Kings of Leon tour Rock Hall, NFT exhibit before draft gig

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DONALD T. STRICKLAND

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has seven games left on the schedule, starting with Friday night&rsquo;s trip to Binghamton.
				No matter what happens in those games, though, the Penguins won&rsquo;t play again until October.
				The AHL formally announced Thursday what had long been expected &mdash; there will be no league-wide playoffs this spring. For the second straight year, there will be no Calder Cup champion because of COVID-19 protocols.
				&ldquo;While we are disappointed that we will not be able to award the Calder Cup this spring, we are grateful to have been able to provide a safe and competitive environment for more than 1,000 players to play AHL hockey and continue their development,&rdquo; said Scott Howson, who is finishing up his first season as AHL president and CEO. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re especially thankful for the work done by our athletic trainers, COVID-19 officers and other front-line workers to ensure the health and safety of all of our players and staff throughout the league.&rdquo;
				The goal now for the AHL is to hold a relatively normal season for 2021-22, which the league announced will start around its usual time. Games will begin Oct. 15 and end April 24, with the playoffs returning afterward.
				The 2019-20 season was shut down by the global health crisis last March, with the league canceling the playoffs that May. The AHL didn&rsquo;t return to the ice until February and did so with only 28 of 31 teams participating.
				Both health and financial concerns factored in to the truncated 2020-21 campaign. Depending on local restrictions, many teams weren&rsquo;t able to host fans, a huge blow to AHL clubs that depend on ticket and gameday sales as their major source of revenue.
				Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the season with no fans in attendance before being cleared by the state to host in a limited capacity. To reduce travel costs, the Penguins have played all of their games against four other teams in the region &mdash; Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Syracuse and Binghamton &mdash; and they have gone 9-11-3-2 thus far.
				Notably, the Penguins have avoided any COVID-related shutdowns that have hit other clubs like Lehigh Valley this season.
				Though there will be no Calder Cup handed out, individual trophies will be given to division champions, with each division given the authority on how to choose a winner. The Penguins are not a factor in the North Division race, which will give the Oke Trophy to the team with the highest points percentage.
				One division, the Pacific, is electing to hold a postseason tournament to crown a champion.

No Calder Cup playoffs for 2020-21 campaign; AHL sets Oct. 15 start for next season