The Springfield Thunderbirds, the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate, have had their season ended in the Calder Cup playoffs, suffering a defeat at the hands of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The Thunderbirds upset multiple teams in their path to the Atlantic Division final, and they pushed one of the AHL’s best teams to the brink, but in the end, the Penguins proved to be too much. The Thunderbirds forced a Game 5 with a 2-0 win in Game 4, but the Penguins jumped out early in Game 5. The Penguins got out to a 4-0 lead after the first period, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Penguins added a fifth in the second period and a sixth early in the third before Akil Thomas was finally able to put the Thunderbirds on the board. Shortly after, the Thunderbirds gave up another pair of goals to make it 8-1. Springfield’s season comes to an end, but there is plenty to be proud of. Adam Jiricek and Justin Carobonneau joined the lineup for the playoffs, picking up vital experience and making an impact. Jiricek and Carbonneau will be key factors for the Thunderbirds next season. Additionally, top prospects Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein excelled following their stints in the NHL, proving they can be immediate factors to start the 2026-27 NHL season. The Penguins now move on to the conference finals, where they will take on the winner of the North Division finals between the Toronto Marlies and the Cleveland Monsters. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/88c8892a-6723-4b27-9ca8-4581a3447358.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
