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Although they no longer share the same division, the rivalry burns as strong as ever between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Binghamton Senators.
The two teams face off for the first time this season on Wednesday at the Mohegan Sun Arena, and while the Penguins are in the Atlantic Division and the Senators are in the North, not much else has changed between the two foes.
“They’re only an hour away so fans from both teams travel to the games, which makes for a great atmosphere,” center Dominik Uher said. “In the last three years we’ve had some good games. They’ve always been chippy.”
Last season, when both teams were part of the former East Division, the Penguins won six of eight meetings against Binghamton. This season, the Penguins play Binghamton six times and four of them are at home.
While both teams have plenty of new faces, defenseman Derrick Pouliot knows what to expect from Binghamton.
“I remember from last year they had an explosive offense and a good power play,” he said. “I’m not sure who they added and dropped, but you can expect the same thing from them.”
Wednesday’s game also marks the first mid-week contest for the Penguins this season, who have won five or their first six games and are riding a four-game winning streak.
The Penguins did practice for two days to get ready for Binghamton, and head coach Mike Sullivan said he doesn’t feel a mid-week game will throw his team out of sync.
“I think players have played in enough leagues to this point that they’re used to playing in the middle of the week versus weekends,” he said, adding the short practice week before a game can be good for players.
“It’s refreshing for the players, probably. They don’t have to listen to the coaches as much.”
One thing the Penguins do hope to correct right away on Wednesday is their start. Last Saturday against Springfield, the Penguins allowed the Falcons to get on the board early in the first period and had to battle back for an overtime win.
“Playing in the middle of the week, the practices have been a little bit lighter leading into this and it’s nice to break things up a bit,” Pouliot said. “We’ll see if we can come out with a little better start than the past couple of games.”
NOTEBOOK
– Uher will be playing in his 200th AHL game on Wednesday. It’s a milestone that the 22-year-old said makes him feel old. “Hopefully I’ll get another 200 and another 200 and keep it rolling,” he said. “Even if it takes another 200 games in the AHL then play in the NHL, I would do that just to get another opportunity.”
Uher has played his entire AHL career with the Penguins and said he’s grown as both a player and a person over the last three-plus years. “This is a great organization that will help you both on and off the ice. You don’t just grow as a hockey player, you grow as a person to.”
– Sullivan, who played 709 games in the NHL, was impressed by Uher’s milestone. “To play that many games at this level is a terrific accomplishment. It exemplifies a certain personality, a mental toughness and a resilience to go through the grind of a pro schedule,” Sullivan said. “For someone like Dom to play that many games at this level is a terrific accomplishment.”
– On the injury front, C Tyler Biggs is ready to return to the lineup and F Tom Sestito is out with a lower body injury, according to Sullivan.