game                                             31
2003-2004            Michel Ouellet                    59th game                                            30
2004-2005            Ramzi Abid                         67th game                                            26
2004-2005            Michel Ouellet                    33rd game                                            31
2005-2006            NONE
2006-2007            Jonathan Filewich               65th game                                            30
2007-2008            Chris Minard                        53rd game                                            25
2008-2009            Chris Minard                        27th game                                             

STONE GOING STRONG:  Ryan Stone picked up three assists on December 27 vs. Bridgeport, giving him 91 assists for his Penguins career.  That moved him past Tomas Surovy and into sixth place on the team’s all-time assists list.  He trails Shane Endicott by two assists for fifth place.

Stone’s three assists on December 27 gave him 130 points for his Penguins career, and moved him ahead of Colby Armstrong and into 10th place on the team’s all-time scoring list.

LOVEJOY LEADING PLUS-MINUS:  Defenseman Ben Lovejoy returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday, December 11, after appearing in two games with the Pittsburgh Penguins during his first NHL recall.  The second-year pro logged 23 minutes of ice time and posted an even rating in contests on December 8 vs. Buffalo and December 10 at New Jersey.

Lovejoy, who led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a plus-16 rating last season, leads the AHL with a plus-20 mark through December 28 and has been plus or even in 27 of his 31 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

PESONEN TIES TEAM MARK FOR ASSISTS IN A PEROIOD:  Janne Pesonen returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 10 after his second recall by the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, and wasted little time in making an impact.  Pesonen tied the team records for assists and points in a period, picking up three in the first frame against the Norfolk Admirals.  Kenny Corupe had sole possession of the assist record after picking up three helpers on November 12, 2005 against the Portland Pirates.

LETESTU JOINS PESONEN IN RECORD BOOK:  Mark Letestu recorded a career-best four points (1+3) in helping the Penguins to a 6-3 win against the Binghamton Senators on Sunday, and in the process tied the team mark for assists in a period with three helpers in the second.

CLEAN SLATE FOR CURRY:  John Curry recorded his first shutout of the season on December 26 at Philadelphia, giving him four for his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton career.  That total is tied for fifth all-time with Jeff Deslauriers.

DODGE/CHRYSLER/JEEP JERSEY CARD NIGHT #2 SATURDAY JANUARY 3rd vs. HOUSTON
The first 5,000 fans at the Penguins game against the Houston Aeros on Saturday, January 3 will receive one of five player jersey cards, sponsored by Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep.  Each of the cards contains a swatch of the players’ game-used or game-issued sweater from opening night.

This is the second of four jersey card nights this season.

COLBY ARMSTRONG 10th SEASON TEAM BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT JANUARY 10th vs. SYRACUSE
Colby Armstrong Bobblehead Night is Saturday, January 10, when the Penguins take on the Syracuse Crunch at 7:05pm. The first 5,000 fans through the Wachovia Arena doors will receive a five-and-a-half inch tall replica of the former Penguins forward.

A feisty and aggressive player, Armstrong was known for his fearless style during his three-plus seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  A first round draft choice (21st overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2001, Armstrong recorded 129 points (46+83) in 251 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  He ranks eighth on the team’s all-time list in games played,  14th in goals, eighth in assists and 11th in points.  Armstrong scored the game-winning goal in the longest game in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton history, beating Ray Emery at 12:26 of the third overtime to give the Penguins a 3-2 victory in Game Three of the East Division Semifinals on April 25, 2005.  Armstrong has appeared in more than 200 NHL games with Pittsburgh and the Atlanta Thrashers.The Penguins 10th Season Team was selected earlier this season by fan voting conducted by the Scranton Times Tribune and on-line at www.wbspenguins.com.

Don't miss out on your favorite player. Get your tickets for upcoming bobblehead giveaways by calling the Penguins ticket department at 208-7367.

NEW ONLINE TEAM STORE UP AND RUNNING
The Penguins and Solid Cactus have teamed up to bring you an all new online team store shopping experience. Log on to wbspenguins.com and check out all of our newest merchandise for the holiday season featuring third jerseys, player t-shirts and more. Log on to www.wbspenguins.com to check it out!

THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Luzerne County Transit Authority have teamed up for an incredible new offer, EXCLUSIVELY for local college students. 

The LCTA will be offering transportation to and from all Penguins Saturday home games.   The LCTA trolley will pick students up at the Ramada Inn on Public Square at 6:00pm and transport them to the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The trolley will also provide return travel back to Public Square at 9:30pm.  Students will receive transportation to and from the game, a Blue Zone ticket, hot dog, soda and popcorn, all for just $15.25! Students must present valid college ID at the Wachovia Arena to take full advantage of the deal.  

Can’t make it to a game on Saturday? Take Part in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Student Rush. Present your valid college ID at any Penguins home game and receive a discount off the gate price. For more information, contact the Penguins at 570-208-7367.