Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Sergei Murashov (1) made 32 saves off 35 shots for a save percentage of 0.914 (Source: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins beat the Toronto Marlies 4-3 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals to level the series 2-2.
After Wilkes-Barre/Scranton put up the first three shots of the game including one in their first power play in the opening four minutes, the Marlies scored a short-handed goal at the 4:15 mark with their first shot when Pens goalie Sergei Murashov misread the path of a cleared puck which he was gathering from the trapezoid off the backwall. The puck rolled ahead of him in front of an empty goal becoming easy pickings for Marlies forward Benoit-Olivier Girouix, putting Toronto up 1-0. Around 10 minutes later, the Marlies found themselves on their own first power play and forward Vinni Lettieri scored just eight seconds in at the 14:14 mark to put Toronto up 2-0 going into the first intermission.
The Pens came roaring back in the second period by outshooting the Marlies 10-3 in the opening 10:25 minutes, resulting in a Scooter Brickey goal to cut Toronto's lead in half and then a Chase Pietila goal to square up the scores at two-all. For the rest of the period, the Marlies would outshoot the Penguins 7-2 with three shots coming in their second albeit first unsuccessful power play. But it would be the team in black and yellow that would find the back of the net during this time courtesy of forward Gabe Klassen to put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton up 3-2 after 40 minutes.
In an evenly-matched third period, Toronto found find themselves on their third power play of the game at the 11:09 mark. After the Leafs AHL affiliates dug the puck out of a dog pile in front of the net, forward Luke Haymes found an opening through the mass of humanity and shot through to score the Marlies' second man-advantage goal five seconds before it's expiration, leveling the scores at 3-3. It was not meant to be Toronto's night apparently as after the Marlies put up four straight shots, Pens forward Rutger McGroarty received a gifted giveaway from Toronto's Easton Cowan in the Marlies zone and planted the puck between pipes for the game-winning goal with just three minutes left in regulation.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goalie and AHL All-Star Murashov made 32 saves off 35 shots for a save percentage of 0.914.
Toronto goalie and AHL All-Star Artur Akhtyamov made 23 saves off 27 shots for a save percentage of 0.852.