WILKES-BARRE, Pa – It’s becoming quite clear that home cooking for the Penguins is more than just an edge. Prior to Friday’s Game 4, the ‘Pens were 13-4 in their last 17 home playoff games. With a decisive 6-3 win over the Hershey Bears, they have not only put themselves right back into this Eastern Conference series, but have also shown how to take full advantage of the comforts of home. The ‘Pens were able to keep the fans completely involved in the game while providing very limited offense. They did so by scoring three goals on five shots. Nick Johnson, Dustin Jeffrey and Jean-Michel Daoust registered a goal each, while the defensively the team held the Bears to just eight shots. Luca Caputi added another tally to raise the score to 4-0 a little over half way through the middle frame. The Bears, held to just eight more shots finally got on the board with 1:04 left on the clock when Grant McNeil popped his first playoff goal past Adam Berkhoel. The third period started out with the thought that the Bears would make the contest another close one when Steve Pinizotto scored less than five minutes in. The ‘Pens held tight after that and eventually Mark Letestu and Janne Pesonen bracketed a Bears power play goal by Keith Aucoin. Pesonen’s first goal of the playoffs was an empty-netter with less than a minute left in the game. The Pens will try to take the series lead Saturday night before heading back to Hershey for Game 6 on Sunday.
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