WILKES-BARRE — After Tristan Broz wrapped up his AHL All-Star Classic experience in Rockford, Illinois, in mid-February, he replied with two words when asked what his mindset and approach would be to the remaining two months of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins regular season.
“Just dominate.”
Unfortunately for Broz, an injury in Cleveland in late February sidelined him until the final weekend of the regular season last week — causing him to miss 15 games down the stretch and preventing him from building upon the momentum of a strong start to the year.
“Getting taken out obviously sucks, but at the same time I feel like it was an important opportunity for me to reset my values and kind of just the way I go about things and through God,” Broz said.
In all, it’s been a frustrating season on the injury front for Broz, who was limited to just 47 games in the regular season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after missing significant timebecause of a mononucleosis diagnosis last season.
But upon his return this past weekend, Broz looked dialed in while centering a line with Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen on the wings — looking like a man on a mission.
“I mean, we’ve played together a lot so it’s nice to slide back in with those guys that I’m pretty familiar with,” Broz said. “I think we have really good chemistry and can be a really good line for our team.”
The trio combined for six goals in the final two games of the regular season, with Broz racking up five points (two goals, three assists) in those two contests — perhaps something that bodes well for the Penguins heading into the postseason.
“I think they all play well off of each other, and I think each guy brings a different element,” MacDonald said. “Where you know (Broz) brings that speed through the middle of the ice, (McGroarty) is a guy that’s going to forecheck and play down low and (Koivunen) obviously is a distributor in the offensive zone. He’s able to slow the game down, and he does a great job working to space. I think they complement each other well.”
For Broz, getting back into the swing of things in the final weekend of the regular season allowed him to shake off some rust before two weeks of practice separate the team from their Atlantic Division Semifinals series next weekend.
As a team, the final two games of the regular season served as final preparations for the postseason and a chance to get some continuity within the lineup.
“I think we just need to play the way that we can play, as a team with four lines and six defensemen and great goaltending. And we just need to believe,” Broz said. “I think getting the (first-round) bye is huge — not having to play in kind of a three-game crapshoot. Best of fives and best of sevens, we believe that the better team is going to win those, and we’ve just got to play the way we know how to play and we think that our depth and our skill will win us games.”
Howe, Imama suspended for playoff opener
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be without Tanner Howe and Boko Imama for their opening playoff game as the two forwards each received one-game suspensions from the AHL following the Penguins’ regular season finale against the Rochester Americans on April 18.
Howe was suspended as a consequence of a cross-checking incident, while Imama received an automatic one-game suspension under the provisions of AHL Rule 23.4 after accumulating his second game misconduct in the “abuse of officials” category this season.