WBS Penguins Continue Quest For 40 Wins, Defeat Checkers 5-3
Image courtesy of @WBSPenguins X account.The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (37-18-7-1) continue their march towards the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, chasing the top spot in the Atlantic Division and pursuing a 40-win season. They got closer to achieving those goals after defeating the Charlotte Checkers 5-3 on Saturday.
In his professional debut, 2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke had an assist and a shot on a goal while finishing the afternoon minus-1. The rookie set up Vasily Ponomarev's game-winner at 14:43 of the third period, a power-play tally that broke a 2-2 tie.
Despite picking up two helpers, Tristan Broz was not one of the game's three stars, as Valtteri Puustinen took top honors, scoring a goal at 12:10 of the second to give the visiting Penguins a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately, that lead didn't make it to intermission as the Checkers got lamplighters at 14:57 and 16:15 to tie things up after 40 minutes.
Once Ponomarev restored the Penguins' lead, Matt Nieto and Joona Koppanen scored unassisted goals into the empty net at 17:43 and 18:08 to extend the visitor's lead to 5-2. Then, with 26 seconds left, Charlotte scored to make it a 5-3 final.
Between the pipes, Filip Larsson made 25 saves on 28 shots (.893 SV%) to improve to 12-8-3 this season. Cooper Black was on the hook for the loss at the other end, stopping 18 of the 21 shots he faced.
On special teams, WBS scored one power-play goal (Ponomarev) while going perfect on the penalty kill, 3-for-3. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period, with Charlotte finishing with more shots, 28-23.
Interestingly, Saturday's contest was not a day for players racking up assists. Three of the eight goals were unassisted, and only one tally (Ponomarev) had a secondary assist.
The Penguins have nine games left and have already clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. Their next game is Sunday, a rematch with the Checkers. WBS is looking for its 38th win of the year and is chasing its first 40-win season since 2017-18.
Additionally, they are just three points behind the Hershey Bears for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, a crown they haven't won since 2016-17.