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Happy birthday Giada Maria Deprimo!

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AAA: Average gas prices are down slightly from last week

<p>It&#8217;s only the 11th game of the season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but it&#8217;s one that could reveal just how good this year&#8217;s team is when they host the Toronto Marlies on Friday.</p><p>The Penguins (8-1-1-0) are the top team in the AHL with a winning percentage of .850. Right behind them in the Eastern Conference are the Marlies, who have just one more loss and one less win than the Penguins.</p><p>While a win or a loss in early November may not impact the standings when it comes to later in the season, the Penguins know there&#8217;s a lot on the line when they face Toronto.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a good test to see if we can be the best team in this league,&#8221; said forward Jean-Sebastien Dea. &#8220;Toronto is going to be like a playoff game. You always want to prove you&#8217;re the best team in the league.&#8221;</p><p>The Penguins only get two chances to see how they stack up against the Marlies, who are in the North Division. In two meetings last season, the Penguins lost twice to Toronto, including once in a shootout.</p><p>Defenseman Reid McNeill remembers those games and said both teams were well aware they were facing the best.</p><p>&#8220;We know they&#8217;re a good squad, and we&#8217;re confident in the group we have,&#8221; McNeill said. &#8220;We&#8217;re just focusing on ourselves right now.&#8221;</p><p>And their focusing on beginning the weekend with a win - something that proved critical last Friday when the Penguins went on to win three times. With their second weekend of three games, the Penguins are ready for the mental and physical challenges that come with playing on three consecutive days.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re in good condition, but it&#8217;s more mental,&#8221; Dea said. &#8220;Your body can do it. Sometimes it&#8217;s just in your head and you think about it too much. It&#8217;s best to just go out there and play.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Added depth</strong></p><p>The Penguins are entering a grueling stretch of six games in nine days and will receive a boost to their depth as forward Thomas Di Pauli and defensemen Lukas Bengtsson and Stuart Percy are expected to return from their injuries this weekend. They all practiced with the team on Thursday and head coach Clark Donatelli plans to use them this weekend.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have to watch their minutes but they&#8217;re all pretty much cleared to go,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Di Pauli and Bengtsson are both rookies who have yet to play this season. Donatelli said Di Pauli, 22, who played the last four years at Notre Dame, is a fast-skating, high-energy player.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a good penalty killer and he can score. He possesses the puck well down low and we&#8217;re excited to see him,&#8221; Donatelli said.</p><p>Bengstton, 22, has spent his career in his native Sweden and can produce offense from the blueline.</p><p>&#8220;Good defensively and he&#8217;s mobile. He moves the puck very well,&#8221; Donatelli said.</p><p>Donatelli said the additions are welcome with a busy stretch coming up.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to utilize everybody. It&#8217;s good to have the bodies right now and we&#8217;ll enjoy it for the amount of time that we have it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have the bodies to keep the nucleus fresh going forward.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Up next&#8230;</strong></p><p>Toronto Marlies (7-2-0-1, .750, 1st place in the North Division) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-1-1-0, .850, 1st place in the Atlantic Division)</p><p>Friday, 7:05 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena</p><p><strong>Players to watch:</strong></p><p>Toronto - Winger Brendan Leipsic leads the Marlies with 15 points in 10 games.</p><p>Penguins - Tom Kostopoulos has scored a goal in each of the last four games.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ready to face Toronto on Friday