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Don't Look Now, WBS Penguins Are A Top Statistical Team In The AHL

Image courtesy of @WBSPenguins X account.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may find themselves in the bottom fifth of the NHL standings, but the opposite is happening in the AHL, where the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are one of the league's top teams.

Ahead of their matchup against the Hershey Bears on Wednesday night, the Penguins will look to inch closer to 200 goals, as they are pacing the league with 193 lamplighters, just a goal ahead of the Rochester Americans, Coachella Valley Firebirds, and Calgary Wranglers.

Meanwhile, two valuable points are on the line tonight as the Bears lead the Penguins 75 to 70 points for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. 

With a 31-16-7-1 record, the Penguins have the ninth most victories in the AHL, ranking fifth in points. Every team is chasing the Laval Rocket, who are 37-15-2-1 with 77 points. 

Even though the Colorado Eagles have the league's best goal differential, plus-52, the Penguins have scored the most (193) and given up the eighth fewest, 156, good enough for a goal differential of plus-37. 

In addition to the AHL's best offense, the Penguins come into Wednesday night with the league's second best power-play statistics with a success rate of 22.5%, just shy of the San Jose Barracuda, who are at 23.1%.

Surprisingly, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has achieved their successes with limited opportunities. With only 182 power-play chances (25th in the AHL), they have tallied 41 goals, which ties them for the seventh most.

However, when on the power-play, they haven't slowed down opponents, who have tallied nine shorthanded goals against the Penguins, which is the sixth most in the AHL.

Interestingly, the Penguins are not just dominant on the power-play; they are elite penalty killers with an 85.0% success rate, which is good enough for fifth.

They have surrendered just 28 goals shorthanded, which ranks them 28th in the league, ahead of the Charlotte Checkers (28), Rochester Americans (28), Hershey Bears (27), and Coachella Valley Firebirds (26). 

With only one month left in their season, the Penguins have positioned themselves for a good spot ahead of the Calder Cup playoffs. Meanwhile, this season's successes should eventually transition to the NHL when these prospects are ready to make an impact in Pittsburgh.