Sens vs. Penguins 2/25/04 Articles: Penguins spoil B-Sens' rally; Loss tightens AHL East Division
February 26, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Press Connects.com

Penguins spoil B-Sens' rally

Loss tightens AHL East Division

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Things just got very interesting in the AHL's East Division.

In losing two games this week in New England, the Binghamton Senators left the door ajar for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to swipe the division's last playoff spot. In losing, 4-3, to the Penguins here Wednesday night, the Senators let them step one foot inside.

Jesse Cook, a 24-year-old defenseman playing in just his fourth career AHL game, ripped his first AHL goal off winger Arpad Mihaly's shin pad 35 seconds after the Senators had evened the score before 3,968 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

"At the start of the season, you don't know these games will be a factor, " said winger Alexandre Giroux, whose two goals resuscitated the Senators from a 3-1 deficit, "But we need games like this. It's tough right now."

Even tougher considering the Senators thought they'd pulled even with 2:13 left.

David Hymovitz whacked and whacked at a loose puck in the crease and thought he'd pushed it behind goalie Sebastien Caron. But referee Gordon Dwyer said the puck never went in, protecting the Penguins' slim lead.

"Our guys all said it was in, and (Caron) pulled it out," Senators coach John Paddock said. "But (Dwyer) said it never crossed the line. There's nothing we can do about it."

When asked if Dwyer made the correct call, Caron smiled and said, "I'm not sure, but I think so."

There's no doubting the East Division has become tighter than Britney Spears' pants.

Having lost three straight games and blown three straight chances to gain ground on idle third-place Hershey and fourth-place Norfolk, the Senators are now just two points ahead of sixth-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the final playoff spot.

And the Penguins have played three fewer games than the Senators.

"Probably if we had eight-tenths of our lineup from just before the all-star break, we'd be doing a lot better," said Paddock, who's lost captain Chris Kelly to a broken kneecap, winger Brad Tapper to a concussion, center Serge Payer and winger Josh Langfeld to NHL call-ups and center Brooks Laich in a trade. "But we can't make any excuses."

Amazingly, the Senators were held shot-less for the first 11 minutes by a team that dressed seven defensemen who averaged just 49 games of AHL experience.

More amazingly, Binghamton's first shot opened a 1-0 lead, as Denis Hamel broke an eight-game goal-less slump by redirecting Mihaly's power-play shot.

But defensive mistakes and shaky goaltending by car-lagged Ray Emery, just back from a one-day NHL promotion, led to three Penguins goals in 4:50 -- Toby Peterson's backhander on a breakaway at 14:05, Marquis Mathieu's tap-in of a loose puck in the crease at 17:43 and Colby Armstrong's shot from below the goal line at 18:55 of the first period.

"I was dead (tired)," Emery said. "I got about 6 1/2 hours of sleep the last two nights on buses and planes. But that's not an excuse. You've got to dig down in games like this."

Emery found his game in the second period and kept the deficit at 3-1 until Giroux went top shelf with the rebound of Andy Hedlund's power-play point shot at 13:35. Giroux also put Penguins defenseman David Koci's turnover past Caron at 9:32 of the third.

"My goals don't mean anything because we lost the game," Giroux said. "We need points. That's what matters now."

* Slap shots: Defenseman Peter Smrek didn't return after suffering a bruised right foot with 14:52 left in the second period. ...

The Senators started the night with only five defensemen because Christoph Schubert (shoulder) missed his second straight game. ...

An ominous note: The Senators, 8-14-4 on the road, left after the game for a season-high six-game road trip