The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins head to Allentown, Pa. on Friday to fight for their playoff lives against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in what is now an elimination game in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
And they will be getting some help from a major reinforcement.
Top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov - recently re-assigned to the Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, for their Kelly Cup run - was recalled from Wheeling to WBS Friday.
WBS goaltender Joel Blomqvist was injured in Wednesday's 5-2 Game 1 loss against the Phantoms, with Taylor Gauthier replacing him heading into the third period.
Prior to being sent back to Wheeling initially, Murashov had a very good run at the AHL level, posting a 12-3-0 record with a .913 save percentage and a shutout. He also won his first 11 AHL starts, tying a franchise record set by John Curry in 2008 for consecutive games won by a goaltender in WBS.
Blomqvist had posted a .914 save percentage during WBS's regular season.
WBS Penguins Drop Crucial First Game Of AHL Playoffs To Phantoms, 5-2
Heading into Wednesday's opening-round matchup, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins - AHL affiliate of the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> - were 8-2-2 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the regular season.
The goaltending is not the only thing that needs to be better, however. The Penguins need to come out with a better start than they did on Wednesday, as the best-of-three first-round series is all on the line Friday.
And head coach Kirk MacDonald believes his team will be ready from the jump.
"You're looking for a better effort to start [on Wednesday], but it's a young group," MacDonald said. "We didn't seize the moment, but that means it's not the only moment. And we're going to have one on Friday. We've responded all year after an off night with a great effort, and I have no doubt - on Friday - we're going to do that."4
With a win on Friday, the Penguins will take on the Phantoms Sunday in Wilkes-Barre for all the marbles.
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