Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Pirates unable to maintain lead in overtime loss

Portland lets a two-goal lead in the third period slip away in losing to the Penguins.

By TOM ROBINSON Special to the Telegram

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Portland Pirates spent nearly two-thirds of Saturday night's game with a two-goal cushion because of defenseman David Rundblad's ability to deliver when he got deep into the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' end of the ice.

When Penguins defenseman Alexandre Picard did the same as Paul Thompson was coming up with the puck in overtime, all that time the Pirates spent in front went to waste.

Picard's goal 36 seconds into overtime lifted the AHL East Division-leading Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates.

Rundblad's two-goal, one-assist effort was not enough for the Pirates, who let a key point in the standings get away because of ill-timed turnovers.

"It's tough," Pirates Coach Ray Edwards said. "I thought we played real well.

"We played real hard right to the end. It's a process of giving up dumb goals."

Edwards blamed "three dumb goals" for Friday's 6-3 loss in Providence.

There were fewer mistakes Saturday, but at the wrong time.

An unforced turnover high in the offensive zone led to Thompson's tying goal with 1:56 remaining.

The Penguins came up ice three-on-three. When Brian Gibbons sent a pass from the left side to Matt Rust in the slot, two Pirates went for Rust, leaving Thompson wide open on the right side.

"We duplicated coverage and they threw it back door," Edwards said. "But the problem was we had the puck on our stick with no pressure and we turn it over.

"We've been doing that all year."

The Pirates were unable to get the puck out of their end to start overtime, but this time because of pressure from the Penguins' forecheck, led by Zach Sill.

"It was a great forecheck by Sill," Thompson said. "I was coming off the bench and it came right to me for a nice little two-on-one in front of the net."

Thompson picked up the puck with momentum and headed for the goal line to the side of the net, setting himself up to find Picard breaking down the slot for the winner.

The goals 2:32 apart ruined a night in which Portland held a two-goal advantage for 39:39.

Rundblad's two early goals made it 2-0 at 9:37 of the first period. When he set up the third goal, it was 3-1 from 1:49 of the second period until 8:09 remained in the game.

Rundblad, who has five goals in 11 games with the Pirates after starting the season in the National Hockey League, found his way deep into the offensive circle on the game's first shift and again on the first power play.

Rundblad picked a spot with a wrist shot from the right side, then ripped another through traffic from the left side for the 2-0 lead.

After venturing even deeper into the Penguins' end early in the second period, Rundblad set up Patrick O'Sullivan for an easy tap-in that restored the two-goal lead.

Gibbons started the Penguins' comeback by scoring on a rebound at 11:51 of the third.

The Penguins improved to 10-1-1-1 in their last 13 games.

The Pirates fell one point behind Worcester and Bridgeport, who occupy the seventh and eighth positions in the Eastern Conference, where eight teams make the playoffs.

The Pirates' trip of three games in less than 48 hours concludes this afternoon in Worcester.

"We battled against a good hockey club," Edwards said. "We have to find a way to get two points (today)."