After a three-game week that saw the team capture four out of a possible six points in the standings, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are headed to the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Wednesday’s overtime victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack secured the Penguins a berth in the postseason. Now, the team looks to play for a first-round bye in their remaining regular season games.
Wednesday, March 26 – Penguins 4 vs. Hartford 3 (OT)
The Penguins opened the scoring as Valtteri Puustinen tallied his 14th goal of the season midway through the first frame, but Hartford answered back three minutes later. Avery Hayes scored his first goal of the evening to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
Hartford found the back of the net twice in the second period, with goals from Jaroslav Chmelař and Brendan Brisson, enabling the Wolf Pack to carry a one-goal lead of their own into the third period.
Twenty-eight seconds into the final period, however, rookie sensation Ville Koivunen tied the game with his 21st goal of the season on a breakaway.
In the dying seconds of overtime, Hayes found himself on a breakaway and performed a slick move on Hartford’s goaltender Dylan Garand and slid the puck through his five-hole. The goal marked the second consecutive game Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won in overtime courtesy of Hayes, who was recently signed to an NHL contract with Pittsburgh.
With the victory, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinched a spot in the postseason and rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov improved to 11-0-0 in his AHL career, which also tied him for the longest win streak by a goaltender in Penguins history (11), set by John Curry during the 2008-09 season.
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t care” said Kirk MacDonald after the Penguins clinching victory over Hartford. “We’ve raised our standards, and our goal right now is to get second place and the first-round bye. Maybe we can catch (first place) Hershey if we win the games against them. Just being satisfied with making the playoffs isn’t good enough, and I think the guys have set the tone for that.”
Saturday, March 29 – Penguins 5 at Charlotte 3
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton secured another crucial two points, this time on the road in Charlotte. No goals were scored during the first frame, but Sam Poulin and Puustinen scored a goal apiece to put the Penguins up by two midways through the second.
Charlotte stormed back for two goals before the intermission, but the third period was dominated by the Penguins. Vasily Ponomarev gave the Penguins the lead, and Harrison Brunicke collected his first point in his AHL debut with an assist on Ponomarev’s 14th goal of the season.
Matt Nieto scored an empty net goal three minutes later, and Joona Koppanen tacked on another one to conclude the scoring for the Penguins. Charlotte tacked on one more, but was unable to overcome the Penguins lead before the final buzzer.
Sunday, March 30 – Penguins 2 at Charlotte 5
The Penguins stormed back after surrendering two first period goals to Charlotte in the second of their two-game set in the Queen City, but ultimately fell to the Checkers on Sunday afternoon. Atley Calvert scored first and Puustinen scored his third goal in as many games at the beginning of the final period, but Charlotte tacked on three goals to sink the Penguins. Goaltender Sergei Murashov made 32 saves for the Penguins, but suffered the first loss of his AHL career.
The Week Ahead
The Penguins are set to travel for another two-game weekend set, this time against the Cleveland Monsters. The Monsters currently sit in fourth in the North Division and are fighting for a playoff spot with the Toronto Marlies and Syracuse Crunch.
News & Notes
- The rookie duo of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen were recalled to Pittsburgh after the team’s victory against Hartford on March 26. The rookie duo has been pacing the offense, with McGroarty ranking sixth in points (39) and Koivunen leading the squad (55).
- Sergei Murashov’s 11-game winning streak to begin his AHL career is the longest in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins history. Additionally, he is tied for the longest winning streak by a goaltender in team history (11).
- The Penguins return home to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Friday, April 11, against the Hershey Bears. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be fighting for a first-round playoff bye in the remaining eight games of their season.
For more information on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, visit wbspenguins.com.