The St. John’s IceCaps are back in action this Saturday and Sunday, when they play host to the top team in the Eastern Conference: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The IceCaps are coming off a series split with the Syracuse Crunch. St. John’s struggled at times offensively during the series, but they received some good news on Thursday. Chris Terry, who was averaging over a point per game for the IceCaps, has been sent down by the Montreal Canadiens, and is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday.
Previous Meetings
Saturday’s game will be the first matchup of the season between the two teams. They did, however, play four times last season. The Penguins had the upper hand, beating the IceCaps on all four occasions.
Ones to Watch
The Penguins’ roster doesn’t boast any big-name prospects, but they have been getting quality scoring from a wide variety of players. Oskar Sundqvist leads the team with 15 points through 17 games.
Wilkes Barre’s best players this season have been goaltenders: Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith. Although DeSmith has yet to lose in regulation this season, it’s Jarry who is the go-to guy. The former Edmonton Oil King looks to be a future NHL netminder.
Records
STJ: 11-10-1-0 (23 points)
WBS: 13-4-2-0 (28 points)
Leading Scorers
STJ: Nikita Scherbak (17 points), Sven Andrighetto (16 pts), Chris Terry (15 pts)
WBS: Oskar Sundqvist (15 pts), Carter Rowney (13 pts), Tom Kostopoulos (12 pts)
Top Goaltender
STJ: Charlie Lindgren 9-5-0-0, 2.49 GAA, .925 SV%
WBS: Casey DeSmith 5-0-1-0, 1.65 GAA, .938 SV%
Special Teams
STJ: 24.4% PP, 79.8% PK
WBS: 13.4% PP, 90.0% PK
